Rec good things to know for website by St George's Communications

International School, Luxembourg A.S.B.L.

Reception Good Things to Know

We hope you find this handbook useful; it contains information which is an extension of the Parent Handbook you will have already received. You will receive further information in the form of termly Year Group letters with in depth information on each of the subjects your child(ren) will be studying.

Learning is growing in doing, knowing and understanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME TO RECEPTION ............................................................................................................... 5 THE FOUNDATION CURRICULUM ...................................................................................................... 6 VALUES......................................................................................................................................... 9 CORE LEARNING IN LITERACY ....................................................................................................... 17 SOME DO’S AND DON’TS WITH READING ........................................................................................ 20 LETTERS & SOUNDS ..................................................................................................................... 21 CURSIVE ALPHABET ..................................................................................................................... 22 LETTER OUTLINES ....................................................................................................................... 23 FRENCH ..................................................................................................................................... 24 CORE LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS ................................................................................................ 26 FUN MATHS ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME ........................................................................................ 28 MATHS VOCABULARY ................................................................................................................... 31 KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE ON THE INTERNET ................................................................................ 35

WELCOME TO RECEPTION We would like to welcome you to the St George’s Foundation programme. We are sure that your child will settle in quickly and gain a great deal from their time with us. At the centre of any primary education is the development of the whole child. Particularly in this age group, the two aspects of care and education are inseparable. Any programme must make sure that the introduction to the education experience is a positive, special beginning. We are proud of our programme here at St George’s as it pays great attention to the needs of the individual student, developing self confident and happy children who are enthusiastic about and involved in their learning.

THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT Our classrooms are large, bright and are arranged and organised to be as attractive and stimulating as possible whilst, of course, placing a high degree of importance on safety. In this year group, there may be specific areas devoted to the various subjects in the curriculum. The children will be encouraged to work as a whole class, in small groups and individually and so the classrooms are set up to allow this form of work.

THE INDEPENDENT CHILD One of the best ways to help your child settle in is to make them as independent as possible. As, at school; this will be expected of them. It also gives them a “feel good factor” about themselves. In Reception they will need to: Be able to use the toilet completely independently — including washing and drying of hands Dressing to go outside — putting shoes and coats on and taking them off Eating lunch with minimal assistance (opening difficult containers) and tidying up afterwards Dressing and undressing for P.E./Swimming, including: dealing with buttons and zips and turning clothes out the correct way Remembering items needed for the day (bags, folders) If they can’t perform some of these tasks our staff will of course support your child until they can do these independently.

THE FOUNDATION CURRICULUM The period of schooling which extends from 3-5 years is known in the National Curriculum of England and Wales as the ‘Foundation Stage’. Whilst it prepares children for later learning, it is a stage in its own right where much of the learning is through play and hands on experience. Playing is the main medium of learning — good play is characterised by challenge and enjoyment for the individual child. The children build on what they already know from their early learning experiences from home and extend their skills by observing, planning questioning and experimenting, developing their self confidence, learning social skills and deepening their understanding of the world around them. All of this is achieved using a practical programme centred around the three prime and four specific areas of learning, and three learning characteristics that make up the Foundation Stage Curriculum working individually and in groups.

THE PRIME AREAS OF LEARNING Please remember that in Early Years the children will be tackling tasks at the beginning of the learning journey which will be completed at the end of Reception. Communication and Language development involves giving children opportunities to speak and listen in a range of situations and to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves. The three areas are: Listening and attention Understanding Speaking Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive, and to develop their coordination, control and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity and to make healthy choices in relation to food. The two areas are: Moving and handling Health and self-care Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities. The three areas are: Self-confidence and self-awareness Managing feelings and behaviour Making relationships

THE SPECIFIC AREAS OF LEARNING Literacy involves encouraging children to read and write, both through listening to others reading, and being encouraged to begin to read and write themselves. Children must be given access to a wider range of reading materials – books, poems, and other written materials, to ignite their interest. The two areas are: Reading Writing

