In Year 1, our class is a safe, fun and encouraging learning environment.
Our Year 1 teacher is Miss Asad and our Teaching Assistants are Mrs Hamnett and Miss Petrillo. We support the children in their learning every day.
On Mondays, we have PE outside and we also have Music with Mrs Reynolds
Homework
Reading
We would like parents to read with your child every day and sign their reading record every day. Bring your book and reading record in every day.
Books are changed every Monday. Your child needs to put their old books in the book box on Monday morning so we can change it. You will get a photocopy of the book your child is reading in phonics lessons and a Book Bag book to read. If the Book Bag Book is lost or damaged, you may be asked to pay to replace it.
Maths
In Year 1 we use Numbots and Times Table Rockstars (only 10 times table). Numbots is very useful for practising counting, addition and subtraction. Children have been given a username and password so they can use it at home. The username and password are stuck into the front cover of your reading record.
https://play.numbots.com/#/intro
Spellings
In Year 1, we take home a spelling list every week. We can do our spellings in lots of different ways, e.g. saying the letters, typing, writing, using magnetic letters. These spellings are also on SpellingShed. Your log in for SpellingShed is stuck into the front cover of your reading record.
https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
Learning Logs
Learning log tasks will be set every 2 weeks. This is an activity related to our class topic, which is set on Class Dojo. On the Friday they are handed in, we have a Learning Log Gallery, where the children vote for their favourite. The winner's work will be displayed in the hall! You can choose to respond on Class Dojo or in a Learning Log book.
Library visits
Year 1 visit Balderstone Library every Monday afternoon. Children are given the opportunity to choose a book from the wide range on offer and bring them back to school to read in class.
PE
Your child should come in to school in their PE kit on their PE days (plain black tracksuit, white t-shirt and trainers). PE is on a Monday this half term and this will take place on the playground or on the field.
Spring 2
This half term our topic is Come to the Carnival! We are focusing on Geography and Art. Let’s go to a Brazilian carnival! Dress up in your brightest clothes and make flags to decorate the classroom. Let’s listen to carnival music and have a fun dance. Join in by clapping, dancing and moving your body in time to the music!
Our Global Investigation question is:
Can I design my own Brazilian carnival?
Below you can find a knowledge organiser for our Topic. This is a summary of the key facts and essential knowledge that the children need to know this term.
Writing
Throughout Year 1, we will be looking at many different types of writing - stories, instructions, poems, letters. We link our writing to a book related to our Topic. We will focus on making sure the children remember the basics of sentence writing including capital letters, finger spaces, full stops, using their phonics and checking it makes sense.
Here are the Year 1 List of Tricky Words that children should be able to read and spell by the end of the year.
Maths
This year we have started following Power Maths. The children get their own workbooks and it focuses on 'Mastering' skills in Maths to be more confident in applying them.
This half term, This unit focuses on number bonds within 10 and number bonds to 10.
Within this unit, children are introduced to formal addition for the first time through the idea of ‘count all’ and ‘count on’ strategies. A ‘count all’ strategy is when all parts are added together to make a whole. A ‘count on’ strategy asks children to start with a number and count on.
This unit builds on Unit 2: Part-whole within 10, which introduced children to the idea that a whole can be separated into parts.
Here are a few links with interactive education games that could support your child's learning this half term:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/place-value-basketball
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/place-value/place-value-charts
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/paint-the-squares
http://www.mathcats.com/explore/polygonplayground.html
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/measuring-in-cm
Phonics
At St Mary's, we now follow the Read Write Inc Phonics Scheme. Children will be assessed every half term and placed into a group that suits their ability. Every phonics lesson starts with learning or revising a sound, and then reading a book which uses sounds they already know.
In Year 1, we are sent a special challenge from the aliens called the 'Phonics Screening Test'! We are given a list of real words and a list of made-up words and we have to sound them out so that we can read them.
Before we get the challenge, we will be practicing our Set 1, 2 and 3 sounds; as well as segmenting and blending words.
Here are some websites to help you get ready for the aliens!
Science
This half term in Science, we will be looking at Everyday Materials.
Below is a Knowledge Organiser showing what we will be learning this half term and some key vocabulary.
