Learning Journey Enquiry Question – Are we responsible for our world?

This term we will explore the enquiry question Are we responsible for our world? through exciting learning about ourselves, our families and communities, the natural world and the ways we can care for the people and places around us. The children will develop an understanding that we all have an important role to play in looking after our world, from caring for animals and our environment to helping others and being responsible members of our school and wider community.

We will immerse ourselves in a range of inspiring stories and texts including The Hare and the Tortoise, Farmer Duck, Handa’s Surprise, The Little Red Hen, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and Meg and Mog. Through these stories, the children will explore themes such as courage, belonging, community, responsibility, collaboration and helping others.

Our learning will encourage children to become curious about the world around them. We will learn about animals, including tortoises and farm animals, and observe the changes that happen during autumn. We will explore where different foods come from, learn about harvest time and consider how we can support our local community, including through our Harvest Festival and foodbank collection. The children will also explore different countries and communities, making comparisons between Africa and the UK and celebrating the similarities and differences between people and families.

In Literacy and Phonics, we will develop children's confidence as communicators, readers and early writers. The children will listen to, discuss and retell familiar stories, learn new vocabulary, make predictions and ask questions. They will begin to give meaning to their marks, write their names and use their developing phonics knowledge to represent initial sounds. Through Phase 2 phonics, the children will begin to recognise and say sounds including s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, e, u and r, while developing their phonological awareness and beginning to read simple words.

In Maths, the children will build their early understanding of number through subitising, counting, composition and comparison. They will explore how numbers are made, practise counting skills and compare sets using mathematical language such as more than and fewer than. By the end of the term, the children will be working towards subitising to 3 or 4 and describing which group has more or fewer.

Our Personal, Social and Emotional learning will focus on helping children settle confidently into Reception, develop positive relationships and become increasingly independent. We will learn to recognise and name our feelings, listen to others' ideas, discuss preferences and build constructive and respectful relationships. Children will develop independence in everyday routines such as handwashing, toileting, eating and getting dressed, while learning to follow our class rules and expectations.

Throughout the term, we will encourage the children to think about the different ways they can make a positive difference to their world. Whether they are caring for an animal, helping a friend, looking after their environment, working collaboratively or contributing to their community, we will help them understand that we all have a responsibility to care for our world and the people and living things within it.