Year 1
Autumn 2 Curriculum Newsletter
Johnson Class
Welcome back!
We hope that you have had a restful break. We are all so excited to get back to learning in school and hope your child is looking forward to the new term!
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 should continue to use their blue homework book for all homework. The children should bring their homework books in on their homework presentation day. Homework share for Johnson class is Monday. If you have any queries about the homework, please do not hesitate to come and speak to me.
Spelling
At the start of the term, during parents evening you will be given a spellings grid. A reminder of each week's spellings will be posted on Dojo. It is important to practise regularly. On Friday, the children will have a spelling quiz 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 wider curriculum. We would ask that all children bring in at least one piece of homework that is based on our wider curriculum 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
Wider Curriculum |
For our Wider Curriculum project this term our focus is technology and we will be answering the question ‘How have structures influenced our lives?’ We will be exploring our local area and what the word ‘local’ means. We will use maps to locate where we live both locally and nationally. The children will explore what is in Didcot and in particular the train station and how it has changed over time. They will then use this information to design their own train station structure in groups. In order to create their structures, the children will develop their design and technology skills in joining paper and card together. |
Maths |
Our maths this term will be focusing on the composition of numbers up to 10. The children will begin by exploring how numbers up to 5 can be partitioned (split into parts), using the part-whole model and bar model to represent this. They will continue then to look at numbers 6-10 considering how these numbers are made up of 5 and a bit more. To develop this further the children will investigate how these numbers are ordered on the number line and begin to consider odd and even numbers and counting in twos. The final unit for this term will be focused on geometry and in particular the properties of shape. |
English |
This term’s first English unit will be based on the story The Storm Whale by Benji Davies. The children will learn about using adjectives (‘what like’) words to describe a noun. They will use this knowledge as well as continuing to develop their skills in composing and writing simple sentences as a group of paragraphs in order to produce a setting description of some of the settings in the story. We will continue to focus on the correct use of capital letters, full stops and finger spaces in our sentences. The second English unit this term will be a recount linked to our wider curriculum project. |
Computing |
In computing this term the children will continue to use the chrome books or laptops to log in to the Paintz app. They will develop their skills of using the mouse/touchpad and the range of tools in this app to create some pieces of artwork. The artwork will be inspired by artists such as Kandinsky, Matisse and Mondrian where they used different shapes to create their art. The children will create their own digital artwork and compare this to using real paint. |
HRE (Health and Relationships Education) |
The first unit in HRE this term will concentrate on the topic of ‘ourselves, growing and changing’. The children will consider what makes them unique and what is the same or different compared to others. They will also discuss strategies they can use to help themselves if they find something challenging. The second unit focuses on the subject ‘Safeguarding Ourselves’. The children will learn about ways that they can stay safe in different environments such as near roads, at public areas or at home. They will also begin to learn about being safe online and when using online games or watching certain media. |
Music |
This term the children will be practicing and performing their Christmas performance alongside year 2. They will be learning a range of songs which they will rehearse throughout the term ready for their final performance at the end of term. |
PE |
Indoor PE this term will concentrate on health and fitness. The children will develop an understanding of the importance of physical activity and how this affects their bodies. They will participate in a range of different exercise activities including circuit training and yoga. Outdoor PE this term will focus on object control. The children will learn what the word ‘control’ means and how they can control objects such as a ball using their hands, feet and other parts of the body. |
RE |
In RE this term, we are looking at Christianity. We are looking at what Christians celebrate focusing on Christmas. The children will be learning about the Christmas story. |
Key Dates
-
Start of term 1 – Monday 30th November
-
Breakfast and a book – Tuesday 7th November
-
Dentist assembly – Tuesday 7th November
-
Non- Uniform Day - 10th November
-
Children in Need Wear Something Spotty - 17th November
-
Club Fair afterschool - 20th November
-
Festive Coffee Afternoon – 6th December
-
Year 1-3 Christmas Performance @14:30 - 14th December
-
Year 1-3 Christmas Performance @09:30 - 15th December
-
Christmas Lunch – 19th December
-
Pantomime at School - School finish at 13:00 - 20th December
Thank you for your continued support – we are looking forward to an exciting term 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 Class Teacher