Topic 4 - Light Magic 

I hope you all enjoyed your half term break and are excited to come back to a brand new topic. For the first 3 weeks, Reception will be exploring sources of light and will be introduced to this through using a variety resources to create a 'Dark Den' during their inspirational starter. Using the book 'The Owl who was afraid of the dark' written by Jill Tomlinson, children will also discuss their experiences of the dark and will discover how to make a simple circuit. 

Below I have also placed a document on how to make your own dark den at home. Please feel free to try this out in your house and stick pictures of your dark den in your WOW Books! for your child to share with the rest of the class. 

During this Topic we will also be placing a focus on celebrations. Children in Reception will learn about both 'Bonfire Night' and 'Diwali' and will discuss the significance of these celebrations and how we mark the events with family and friends. 

Literacy

In Literacy, children will be moving onto their Phase 3 phonics and will begin to use their segmenting, along with letter formation, to create a Finding Story in our Narrative Unit. We will be using the vehicle text 'A Star in a Jar' written by Sam Hay to stimulate our learning.  

Taken from the statements within the Development Matters, the list below are the Areas of Learning in which Reception children will be focusing on during this Topic:

Early Years Learning Objectives:

(Taken from Development Matters)

Knowledge and Understanding: The World

(30-50 months)

• Comments and asks questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place where they live or the natural world.
• Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects.
• Talks about why things happen and how things work.

 (40-60 months)

• Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.

Knowledge and Understanding: People and communities 

(30-50 months)

• Remembers and talks about significant events in their own experience. •Recognises and describes special times or events for family or friends. •Knows some of the things that make them unique, and can talk about some of the similarities and differences in relation to friends or family

Expressive arts and design: Exploring and using media and materials

(40-60+ months)

• Explores what happens when they mix colours.
• Understands that different media can be combined to create new effects. •Manipulates materials to achieve a planned effect.

Expressive Arts and Design: Being imaginative

(40-60+months)

Create simple representations of events, people and objects.

• Chooses particular colours to use for a purpose.

Key Vocabulary/Glossary for 'Light Magic'

Light- the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.

Dark- the absence of light in a place.

Light source- A light source is anything that makes light, whether natural and artificial. Natural light sources include the Sun and stars. Artificial light sources include lamp posts and televisions.

Shadow- a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

Shiny- reflecting light,

Silhouette- the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.

Source- a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.

Sun- the star round which the earth orbits.

Torch- a portable battery-powered electric lamp.

Diwali- a Hindu festival with lights, held in the period October to November. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the financial year in India.

Hindu- a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, which developed from Vedic religion.

Festival- a day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons

Topic 4 - Light Magic 

I hope you all enjoyed your half term break and are excited to come back to a brand new topic. For the first 3 weeks, Reception will be exploring sources of light and will be introduced to this through using a variety resources to create a 'Dark Den' during their inspirational starter. Using the book 'The Owl who was afraid of the dark' written by Jill Tomlinson, children will also discuss their experiences of the dark and will discover how to make a simple circuit. 

Below I have also placed a document on how to make your own dark den at home. Please feel free to try this out in your house and stick pictures of your dark den in your WOW Books! for your child to share with the rest of the class. 

During this Topic we will also be placing a focus on celebrations. Children in Reception will learn about both 'Bonfire Night' and 'Diwali' and will discuss the significance of these celebrations and how we mark the events with family and friends. 

Literacy

In Literacy, children will be moving onto their Phase 3 phonics and will begin to use their segmenting, along with letter formation, to create a Finding Story in our Narrative Unit. We will be using the vehicle text 'A Star in a Jar' written by Sam Hay to stimulate our learning.  

Taken from the statements within the Development Matters, the list below are the Areas of Learning in which Reception children will be focusing on during this Topic:

Early Years Learning Objectives:

(Taken from Development Matters)

Knowledge and Understanding: The World

(30-50 months)

• Comments and asks questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place where they live or the natural world.
• Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects.
• Talks about why things happen and how things work.

 (40-60 months)

• Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.

Knowledge and Understanding: People and communities 

(30-50 months)

• Remembers and talks about significant events in their own experience. •Recognises and describes special times or events for family or friends. •Knows some of the things that make them unique, and can talk about some of the similarities and differences in relation to friends or family

Expressive arts and design: Exploring and using media and materials

(40-60+ months)

• Explores what happens when they mix colours.
• Understands that different media can be combined to create new effects. •Manipulates materials to achieve a planned effect.

Expressive Arts and Design: Being imaginative

(40-60+months)

Create simple representations of events, people and objects.

• Chooses particular colours to use for a purpose.

Key Vocabulary/Glossary for 'Light Magic'

Light- the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.

Dark- the absence of light in a place.

Light source- A light source is anything that makes light, whether natural and artificial. Natural light sources include the Sun and stars. Artificial light sources include lamp posts and televisions.

Shadow- a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

Shiny- reflecting light,

Silhouette- the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.

Source- a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.

Sun- the star round which the earth orbits.

Torch- a portable battery-powered electric lamp.

Diwali- a Hindu festival with lights, held in the period October to November. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the financial year in India.

Hindu- a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, which developed from Vedic religion.

Festival- a day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons