English Reception Summer Captions, Greetings Cards and Letters

1. The Very Helpful Hedgehog
2. Sound words
3. Thank you cards
4. Apology letter

1. Describing homes
2. Delicious apples
3. Thank you cards
4. helping out around the home

1. Small world farm
2. Apple art
3. Make a 3-D thank you card
4. Farm helpers

1. Share The Very Helpful Hedgehog. What helpful and kind things do Donkey and Isaac do for each other? What kind things do people at home do for you? How do we show people that we are grateful to them? Gather ideas: give a hug, say thank you, do something helpful in return (like Isaac does).
2. Read and enjoy Dog Eat Dog. Shared read the repeated refrains. I tell my cat to be good…. etc.
3. Read Dog Eat Dog. How do you think the mum would have felt about her kitchen being messed up? What about the dad when he realises his lettuces have been eaten?! What do you do if someone messes your stuff up? Discuss hurt feelings and being upset, and how we cope with these emotions: forgiveness, making up, saying you still love someone.
4. Reread Dog Eat Dog. What other animals could have been in the story? And what chaos could they have caused? Have you ever done something wrong at home? What do we need to do if we do something wrong? Gather ideas from across the class: own up, say sorry, help tidy up, be extra nice…not do it again–“—
5. Reread Dog Eat Dog. Which animal was the first to do something bad? Discuss ideas with a partner. And can you say what that animal did wrong? Repeat for next animal and their misdemeanour. Share sequence ideas.

Poetry/Rhyme of the Week: Three Little Kittens or one of Apply Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes
Choose which poem works best for your class (perhaps just ask children to learn the first verse of Three Little Kittens if you choose that one). Introduce on Monday by reading and discussing and sending a copy of the words home (see resources)

Group Reader: Dog Eat Dog
Ruth Mertten’s lovely story of naughty pets will delight beginning readers. Will the animals behave when their owner pops out for the day? Read along to find out!

Essential texts
The Very Helpful Hedgehog by Rosie Wellesley
Dog Eat Dog (Hamilton Group Reader)

Websites
Dog Eat Dog Group Reader from Hamilton Trust

Resources
Small world farm role-play equipment
Watercolour paints, apples, salt, coloured and white card
Decorative art materials
Sticky notes

1. Vets and Dentists
2. Describing sounds
3. Quality questions
4. Letter of thanks

1. Asking questions
2. Book delve
3. Writing questions
4. Say cheese!

1. Dentist role play
2. Pet transport
3. Our helpers
4. Tooth Fairy counting

1. Share the cover and the first pages of the Vet book. How is this book different to The Very Helpful Hedgehog? This is an information book and not a story. Sort a few of each kind of book into piles.
2. Say that with information books we don’t always need to start at the beginning. We can jump to the bit we are interested in. How do we know what’s in the book? Show the Contents page of the Vet book, explain its role, and use it to locate a section of the book children show an interest in. Shared read this page.
3. Share pages from the Dentist book. Discuss children’s experiences of going to the dentist. Why do we go? How do we feel? The people in the book look pleased to go to the dentist and keep their teeth healthy.
4. Look at the Dentist book and compare it with Vet. Again, use the Contents page to navigate to a section children are interested in. Shared read parts of text from that page. What information have we found out?
5. Look at the Indexes of both Vet and Dentist and discuss their role. Help children spot the alphabetical order used. Read some of the words, find the relevant page and check it.

Poetry/Rhyme of the Week: The animals went in two by two (see resources)
Introduce on Monday (send a copy home). Enjoy singing together. See resources for alternative/supplementary poems to enjoy: Old MacDonald Had a Farm, End of a Girl’s First Tooth.

Essential text
People Who Help Us–Vet & People Who Help Us–Dentist, both by Rebecca Hunter
or any age-appropriate non-fiction books about vets and dentists.

Resources
Books about everyday jobs in the community
Photo taking device, printer
Dentist role play equipment
Junk modelling materials
Blanched almonds (or similar sized and shaped objects to represent ‘teeth’)

1. A visit from the Emergency Services
2. Photographs and captions
3. Writing captions
4. Emergency procedures

1. Confused captions
2. Describing fingerprints
3. Writing captions
4. Which job would you do?

1. Books and bingo
2. Handy prints
3. Blue light brigade
4. Draw and print

1. Show covers of Firefighter and Police Officer. What sort of things do firefighters/ police officers do? Look through the books. Were there things that firefighter / police officer did that you didn’t expect?
2. Turn to the Glossary in Firefighter. What is a glossary? Shared read entries; enjoy some of the unusual, firefighter-specific words (mess deck, apparatus). Encourage children to use decoding skills to read new words. Record words for display and for possible inclusion in the class Big Book on the emergency services.
3. Look at Police Officer & discuss Sam’s job. Read the pages devoted to ‘Checking Equipment’. Read each item’s name. Can you see in the photo where Sam carries or wears each thing? What do you think she might need the torch for? The radio?
4. Help children differentiate between the emergency services and other local and community jobs. Discuss children’s understanding and experiences of ambulance/ fire/ police/ rescue services.

Poetry/Rhyme of the Week: Fireman Sam (see resources -you can find the original theme tune and the Laughing Policeman song on YouTube) Introduce on Monday (send a copy home). Enjoy singing together. See resources for alternative/ supplementary poems to enjoy (The Laughing Policeman; Five Brave Firefighters).

Essential text
People Who Help Us–Firefighter & People Who Help Us–Police Officer, both by Rebecca Hunter
or any age-appropriate non-fiction books about firefighters and police officers.

Resources
Magnifying glasses
Books about emergency services jobs
Junk modelling materials