Our Power of Reading book for next half term will be ‘Anna Hibiscus’ Song’. Anna Hibiscus is a small girl of dual heritage with a happy heart living with a large and loving family in Africa. Anna asks each member of her extended family what she should do because she feels so happy and she weaves their various responses into a song. The location of the mango tree from which Anna surveys her world is non-specific but the endpapers of the book depict an urban environment by day and night, a contrast to picture books which frequently depict only the rural landscapes of Africa.

In Literacy, the pupils will read about Anna’s adventures and will sequence story events, as well as learning the song that Anna sings whilst sitting in her mango tree. Pupils will learn about different recipes using mangoes and yams and will write their own instructions for mango smoothies and how to cook a yam.

This term in Phonics the pupils will continue to embed their blending and segmenting skills to read and write CVC words. We will continue to work with all pupils to develop their pencil grip and letter formation. Additionally, the pupils will take home a reading book to begin to retell stories using picture prompts and to recognise familiar words.

In the learning environment, pupils will have the opportunity to take part in various creative activities to recreate different scenes from the book ‘Anna Hibiscus’ Song’ in addition to creating animal prints with paint and making African animals using junk modelling resources.

Our role play area will be a travel agent , where pupils will have the opportunity to use their imagination to recreate roles and buy tickets to visit Africa or different countries around the world. Outdoors, the pupils will have Anna’s home, alongside an airport role play area, where they will be able to pack their luggage ready to check in at the airport with their passports and suitcases. Pupils will learn about various types of holidays, for example a trip to the seaside, camping, going on a boat, going abroad or staying at home in the lead up to the Summer holidays.

In Mathematics this term, the focus will be to secure pupils’ understanding of number. They will have an opportunity to develop their number recognition and ordering skills, as well as their counting skills through activities such as counting the mangoes on the tree and matching the correct numeral representation. The pupils will develop their understanding of early calculation by exploring how many are left when an amount has been taken away through practical activities such as mangoes falling off the tree.

Opportunities for pupils to develop individually and creatively in all areas will be continuously provided within the learning environment. Pupils will continue to come together for group carpet sessions in which they will learn through stories, songs and group discussions in preparation for transition into Reception.

This term we have exciting events such as a Science workshop, where the pupils will take part in practical activities to learn about ‘Light’ through the concept of ‘Day and Night’ as well as Sports Day. The pupils are looking forward to Sports Day where they will participate in different challenges and competitions such the ‘egg and spoon’ race and ‘obstacle course’. We hope you can join us on the day!

WE LOVE SCHOOL!