Reception English Plans - Spring

These two weeks explore winter and dark nights, investigating stories about the natural phenomena of the season and sharing non-fiction books which give information. Children extend their vocabulary through discussion and sharing books; they explore the key texts, talking about their ideas, acting out events and understanding how books can be used to find out information; they write simple captions and instructions, 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. 

A fiery two-week plan, in which children learn all about dragons in stories, and then about the place of these fearsome beasts in Chinese New Year celebrations. In the first week children draw on the dragon books they read in class to write sentences about a dragon of their own. In the second week they learn about Chinese New Year traditions and festivities, writing captions to go with New Year’s banners they have made in class.

These three weeks explore the exciting theme of Food and Cooking! Children share their thoughts, feelings and opinions about food, cooking, a healthy diet, food hygiene and the cultural significance of food. They will understand the importance of lists, recipes and sequenced instructions. They read and write a range of different recipes and cook tasty treats. In Week 1 children enjoy reading Ketchup on Your Cornflakes and The Giant Jam Sandwich. They share their ideas and opinions about their most/least favourite foods and learn how to find and retrieve information from a book. They write lists and short instructions. In Week 2 children use Mr Wolf’s Pancakes to explore recipes. They understand the textual features of recipes, the need for accurate word choices, and the importance of correctly sequencing instructions.  In Week 3 the children explore The Gingerbread Man  to consolidate their understanding of writing effective instructions. They generate and write instructions to explain their thinking.

This 1-week unit invites children to pick up a stick, to excite their curiosity and stimulate their imaginations! They share Stanley’s Stick by Neal Layton and John Hegley and Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, discuss a range of potential uses for a stick and sequence and retell familiar stories. They consider how using descriptive vocabulary enhances the information they present. Children apply strategies to read and write labels and captions. 

An exciting two-week plan, in which children learn all about dinosaurs through non-fiction before meeting some of the storybook variety. Children ask questions and share their own knowledge and extending vocabulary, read about dinosaurs, become palaeontologists and create a class information book. They read dinosaur stories, thinking about beginnings, middles and endings before writing their own three-part stories about dinosaur encounters. 

These three weeks explore the exciting theme of Spring! In Week 1, children observe signs of spring, discuss their thoughts, ideas and feelings about it, and write a caption for an illustration.  In Week 2, Children read a non-fiction text about birds, explore how birds care for their young, and write labels for a diagram to provide readers with specific information. In Week 3, the focus is on appreciating how different cultures link springtime to important religious celebrations. Children make predictions about a story, share their experiences and feelings and write factual statements, describing their hopes for spring.