Mathematics development involves providing children with opportunities to practise and improve their skills in counting numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems, and to describe shapes, spaces and measures. The two areas are: Numbers Shape, space and measures Understanding of the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. The three areas are: People and communities The world Technology Expressive arts and design involves supporting children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role play, and design and technology. The two areas are: Exploring and using media and materials Being imaginative

THE LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS The three characteristics of effective learning comprise playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically. The characteristics describe the different ways children learn rather than what they learn. They begin at birth and are lifelong characteristics which are critical for building children’s capacity for future learning. These characteristics need to be understood by practitioners working across all seven areas of learning. Playing and exploring – Refers to engagement, comprising three aspects: finding out and exploring; using what they know in their play; being willing to have a go. Active Learning – Refers to motivation, comprising three aspects: being involved and concentrating; keeping on trying; and enjoying achieving what they set out to do. Creating and thinking critically – Refers to thinking, comprising three aspects: having their own ideas; using what they already know to learn new things; and choosing ways to do things and finding new ways.

FRENCH This is introduced into the curriculum for children for whom English is their first language. It is taught in an informal and practical way for the children to join in with role play, songs, stories, etc. Children for whom English is not their mother tongue, join the programme as and when the staff identify that their English has developed to a high enough level to easily cope with the demands of the current and future curriculum.

ASSESSMENT Systematic assessment of learning is, of course, an important component of our programme as it informs teachers, parents and children of the progress the children have achieved. At this age, this is completed by observations of the child whilst at play.

THE VARIOUS AREAS OF LEARNING INVOLVE CERTAIN ACTIVITIES, THE

INDIVIDUAL VALUES OF WHICH ARE NOW DESCRIBED IN THE

FOLLOWING PAGES.

CONSTRUCTIONAL PLAY Strengthens large and small muscles. Improves hand and eye co-ordination. Offers satisfaction and pleasure from being creative. Assists social development through learning to share and take turns. Offers legitimate means for release from tension. Builds up self-confidence and satisfaction from achievement. Helps stimulate dramatic and creative play. Encourages children to think and reason. Numerous opportunities arise for the adult to extend childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge and language. Natural group situations result in free conversation with peers, older and younger children. Lengthens span of concentration.

COLLAGE AND 3D RECYCLING MODELLING

Improves hand and eye co-ordination. Strengthens fine muscles thus assisting manipulative skills. Offers release from surplus energy and tension. Gives satisfaction and pleasure from being creative. Increases physical skills thus boosting self - confidence. Promotes constructive and creative play. Assists learning through touch, sight and hearing. Brings an awareness to shapes, size and texture. Offers opportunity for language extension with adult and other children. Stimulates power of thought, memory and relaxation. Assists social development through learning to share and take turns. Promotes group co-operation. Lengthens span of concentration.

JIGSAWS, GAMES AND IMAGINATIVE TOYS Strengthens small muscles thus assisting manipulative skills. Develops hand and eye co-ordination. Increases span of concentration. Develops visual discrimination. Brings satisfaction from achievement. Stimulates power of thought, memory and imagination. Encourages language through conversation with adult and other children. Increases vocabulary. Extends general knowledge. Assists in social training through learning to share and take turns. Develops an awareness of shape, size and texture. Encourages group situations. Numerous opportunities arise for incidental learning. Encourages child to think and reason.

PAINTING

Strengthens small and large muscles thus assisting manipulative skills e.g. control of hand movements, hand and eye co-ordination. Brings satisfaction from achievement. Stimulates other creative work with other materials. Extends childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge of colour. Develops span of concentration. Gives child a non-verbal means of communication. Encourages social training through learning to share and take turns. Reflects childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s depths of observation. May offer topic of conversation. Offers a legitimate release from tension, especially finger painting.

