First Class Work Pack April 20th – May 1st

Dear Parents,

As Easter has passed we look forward to summer and we find ourselves still unable to return to school. We hope that you are all well and keeping active and happy together during this very difficult time.

We have attached below a suggested plan of work for the weeks beginning April 20^th and April 27^th for all our pupils in first class who would like to keep busy with some schoolwork.

While we are conscious that we would like to keep the children engaged in education and continuing to build up their skills, we also wanted to emphasise that a lot of infant education is based around play. Here is a table showing how different activities relate to the curriculum, so that you can be reassured that all the activities that you are doing with the children are as important or more important than any workbook!

Lego	· Maths (engineering) · Fine Motor Skills · Co-ordination · Oral language (describing what they are building)
Role play / dressing up	· Oral language · Drama · Imaginative play
Board Games	· Maths (snakes and ladders, bingo, ludo, draughts, monopoly etc) · Co-operative learning · Turn taking skills · Oral language · Reading · Memory skills (snap, cluedo etc)
Sports / Games outside e.g. trampoline, football, basketball, tag etc.	· P.E · Gross motor skills · Co-operative learning
Junk art (making things from the contents of your recycling bin!!)	· Visual arts · Fine motor skills · Cutting skills · Imaginative play · Oral language
Small world (playing with dolls, figures, pirate ships, farms, zoo animals etc)	· Oral language · Imaginative play · Drama · Sequencing · Storytelling

*Any time that the children are playing is time that they are also learning!*

The activities listed below build on what the children ordinarily do for homework, with an added daily diary.

Again we would like to reiterate that we understand that you all have your own unique circumstances at home and we don’t want any parents to feel under pressure to have their child complete this work. What is outlined here follows on from before Easter. Again, they are suggestions, to keep your child in the habit of engaging in and completing educational activities during this extended school closure.

We send all our best wishes and lots of virtual hugs to all the boys and girls in first class and we will hopefully all be together in school again soon. Until then, stay well, stay active and take care.

Best wishes to all,

The first class team

Note to parents about reading:

Reading to and with your child during this time is perhaps one of the best things you can do! When it’s not possible to get out and get books we thought this might help…

**If you need greater access to books then check out www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

-subscribe for free for a month

–log in using our account by doing the following:

–go to www.oxfordowl.co.uk

–click ‘log in’

–username: conlethsfirst2020 password: First2020

–click on @Oxford Owl for home’

–go to ‘books’, then ‘ebook library’ in the drop down box.

–choose ebooks from 5-6 age group as a starting point, this can be adjusted up or down depending on your child’s reading level.

–choose a level from the drop down menu.

–browse the titles, choose a book and enjoy!

Your child will have a good idea of the level they are on but there is also a quick test on this website to ascertain which books to read.

They have a great selection for all ages and abilities to read online on any iphone, android or laptop.

If it’s all a bit too much just read, read, read and play play, play……😊

Week beginning April 20th

Maths

Mental Maths – complete week 28 in the workbook
Maths : do 5 sums per night. See attached worksheet below.

Remind children to add the units first and then the tens, they can use a number line if necessary, 0 to 10. Either print off the attached worksheet or your child can write out the sums.

Count in 2s, 5s, 10s up to 100 (challenge: count them in reverse!)
Name the days of the week and months of the year. (Challenge: write them out and draw a picture for each!)
Continue with 100 square activities –your child has completed many activities in class so he/she can revise the 100 square. Check out twinkl.co.uk for 100 square splat games or help your child make their own 100 square and then ask questions like:

Where is 57? What is 10 more/less than that?

Where is 76? What is 3 more/less than that? ……

Etc….use any ideas you have to get your child more familiar with the 100 square.

Another great website for maths is www.topmarks.co.uk

English

Reading: read with your child every day, discuss the author, illustrator, predict the story from the blurb and ask questions about the story/characters etc after your child reads the book.

Spellings: for this week are:

bud sun held few flew grew chew because want newspaper

**Try doing a little spelling test on Friday!

Tricky words: Your child needs to be able to read these words by sight as these words don’t follow the phonics rules. Do only 2/3 words if 5 a week is too much. Words for this week are:

hurt pull cut kind both

Writing: continue with the Daily Diary. Help out with spellings and remind your child to keep small letters small, tall letters tall, keep letters on the line and to remember their capital letters and full stops.

An example of what they might write would be:

Today is Monday.

It is a warm and sunny day.

The days are getting bright and long.

Today I had fun in my garden.

Some children will write lots, lots more but if they write a few sentences a day that would be great. Your child could draw a little picture to go with each day too.

Also check out www.phonicsplay.co.uk for more great ideas and activities. You can access all resources on this website for free using the following: Username:march20 Password: home

Art: We know that you will have lots of ideas and are doing fabulous art but just to let you know that we love the art for kids hub on youtube! Just google ‘art for kids hub’ and whatever your child might like to draw and follow the artist! Maybe make a May altar at home with some pics of flowers etc
PE: There are so many ideas out there and lots listed on the school website but our favourites are ‘Go Noodle’ on Youtube and thebodycoach.com for some workouts with Joe Wicks.

Check out www.dublinzoo.ie where your child can watch the animals being fed on webcams and lots more!

**If your child would like to complete even more work then they can choose from the following:

Grow in Love pages 50-53

Wordwise workbook -choose a unit to complete (some guidance may be required)

Blue letter formation copy

That’s it for this week. See below for next week.

Week beginning April 27^th

Maths

Mental Maths – complete week 29 in the workbook
Maths : more practice adding tens and units – do 5 sums per night. See attached worksheet below.

Remind children to add the units first and then the tens, they can use the number line if necessary. Either print off the attached worksheet or your child can write out the sums.

Count in 2s, 5s, 10s up to 100 (challenge: count them in reverse!)
Name the days of the week and months of the year. (Challenge: write them out and draw a picture for each!)
Continue with 100 square activities –your child has completed many activities in class so he/she can revise the 100 square. Check out twinkl.co.uk for 100 square splat games or help your child make their own 100 square and then ask questions like: