Writing Workshop
We do hope you enjoyed looking and sharing your child's books that he/she made during the last half term. It is wonderful to see the eagerness and enthusiasm during workshop time, as the children make and create their books.
Do remember that as both teachers and parents we need to encourage our children to develop their love of writing. We can work together to achieve this by:
• nudging not pushing
• honouring approximations
• recognising that writing composition is the primary focus at this age
Firstly, resist the urge to push your children with their writing. Ultimately, you will end up with a reluctant writer. Always recognise and acknowledge what your child can do, not what he/she cannot do yet. Nudges work better and your child will be more likely to embrace a suggestion rather than you pointing out what he/she has not done.
Secondly, honour their approximations with both illustrations and writing. They will not get everything correct every time they write – nor should they. Learning to write is a process and like any skill it takes time and mistakes will be made along the way.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the primary focus should be on the composition. Whilst writing conventions are important, the stories children have to tell and their powers of imagination are crucial to them becoming good writers. If we spend too much time focusing on conventions, such as punctuation and spelling, we lose the spontaneity of children’s writing at this very early age.
Unit of Study
Our 'Materials' Unit of Study continues to the end of this term, with a special focus on ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’.
The Enduring Understandings are:
• I can sort rubbish in different ways.
• I understand that I can use less and I can reuse things to help the earth.
• I can reuse materials to make something.
The Essential Questions are:
• Where does all the rubbish go?
• What happens to material waste?
• What can we all do to help the earth?
• Why is it important?
Many of the children are already familiar with the idea of recycling; they use ‘rubbish’ for junk modelling or 'Make and Take' at school. Each classroom has a box for recycling scraps of paper and card, and the children are encouraged to use paper that has already been printed on one side for their drawings and craft work.
We are sure that you have ways of recycling things at home too, and we will be exploring and investigating many different aspects of the three Rs! It is a very interesting and exciting part of the unit for the children, and one in which they will be able to take ‘action’ readily.
WANTED - PLASTIC BAGS!
We will be doing some art projects using plastic bags. Please could you send in any that you have – the brighter, the better! Also, please do continue to collect and send in any boxes, tubes, bottle tops, egg cartons and other rubbish that can be reused for the children's junk modelling.
K2 Morning of Sport Thursday 6 November
Our Morning of Sport will take place come rain or shine! The tabloid events will take place in the Sports Halls, and we will finish with relays on the Casurina Field. We aim to start at 10:30am and should be finished by 12:00pm. The children will take part in a variety of athletic activities, which demonstrate skills they have been learning in their PE lessons this year.
Obviously PE kit must be worn, together with a hat for the running events outside. Should the weather be inclement on the day, the relays will take place in the sports hall. All parents are warmly invited to come and join us for a morning full of fun and action!
Staff Training Day - Monday 10 November
UWCSEA will be closed for Staff Training on this day. We are welcoming Celena Larkey back from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York who is running further training on Reading Workshop.K-G2 Parent Presentation: Nurturing Our Young Readers
Celena will also be doing a presentation for K-G2 parents 'Nurturing Our Young Readers'. This will take place on Wednesday 12 November, in the Multi Purpose Hall at 6:30pm. Learn more about the research behind Reading Workshop and how parents can nurture and support young readers at home. If you would like to attend please sign up through the link in the e-Brief.
iLearn Parent Workshop: iPads for Learning
Tuesday 18 November 6-7pm David Watson Library
It will not have escaped the notice of many parents that iPads are quickly becoming a popular tool for enhancing teaching and learning throughout the Primary School. What is perhaps less obvious is the why, the how, and the 'what do we use them for?'. This workshop will explore the most common apps your children use at school, particularly in the Infant School and Grade 2. iPads will be available for you to use, although you are welcome to bring your own.
Please RSVP here. For more information contact Sean McHugh. We recommended that you visit the Dover DLC blog and read this post prior to the workshop.
UN Day - Friday 21 November
The Infant School will be celebrating UN Day on Friday 21 November. For this event we will need you to accompany your child around a series of activities in school from 9:00am to 10:15am. You are then invited to the Main Hall where the morning will culminate with singing and a parade. Watch for more details in upcoming Blogs and eBriefs.
Primary School Food Festival - Friday 28 November
We will be asking for some parent helpers to take small groups of children around the amazing food stalls so do mark this date in your diaries. Your child's teacher will get in touch with you nearer the time.
Our next unit is Measurement, where we will be looking at the Essential Questions:
Why is it important to know how heavy things are and how long they are?
Which words can we use to describe length?
Which words can we use to describe weight?
The children will be learning how to describe an object using different measurements e.g. length, height, weight, size. Comparisons between two objects will be made: Which is longer/shorter, taller/shorter, heavier/lighter?
Our main areas of focus will be:
• Handwriting (numbers, name and ‘one armed robot letters’ r, b, n, h, m, k, p)
• Writing Workshop
• Reading Workshop
• High Frequency Words
• Phonics
• Vowels
• Blending and decoding of CVC words
Next Week
Maths
Our next unit is Measurement, where we will be looking at the Essential Questions:
Why is it important to know how heavy things are and how long they are?
Which words can we use to describe length?
Which words can we use to describe weight?
The children will be learning how to describe an object using different measurements e.g. length, height, weight, size. Comparisons between two objects will be made: Which is longer/shorter, taller/shorter, heavier/lighter?
Literacy
Our main areas of focus will be:
• Handwriting (numbers, name and ‘one armed robot letters’ r, b, n, h, m, k, p)
• Writing Workshop
• Reading Workshop
• High Frequency Words
• Phonics
• Vowels
• Blending and decoding of CVC words
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