OUTDOOR PLAY, INCLUDING SAND Extends general knowledge through self-discovery. Develops span of concentration. Offers possible release from tension in a legitimate way building up, knocking down own creations. Stimulates conversation by naturally forming group in-situ. Improves hand and eye co-ordination. Assists in social training through learning to share and take turns. Offers opportunities to exercise and so strengthen large and small muscles. Stimulates imagination. Encourages creativity. Gives satisfaction from achievement and so builds self-confidence. Helps to relax upset children through its soothing and satisfying qualities. Presents numerous opportunities for language extension through general conversation with adult and other children. Numerous opportunities arise for incidental learning.

WATER Offers possible release from tension in a legitimate way: e.g. wave hands in water vigorously. Stimulates conversation by naturally forming group situations. Offers opportunities to practise and so improve hand and eye co-ordination by filling, emptying, pouring. Assists in social training by learning to share and take turns. Exercises small muscles and so assists manipulative skills. Stimulates imagination. Gives satisfaction from achievement and so builds up self-confidence. Helps to relax an upset child through its soothing and satisfying qualities. Presents numerous opportunities for language extension through observations and general conversation with adults and other children. Numerous opportunities arise for incidental learning. Extends general knowledge through selfdiscovery. Lengthens span of concentration.

BAKING Offers opportunities for language extension with adults. Increases general knowledge e.g. changes in consistencies. Gives satisfaction and pleasure from being creative. Promotes group situation. Improves hand and eye co-ordination. Strengthens small muscles through pouring, stirring, mixing. Encourages independence. Assists in social training through sharing and taking turns. Independence and awareness of health and safety through using equipment safely. Encourages group situations. Offers learning situations through the senses: smell, touch, sight. Offers an awareness and recognition of different shapes and textures. Numerous opportunities arise for the adult to extend learning situations: “How many spoonfuls?”, “Which spoon is bigger?” Lengthens span of concentration. Introduction to early science and numeracy.

BOOKS AND POETRY BOOKS Extend language. Bring pleasure and enjoyment and an appreciation of fiction / non-fiction. Source of knowledge. Often stimulate further activity. Lengthen span of concentration. Assist social development. Excellent medium for relaxation or release from emotional tension. May kindle a genuine and lasting interest in books. Stimulate power of thought, memory and imagination. Encourage a quiet time for reflection.

POETRY Offers vocabulary extension and good speech patterns to imitate. Develops memory and concentration. Brings awareness and delight in rhythm and rhyme. Promotes natural group situations. Brings pleasure and satisfaction. May be used to assist a child with a delay speech development. Passes on folk-lore and tradition. Stimulates imagination and thought. May kindle a genuine and lasting interest in poetry. Stimulates role play / drama.

CORE LEARNING IN LITERACY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; RECEPTION * Objectives in bold refer to Early Learning Goals. Most children learn to:

A. SPEAKING AND LISTENING SPEAKING Enjoy listening to and using spoken and written language and readily turn to it in play and learning. Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events. Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences. Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener. Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words.

LISTENING AND RESPONDING Listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems. Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard by relevant comments, questions or actions. Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND INTERACTION Interact with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation. Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events.

DRAMA Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences.

B. READING WORD RECOGNITION: DECODING (READING) AND ENCODING (SPELLING) Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts. Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet.

Recognise letter shapes and say a sound for each. Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are formed correctly. Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur.

Read simple words by sounding out and blending the phonemes all through the word from left to right.

Children move from reading simple consonant–vowel–consonant (CVC) words such as ‘cat’ and ‘bus’ to longer. CCVC words such as ‘clap’ and ‘stop’, and CVCC words such as ‘fast’ and ‘milk’ Recognise common digraphs. Read some high frequency words. Use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words. Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently. Read texts compatible with their phonic knowledge and skills. Read and write one grapheme for each of the 44 phonemes.

UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING TEXTS Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom. Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words. Show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how. Retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing on the language patterns of stories.

