Pioneers Class

Pioneers children are Reception and Year 1, aged four to six years old. Children enjoy a range of creative and engaging play based activities, as well as formal inputs, to support their development and growth. Children in Pioneers are taught by Mrs Hann,  Mrs Gurney, Mrs McGill and Miss Greaves.

Learning begins the minute they walk through the door. The classroom is a carefully curated collection of wonderful things to allow the children to flourish. The classroom is theirs and everything in it is there for a purpose. What they chose to do may be completely different for each individual. This is when the learning happens. The resources are ready to use and accessible and the team work together to create, to communicate, to count and to grow 

Each day starts with exploration of the resources and suggestions for learning set out around the room. The Pioneers will come together for teaching. This will happen in small groups, as a whole class and often one to one. Across the day we will gather for mathematics, reading, writing and phonics sessions, to share stories and to learn about the world.

PE kits are in school all week to allow us to do PE at any time. This term, the Pioneers have dance on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Mrs Gurney teaches computing on a Thursday morning.

We are rolling with phonics and children will bring a book and their reading record home each day. Please read little and often and write a message in the reading record. All reading is good reading. This is such an exciting time.

Please look out for a text message to let you know when we will go to the forest. We will use our wonderful outdoor space as much as we can and this will not always be on the same day each week. 

Children’s progress and activities are recorded in their own Learning Journeys. These act as a summary of the journey children embark upon during their time in Reception and Year 1 and demonstrate the progress and success that has been achieved, as well as the next steps that may need to be taken.

Wednesday is a Great Day For Learning about Mr Puffin

You will have seen Mr Puffin with me in lots of my recent videos. He is quite happy here in Whitby but it is not his usual home. He lives on a cliff edge and flies out to sea for his food. He doesn’t eat pizza like me.He eats sand eels. Here are a few links so you can take a look at his real home.
Puffins are the best.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands/features/puffins-on-the-farne-islands#
Here you can see a chick emerging from an egg. This one is on the Farne Islands not so far from here.

https://www.shetlandwebcams.com/cliff-cam-3/
This is where I like to go on holiday. You are more likely to see a black headed gull or a gannet or a great skua here.

Let me know if you spot anything.
Happy Learning

 

The weather has changed and Mr Wolf will need some different clothes.
Take this opportunity to discuss weather symbols and words for weather.
Stand outside under an umbrella.
I have written out 3 texts,one for each day. perhaps your Pioneer could read these.
try sating other sentences for each day. Try them out and almost learn them in your head before having a go at any writing.
Enjoy the rain.

 

Here is your maths suggestion for learning for today.
It is using the clock face and this time it is subtraction,take-away,minus.
I love it.
Spot the combinations and write the number sentences.
Make up some of your own.
That’s Maths Magic.

Good Morning Pioneers-Tuesday 2nd June

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/summer-reading-challenge-silly-squad

Every year the library run a reading challenge and this year is no different.
Click on the link to see what is on offer this year.
Time spent reading is never wasted.

Happy Reading

If you are finding reading on screen a bit difficult,I would like to suggest writing a few sentences of your own,using the phonics and tricky words.
Here is a quick outline of something which might be helpful.
This is linked to Mr Wolf’s Week.
Happy Reading

 

Take time to fill in your chart. Make symbols for each day. Write a sentence to say what you have done.
My sentence does say Mr Wolf. I am saving the sentences about me for tomorrow.
I have included a picture of the tricky words to help you out.

 

Mr Puffin joined me to look for patterns on the clock face.
He spotted pairs of numbers that go together to make 13.
Can you help him to spot some more?
Write out your number sentences.
Keep an eye open for more patterns.
Mr Puffin would love to hear how you are getting along.
That’s maths magic,Pioneers!

 

https://www.mathsisfun.com/games/dayofweek.html

Here is a little fun activity .
Do you know which day of the week you were born on Pioneers?
Put your details in and take a look.

You could do it for all the family, This will get your Pioneer talking about day and date,months and years.
It’s all Maths Magic

Welcome Back Pioneers. Are You Ready to Learn? Monday the 1st of June.

Well Pioneers,this really is Maths magic. I love patterns and this one is a real winner for me.

Take a look at a clock. Get a grown up to draw one for you like mine. You can do loads of maths using the numbers on the clock face. I have shown you one in pattern in my video. I will show you another one tomorrow.

Can you spot any by others with your grown ups?
Use the numbers to write number sentences.

Sumdog is set up for you this week with revision questions from all areas of counting.

That’s Maths Magic

There’s lots of ideas here to do with the days of the week.
Write out the days on postits.
Can you recognise and read each day?
Try this out:Today is……………..
Tomorrow will be …………….
Yesterday was ………………..
In two days time it will be……………………….
That might be tricky.
Use the words for handwriting. Your Pioneer will spot the use of capital letters and see the difference in size when used together with the lowercase.
The spelling is very tricky. If they want to try writing them by themselves then that is gret too.
Have a go at putting the days of the week in order

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zm9hscw
Here is a lnk to help you
Over the week we are going to build up to writitng our own “Days of the Week” sentences to turn into a little book in the same format as Mr Wolf’s Week.
Look out for a special Sleights C of E version in the next couple of days.
It’s a winner!

