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My birthday

Dear Parent/Carer Your child has now had their first two English lessons using Footprints 1 and has been introduced to the course characters Alex and Katie, and their two magical friends Pip and Squeak. Your child has learnt how to introduce him/herself in English and ask what another persons name is. He/she has also remembered the colours and the different parts of the classroom. The topic of Unit 1 is birthdays. In this unit your child will learn how to ask and say his/her age and how to offer things and say thank you. He/she will be introduced to this language through a song and a rap: A card, a balloon (track 4) One, two, three (track 6)

A card, a balloon One, two, three. A present and a hat Guess with me. A cake with candles Are you a boy? On the mat! Are you a girl? Are you six? A biscuit, a sandwich Are you seven? A cup and a plate Come to the party Dont be late!

No, Im not. Yes, I am. No, Im not. Yes, I am. Yes, yes, yes! Yes, I am.

Your child will also learn about different shapes and recognise the shapes of party objects. He/she will listen to episode 1 of the Treasure Trail story, will make and play with finger puppets, and will play a game to practise saying specific sounds in English. Your child will also find out about how children in Britain celebrate their birthdays and listen to a traditional song: Happy Birthday (track 7) Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday, dear Squeak Happy birthday to you! The activity book aims to gently introduce your child to reading and writing in English. In this unit your child will have the opportunity to copy and write the party words, the numbers 1-10, and the shapes. He/she will also complete short sentences about what shape different objects are. The interest and encouragement of a childs family is very important when they are learning a language. A child will make more of an effort in class and value their own work if they feel that their learning is supported at home. You can support your child by finding a regular quiet time to look at your childs English book/s and talk with him/her about what they are doing in the English class. You can also listen to the songs and stories from Footprints 1 together. Thank you for helping to make your childs early contact with English as enjoyable and successful as possible. I hope you and your child enjoy the course.