1. Reception Class Autumn Term
Literacy
Starting School Stories – Lucy and Tom Start School, Topsy and Tim’s First Day At School, Starting School.
Topic Theme Books – Owl Babies, Non Fiction Owl Books, Night and Day, The Owl who is afraid of the Dark.
Recognising own name
Julia Donaldson rhyming books – learning to continue a rhyming string
Individual readers how to hold a book, telling stories through pictures
Trace / Copy own name
Make name labels.
Individual readers – introduce scheme books
Phonics – Phase 1 and Phase 2
Write labels and captions for the pictures in the story / display.
Make a book about owls.
Label a picture of an owl.
Read labels / captions and match to images to owl / pictures from the story.
Read a selection of books about owls – fiction and non fiction.
Record on a mind map what they know / want to know about owls.
Write speech bubbles for a display.
Draw a map for Mummy Owls journey.
Record places on a map (mark making / writing)
Make name labels with capital letters (Sarah, Percy, Bill)
Personal Social & Emotional Development
Classroom routines and rules (discuss how it makes adult feel).
Support children in making friends.
Home Link – Share All About Me treasure boxes.
How to deal with anger e.g. when someone has taken a toy.
Talk about where they live.
Talk about families – who is in their family? How many people?
Talk about how Sarah, Percy, & Bill felt when they realised their mum wasn’t there / when their mum came back.
SEAL: Going for Goals
SEAL: Say no to bullying
Reception Class
Autumn Term
Communication & Language
Listen to stories.
Listen to stories about Owls.
Make own owl stories using props and role play.
Re – enact the story.
Discuss it / when the children have ever felt happy, sad, lonely, afraid, scared…
Focus on letters; S, B, P for Owls names – who has the same / what other names are there with those letters.
Set up a role play bird hide – outside.
Physical Development
Managing own personal hygiene.
Let the children move like owls to calm music, swooping like owls.
Pick spaghetti / seeds / pasta / beads out of trays using tweezers.
Pencil control: Following patterns
Parachute and ring games
Pencil control: Letter formations
After looking closely at feathers, make own feathers – snipping paper.
Practice jumping and landing like owls.
Make owl snacks.
Let the children move like owls to calm music, practice swooping like owls.
Make some birdseed cake.
PE FOCUS: Music and Movement / Ring Games / Parachute
Understanding The World
Talk about the similarities / differences of families.
Investigate Night and Day.
Find out about owls – using the internet and information books.
Use a program to draw owls.
Investigate feathers – do they float? Do they sink?
Recreate a habitat for owls using natural materials.
Talk about other animal habitats.
Invite an owl expert / handler into the setting.
Look at aerial / bird eye views of the local area – what can they see? What do they recognise?
Small world – woodland / owl habitats using natural habitats.
Use a digital camera to take pictures of the local area and match to an aerial view of the area.
Computing: Children will make their own computer using junk and develop basic computer skills through playing a variety of games.
Science: Our Bodies - Learn about what we look like – parts of the body. Developing an understanding of growth.
The Weather - 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.
RE: Caring & Belonging - Who am I? Where do I belong?
Maths
Baseline Activities – Getting to know learners.
Recognise some numerals of personal significance.
Recognises numerals 1 to 5.
Counts up to three or four objects by saying one number name for each item.
Count actions or objects which cannot be moved.
Selects the correct numeral to represent 1 to 5 objects.
Counts an irregular arrangement of up to 5 objects.
Beginning to use mathematical names for ‘flat’ 2D shapes, and mathematical terms to describe shapes.
Selects a particular named shape.
Use familiar objects and common shapes to create and recreate patterns and build models.
Beginning to use everyday language related to money.
Look at and recreate patterns in feathers.
Solve number problems involving owls.
Use owl counters in counting / problem solving activities.
Sort / compare / match feathers / owl counters / images of owls etc.
Count owls / wings / eyes…
Count spaghetti ‘worms’ to feed to ‘baby owls’ –who has collected the most?
Use positional language to describe Mummy Owls journey.
Record birds seen outside (Bird Hide Role Play)
Expressive Arts & Design
Self-portrait – starting school
Look at images / stuffed owls and recreate using different media and materials such as charcoal drawings, painting, and charcoal.
Make owls for a display.
Make paper bag owls.
Make owl stick puppets,
Make owl masks.
Sing songs and rhymes about owls.
Make paper plate owls.
Let the children mix red, blue, and yellow to try and make brown.
Use materials and props to pretend to be birds. 
Music – Me! – explores growing, homes, colour, toys, how I look.