F/1 LS- AROUND THE CLASSROOM

English 📚

Over the past few weeks in our English block, our Foundation/Year 1 students have been busy learning and growing as they work through the first ten lessons of InitiaLit. It has been wonderful to see their confidence building each week.

During these lessons, students have been developing important early reading skills. They have been learning to recognise and say new letter sounds, blend sounds together to read simple words, and segment (break apart) words to help with spelling. We have also been practising correct letter formation and building confidence when writing letters and simple words. Alongside this, we have been working on words that rhyme and have just introduced syllables this week, helping students hear and understand the different parts within words.

A highlight of our English sessions has been our engaging storybook lessons. Students have thoroughly enjoyed listening to How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers and The Hungry Bear by Nick Bland. Through these stories, they have been building their vocabulary, sharing their ideas, and making connections to their own experiences. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they participate in class discussions.

We are so proud of the effort our students are putting into their learning and the enthusiasm they bring to our English block each day 😊

1/2CS - AROUND THE CLASSROOM

Our Year 1/2 learners are well and truly getting into the rhythm of InitiaLit and building strong foundations in reading and writing! It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow each week as they practise and apply new skills.

In reading, students have been working hard on recognising and blending CVC words (consonant–vowel–consonant words like cat, dog, sun) and learning to identify and read digraphs (two letters that make one sound, such as sh, ch, wh). We are focusing on hearing the sounds, blending them smoothly, and spotting these patterns in the environment.

Our explicit teaching sessions set us up for success, and students then move into independent groups where they practise and reinforce these skills in different ways. This might include reading decodable texts, word-building activities, writing and engaging in hands-on phonics tasks. The goal is to build accuracy, fluency and confidence - and we are seeing fantastic progress!

A favourite part of our English block is storybook time. We began the term with Fang Fang’s Chinese New Year and Josephine Wants to Dance, and both stories have quickly become favourites! Through these rich texts, students explore vocabulary, discuss characters and events, and practise retelling and comprehension skills. These sessions help develop a love of reading while strengthening understanding.

3/4AE - AROUND THE CLASSROOM

Year 3/4 recently started their time unit.

They have been learning about formal units of time and duration.

They read the time on stopwatches, set the time on digital devices and measured how long it takes us to complete certain activities.

5/6- AROUND THE CLASSROOM

In English, Year 5/6 have been diligently finishing off and publishing their holiday writing.

We have also enthusiastically begun our novel study of A Ghost in My Suitcase. Students have been exploring the characters and key events in each chapter, making thoughtful connections and responding to discussion questions to deepen their understanding. They have also been practising their reading fluency with partners to build confidence, accuracy and expression.

Alongside our novel work, we have been strengthening our spelling and grammar skills. Students have been learning about sentence expansion, which includes adding detail to make their writing more engaging and precise. We have also begun exploring etymology to understand where words come from and how this helps with spelling and vocabulary development.

We are also continuing to develop joined handwriting and encouraging students to present their work neatly and thoughtfully.

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