What we are learning.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Learning Focus:

Feelings and Friendships

Understanding the World Theme: All About Me

'Drop everything and read.'

In each nursery session (morning and afternoon) we dedicate quality time for reading together. This shared time for stories is one of the ways we support children in developing a love for stories and a thirst for knowledge and imaginative experiences through stories. These stories are in addition to those we use to enhance learning, linked to the key themes identified in our long term plan.  Children's interests, experiences and stories from home are often linked to our 'drop everything and read' stories; seasonal changes also influence the stories chosen.

Communication, Language and Literacy:

Learning in nursery promotes rich use of language.  Naming resources, responding to others through conversation, speaking in longer sentences and learning new words are all ongoing themes.  

Children are taught a wide range of skills including:

• Listening to and discriminating sounds - environmental sounds and instrumental sounds.  
• Rhythm and rhyme.
• Alliteration - whereby the initial letter in each word in a sentence is the same.
• A focus on voice sounds.
• Oral blending and segmenting of sounds in words to support clear pronunciation of words.

The focus for learning in these areas of the curriculum include:

• Listening and responding to Who? How?  Where? Why? questions.

• Speaking in full sentences, using new vocabulary.

• Listening to the rhythm of words and exploring sounds in words.

• Joining in with repeated phrases in stories and talking about events in stories.

• Talking about own experiences linked to stories.

• Drawing pictures and giving meaning to marks, be it lines, shapes, recognisable pictures, letters, words.  

For children in the school group and children who are developmentally ready in the nursery 1 group, there is a greater focus on key knowledge and skills including:

• Correct pencil grip.
• Drawing simple, recognisable pictures.
• Writing letters from their name/writing their name.
• Developing concentration during discussions and challenges linked to drawing and writing, going back (with support) to make improvements. 

Maths

Mathematical knowledge and understanding in nursery focuses on the development of number sense.  Whilst being able to recite number names in order, from memory and recognising numerals are useful skills, a deep understanding of number values and how to count effectively are essential knowledge and skills.

Supporting children's understanding of shapes, space and measures through exploratory play which involves problem solving is essential for teaching knowledge and understanding of shapes and measures.

The focus for learning in these areas of the curriculum include:

• Fast recognition of small groups of objects.
• Matching fingers to values up to 5.
• Linking numerals to amounts up to 5.
• Solve real world mathematical problems with numbers up to 5 through play and simple investigations.
• Counting objects one at a time, saying one number name for one object.
• Know number names in order to 5, and if confident up to 5 then begin to know number names in order to 10.
• Count regular arrangements of objects up to 5, knowing the total amount counted without needing to re-count.  Counting groups of objects beyond 5 once the knowledge of total values is secure.
• Show curiosity about number, shapes and measures.  By measures we mean:

• Size - big, bigger, biggest, large, larger, largest, small, smaller, smallest... 

  Weight - heavy, heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest) 

  Children in nursery and reception are not expected to measure in standard units.  They need to develop a deep and secure knowledge of size, capacity and comparisons using non standard units

  before moving on to the sorts of measures older children and adults use.

  For children in the school group and children who are developmentally ready in the nursery 1 group, a greater focus on key knowledge and skills includes:

• Counting on from a number bigger than one.

• Counting out a given amount of objects from a group.
• Using number names in order to ten.
• Compare quantities using the language 'more than' and 'fewer than'.
• Explaining their findings as they solve problems through play.
• Make comparisons between objects relating to size, weight and capacity.
• Talk about and identify patterns around them.                                                                                    

• Other Learning:

  For further information about learning across the curriculum, please select the long term plan below which details the themes for learning across the early years curriculum.