26/03/2020 Senior Infants Louise Downing / Ann Harrington
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We hope everyone is keeping well at this time. We wanted to send you a few things that could help towards your child’s learning. We know it’s not easy for them when their routine is changed suddenly.
Attached are a few bits to keep them going.
With maths, use the environment and what you have at home. Here are some different activities:
Number: The story of 6, 7, 8, and 9. They make the ‘story’ of this number by putting some on one side and more on the other. In class we use counters and a pencil to separate. You could use pasta shells for this. They are very familiar with this.
Another activity could be using a tin box. Get some coins and get your child to close their eyes and you drop so many in to the box and they must guess the number. Then add some or take away some coins and ask them again.
Completing sums up to ten with 2 numbers and 3 numbers: 2+5= ____ and 3+6+1=_____.
Building things using blocks or lego is great for their fine and gross motor skills. Ask them to copy the kitchen table/the kitchen/the cooker etc. Make a jigsaw. Lace a shoe. Cutting skills are also very important.
Irish- We know some people won’t feel comfortable with this as it may be totally new to you but we can assure you the kids are well able to speak it. Encourage them to practise songs that they already know. They will be well able to teach you so ask them to be the teacher. Point to things in the kitchen or the sitting room and ask them what they are in Irish. Also, get them to point to as many things that they know in Irish for a minute on the timer and see how many they can get each time. We will send the ‘Teilifís’ vocabulary home and start with three words the first day and add two new words each day.
English; attached are phonics sheets to keep up with their phonics skills. Again ask them to recite a poem from over the year in English. Keep up the reading and vocabulary work. Repetition is key so go back over what has been covered while ye are at home: the phonics copies/ previous wordsheets. Ask them the meaning of words to ensure comprehension of what they are reading. Ask them to put words into sentences orally for you.
For Ms. Downing’s class the wordsheet for the core reader will be attached as I did not hand it out in all the rush on the day we finished up.
We have also attached a powerpoint for an outdoors art project. If your child does get a chance to do it, take pictures and we would love to see them when we all return to school.
Take Care,
Ms. Downing and Mrs. Brosnan.