Reception English Plans - Autumn

These two weeks give children lots of opportunity to talk about themselves and their families and other people who are important to them.  We celebrate difference, and how adults, children and families come in all shapes and sizes! Children learn to write their names legibly, and the names of other people close to them. In week 1, the focus is ‘ourselves’ and children discuss what they like and dislike. In week 2, they focus on their families and describe different aspects of their home lives.  

These two weeks focus on using stories with repeating patterns to help children re-tell, act out and also memorise these narratives.  They can then ‘read’ the books unaided, and share them with friends and family. The repetitive parts are also used to stimulate writing, as children use these to create their own endings or versions.  NB The continuous provision should be based on your observations– so we provide suggested activities linked to the main theme as starting points – teachers need to choose those that address the specific skills identified as requiring practice. 

In this 1-week unit, children explore autumn and seasonal change. They describe signs of autumn including turning leaves. They share Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert and use non-fiction books to locate and retrieve information. Children develop their descriptive language and use their developing writing skills to add labels to a picture. 

Harvest is an exciting time of year that marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Using a traditional version of The Enormous Turnip and Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper the children will share their experiences of harvesting fresh food and the emotions this inspires. Children become confident at retelling a familiar story and discussing how the actions of specific characters impact on others. They will recognise the importance of teamwork and discuss how they can be helpful and supportive to each other and the wider community. They will understand the importance of writing lists and labels and will label their own picture.  

These three weeks explore traditional tales about homes. There is an emphasis on oral telling of the stories, using the repetitive nature of these tales to support memorising and retelling. Children discuss characters and plot, exploring how story maps can represent a story and explore sequencing events and have fun changing details; they share and compare different versions of the same story, reading some simple adaptations. They extend their vocabulary of homes and houses, exploring materials, objects and processes. Children write lists and labels, inspired by their reading.

NB The continuous provision should be based on your observations– so we provide suggested activities linked to the main theme as starting points – teachers need to choose those that address the specific skills they have identified as requiring practice. 

These two weeks focus on light and dark. Children come to understand that the start of winter – the darkest season – brings festivals of light.  They explore Diwali and firework night, looking at the stories behind both.  They express how they feel in the dark, describing their own fears and listening to those of others.  They generate descriptions of fireworks and candlelight.   

These three weeks explore the exciting theme of Space! Children share their knowledge of space, the solar system, space travel, stargazing and aliens. The children will understand the similarities and differences between fiction and non-fiction texts. In Week 1, the focus is sharing our understanding of space and space travel. The children will appreciate how to prepare for a journey by writing a list. In Week 2, the focus is exploring the solar system. The children will learn about planets, moons and astronauts in order to reinforce specific space vocabulary. They will write labels and short captions to accompany illustrations. In Week 3, the focus is sharing our thoughts and ideas about aliens. The children will discuss what they think is fact and what is fiction and provide reasons for their opinions. They will write extended captions, with appropriate punctuation.

This two-week plan provides a wealth of opportunities for children to discuss how they and their family celebrate Christmas and other winter festivals. Children talk about the similarities and differences they notice between these traditions, and say what they enjoy most about Christmas. They write Christmas greetings cards to be posted on a class walk to the post box and then write letters to Father Christmas. Week 1’s focus is on preparing for Christmas; Week 2’s focus is on celebrating, including the giving of gifts and getting together with family and friends.