Year 1
Spring 1 Curriculum Newsletter
Johnson Class
Welcome!
Johnson class welcome you back to another term in Year 1! We are all looking forward to a great term partnering with you and your child in their learning and development. As ever this term is a busy one, packed full of exciting learning. Within this curriculum newsletter there is some key information to help you support your child’s learning.
Nut Free School
Please can we remind you that we are a Nut Free School, so please do not pack products in the lunchboxes that may contain nuts; this includes chocolate spread.
PE
Wednesday and Friday are our PE days this term.
Children should have a P.E kit in school at all times. We suggest they bring it in to school on a Monday and take it home on a Friday to be washed.
Indoor PE: Children will need black shorts and a plain t-shirt in their house colour. Gym and Dance is done in bare feet. Children will need trainers or plimsolls for indoor games.
Outdoor PE: black shorts and t-shirt, and a tracksuit or spare jumper for colder days. Children will also need trainers.
Jewellery: A reminder that only stud earrings and wristwatches may be worn to school. Earrings must be removed or covered for PE. Children should not wear bracelets to school.
Uniform and water bottles
Please make sure your child is wearing the correct school uniform and that it is clearly labelled to avoid confusion. Uniform guidelines are outlined on the school website – please contact the school office if you have any questions. All children should bring a labelled water bottle to school every day. A hydrated body means a higher functioning mind.
Homework
Children will have one homework book which will be used for all homework. They will have weekly spellings and maths homework. The maths homework will be set using the website Numbots. If you have any queries about the homework please do not hesitate to come and speak to us.
Numbots
Cherry Field’s Primary School is signed up to the Numbots programme to support your child with their mathematical fluency. Daily practice of number facts is crucial to develop speed and accuracy of recall – the more fluent they are with their facts the easier they will access other aspects of the curriculum. For their maths homework, children are expected to play on Numbots for 5 minutes at least four times a week. Certificates will be awarded to children in celebration assembly as they progress.
Spelling
At the start of the term, children will be given a termly spelling grid in their homework books indicating which spellings to learn each week. A reminder of each week's spellings will be posted on Dojo.
Each week, your child will receive 3 spellings that follow the spelling pattern they have covered that week. We have also sent home a spelling menu, which has lots of great ways of practising spellings. It is important to practise regularly. On Friday, the children will have a spelling test for the spellings they have practised during the week.
Topic Homework Menus
Children will have a termly topic menu with additional homework options based on our STEAM curriculum. We would ask that all children bring in at least one piece of homework that is based on our STEAM topic each term.
Reading
We expect children to have daily opportunities to read to, or with, someone at home, as well as independently. Reading can include: books, newspapers, magazines, online reading, eBooks, reading tablets, information books, adverts, menus, poems, song lyrics – the list is endless. The important thing is that your child reads regularly (preferably daily!) and enjoys, and is engaged with, the reading! Each Friday, children will be sent home with the following:
- RWI book: This is a text that the children have been reading regularly in class to build fluency. They should be able to read this to you independently with minimal mistakes.
- Book Bag Book: This is a text that is based upon the sounds that children have been reading in class. As such, the children should be able to apply their phonics to knowledge to read all the words within the book with minimal support.
- Library Book: This is a text that the children have selected based upon their interest. These books are not based on prior phonics knowledge and should be shared with, or read by, an adult.
These books should be returned to school the following Friday to be changed.
All children have a reading diary, which they should bring to school in their book bag every day. Please record your child’s reading (as well as any additional comments) in the reading diary including the date and, where appropriate, page numbers. Halfway through the diary is a guide to help adults to support children’s reading as well as phonics/spelling guides for children as they progress through the school. To build fluency, children should read a text a minimum of three times. As such, school reading books will only be changed once per week on a Friday.
We will check the reading record is completed regularly. If your child reads four times a week, your child will receive a raffle ticket that will be entered into our termly reading raffle. They have the chance to win a book of their choice from the selection.
Curriculum
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STEAM |
This term our STEAM focus is Engineering and we will be answering the question ‘Can I design and construct a product using my knowledge and understanding of the engineering process?’ We will be looking at the history of the car and how it has changed over time. The children will learn the purpose of a car and how a wheel and axle works. They will then be designing and producing their own toy car with some specific design criteria.
To help with our STEAM project we would like to ask for a voluntary contribution of £2 per child to help us fund our exciting STEAM project. Your donations will be used to purchase materials for the investigations that the children will conduct. If you know any friends or family members who have a vintage car, please could you contact Miss Trew to support our learning this term. |
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Maths |
In Maths, the children will be introduced to additive structures of aggregation and partitioning where they will learn about addition and subtraction as well as deepening their understanding of equals. They will also be looking at finding a missing number in an equation if they have already been given 2 parts. |
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Writing |
In English this term, we will encourage the children to use capital letters for proper nouns and introduce the use of question marks. To start the term children will be looking at the story ‘Goldilocks and the three bears.’ We will be writing a setting description and retelling the story. |
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Computing |
In Computing, we will start looking at programming a robot through the use of beebots. The children will learn how to give commands to a robot to make it move. |
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HRE |
We will be covering the following objectives:
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Music |
This term the children will be using the music programme Charanga to learn how to be ‘In the groove’ with different styles of music such as blues, baroque, Latin, bhangra, folk and funk. |
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PE |
In PE this term, the children will be learning about Chinese dance by focusing on the dances used during the Chinese New Year celebration. They will also be learning some orienteering skills using directional language to guide each other and themselves through obstacles. |
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RE |
In RE this term, we will be looking at the symbols used in Christianity and Islam and comparing these. |
Thank you for your continued support – we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and partnering with you in your child’s learning and development. If you have any questions or concerns, please do come and speak to me before or after school or contact the office.
Miss Trew
Year 1 Teacher
