Year 1 Curriculum Newsletter – Autumn Term 1st half Sept 17
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Year 1 – we hope you all enjoyed the summer break.
Our topic this half term is animals.
Literacy
This half term we will be reading stories about animals. We will be looking at character, setting and plot. In writing, we will be working on improving spelling, punctuation and handwriting. The children will continue to learn phonics which, coupled with weekly spelling lists, should help them to learn the spelling patterns of English. There will be regular handwriting practice.
Phonics
There will be some revision of the phonemes and high frequency words they learned in Reception. The children will also learn long vowel sounds. They will practice segmenting and blending on a daily basis. Phonemes and high frequency words should be revised regularly. Segmenting (sounding out) and blending (putting sounds together) should be encouraged when reading. Please try and read with your child as often as possible, including books your child has at home as well as the school reading books. Your child may be given words to learn at home. We hope you will practice these regularly with your child as this will help improve their reading significantly.
Numeracy
We will be working with numbers to 20, counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We will be practicing simple addition and subtraction e.g. “Three plus what equals five?” “What is five take away one?” We will also be learning the 10 times tables.
Science
We will be learning about the variety of animals on the planet, how they are classified and how they vary in terms of habitat, diet and the way in which their young are born. We will also be learning about the seasons.
PE
This half-term, we will be practicing how to throw and catch and bat a ball, and skipping. Please could you help your child to practice tying ties and buttoning shirts. It is also important that your child is able to turn their clothes the right way out after they have taken them off. Can we remind all parents that clothes must be labelled with your child’s name to avoid mix-ups. The PE kit should include navy/black shorts, a plain white T shirt and black plimsolls. Thank you.
RE/PSHE
The children will be learning about creation this half-term. We will also be working on how to look after our classroom and school, how to share and take turns and how to deal with arguments and disagreements. We will be celebrating Harvest Festival.
ICT
This half term the children will be learning how to create program a simple robot.
Art
We will be using a variety of techniques to create artwork based on animals and the seasons.
Homework
Your child will bring home spellings each Friday to be learnt for a test on the following Thursday. They will also be given a phonics worksheet where they sound out simple words every Friday.
In addition to the set homework, you can help your child learn by taking them to the library, museums or other places of interest, particularly those which relate to our topic work.
Reading
Your child will bring home a reading book on a regular basis. Oxford Reading Tree books will be changed once each week during group reading sessions. These books should be read several times at home each week as this will help make your child familiar with high frequency words and increase their fluency. Colour banded books can be changed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. RWI ‘Ditties’ will be changed around 3 times a week, depending upon how fluently your child is reading.
Whenever your child reads to you or another adult, it is important that a comment is written in your child’s Reading Record as this helps us to monitor progress.
Forest School
Year 1 go to Forest School on Friday afternoons. The first session will be held in a few weeks time. There will be a meeting on Tuesday 12 September at 3.45 for parents to explain what happens at Forest School and the role of parent helpers.
Finally, if you have any queries or concerns about your child’s welfare or progress, please don’t hesitate to speak to us.
Thank you for your continued support and co-operation.
Mrs Walsh and Mrs Davis