Welcome to Year 1’s Spring Term!
Take a look at what we’ll be exploring this term……
English
We will begin our Spring term by exploring Non-Fiction texts using the theme of Dinosaurs as a focus. We will be learning about the structure of simple Who? Which? What? Why? When? and Where? Questions. We will compose our own questions which can be answered using the class encyclopedia which will be our writing outcome for the half term. Our texts for the half term include: First Dinosaur Encyclopedia: A First Reference Book for Children (DK First Reference), Dinosaurs (DK) and the All About Dinosaurs series by Daniel Nunn. We will use these texts to identify features of Non-fiction such as contents, headings, captions and labelled diagrams.
In the second half of the Spring term we continue our Dinosaur theme looking at Narrative and Poetry texts. Using the story ‘Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish’ by Michael Foreman we will explore how authors use setting descriptions to engage readers in stories and continue to build on our understanding of the structure of stories. We will write our own stories using Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish as our model.
In Poetry we will use the books Dinosaur Roar by Henrietta and Paul Stickland plus Dinosaur Stomp and Mad About Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz. We will learn some poetry to perform, explore rhyme, rhythm and alliteration. We will be making collections of descriptive language to use in our own performance poems.
Practising Spellings at Home
Year 1 Spelling Rules
HFW to Read and Spell in Year 1
Maths
Using the school’s Power Maths Scheme during the Spring Term we will focus on the following objectives: –
In this unit, children choose the most appropriate addition strategies by thinking about the numbers involved in the calculations. It is a vital unit, as understanding how to add by crossing a 10 is very important for later addition strategies, including the formal methods introduced in Key Stage 2. Within this unit, children progress from using a counting strategy to using known number bonds to derive answers to additions, including adding the ones separately from the ten, and also when to add by bridging 10. This unit forms the foundation for understanding efficient and effective calculation strategies throughout the rest of Key Stage 1 and into Key Stage 2, and children will also be making decisions about when to apply different approaches, which is a very important mathematical thinking skill.
Subtraction within 20
This unit is important because it is one of the many building blocks for developing fluency. Children will have learned about subtraction before, but only within 10. This unit is a good chance to revise previously taught methods and move on from them to a range of efficient subtraction strategies.
This unit focuses on interpreting, ordering and comparing numbers to 50. A strong understanding of numbers to 50, including their place value and relative sizes, will enable children to extend their calculation skills and number knowledge to larger numbers and to an increasing range of situations. Children will also be introduced to counting in multiples of 2 and 5, and will be encouraged to notice that multiples of 2 end in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 and that multiples of 5 end in 0 or 5. At the end of the unit, children solve word problems for the fi rst time, by identifying the number sentences that relate to the problems. This is an important step and allows children to build on their prior knowledge of the number system, addition and subtraction.
This unit focuses on comparing and measuring the height and length of objects using non-standard and standard units of measure. Children will learn how to accurately compare and measure and will understand the importance of aligning starting points. Children will draw on their knowledge of number, particularly ordering and comparing numbers. Children will also learn the relationship between number lines and scales on a ruler and use this understanding to calculate differences in length. Children will use key language such as longer, longest, shorter, shortest, taller and tallest when comparing length and height.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/kids-activities/fun-maths-games-and-activities/
Science
The Science topics this term will be:
Parts of Animals
Children will learn about their senses and how they use them to describe the world. Children will identify and name the basic external parts of the human body and recognise the functions of some body parts, including the sense organs. Children will describe and compare common animals, and will recognise and name a variety of animals and their body parts. They will construct and label a map of the human body and will draw comparisons between human and animal body parts. They will consider how to treat other people and living things with care and respect. At the end of the unit, children will create a song which compares the functions of various animals’ body parts. Investigative work in this unit focuses on exploring the senses, observing and communicating ideas about their own body parts and those of animals, and recording their ideas in diagrams.
Types of Animals.
Children will observe and recognise some simple characteristics of animals. They will learn that animals are similar to each other in some ways and different in other ways. They will begin to start grouping animals by the key features of their appearance. To support the work in this unit we will be visiting to Blackpool Zoo, where the children can experience live animals first hand. Children swill also have the opportunity to explore and observe animals at first hand in their school grounds. They will work towards creating a plan of a zoo environment incorporating different types of animals in their design. Working scientifically, children will have the opportunity of observing and classifying animals in the local environment and beyond. They will classify animals that are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians or fish using simple observable features. They will record data, with help, in charts and tables and use these to answer questions.
