Welcome to Year 1
Our Class Teacher is Miss Thorpe
Our Curriculum
Science:
This term in Science, Year 1 will be learning about Animals, including Humans, in line with the Year 1 National Curriculum. The children will identify and name a variety of common animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and begin to group them according to their characteristics. Through these discussions and investigations, the children will learn to identify and compare basic structures of animals and recognise that humans are a type of mammal.
Science is our driver subject this half term. The children will learn about carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, and begin to understand what different animals eat. They will also identify, name and label the basic parts of the human body, linking each part to the correct sense, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Year 1 will develop their scientific vocabulary and build their understanding of how animals (including humans) grow, survive and stay healthy. By the end of the unit, the children will confidently classify animals into groups, describe their features and explain how humans are similar to, and different from, other animals.
They will explore key scientific questions such as:
- Can all birds fly?
- What animal group do humans belong to?
- Do animals have the same body parts and senses as us?
- Are all mammals carnivores?
- How do you look after a guinea pig?
History
This half term, the children will continue their History topic exploring toys from the past and compare them with toys we have today.
Year 1 will recognise toys from the past and present and talk about similarities and differences between the toys they play with today and the toys their parents and grandparents played with. They will compare their favourite toy as a baby with their favourite toy now and explain how they know whether a toy is old or new. The children will also learn simple ways to find out about the past, such as asking questions, looking at pictures, and handling artefacts. By the end of the topic, they will be able to explain how toys have changed since their grandparents were children and confidently talk about toys from different times.
Our Key Enquiry Questions:
1. What were our grandparent's toys like?
2. How do we know what toys were like in the past?
3. How have toys changed over the years? Why?
4. Are these toys old or new?
5. How can we tell these toys are old?
English
The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth by Ellie Hattie and Karl James Mountford will inspire our writing this half term. This exciting adventure story, set in a museum where exhibits come to life, will provide a rich stimulus for developing our storytelling skills. Throughout the unit, we will learn to join words and clauses using and, punctuate sentences accurately using capital letters and full stops, as well as question marks and exclamation marks, and add suffixes where no change is needed to the root word (for example -ed, -ing, -er and -est). We will also practice sequencing sentences to build short narratives and describing characters and settings using simple, effective language.
Our final piece of writing will bring all of these skills together. The children will write their own adventure story based on the structure of The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth, changing the main character to create a new and imaginative version of the tale.
PSHE
In Year 1, children will continue their learning about how to keep themselves safe in different situations. They will begin by exploring the role of adults in and out of school and thinking about who they can go to for help. The children will learn what to do if they get lost and how to make an emergency phone call, understanding what an emergency is.
The class will explore appropriate contact with others, how to stay safe with everyday substances, and how to be safe at home. They will also learn about the different people in the community who help keep us safe, such as police officers, firefighters, and lifeguards.
Through these lessons, the children will build their confidence in recognising risks and keeping themselves safe, both at school and at home.
Our focus SDG for the term is: SDG15 Life on Land
Year 1 will learn about Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15), which is all about caring for life on land. The children will explore how plants, animals, and insects live on land and why it is important to look after them. They will learn simple ways to care for nature, such as not littering, being gentle with animals and plants, and looking after school and local outdoor spaces. They will also think about how caring for the land helps keep the Earth healthy and makes the world a better place for everyone.
Our focus Children's Rights Article for the term is: Article 13
Year 1 will learn about Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This article explains that every child has the right to share their thoughts and ideas and to be listened to, as long as it is safe and respectful. The children will explore different ways they can express themselves, such as talking, drawing, writing, or playing. They will think about why it is important to listen to others and how sharing ideas helps everyone learn, feel valued, and work together.
Our PE days for this half term are: Mondays and Thursdays. If there are any changes, I will inform you with plenty of notice.
Homework will be handed out on a Friday and should be completed and returned by the following Thursday.
Please find our Curriculum map below for more information.
Please make sure to check Seesaw for regular updates about our learning, homework and announcements.