What we are doing to support your child's Distant Learning!

1) Distant Learning Blog: We are posting at least 3 activity ideas per day on our Distant Learning Blog, which are mostly practical and fun ways to develop children's skills across all the Areas of Learning. You can choose to complete these, or think of your own learning activities too. This can be accessed via 'Purple Mash' - see the below instructions on this webpage to access this. You will need your log-in details on the sheet we sent home.

Please keep in contact with us and each other on the blog - we would love to see you all and hear about what you are doing! 

2) Log-ins and Links Sheet: On the sheet that we sent home are additional links to websites that you can choose to access to further support their learning, and the log-in information for Purple Mash (where you can access the blog and lots of online games), Charanga (the music scheme we use at school) and Twinkl (lots of activities/lessons/ideas). 

3) Daily Activities: These were listed on the back of the Log-ins and Links sheet we sent home. They are the activities we would suggest that you do with your child daily to support their development. Feel free to adapt them to suit your child's needs:

- Reading! Anything that engages and interests your child, as well as phonetic books. 

- Practise handwriting, using correct formation (can be found on EYFS page on the website)

- Daily counting, adding and subtracting (using practical objects/number-line)

- Practise quick recall of numbers, sounds and tricky words

- Talk and have fun with your family!

- Play! Imaginative, creative, academic, and social free-play is vital for young children's development.

4) Distant Learning Resources: These are the pack of multi-use resources we sent home to support their learning, including a Phase 2 and 3 phonics sound-mat; Phase 2 and 3 Tricky word grid; Number grid 0-20; a number line; and a '100 things to do before you are 6' document.

5) Website: On our Class Page and the EYFS page on this website, we are posting videos/photographs/links and resources that you can use to support your child's learning.

6) 'Zoom' sessions: We will soon be starting 'Zoom' video sessions 3 times a week at 2pm. Tuesday has a writing focus, Wednesday is maths, and Thursday is focused on reading skills. We will give you the details of how to access each session by posting on our blog, so please check this frequently. 

We hope this is useful to you. We know that it is a very stressful time for everyone and our first priority is the health and well-being of our pupils and their families. Please do not worry about doing everything; you are doing great already!

Please keep in contact with us via the Distant Learning Blog by posting and commenting! We miss you all and would love to hear from you! :)

Miss Highfield practising the instrumental!

Lyrics for 'You Need Skin' by Roy Bailey

CHORUS:
You need skin; take good care of it.
Don't harm a hair of it.
What would you do without it?
Keep it clean; soapy water every day
Will wash the dirt and smells away
'Cause you need skin.

1. Whether you're fat or whether you're thin,
It keeps the germs from crawling in.
Whether you're skinny or whether you're stout,
It stops the blood from trickling out

Chorus

2.Whether you're dark or whether you're fair,
Skin's the thing for growing hair.

Whether you're silly or whether you're smart,
It keeps your bones from falling apart.

Chorus

Reading Questions

These are some prompt questions to support your child's understanding and comprehension skills during reading. You don't need to ask all of these questions every time you read together, but talking about the book together will develop excitement and a love of reading.

Before reading the book:

- Can you point to the title? or What is this? (pointing to the title)

- Is it a non-fiction book (about real things) or a fiction book (a made-up story)? How do you know?

- What is the person called who wrote this book? (Author and name)

- What about the person who drew the pictures? (Illustrator and name)

- What do you think this book will be about?

- What might happen in the story?

- Who is in the story?

- Can you show me the blurb? What does a blurb do?

During the reading of a fiction book:

- What is happening here?

- Where is this story set? Does the setting change throughout the story?

- What is ______ doing? Why are they doing that?

- What might happen next?

- Can you predict how the story might end?

- Is __________ friendly/mean/kind…?

- How is _________ feeling? How do you know?

- What does ______ mean? Can you think of any other words that mean the same thing? (To check understanding of a word)

- How does this part of the story make you feel? Can you tell me why?

During the reading of a non-fiction book:

- What does ______ mean? Can you think of any other words that mean the same thing? (To check understanding of a word)

- What could we use to help us understand a new word? (Glossary)

- What is your favourite section of this book? Why?

- What can we use to find specific facts in this book? (Contents page/index)

At the end of the book:

- Did you like this book? Why/why not?

- What was your favourite part? Why?

- Which aspect of the story didn't you like very much? Can you explain why?

- Which character did you like the best? Why?

- Why did that character do … (give a situation/event from the story)?

- Can you sequence the events of the story? Think about what happened at the beginning, middle and end. 

- What was your favourite fact that you learnt from the book? Can you remember what else you have learnt?