Listen and enjoy.
Here is our story to start the week.
The story talks about the days of the week, the weather and what Mr Wolf is wearing.
Your teachers are getting together to make their own version of this story and I think you could start your preparation to do the same.
Start by making a chart.
You will need : Day of the week,weather,clothes,what can we do

By the end of the week you will have all the stuff you need to write your own story.

Here is a silly reading book to work on some of the trickier sounds. As always go slowly,especially after the holidays. Take a look back at Geraldine and the sound sheet to remind your Pioneer of the sounds. Go through the words on the first page-these are the most challenging in the book.
First,enjoy the book together and build up to spotting the sounds and known words before reading the sentences.
Happy Reading

Thursday’s Learning Suggestion – Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder

Good Morning everybody,
 
The beautiful sunshine has been smiling at us this week, and after spending lots of time outdoors, I thought you might like to create a bird feeder. This will give you something wonderful to watch, as you look out of your window, or eat your lunch in the garden.
 
This bird feeder is very simple to create, and requires few materials. It also allows us to do some recycling: using any plastic bottles that are around the home. 
 
 
Here is the link to the video, which explains how to make the feeder, and exactly what you need. 
 
I have also included a written document, as you may find this easier to follow. 
 
 
Send us pictures of your bird feeders, and see if you can capture any birds in action. 
 
Have a wonderful day,
 
See you at story time
 
Mrs Taylor 

Who’s Poo? A Suggestion for Learning. Monday 25th of May

The weather is looking fine and many of you will be out in the garden. You may be able to see signs of wildlife where you live. One clue that something is living nearby is that itt might leave poo.All animals need food and water. All animals move and breathe. All animals excrete. That’s a cool science word for poo and wee.

Take a look at these fantastic links and take a closer look at poo. We can learn so much.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-families/big-wild-sleepout/whose-poo/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/identify-poo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/the-lets-go-club-whose-poo-is-this?collection=the-lets-go-club-animal-fun
And a few you will not find in your back garden.

If you are interested then think about the language used to group and classify animals.
Can you find out what each of these words mean?
Omnivore
Herbivore
Carnivore
On the Plop Trump cards there is are symbols in the top corner( a leaf and a steak)
What do they mean?

Find out about the diet of an animal that interests you. The Dung Beetle really fascinates me.

Keep your eyes open for any evidence of wildlife when you are out and about.
Look. Don’t touch

Use your phonics to read the Plop Trump cards.
The photos are not to scale-look carefully at measurements. I suggest that you look at a ruler to check just how big the elephant poo is!

Happy Learning

A Little Friend Came To Visit. Can You Help Him?

A little friend arrived on my kitchen table today and he whispered to me,” I am lost. Can you help me?”
I asked him to tell me about himself and he told me that his name was Mr Puffin. He was migrating and needed to stop for a little rest. He knew that all the children in Pioneer Class were very kind and looked after birds. Some sparrows,a pigeon and a seagull had told him that they often stop off at Sleights C of E School to pick up some snacks. His bird friends had eaten from our bird feeders.
Mr Puffin needs some help to get to his next destination.
Take a look on Google Earth and look for Shetland.
That is where Mr Puffin is going. They have lots of sand eels there and he likes to eat them.
He said,”Thank you Pioneers for being kind and leaving out food for birds. Every little act of kindness will cheer someones day. It doesn’t matter how small you are,you can make a difference.”Pop over to Tapestry to meet him.

Maps are wonderful.
Mr Puffin could use a map to work out where he is and where he is going.
Take a look at these maps.
Can you find Scotland,England,Ireland and Wales?
Can you find Whitby and North Yorkshire?
Mr Puffin wants to fly to Shetland. Shetland is a collection of islands way up north.
The map puts Shetland in a box because it is so far away. It is not really in a box!
Puffins spent part of their year there.
You could talk abut how far the puffin must travel and discuss kilometres.
Put the route into Google Maps and take a look at how to travel to the island of Unst where he lives.
Happy Learning

https://www.shetlandwebcams.com/cliff-cam-3/

Now this one is really tricky and will need a bit of work.

Take a look at Geraldine Giraffe for support with sh.

Take your time and look at all the features of this nonfiction text.

Read together and enjoy.

There’s a Hole in My Bucket. How Shall I Mend It? Thursday for Pioneers.

Here is a suggestion for today’s maths bringing together some measuring concepts.
Use the language of comparison to build up estimation and measuring and checking.
Enjoy

 

On Tapestry are two versions of the same song by two different sets of artists.
This is not one we have sung in school but I thought that it fitted in well with this weeks work on capacity.
The Muppets had more rehearsal time than we did. It was fun

While you listen look at the pictures I have drawn. You will be able to retell the story yourself.

Enjoy and look out for my video on testing materials!

