reception - what to expect

[mysonsmummy]

ds started reception mid sept - he has never bought home a list of what they are doing this year. someone mentioned a spider chart explaining how they will cover it in all lessons. not told what day they are doing what. when teacher is off sick they bring home no reading book as TA cant do it? or what they should have learnt by end of year - ie key words. as ds is my first not sure what should be happening. we have had none of the above - before make myself look an idiot thought i'd ask you guys. thanks

Same here, my DS started in September, he has never brought home a reading book, I have looked up the key stage words and printed them out on little flash card type things so he can get to grips with them.

TBH his teachers seem more interested in making sure everyone's dinner money is on time than anything else, they have only done P.E. twice in the whole half term.

But, I have noticed his writing is getting better, and he is really getting to grips with recognising numbers in a written form (i.e. 23, 54, 32 etc.) which he has never quite been able to get his head around and he is even doing a few very simple sums, but I've seen no 'evidence' that it is his teachers that are behind the shift in his abilities, maybe he would be at this stage with or without school? Likewise, when I printed off the key words, he did actually read some of the words, but he could have picked them up from the stories we read or the telly.

at my DS's school they keep it all very low key - there is a timetable on the wall and it is all very general stuff - eg playtime, literacy hour etc.

I don't think they make a big issue about learning key words per se - more of the appraoch that if they see something often enough they will learn that what it means. The key is making it fun and building their confidence.

We had reading books changed twice a week - but never any pressure to do anything with them - never any questions about their ability to read them.

Ask when you are likely to have a parents evening - you can ask all these questions then - and if it isn't soon - ask to have a quick meeting with the teacher so that you can understand their approach and what you can do to help.

It all depends on the school, but...
reception classes are normally not too heavy on words at the mo because the children are just getting to grips with the individual sounds and blending them together. Reading books are not as important as a book to read - if a child cannot read yet and an 'easy reader' is sent home, the child tends to memorise it rather than read it. While that is a skill in itself, not to mention an appropriate developmental level, some children may be on Stage X of whatever scheme before they have even learned to read independently. As for playing - that is what the children should be doing. The play should be structured so it has clear learning intentions, but the children should have lots of fun doing it. Does that help or have i just rambled?!

We get 2 reading books per week.

He gets homework on Fridays. so far he know a,s,c,e,h,i,k,r,t, and we have to work on m and d for next week.

He also has to know all the characters from the book and has to learn lots of high frequency words too!!

Am surprised that your school isnt the same. DS was 4 in April and so started in Sept.

DD started Reception in September.

As far as reading goes, they are doing Jolly Phonics, so concentrating on learning the letter sounds (one per day, with an action, to be practised every day for 2-5 mins) We are getting home a book to read to her on Mon, Wed and Fri and have to write a comment in an exercise book to show that we've read. She hasn't had any books to read to us yet.

We had a "meet the teacher" evening, where the teacher emphasised that they WILL do lots of playing and that is exactly as it should be. She also emphasised the personal, social and emotional development element of the curriculum, which she described as the most important element of this year. Setting good foundations for more formal learning in future etc. She did promise that they'd learn to read and write as well though!

Not much sign of maths in any formal sense, but they're doing lots of counting, sorting and number games. Lots of rhymes and songs featuring numbers.

They've had a topic for this half term - "Ourselves" - which has featured painting self-portraits, looking at each other's baby pictures, playing at hairdressers and learning about healthy eating. They made smoothies and bread last week, which went down a storm.

Apart from that, the only concrete thing I've found out is that DD has declared undying love for the naughtiest boy in the class

DD's reception class aren't doing Jolly Phonics, but they're doing stuff like 'ssssnake' and 'a-a-a-ants', learning 3 letters a week both read and written. One reading book gets taken home every day, and we have to write 'positive comments' in an exercise book. They do PE and dance once a week, and have topics of sorts (but don't tell the parents), so on Friday DD came home excited about Divali and I was able to arrange a mini-Divali night from what she'd learned, which was a good amount. She mostly seems to do play activities, so it's fun learning.

ds started this september too. I am now helping with the reading and the kids go home every day with a new reading book.

If you want to supplement the reading at home, pick up some Oxford Tree books, ones intially with pictures so that they can interprete the story, then move on to the next stage with a few words.
Get your child to point to the words as they try to read.

See here the first words for reception which you will find come up time and time again in the books. You could type them out on strips of paper and lay a few out at a time on the floor and see if they can recognise the words. hope this helps

At our school they are focusing on the sounds and blending and only get a reading book once they can do that. They also look at HFW but I tend toignore thoise that are not simple / decodable from what he knows as most of them are when they have been taught the extra sounds, or are taught as 'tricky words' later.

Have you seen the foundation stage profile, it tells you what the early learning goals are by the end of the year and is a very good guide for parents.

Dd just started, everyone is doing syhthetic phonics and have had sounds to learn. The more advaanced ones are also learning words which are the ones in their reading books. They have a test at the end of the week. In dd planner there are also words to learn by the end of reception that kids who want to do a bit extra can look at. They all have two books pers week. Dd also ahs a homework book for basic writing activities. WE were sent home a curriculum map for the year, and in the window is a set of objectives and activities for the week.

Before dd started reception there was a six week course for parents where we found out about what was covered in reception and how.

Dd gets a bool without words as BloodyTenaLady says and a book with a few words which are also in her words to learn that week.

We have also been given some activities to do at home to help the children's spiritual/academic development.

Reception class pupils at our school start bringing home books without any words in after half term. Before then there?s not much point IMHO. Lots of them start school knowing no letters beyond the first one of their name. We start doing jolly phonics letters about a month into school.
TBH if you had been in a class of lively four-year-olds managed by one teacher and one TA, you would see why,. For the first term it?s sometimes all the teachers can do to get them to line up quietly in the playground! well, I?m exaggerating. But reception is about play nowadays, quite rightly so IMO. Counting and sorting and number games are how maths is taught at this level.
But mysonsmummy, do make an apt to go and chat to the teacher about what your DS is doing/how you can help him at home. I?m sure they?ll be only to pleased.

thanks just caught up with this thread. we have parents evening soon so will ask then. teacher is a bit unapproachable in fact shes never bloody there - most days i go to pick ds up the dep head is there with them. things id like are what topics they are looking at - i know through play and music as well for eg. dinosaurs, animals etc. also what day they do different things so i can say to him oh you have music today enjoy ...when he comes home he says hes done nothing all day at least if i have an idea. also i am doing jolly phonics at home so if he had a book saying we are doing this letter i could do the same one. all simple stuff but not getting anythng from teacher at all. i had a word with class rep today do maybe something might happen now. am i expecting too much?????