Spring Meadow Infant and Nursery School

Year 1 Autumn Term 2009

Welcome to Year 1. The children have now moved into Key Stage 1 and will now follow the National Curriculum. Our theme this term will be “Ourselves”

English

The children will participate in a daily Literacy Hour. In fiction the children will be studying texts with familiar settings and that have repetitive patterns. Non-fiction work includes labels, signs and instructions.

The children will extend their phonic knowledge and be building words. They will be extending their sight vocabulary by learning to read the most commonly used words in texts. The children will be applying their phonic knowledge in independent writing, where they will be writing short stories and accounts, labels and instructions. ERR, started in Reception, will continue in Year 1.

We aim to hear the children read individually twice a week. There are no set times for this so the children will need their reading books in school every day.

Ways to help:

Please hear your child read every day. Ten minutes is usually enough.

Please use the comments section in the home / school reading diary to let us know how your child is getting on.

Mathematics

The school will be following the National Numeracy Strategy. The children will have a daily maths lesson of approximately 45 minutes. Areas of mathematics covered include:

Number - counting to 20 forwards and backwards, counting in 2’s 5’s and 10’s, reading and writing numerals to 20,

More / less, finding the difference between two numbers, ordering, addition and subtraction.

Money - recognising coins, totalling coins, finding different ways of making the same amount of money.

Measures - comparing lengths, masses (weights) and capacity, estimating, measuring using non-standard measures and learning vocabulary related to time.

Shape and space - naming 2D and 3D shapes.

Ways to help:

Lots of counting, forwards and backwards.

Looking at ways of making 10p.

Problem solving e.g. “If I have 10 apples and eat 3, how many are there left?”

Science

The children will be learning about their five senses with lots of practical activities.

We will be looking at the different sources of light around us and shadows as an absence of light.

We will also be looking at the variety of seeds that plants produce at this time of the year and planting bulbs.

I.C.T

The children will practise switching the computer on and off. They will also use the mouse to select and move items on the screen and use the computer to write, match and print out text. They will learn to use a ‘wordbank’ to write text.

History

This will not be covered this term as we will have a big history focus in the spring term.

Geography

The children will be talking about where they have been on holiday, how they travelled there and then looking at where the places are on maps.

We will be then looking at their address and the information each line provides. Looking at where everybody lives in relation to school and talking about their daily journey. We will also carry out a survey of how we travel to school and record this information on a graph. General road safety will also be covered.

Art and Craft

The children will be taught ‘mark making’ with hard and soft pencils and a variety of other mediums. They will use their pencil skills to make close observational drawings. Paint mixing skills will be developed further and used in activities where the children will need to mix their own colours.

Design Technology

The children will be working with food this first half term. We will be making healthy sandwiches and, using a variety of fruit we will design, make and then eat a fruit kebab.

Binca bookmark will be sewn and we shall explore weaving using wool, fabric and a variety of papers.

We will also practice our folding and cutting skills with card and paper when making Christmas cards.

Music

The children will be working on making and identifying high and low sounds (pitch) in the first part of the term. In the second half of the term they will be exploring the length of sounds (duration). They will perform songs to you at our Autumn and Christmas assemblies.

R.E.

The children will be studying Christenings in the first half of the term. We will be asking them to bring in christening photos and artefacts e.g. candles, dresses etc. In the second half of the term the focus will be birthdays leading up to the birth of Jesus and Christmas.

PHSE and Citizenship

The children will be talking about the special people in their lives - at home, in school and in the wider community.  What makes a friend and how to be a good friend to others? We shall also discuss how people show their feelings and how we should respond to them.

P.E.

Gymnastics: The children will explore ways of travelling on different body parts and how to land safely.

Games: The children will work on skills with small games apparatus.

Dance: The children will compose simple dance routines in response to a variety of stimuli such as a story or a piece of music.

USEFUL INFORMATION

When the whistle is blown at 9 o’clock please line up the children on the playground by the number of their class. The children will be collected by their teacher and taken to the classroom. We are happy to welcome parents into the classroom to settle the children for the first few weeks of term, but would then ask you to say goodbye to them on the playground and let them come in independently.

Please put all NAMED clothing and shoes in a NAMED PE bag.

Please also ensure, for safety reasons, that earrings are removed on P.E. days.

In Year 1 the children bring home a book they have chosen from the school library. The books will be changed weekly on a Thursday for all the classes.

We all look forward to working with you over the coming year. If your child should experience any problems, please do not hesitate to come and talk to us.

We welcome any parents who would like to help in the classroom. Just speak to your child’s teacher and let her know when you can come.