ENGAGING WITH AND RESPONDING TO TEXTS Listen with enjoyment to stories, songs, rhymes and poems, sustain attentive listening and respond with relevant comments, questions or actions. Show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how. Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences.

C. WRITING WORD STRUCTURE AND SPELLING Use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words.

CREATING AND SHAPING TEXTS Attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions.

TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION Attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND PUNCTUATION Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences sometimes using punctuation.

PRESENTATION Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

SOME DO’S AND DON’TS WITH READING When your child first brings a reading book home, please note: DO DON’T

build confidence at every opportunity expect rapid results or constant progress – learning to read is a gradual progress

DO DON’T

give plenty of praise and encouragement criticise your child’s reading or insist that they try harder

DO DON’T

be patient insist that every word is correct – a story is spoilt by making it a word recognition contest, and getting the meaning is far more important

DO DON’T

choose a time when you can be relaxed and give individual attention try to read if you or your child is just not in the mood

DO DON’T

read books which interest your child – let them choose cover the pictures – these are vital clues for your child when reading

DO DON’T

encourage your child to guess if they are unsure of the next word make comparisons with other children’s progress and be competitive about reading – we all learn things at different rates

DO DON’T

keep the session short – stop if your child seems bored or disinterested try and sound out all the individual letters in an attempt to work out a word – not all words are built phonically and children need to blend sounds, not isolate them

try and help your child guess the word by making out the initial sound

DON’T

always correct your child if they make sense but don’t necessarily get the word right – e.g. home for house

DO DON’T

tell your child the word if they are really struggling isolate words out of context and expect your child to know them

DO DON’T

read a book together with your child and share the story – try missing out words and see if they can fill in the gap stop reading to/with your child once you think they can read for themselves

DO DON’T

ask your child if they can point out easy words on a page, e.g. the, me discourage your child from reading books that you think are too easy

DO DON’T

encourage your child to point as they read, following each word carefully make your child anxious about reading especially if you are. It is more important that a child becomes a keen reader than learns to read at a particular age

remember that learning to read is dependent on a child’s belief that they can do it

LETTERS & SOUNDS Children are taught the 42 sounds of English in a simple and multi-sensory way. Each sound has an action to go with it. At the same time, the children will learn to write the letter using the correct school letter formation. Children will be taught the letter sounds e.g. “a” as in “c a t”. Certain sounds are grouped together and this enables the child to sound out simple words quickly. This teaches children how to build up simple consonant, vowel, consonant words (CVC) such as “pin” – this is called blending. Some words cannot be blended and these are known as “Tricky Words” or “High Frequency Words”. These are taught separately.

When we are sure that your child is ready to start the programme, the sounds are taught in class and your child will then be able to practise them at home.

C¶u[rã[i[¹Ö A¶l[p[h]a[¥e[t Aªa

B¶ø

Cªc

Dªd

Eâ

F¶<

Gªü

H¶h

I¶i

J¶ý

K¶„

L¶l

M¶m

N¶n

Oª‹

P¶ú

Qªq

R¶r

S¡

T¶t

U¶u

V¶v

W¶w

X¶ˆ

Y¶þ

Z¶z

A¶l[l ªc]a[p[i[t]a[l ¶¯e[t[·e[rã ¶¥e]Ìi[n ¶>›om ¶t[«e ¶t]oú ¶l[i[±e. Cªa[p[i[t]a[l ¶¯e[t[·e[rã ªa[µÖ ¶n]Št ¶Ðoi[±e]d. A¶l[l ¡[m]a[l[l ¶¯e[t[·e[rã ¶¥e]Ìi[n ¶>›om ¶t[«e ¶b]Št[t]om ¶l[i[±e. T¶«e ªon[l[þ â[ˆ]¦e[p[t[i]on¡ ¶¥e]Ìi[n ªa[>·e[r ¶t[«e ¶¯e[t[·e[rã ª‹, ¶v, ¶w ªa[n]d ¶r. As your child begins to form their letters please encourage them to use the school system.