In the song, they try to mend the bucket with straw. I’m not sure that would work.
It is always interesting to look at materials and their properties.
I had fun in the garden deciding if materials were absorbent or not.
What would you use to mend the hole in the bucket?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zrssgk7/articles/z9pgcdm
This link has some starting points to talk about materials
Have fun. We did!

Play! Play! Play! Play!

t’s Wednesday.It’s going to be a good one Pioneers!

This Learning suggestion is great because it is fun and gives lots of opportunities for maths chat.
You can use the words:full,empty ,half full and chat about fractions: a quarter and three quarters.
Ask: What happens if..? and Did you notice…?
You can also talk about higher and lower sounds. If you are interested there is also a free app you can download to show the sound and it names the sound. This might be really popular with some Pioneers.
And you can just have fun making music and playing in the water.
Happy Learning.

 

This suggestion for today is great for getting talking about maths and science.

What will happen when…

What did you notice

What changes could you see?

When I put the stones in then…

What happens if I add more stones?

How many more stones do I need to make it overflow?

Why does the water level change when I add the rocks?

What is happening when I take the rocks out?

This works best when you can find enough rocks to make it overflow.

I have written a text to go with this which include only sounds we have covered. Your Pioneer will not recognise “Pour”.

You could draw a set of pictures to show what happens when you add the stones or you could take photographs and add text later if you want to do some writing.

Enjoy
Happy Learning.

And here is a suggestion for handwriting.

Have a wonderful day together.

Get out and play!

Happy Tuesday Pioneers! Have Fun

http://paperaeroplanes.com/index

Now as well as making kites,I am pretty hopeless at making paper aeroplanes.
I am delighted to direct you to a great website with fantastic instruction to help you make the best aeroplanes. Mr Hann was very helpful and made these up for me. He has given them names.

My suggestion is to have a bit of a competition which will involve your mathematical thinking.
Once you have made your aeroplanes,find an open space ,position a start line and throw.
Estimate
Compare
Order
How far do you think “the Lion” will fly? 3 big steps,4 giant jumps or use a stick.How many sticks?
Once you have estimated you could discuss a tape measure if your Pioneer wants to.
Which aeroplane flew the furthest?
If there was a competition for flying the furthest who was 1st, 2nd,3rd…
What would happen if we put a giraffe on top of the aeroplane?

 

I have taken photographs of the boat making from yesterday.
I have added text that fits with the sounds we have covered along with the tricky words.
You can read this like a reading book
Your Pioneer may like to write their own words or sentences.
You could make your own photostory of boat making or of your aeroplane measurement.
I did this on Messenger on my phone but I can recommend Piccollage if you have not tried it before.

 

Today, I suggest a Millilitre Hunt. It’s raining so take a look in your food cupboards.
Take a look in your cupboard and look for the ml abbreviation. Can you find any other letters and numbers on the sides of tins and bottles? Why do some have g and some have ml? Can you sort the bottles in different ways?
Look at a measuring jug and the numbers on the side.
Estimate
Compare
Order.

A teaspoon holds 5ml. It is a really useful starting point when talking about ml.
How many teaspoons of water would fill the cup?
Which bottle holds the most?
Which bottle will hold the least?

That’s Maths Magic!

 

Here is a new reading book featuring the oo sound.
I suggest reading this together a number of times and letting your Pioneer join in.
You could take a look at Geraldine doing the oo sound to help you along and extend this.

Haooy Reading

It’s Monday,Pioneers. Have a Magnificent Day!

This week’s book is all about modes of transport. I will make suggestions for learning during the week using ideas in the story.
Aeroplanes,boats,,cars and animal classification to follow.
As always all the posts are suggestions to dip into as you need them. If there is anything I can do to help or to guide please leave me a message on the one to one contact we have set up or have a list ready for me when I ring this week.
Happy Learning.

This week’s maths is measurement. Estimation is always key.
Estimate how many cups of tea you get in a pot.
Estimate how many glasses of juice in a bottle.
Compare and order.
Which jug holds the most?
Which cup holds most?
How do you know?

If it is right for you,take a look at ml and litres and use these in your comparisons too.( More coming later in the week)
Have fun with pouring and filling.
That’s maths magic!

 

In this week’s story, the camel does not fit in the boat and will make it sink.
I thought it would be a good idea to have a go at making a boat and seeing how much it could hold.
I have used tin foil but you could try out other materials to see what happens.
In maths we are looking at estimating,comparing and measuring.
If you made more than one boat with your family you could compare what each boat will hold.
Maybe your grown up would let you use the weighing scales and you can talk about grams and kilo grams …if your boat is really effective.
Let me know.
Happy Learning

You three words to work on this week are : all,were and little. Write them on postits. Stick them on the fridge.

Here is a link to Mr Thorn reading the tricky words.Have a listen to this one as often as you can during the week.
Do it with the sound on and with the sound off. With the sound off, your Pioneer can pretend to be Mr Thorne and read the words.
Try writing the words if that suits your Pioneer.
Happy Learning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sSpqLJUbiQ