Welcome to Year 1!!
We hope you have had a wonderful summer holiday. We are so excited to welcome you back to school and we are looking forward to hearing all about your holidays!
This year we will be using Class Dojo to share our fabulous learning, celebrate our achievements and update you on any important messages you need to know.
Miss Stanley will be the Class Teacher and Mrs White will be the classroom Teaching Assistant. We are also lucky to have Mrs Minshull for the first part of each afternoon.
Please find below the yearly overview for Year 1 and an example of a weekly timetable for Autumn 1. Please note that on occasions lessons may be blocked or swapped around.
Our PE lessons will be on Mondays and Fridays. In the first half term, we will enjoy indoor PE on Mondays and our weekly swimming lesson will be on Fridays. After Half Term the swimming will become a second weekly PE lesson on a Friday.
How to help your child in Year 1:
- Instil a love of reading. It not only helps your child get ready for new academic challenges in year 1, but is also great for relaxing at the end of a long day at school. Support your child with daily reading at home and encourage them by ticking that you have heard them read in their reading record. Reading records and books are to come into school every day, please.
- Practise focus phonics sounds each day.
- Spellings can be practised using the Spelling Shed website without the app.
- Keep an eye out for posts on this website and also on Class Dojo.
- Encourage your children to practise their number and letter formation as well as using their developing phonics knowledge to help with extra writing practise.
English:
Half term 1:
We will be starting our 'Pirates' unit at the start of this term. We will explore the story of 'Pirates Love Underpants' by Claire Freedman, by learning about adjectives. We will be using adjectives to describe a pirate ship and character from the story. We will then learn about the features of a diary and consider events which may happen in a pirate's day. Finally, we will have a look at some pirate poetry!
Half term 2:
We will be starting our 'Once Upon a Time' unit for the second half of the autumn term. We will explore the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' by Stephen Carpenter, by retelling the story with some drama, and then writing the story in our own words. We will be thinking about how to write questions so we can 'hot seat' a character from the story. We will continue to use adjectives to describe the troll and then write an apology letter to the goats from the troll's point of view. Finally, we will have a look at instruction writing and use 'The Little Red Hen' as inspiration to bake our own bread, followed by writing the recipe.
Maths:
At Isleham we follow the Power Maths scheme of work and across the Autumn term we will be covering several units of work, which include numbers to 10, part- whole models within 10, addition and subtraction within 10 (2 units) and 2D and 3D shapes. The overview of the units are shown below and we will be sharing learning weekly on Class Dojo as the units progress.
This half term in our music lessons, we will be learning to perform a song called ‘ It’s a Pirates Life for Me’ which links in perfectly with the Year 1 topic of Pirates. We will also be learning to play un-tuned percussion instruments to perform a small part of the song ‘Hey You!’
‘Hey You!’ is written in an old school Hip - Hop style for children and is in the Charanga Scheme of music which is used by the school. Vocabulary we will be learning relevant to music is count in, introduction, verse, chorus, tempo, pitch, pulse rhythm, backing, crochet, crochet rest and quavers.
We will also be listening to and appraising other rap songs such as ‘Me, Myself and I’ by De La Soul, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, ‘Rappers Delight’ by Grand Master Flash, ‘U Can’t Touch This’ by MC Hammer and ‘It’s Like That’ by Run DMC.
Towards the end of half term we will use technology to compose a simple melody using the notes C and/or D and look at sheet music to familiarise ourselves with how music is structured.
Half term 2:
This half term our genre of music will be reggae and rap. To coincide with our topic in Year 1 of fairy tales we will be learning and performing ‘Under the Sea’ from the Little Mermaid. We will also be listening to and appraising reggae songs ‘You can get it if you really want’ by Jimmy Cliff, ‘Sun is shining’ by Bob Marley, ‘Shine’ by Aswad and rap songs ‘Men in Black’ by Will Smith and ‘Good Feeling’ by Flo Rida. We will get some understanding of what the songs are about and recognise the sound and names of some of the instruments they use in the song. We will be learning how we can enjoy moving to music by dancing, marching, or moving in a fun way.
We will continue to embed our understanding of Pulse, rhythm and pitch by using rapping, singing and dancing showing that music has a steady pulse, like a heartbeat and that we can create rhythms from words, our names, favourite food, colours and animal names.
In order to embed pulse, rhythm and pitch children will complete the following in relation to the main song:
Have fun finding the pulse, copy back short rhythmic phrases based on words, with one and two syllables and vocal warm-up listen and sing back using our voices. We will sing notes of different pitches (high and low) and learn that we can make different types of sounds with our voices. Learn the names of the notes to play in the instrumental part whilst playing a tuned instrument (glockenspiel) and making sure we listen to and follow musical instructions.