up, over, back around, up, down, flick.

up, to the top, down, half way up, right around.

up, over, back round.

up, to the top, over, back, right down, loop.

up, over, back around, up, right down, loop.

up, down, flick. (Dot after)

up, to the top, down, half way up, right round, down out, flick.

up, to the top, down, flick.

up, down, up, over, up, over, flick.

up, down, up, over, flick.

up, over, back all the way round, flick.

up, right down, up, right round.

up, over, back around, up, right down, flick.

up, down, back up, over, flick.

up, over, back around, round.

up, to the top, down, flick. (Cross after)

up, down, round, up, down, flick.

up, down, up, flick.

up, down, flick. (Cross down after)

up, down, round, up, right down, loop.

up, down, up, down, up, flick.

up, over, back around, up to the top, down, flick.

up around.

up, along, down, along.

FRENCH By the end of Year 6, we would expect some of our pupils to attain level C1 if they have been attending French at St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from Early Years. For children who are learning French as a foreign language, the course they follow will involve level A1. Below is an explanation of the levels used to assess language levels: The Common European Framework (CEFR) divides learners into three broad divisions that can be divided into six levels. It describes what a learner is supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing at each level. Level group Level group name Level Description

Basic User

Independent User

Proficient User

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his / her field of specialisation.

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.

Can introduce him / herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has.

Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.

Can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.

Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.

Can express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.

C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.

Level Description

Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Can produce clear, wellstructured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

SUPPORTING THE FRENCH LEARNER OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL Language Camps: www.languages.lu/language-camps/ Tutoring: www.languages.lu/school-tutoring/ Tutoring: www.mastercraft.lu/en/soutien_scolaire.html Sports and Languages: www.inlingua.lu/?q=en/node/136 After-school: www.inlingua.lu/?q=en/node/135 Little Gym: www.thelittlegym.eu/lu-fr

SUPPORTING THE EAL LEARNER OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL Little Gym: www.thelittlegym.eu/lu-en Ceramics School: www.ceramics.lu/index.htm British Guides in Luxembourg: www.bglux.eu Telstar Scout Group: www.telstar.lu Newsround: www.bbc.co.uk/newsround Online Talking Stories: http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm British Council: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/

CORE LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS - RECEPTION * Objectives in bold refer to Early Learning Goals. Most children learn to:

USING AND APPLYING MATHEMATICS Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems. Match sets of objects to numerals that represent the number of objects. Sort objects, making choices and justifying decisions. Talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns. Describe solutions to practical problems, drawing on experience, talking about their own ideas, methods and choices

COUNTING AND UNDERSTANDING NUMBER Say and use number names in order in familiar contexts. Know that numbers identify how many objects are in a set. Count reliably up to 10 everyday objects. Estimate how many objects they can see and check by counting. Count aloud in ones, twos, fives or tens. Use language such as ‘more’ or ‘less’ to compare two numbers. Use ordinal numbers in different contexts. Recognise numerals 1 to 9.

KNOWING AND USING NUMBER FACTS Observe number relationships and patterns in the environment and use these to derive facts. Find one more or one less than a number from 1 to 10. Select two groups of objects to make a given total of objects.

CALCULATING Begin to relate addition to combining two groups of objects and subtraction to ‘taking away. In practical activities and discussion begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting. Count repeated groups of the same size.

Share objects into equal groups and count how many in each group.

UNDERSTANDING SHAPE Use familiar objects and common shapes to create and recreate patterns and build models. Use language such as ‘circle’ or ‘bigger’ to describe the shape and size of solids and flat shapes. Use everyday words to describe position.

MEASURING Use language such as ‘greater’, ‘smaller’, ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ to compare quantities. Use everyday language related to time; order and sequence familiar events and measure short periods of time.

