Welcome to Year 1
Miss Crabtree and Miss Farley would like to welcome you back to Year 1 after a restful break. We hope you are relaxed and ready for the exciting learning we have planned for this term. We have lots of wonderful lessons planned with a few surprises coming up too! We wanted to say that we are so impressed with the progress the children are continuing to make in our Phonics lessons. Please continue to read with your child every night, it supports their learning in class and has a huge impact on their learning.
Phonics
We are following the RWI scheme, which is having a fantastic impact on children’s progress. On top of their English lesson each day, they all take part in a full RWI lesson. Children are placed in small groups specific to their needs and ability, this allows them to apply their phonic skills on a daily basis and review sounds repeatedly every day. Children are also supported throughout the day and are given opportunities to take part in 1-1 phonic tutoring sessions, which enables them to work specifically on areas that they need to focus on.
Children are continually assessed during daily RWI lessons and so they are able to move on as soon as they are ready to do so. We also complete phonic assessments following the RWI format to track their progress and also prepare children for the end of year phonic screening. In order for children to feel confident when completing the phonic screening in July we complete regular screenings using past papers so they are familiar with layout and how the test is conducted.
We really appreciate your continued support as reading and practising phonics at home has a significant impact on your child’s progress. Ruth Miskin offers a variety of phonic videos online that you are able to watch at home:
English
Our English topic this half-term will be focused around the book ‘The Jungle Book’ as children will be exploring stories from another culture. The children will explore the characters, setting and plot through drama activities, group collaboration and practical tasks alongside their basic skills and sentence work. The children will work towards writing their own story from another culture and an information text on animals in the jungle. We will also be continuing our daily phonics lessons.
Maths
During this half term we will be concentrating on number. We will first work on doubling, halving and division. We will also explore fractions of shapes, time, money and 2D and 3D shapes within a variety of problem solving contexts. We will continue to incorporate children’s knowledge of their 2’s, 5’s and 10’s.
Geography
This half term children will be exploring hot and cold places. We focus on the Amazon rainforest, linking to our English lessons and the Arctic. We will then delve deeper into both places and compare the physical geography focusing upon the weather, temperature, surroundings and animals.
Science
During Science this half term we will be looking at animals. We will explore name and identify a variety of common animals from each classification; amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals. We will identify characteristics of these animals to support the identification process.
Art
We will be looking at mono printing. We will begin by exploring work and techniques by the artist Lynda Goldberg. Children will then design and make their own mono print with the theme of nature.
Computing
During computing this half term we will be exploring problem reading and real world tech. We will create a bar graph about rainforest and Arctic animals.
Music
In our music lessons, we will be exploring rhyme in the way we walk and banana rap. We will be completing a variety of practical activities.
R.E/PSHE
During R.E. we will be exploring the Easter story and how and why it’s celebrated.
Throughout PHSE we will be following the scheme Jigsaw and exploring ‘Healthy Me’. Children will discuss and learn ways to keep our bodies safe and healthy.
Some important information for Year 1 parents/carers:
- Home Reader books will be given out every Friday and should be returned to school each Thursday to be changed. Children should read daily at home. Please return any books you have at home.
- We will be using school P.E kits this year so you do not need to send one to school with your child.
- Please provide a water bottle daily.
Year 1 Geography Knowledge Organiser
Year 1 Science Knowledge Organiser