2D shapes have been our most recent sub topic in Maths where all children started the week as investigators looking for different 2D shapes in the everyday objects all around us.  They took the challenge very seriously and even managed to identify some of the harder shapes that we hadn't set out to discover.  Over the course of the topic the children learned about the key features of each of the shapes and even managed to draw some of their own. 

The children have worked really hard as they have been using counters as equipment to demonstrate how number sentences work after being introduced to the 'plus' and 'equal' symbols. 

As we progress with numbers we begin to look for patterns in places to allow us to hear and see the rhymes that can be used to identify what comes next.  We have used various differing items and looked for alternating patterns which include colours, size or shape. 

It it essential for us to understand the order of numbers to be able to manipulate them and use them to make calculations. We have been looking at ‘one more than’ and ‘one less than’ to demonstrate our understanding. 

Our Maths lessons follow the Mastering number approach from the NCETM.  The children initially learn the 'principles of counting' where we say each number in order (stable order), count each item once (one to one correspondence) and understand that the last number that we say is the number that we have (cardinal).  

Children are exposed to numbers wherever we can. We use lots of rhymes and songs to learn the numbers. 

Our favourites are '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I caught a fish alive' or '5 Speckled frogs' and '5 Little Monkeys'.