HANDLING DATA Sort familiar objects to identify their similarities and differences. Count how many objects share a particular property, presenting results using pictures, drawings or numerals.

FUN MATHS ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME COUNTING AND PUTTING NUMBERS IN ORDER Use old magazines, comics or greeting cards. Cut out pictures of animals, or anything else your child is interested in, label the animals 1 to 5. Shuffle the animals. Put them in order from 1 to 5. Remove one animal. Ask your child which number is missing. Repeat with other numbers and more than one missing number. Ask your child to say what number comes before or after a number you choose. When your child can do this, repeat with numbers 1 to 10.

RECOGNISING NUMBERS Choose a number for the week, e.g. 2. Encourage your child to look out for this number all the time. Can your child see the number 2 anywhere? at home - in the kitchen - on pages in a book in the street - on doors - on car number plates - on buses while out shopping - on the shop till - on shelves - in shop windows Find two apples, toys, spoons, straws, sweets, etc. Make patterns, such as two knives, two forks, two spoons, two knives, two forks, two spoons... Practise writing the number 2. Choose a different number each week.

DICE GAME Use the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dottedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dice and write the numbers 1 to 6 on a sheet of paper (or use the numbered animals). Throw the dice. Can your child guess how many dots there are? Check by counting. Ask your child which number on the paper matches the dots on the dice.

RHYMES Teach your child any number rhymes or songs that you know, particularly ones that involve holding up a number of fingers, like Five Little Speckled Frogs. Practise them regularly, with actions. You can get counting songs on audio tape/CD for a very reasonable price.

DICEY COUNTING Take turns to roll a dice and count back to zero from the number thrown. For example:

Four, three, two, one, zero!

BUILD A TOWER For this game you need a dice and some building or lego bricks. Take turns. Roll the dice. Collect the number of bricks to build your own tower, The first to 10 wins! For a change, start with 10 blocks or bricks each. Take away the number on the dice. First to exactly zero wins.

ROLL A SHAPE Cut out 12 shapes. Make 3 triangles, 3 squares, 3 rectangles and 3 circles. Take turns to roll a dice and collect a shape that has that number of sides, e.g. roll a 4, collect a square. The first to have four different shapes wins. If you can name each shape you go first next time!

COLLECTIONS You need something to collect, e.g. sticky shapes, dried beans. In turn, one player claps 1, 2, 3, or 4 times while the other player closes his eyes and listens. How many claps did you hear? Take that number of shapes. The first to make a pattern with 12 sticky shapes wins.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Draw a row of six big coloured spots. In turn, one player closes his or her eyes. The other player hides some of the spots with a sheet of paper. The first player looks and says how many spots are hidden. Try with other numbers of spots, e.g. five or seven.

ONE MORE, ONE LESS For this game you need a dice, a coin and some building blocks or Lego bricks. Take turns to roll the dice. Build a tower with that number of blocks or bricks. Then toss the coin. Heads means take one brick off. Tails means add one on. If you can guess how many bricks there will be after this, you keep them! The first to collect 20 bricks or more wins!

COUNTING Practise counting. Start at 5, and count on from there to 11. Start at 9, count back there from zero. Choose a different starting number each time.

CUPBOARD MATHS Ask your child to help you sort a food cupboard out, putting heavier items on a lower shelf and lighter items on an upper shelf.

This is the Maths vocabulary that your child will be exposed to this year. We don’t expect you to teach it to them, but would like you to be aware of the words that will be used in case your child would like help or reassurance in their understanding. If English is not their first language, it will enable you to be aware of the vocabulary they are learning.

NUMBERS AND THE NUMBERING SYSTEM COUNTING, PROPERTIES OF NUMBERS AND NUMBER SEQUENCES number zero, one, two, three... to twenty and beyond zero, ten, twenty... to one hundred none how many...? count, count (up) to count on (from, to) count back (from, to) count in ones, twos... tens... more, less, many, few odd, even every other how many times? pattern, pair what comes next?

