Welcome to Magpies 

Class Teacher - Miss Fox

LSP - Mrs Bell and Miss Di-Vito

email:     class.magpies@burnttree.sandwell.sch.uk

Our learning

Communication and Language (C&L)

In Reception, children will be exposed to a range of new vocabulary that links to our topics, taught sessions and throughout their independent play and exploration. Children will be challenged to use and apply new vocabulary throughout the day and when talking about what they have been learning. Children will develop their thinking and listening skills through stories, class discussions and group activities. They will use well-formed sentences when communicating their ideas and thoughts and will begin to ask questions.  Children will be exposed to a range of different stories, poems, rhymes, songs and non-fiction books.

Personal, Social, Emotional Development (PSED)

Throughout the year, children will build relationships with their peers and adults. They will learn how to take turns and share with others, as well as showing an understanding of other people's wants and needs. Children will learn how to express their feelings and gain an understanding of the feelings of others. Through this, they will learn about the perspectives of others and how to form positive relationships and friendships. Children will learn how to manage their own needs, including getting changed independently, putting their coats on and washing their hands.

Physical Development (PD)

Children will develop both their fine and gross motor skills throughout their time in Reception. Children will be shown how to hold a pencil correctly using a tripod grip and how to form letters and numbers correctly. They will learn how to use tools competently, including using scissors to cut.

Throughout their continuous provision and taught PE sessions, children will learn the skills to develop body strength, co-ordination, balance and agility. They will develop ball skills including throwing, catching, kicking ,passing, batting and aiming. 

They will learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle through their diet and daily exercise.  

Literacy

At Burnt Tree, we follow Ruth Miskin's literacy scheme Read, Write, Inc. Children are assessed every half-term and put into groups that match their phonic knowledge. During phonics, children are taught sounds, how to blend and segment words, and will begin to read story books. Children will then take a phonics book to read at home that matches their phonics ability.

In addition to their phonics lessons, children will complete writing linked to the termly topic and will be encouraged to read and write throughout the school day and during their continuous provision. Each class has a book corner where children are able to read for pleasure throughout the day. Children also have access to our Early Years library, where they can take a book of choice home to share with their parents/guardians.

Maths

At Burnt Tree, we follow the maths scheme White Rose Maths. In Reception, we focus on developing a secure understanding of numbers to 10, as well as exploring capacity, time, shapes, measurement, pattern and positional language. We enhance our continuous provision to enable children to apply their learning to a range of different contexts during their play. 

Understanding the World (UW)

Each half-term, we focus on the current season and the world around us. We learn about the seasonal changes and how the natural world has changed, as well as links to the people who help us, mini-beasts, animals, planting and growing, celebrations and transport and travel. Through this it allows us to make links between our current and prior learning and enables us to explore the similarities and differences of the seasons and the world around us. Throughout the year, we learn about lots of different celebrations, cultures and religions and celebrate the diversity of our school. 

Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

Children will develop their artistic and cultural awareness through their creativity and imagination. They will explore and play with a range of media and materials, including collage, junk modelling, painting, drawing and using natural objects. 

Children will listen to and learn songs from different cultures, as well as nursery rhymes and songs that relate to our topics. 

Through taught music sessions, children will learn how to match pitch, follow a melody, keep a steady beat, tap rhythms and respond to changes in sound. 

Children will take part in The Nativity performance as well as learning Spring/Easter songs for their Easter bonnet parade. In addition, children will learn songs at the end of the year to perform at their graduation. 

Look what we have been doing...

This half-term we are learning all about winter. We have been learning about the seasonal changes, weather and have been exploring outside! We talked about how the weather has changed since autumn and had a special visit from Jack Frost. We have also been learning about the winter wildlife we may see in our gardens and compared these to autumn. We made hedgehog houses, bird houses and bird feeders. We have celebrated Chinese New Year and are looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day.