We have reached the end of the penultimate week of term, and the end of our space topic. And what fantastic space explorers the children have continued to be! Thank you for your amazing number day outfits and donations, they are greatly appreciated.

RWI

We continue to work on learning our set 1 sounds, and some groups have started learning their set 2 sounds also. These special friends are especially tricky to learn as they have 2 or more letters making one sound. We provide lots of practise for children to recognise these sounds in words. Children are also beginning to learn red words, these are words which cannot be fred talked (we can’t use our sounds to segment and blend). For example was! We discuss which part of the word is being tricky and practise our speedy reading.

In our sessions, we are progressing through various stages, starting with oral blending and moving on to fred talking unfamiliar words. We then introduce the ‘Fred in your head’ strategy, which helps children to recognise words more quickly. As they become familiar with these words, you will notice that their reading speed improves significantly.

Please continue to support your child with their reading at home recording this in their reading records. If you have any questions please ask your class teacher.

Maths

Our learning this week has been on measure. This included capacity and mass using the vocabulary full, nearly full, half empty, half full, nearly empty, empty, heavy/ light and balanced. We started the week identifying the capacity of different jugs, cups and bowls using our new vocabulary. We then filled some containers to represent the words eg full, empty or nearly empty. By the end of the week, we listened to the story Equal Schmequal. This helped us to understand balance when exploring mass. When one side of the balance went up, it meant the item was lighter and when one side of the balance went down it meant the item was heavy. Our challenge was to find 2 items which caused the scales to balance, this meant they were of equal mass.

Next week, we will continue our learning on repeating patterns.

Thematic Curriculum

We started the week focusing on the impact of the moon landing. We had a wonderful discussion about the various aspects of this monumental event. During our lessons, we explored both the positive and negative implications of the moon landing. On the positive side, we discussed how this achievement significantly increased our knowledge of space and inspired generations to pursue careers in science and technology. However, we also touched on some concerns, such as the issue of space debris and the environmental impact of human activities in space. It was enlightening to see the children engage with these topics and express their thoughts on the balance between exploration and responsibility.

We then delved into what a rocket looks like and discussed the important features it possesses. The children engaged in conversations about the purpose of different designs, focusing on why certain items, such as scissors, have specific shapes—such as round holes to comfortably fit our fingers. Through this, they developed an understanding of why things are designed the way they are.

During our exploration of rockets, we identified three main features essential for their functionality: a pointy nose for aerodynamics, a cylindrical body for stability, and fins on the sides for balance. The children designed their own rockets, thoughtfully considering whether their creations would fly and the reasons behind their choices. They then worked collaboratively in small groups to make their rockets using their designs and checking they had all the features identified.

Towards the end of the week, we shifted our focus to the concept of gravity and its impact on our planet. We learned about Isaac Newton, who made significant discoveries regarding gravity. To bring this concept to life, we engaged in a hands-on activity where we created straw rockets to see firsthand how gravity affects movement.

Next week, children will be learning about Lunar New Year.

Important information

• Love to learn books have been sent home today. Please see the following information for the children’s task:

Love to learn challenge: February Half Term

Well done and thank you so much for your amazing Space projects and creations – they were amazing!

At the start of next term, our new topic will be “On the Farm!”
During half term, we would love you to help your child choose one farm animal to learn about.

Your child’s challenge is to find out some interesting facts about their chosen animal. You might like to talk about:

• What the animal looks like

• Where it lives on the farm

• What it eats

• Any interesting or fun facts

Children will have the opportunity to share what they have discovered with their friends at the beginning of our new topic.

This can be done in any way you like — through talking, drawing, photos, or a simple model. The most important thing is that children enjoy learning together at home.

Thank you for your support — we can’t wait to learn all about farm animals!

Please return the Love to Learn challenges by Wednesday 25^th February so that we can use them at the start of our topic.

Many thanks for your support.

 

• Read at 3 is cancelled on the last day of term 13^th February due to the winter party.

• PE kits need to be worn into school every Friday please. This needs to be in line with our uniform policy please.

• Please complete the WOW moment sheets regularly so that we can add these to the children’s learning journey books.

 

Term 3 dates:

Tuesday 10th February – Safer internet day 

Friday 13th February – Non-school uniform day

Friday 13th February- Chinese food tasting

Friday 13th February - Chilton Fundraisers Winter Disco 

Friday 13th February – Last day of term. School finishes at usual time

e-mail addresses

nicki.cotton@chilton primary.co.uk

kirby.walker@chiltonprimary.co.uk

Many thanks for all your continued support,

EYFS team