1A Class Page

Welcome back to school and into Year 1. I hope you had a wonderful break with your children and are now enjoying getting back into the school routine. The Year 1 teachers are really looking forward to working with the children and this term is very much about getting used to new rules and routines. There are so many things that the children haven’t yet experienced, due to Covid. 

Our 1A staff members this year are:

1A: Mrs Avery (Class Teacher), Mrs Dinsdale (PPA Cover and Support), Mrs Weston (Teaching Assistant).

We are also extremely fortunate to have additional support with reading from Mrs Reene, Mrs Carter and Mrs Choudhury.

If you have any problems or questions please don’t hesitate to contact one of us on Class Dojo or pass a message to a staff member on the gate.  For more important issues, please make an appointment to see us.

English

This term the children will be working on their phonic sounds in Read Write Inc.  For these lessons the children are split into smaller groups, according to ability, which allows us to teach to their specific level and it does mean that the progression will happen more efficiently.

In our English lessons we are thinking about traditional tales and are focusing on ‘The Frog Prince’.  We will be having a go at writing short, simple sentences with a full stop at the end, checking our work and learning some of the capital letters.

We will be looking at handwriting skills including: sitting position, pencil grip, paper position and doing some warm up exercises to prepare the body for writing.  You can use the same resources that we have in the classroom by googling ‘teach handwriting’ and going to the Parents section.  There are many activities that you can do at home and this will be a great way to support your children’s progress.

Maths

In maths we are using White Rose maths resources to support the learning. 

The first four weeks of maths will be focusing on number: place value within 10.  Whilst some children need additional support in this area, others are working quite competently and they will be provided with additional material to enhance their learning so that they can master the ideas and concepts. 

We are learning number bonds to 10: 0+10, 1+9, 2+8, etc., counting forwards and backwards, finding one more/one less, counting on, counting back, and more. 

At this age, children need lots of opportunities to use concrete objects and they are provided with a range of things and will also be representing numbers by using pictures.

Maths lessons can be very lively but we are seeing children start to switch on to maths and really enjoy it!

Science

The children have been very excited to see that science is on our timetable. This term is all about everyday materials. Children need to know what different objects are made from and describe some of the properties of different materials.  Understanding that the word ‘material’ doesn’t mean the same as ‘fabric’ e.g. for clothes, but it is the scientific word we use when talking about what things are made from. 

Geography

In Year 1 the children’s learning areas are separated and in term 1 we are teach geography: weather and seasons.  This includes learning the names of each month and season and finding out all about the seasons, how they are different and what happens in each one.  We have already had a short seasonal walk where we picked up leaves and noticed the different colours all around us.  We will also be using art to represent seasons in various different ways.  

PE

Tuesday and Thursday.  Group 1 swim on Thursday

This year we are extremely fortunate to be providing two PE lessons each week.  As you already know, some children will swim this term and some next term.  In ‘Attack, Defend, Shoot’ we will be practicing basic movements including running, jumping etc and beginning to take part in competitive activities.   In ‘Hit, Catch, Run’ children will be hitting objects with their hand or a bat, tracking and retrieving a rolling ball and throwing and catching a variety of balls and objects.  

RE

Our learning question in RE is ‘What do Christians believe God is like?’ and we will be exploring this through reading and understanding some of the parables in the Bible. 

Jigsaw

This is the resource we are using for PSHE and aims to prepare young children for life, helping them really know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people. 

Music

We will be using the Charanga scheme of work to learn how pulse, rhythm and pitch work together.

Art/DT

In art we are going to be finding out about the famous artist ‘Lowry’ and looking at how he uses tones and tints as well as observing methods he used to draw people.  Collage and painting techniques will be used to create some Autumnal scenes.

In Design and Technology we will be linking to our science topic of materials and making a bed or duvet cover for the Princess, using appropriate materials.   

Homework

Please read regularly, at least 3 times a week.  We will be sending spellings home from the Read Write Inc groups for the children to learn and they will be tested each week.  We will set some maths practice activities on Purple Mash or a similar online learning activity.