Each pupil will get their own discovery education username and password. This has a range of fun resources that covers the whole of the curriculum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/science/
https://www.discoveryeducation.com/
Topic
We will be learning all about Dinosaurs this term! We will think about where ‘The Age of the Dinosaurs’ fits in with Our World History, using a timeline to sequence and order events. We will be learning what evidence humans have collected that Dinosaurs existed and what we know about them as a result. We will explore the life of Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning and recognise the significant contribution she made to our understanding of creatures before humans. To familiarise ourselves with countries and continents we will ask Where have dinosaur fossils been found? Has the Earth always looked like this? We will compare Pangea and modern day Continents. In Art we will explore printing including prints made with handmade clay blocks and in DT we will use textiles to make dinosaur creations.
RE
During this term we will be thinking about the question ‘What makes some places special?’ We will be investigation places of worship and why they are an important part of different faiths. We will also be looking at Spring Celebrations including Chinese New Year and Easter.
Computing
The children will be following the ‘Teach Computing’ scheme of work. During the Spring term the children will learn about:
Grouping Data and Labelling: counting, describing and grouping objects and using data to compare.
Moving a Robot: Giving commands, direction command sequences. Planning a simple program.
PE
The children will be following the Primary PE Passport Curriculum which our Kick-start team will help us deliver this term. Our focus this term is Gymnastics. We will be concentrating on the development of Balance and Movement skills and the performance of sequences using different apparatus.
PE will take place on Monday’s & Tuesday’s this term.
Please make sure that PE kits are in school every week because we monitor this as part of pupils’ Assertive Mentoring record.
PSHE
Our school follows a scheme called Jigsaw and this term our Year 1 children will complete the following units:
Dreams and Goals
Aspirations, how to achieve goals and understanding the emotions that go with this. Staying motivated when doing something challenging; Keep trying even when it is difficult; Working well with a partner or in a group; Having a positive attitude; Helping others to achieve their goals; Working hard to achieve their own dreams and goals.
Healthy Me
Being and keeping safe and healthy. Making a healthy choice; Rating a healthy, balanced diet; Being physically active; Keeping themselves and others safe; How to be a good friend and enjoy healthy friendships; Keeping calm and dealing with difficult situations.
Music
Using the familiar structure of our Charanga Music Scheme the children continue to build their experiences and skills to listen & appraise, play warm-up games and flexible skill games, improvise and compose.
Our Music in the first part of the Spring Term focuses on the song ‘In The Groove’ by Joanna Mangona – an easy-to-learn song that demonstrates different styles of music. In The Groove is a song that was specially written for classroom use to teach children about different styles of music. This is a very easy song to learn and has been arranged in six different styles; Blues, Baroque, Latin, Bhangra, Folk and Funk. Each week you will listen and learn a different style of In The Groove.
Guided and Home Reading
Each Year 1 child will be issued with two reading books per week to read at home. The first book will be a decodable phonics book which will be linked to the phonics phase and sounds that your child will be learning in school. The children will be familiar with this book as they will have used the book in several sessions at school before it is sent home. It is important that your child reads this book as often as possible during the week so that they become secure and confident using these phonemes to decode words when reading.
The second reading book will be from the Oxford Reading Tree range (Biff, Kipper, Chip and Floppy). The idea is that you read the book with your child as a way to familiarise them with high frequency or common exception words that are not always decodable.
We ask that you read with your child as often as possible and sign their reading record a minimum of twice weekly in line with school policy. We will collect and check reading records and reading books every Wednesday and return new books to you each Friday.
Please encourage a love of reading at home and share stories together as often as you can.
We will provide you with access to a fun online reading platform called Reading Eggs. There are lots of stories, games and activities to have a go at. As they move through the levels, they are awarded with reading certificates which we check weekly, print off in school and celebrate in class. This has proven to be a great motivator for children as they become proud and confident readers.
(We will attach Reading Eggs login details to the Homework & Reading Diary books) along with Google Classroom logins. Please ask a member of staff if you have any problems.)
Homework
In Year 1 homework will be given out every Friday and expected back every Wednesday. Children will receive a maths task based on what we’ve been learning in class and they will choose a piece from the Dinosaur homework menu.
Children are encouraged to be as creative as they wish and can choose how to present their homework so if they have published something using an iPad, tablet or computer please email it to us!
F.A.O. Mrs. Ethel & Miss. Richards year1@corrie.tameside.sch.uk
Don’t forget that your homework and reading are monitored as part of your Assertive Mentoring profile.
We monitor reading, homework and PE kits as part of our Assertive Mentoring Scheme.
On time by Wednesday – GREEN
Late by Friday – YELLOW
No homework or reading completed – RED
