Our main theme in Acorn class is ''Stories From the Past.' We will be learning about different types of stories- fairytales,legends, Ancient Greek myths, fables and folk tales. We will be looking in depth at 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'St George and the Dragon', 'The Hare and the Tortoise' and 'Anansi the Spider'. We will look at the characters from the stories, what happens and what we can learn from these stories. We will be identifying what happens at the beginning, middle and end of stories. We will learn that some stories are not real and some are based on real events. While learning about ancient Greek Myths we will be looking at the Olympic games and carrying out a smaller version of our own! 

In Literacy, we will be reading our core text 'Cinderella.' We will be exploring the characters, creating pictures of them and looking at their features. We will be looking at the different locations the story takes place. We will be using illustrations to help us retell the story. We will be discussing what the characters did during the story and thinking about how they might have felt. 

Our two core rhymes this half term are 'Incy Wincy Spider' and '10 Fat Sausages.' Copies of these rhymes will be sent home for children to share with you. We will be singing these songs during circle times.

In Phonics we will be working on rhyme detection and rhyme production through games and activities such as 'odd one out' and 'pairs', rhyming strings and identifying rhymes in stories and nursery rhymes, suggesting rhyming words, and playing games such as 'I spy' and 'make my sentence rhyme.'

In Maths we will be focusing on counting by using our fingers and props during number rhymes, matching numerals to quantities and making marks to represent quantities. We will also be looking at patterns, creating AB patterns and noticing errors in them, along with building enclosures and sequencing daily events. We will be looking at comparison by making sets of objects the same, matching toy animals, sorting objects by type and recognising attributes of objects. 

In Art we will be studying the artwork work 'Ballerinas' by Degas, we will practise drawing people and create clay sculptures of 'Miro like' people.

In Design Technology we will be designing and creating puppets and puppet theatres using a variety of materials.

To help the children develop their Personal and Social Development we will be reminding the children of the school rules and ensure they understand why the rules are important. We will encourage the children to express preferences when making decisions. We will also encourage children in independent play and co-operative play with other children, promoting turn taking and talking to each other to solve conflicts. The children will be encouraged to become increasingly independent as they learn how to meet their own care needs.

To help the children with their Physical Development we will provide push-along wheeled toys, scooters and tricycles, along with balance beams and stepping stones. The children will be supported to develop their kicking, throwing and catching skills with different resources such as, balls, hoops and bean bags during our weekly PE sessions. The children will be encouraged to develop their large motor skills by waving streamers, using paint and chalk to make large creations. The children will also be encouraged to develop their fine motor skills by using scissors, putting coats on independently and managing buttons and zips.