Totem Class
Welcome to Totem Class!
Totem Class Teacher: Mrs Cox
Totem Class Teaching Assistants: Mrs Stroud and Miss Lee
Our Topic for Spring 2 is: Dinosaurs
This exciting project teaches children about the different animals that roamed Earth millions of years ago and how they are related to animals that live on Earth today.
Our Spring 2 Topic is: Puddles and Rainbows
This mini project teaches children about the weather that happens during spring and allows them to explore natural phenomena, including rainbows. It supports them to explore colour in the natural world.
English
Our first book we will be reading is ''Where the Wild Things Are,'' by Maurice Sendak.
'When Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief, his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without any supper. Alone in his room, Max enters a magical world and sets sail across the sea to the place where the wild things are. The wild things roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws . . . But Max tames the wild things and is made their king. Will he ever want to go home?'
In English we follow The Write Stuff Curriculum. Lessons are divided into “experiences” to stimulate writing and “sentence stacking.” The sentence stacking lessons are divided into bite-sized chunks that have modelling at the heart of them. The key benefits of this approach to writing are:
- improvements in the quality of sentence structure;
- standards improve because many worked examples are provided over time;
- children have a clear view of what high quality writing looks like;
- children know how to improve their writing and make it more focused; and
- children understand how to apply the techniques they have been taught in sentence stacking lessons to their independent writing.
As part of our 'Experience lesson' children will take part in a 'hands on' approach as they explore the characters in the story. The children will focus on part of the story and discuss this together. As part of their lesson the children 'chott.' ‘Chotting’ is when pupils chat about words and jot their ideas down at the same time (chott). During the chotting section, pupils also borrow some words from Grandma Fantastic and make a note of their favourites.
Grandma Fantastic Grandma Fantastic is a puppet, with a basket, who brings words into the classroom. The words are grouped into feelings, asking, noticing, touching, action, smelling, taste, imagining and checking sounds. She always brings the most challenging words, that pupils will probably not be able to suggest themselves. Her function is to furnish pupils with more ambitious words, that are related to the ideas you are generating.
The Teacher then models writing a sentence and the children build up to orally forming their own sentences which they then later write using words of their own or Grandma Fantastic. We also record our discussions and work in an English floor book.
Phonics is taught through the Read Write Inc Programme. Your child will bring home a reading book which will match the phonics group they are in. Reading books are changed twice a week. Please continue to hear your child read regularly and write a comment in their record book as well as any sounds or letters they are unsure of. They may also bring home practise sheets to share with you which they have learnt in their lesson.
Totem Class will continue to try new activities and develop their confidence throughout the year. They will have opportunities to try something new and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge. They will explain the reason for rules and know right from wrong. The children will manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, toileting, tooth brushing and dental hygiene as well as showing an understanding of healthy food choices.
The children will continue to explore the world around them and comment on what they see such as the different seasons, nature and minibeasts. The children will show awareness of people and cultures as they explain some differences and similarities, drawing on knowledge from stories and non-fiction texts. There will be daily opportunities to be imaginative and creative as they draw and paint, make various crafts and explore a variety of textures.
Maths- We follow White Rose Curriculum. This terms unit is 'Growing, 6,7, 8.' We will learn how to double and subitise and make two groups. We will then move on to 'Length, height and time.'
PSHE- 'Healthy Me.'
P.E- Every Tuesday
Please find attached the Did you Know? resource for Topic. Share and discuss the questions with your child and promote the use of the vocabulary included on it.