COMPARING AND ORDERING NUMBERS the same number as, as many as

Of two objects/amounts: greater, more, larger, bigger less, fewer, smaller

Of three objects/amounts: greatest, most, biggest, largest least, fewest, smallest one more, ten more one less, ten less compare order size first, second, third... tenth last, last but one before, after next between above, below

CALCULATIONS ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION add, more, and make, sum, total altogether score double one more, two more... ten more how many more to make...? how many more is... than...? take (away), leave how many are left/left over? how many have gone? one less, two less... ten less... how many fewer is... than...? difference between is the same as

SOLVING PROBLEMS REASONING ABOUT NUMBERS AND SHAPES pattern puzzle answer right, wrong what could we try next? how did you work it out? count, sort match same, different list

PROBLEMS INVOLVING ‘REAL LIFE’ OR MONEY compare double, half, halve pair count out, share out left, left over money coin

penny, pence, pound, cent, euro price cost buy sell spend, spent pay change dear, costs more cheap, costs less, cheaper costs the same as how much...? how many...? total

MEASURES, SHAPE AND SPACE MEASURES (GENERAL) measure size compare guess, estimate enough, not enough too much, too little too many, too few nearly, close to, about the same as just over, just under

LENGTH length, width, height, depth long, short, tall high, low wide, narrow deep, shallow thick, thin longer, shorter, taller, higher... and so on longest, shortest, tallest, highest... and so on far, near, close

MASS weight, weighs, balances heavy/light, heavier/lighter, heaviest/lightest balance, scales, weight

CAPACITY full half full empty

holds container

TIME time

days of the week: Monday, Tuesday... day, week birthday, holiday morning, afternoon, evening, night bedtime, dinnertime, playtime today, yesterday, tomorrow before, after next, last now, soon, early, late quick, quicker, quickest, quickly slow, slower, slowest, slowly old, older, oldest new, newer, newest takes longer, takes less time hour, oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock clock, watch, hands

EXPLORING PATTERNS, SHAPE AND SPACE shape, pattern flat curved, straight round hollow, solid corner face, side, edge, end sort make, build, draw

3D SHAPES cube pyramid sphere cone

2D SHAPES circle triangle square rectangle star

PATTERNS AND SYMMETRY size bigger, larger, smaller symmetrical pattern repeating pattern match

POSITION, DIRECTION AND MOVEMENT position over, under above, below top, bottom, side on, in outside, inside around in front, behind front, back before, after beside, next to opposite apart between middle, edge corner direction left, right up, down forwards, backwards, sideways across close, far, near along through to, from, towards, away from movement slide roll turn stretch, bend

INSTRUCTIONS listen join in say think imagine

remember start from start with start at look at point to show me put, place fit arrange rearrange change, change over split separate carry on, continue repeat find choose collect use make build tell me describe pick out talk about explain show me read write trace copy complete finish, end fill in shade, colour tick, cross draw draw a line between join (up) ring cost count work out answer check

GENERAL same number(s) different number(s) missing number(s) number facts number line, number track number square number cards counters, cubes, blocks, rods

die, dice dominoes pegs, peg board same way, different way best way, another way in order, in a different order not all, every, each

KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE ON THE INTERNET Your child will be using computers in the classroom. The levels of access on these computers is carefully monitored and restricted. Please try to ensure they only have access to the internet at home to materials which are appropriate and safe for their age group.

Here are some useful resources to help you keep your child safe on the internet:

https://www.bee-secure.lu https://stopline.bee-secure.lu http://www.thinkyouknow.co.uk http://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/teachers/ks1/sourcesDuck/index.htm

St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International School, Luxembourg

11, rue des Peupliers L-2328 Luxembourg tel: +352 42 32 24 fax: +352 42 32 34 www.st-georges.lu

A.S.B.L