Welcome to Year 1
Our Class Teacher is Miss Thorpe
Our Curriculum
History
This half term, History is our driver subject as we explore toys from the past and compare them with toys we have today. The children will look closely at different toy artefacts, describing their main features and thinking about who might have owned them in the past. They will develop their understanding of time by confidently using the words old and new and learning how toys have changed over time.
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?
Science
This term in Science, Year 1 will revisit the topic of Everyday Materials and build on prior knowledge. The children will explore a range of materials and learn to identify and describe their properties, such as bendy or stiff, waterproof or absorbent, and strong or weak. They will sort and classify materials into groups and talk about what the materials are like.
Through simple tests and investigations, the children will explore how materials behave and use their senses and basic equipment to make observations and record their findings. This will help them decide which materials are best for different purposes.
The children will also learn which materials can be recycled and why this is important for looking after our environment. They will discover the work of scientists such as Ole Kirk Christiansen and Charles Macintosh and how their inventions have influenced the objects we use today. By the end of the unit, the children will confidently describe, compare, and test everyday materials.
English
Our class text in our Pathways to Write unit and our class novel for this half term is: ‘The Lion Inside.’
This half term, Year 1’s focus text is The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright. In this unit, the children will be developing their early writing skills by learning to:
The children will learn to:
- Punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, some question marks and exclamation marks.
- Join words and clauses using and.
- Some accurate use of the prefix un-.
- Add suffixes where no change is needed to the root word e.g. -ed, -ing, -er, -est.
Throughout the unit, pupils will build these skills through a range of purposeful writing opportunities linked to the text. They will:
- Write about a setting.
- Writing statements, questions and exclamation sentences.
- Write a recount.
- Build up to their final piece — a short story.
PSHE
In Year 1, children will learn 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.