We will continue understanding that composing is like writing a story with music and that everyone can compose. To do this we will create a simple melody using one, two or three notes as a class. Also we will learn that improvisation is about making up your own tunes on the spot and try our own improvisation. To do this we will clap and improvise – listen then clap back our own answer or sing, play and improvise – using our voices and instruments, listen and sing back. Eventually take it in turns to improvise using one or two notes.
Lastly we will perform/ share our music with other people either in person or on class dojo.
This half term in RE, we will be learning why belonging to God and the Christian family is important to Christians. We will learn that Christians believe God created humanity in his image, to be like him. They also believe we are not random beings in a vast universe but created, loved and wanted. They have a strong sense that they belong not just to themselves but to God their creator and he longs to welcome them back to his family, to be enfolded in God’s love and to become the person God intended them to be. We will get a firm understanding that the Christian church (not a building but people) is like a big family of people who have found their way back to God. We will be learning that through baptism, Christians welcome others into God’s family. The ‘belonging’ involved in a baptism is firstly about belonging to God and secondly about belonging to the church.
Key words we will be using are
Christian/Christianity
Belonging
Baptism/christening
Welcome
Congregation
Half term 2:
This half term focussing on Judaism and asnwering the question "Why is learning to do good deeds so important to Jewish families?". In common Jewish usage, a mitzvah is a charitable act or ‘good deed’. Jewish children are encouraged to ‘do a mitzvah’ e.g. giving charity, welcoming people, caring for the world, sharing food, but these are not just ‘good deeds’. They are seen as ‘‘good’ because they are what the Creator of the Universe wants for his world; they connect people to God. Learning the ‘good deeds’ itself is a mitzvah. We have our own class tzedakah box. For the rest of this term, we will fill the tzedakah box with good deeds that we have done. I am sure it will get very heavy!
Our first unit is called 'Beginning and Belonging' and we will work together to create some classroom rules and learn how to build positive relationships with others. We will have the opportunity to consider what it feels like to be in a new situation and to develop strategies for managing these feelings. We also want to learn how we can show kindness and help people who arrive new to the school. To help us achieve these, we will develop our own ‘Network of Support’ by identifying trusted adults at home and in school who we can ask for help and support.
Half term 2:
This half term we will be looking at 'Anti'bullying'. In this unit we will develop our understanding of the key characteristics of bullying and explore definitions of bullying to a range of situations including cyberbullying. We will explore reasons why bullying happens, developing our understanding of prejudice driven bullying. We will consider the feelings of children who are bullied, those that witness bullying and those who bully others. Year 1 will also examine the long-term impact that bullying often has on people’s mental wellbeing. The children will explore how the behaviour and response of bystanders can improve or worsen a situation. Furthermore, we will consider strategies for keeping themselves safe from bullying and for befriending and supporting children who have been bullied. This unit will also provide an opportunity for children to consider where bullying may occur in their school and in the local community and to develop strategies to ensure that the school is a safe place where positive relationships are fostered.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Blast Off!
English:
Half term 1:
We will be starting our 'Space' unit at the start of this term. As we entered the classroom after the Christmas holiday we discovered a spaceship had crashed in our classroom!! We predicted how it got there, why it had crashed and who might be inside. We then found a little yellow alien with long ears and 3 eyes! Its name is Beegu and we can’t wait to find out more about Beegu’s Earth mission!
We will explore the story of 'Beegu' by Alexis Deacon, by writing a recount of our space crash mystery and writing letters back to Beegu's home planet.
Half term 2:
In our 'Around the World' topic we met Paddington Bear. He had travelled from "Darkest Peru" to meet us. We explored letter writing and planned and wrote a letter to Aunt Lucy from Paddington's point of view. We also learnt that Paddington always keeps a marmalade sandwich under his hat, we wrote instructions and had a go at making our own marmalade sandwiches.
Maths:
At Isleham we follow the Power Maths scheme of work and across the Spring term we will be covering several units of work, which include numbers to 20, addition and subtraction within 20, numbers to 50 and length and height. The overview of the units are shown below and we will be sharing learning weekly on Class Dojo as the units progress.
History
In our space topic we will be using our historical skills to learn about Space travel over the years. We will be focusing on putting events in chronological order, starting with a focus on events in their life and then moving onto ordering events in space travel. We will learn about famous events in the past by learning more about significant people such as Tim Peake, Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison.
Computing:
Half term 1:
In our first unit of Purple Mash we will learn how to be Maze Explorers. We will be able to understand the functionality of the basic direction keys to complete challenges successfully. We will also understand how to create and debug a set of instructions (algorithm) as well as extend an algorithm and set challenges for one another to complete.
Half term 2:
In the Spring 2 half term we will be making our own e-books. To begin with we looked at examples of e-books. We then had a go at drawing our main character and adding an animation and text to page 1. In our next lessons we added sound effects and thought about an appropriate middle and end for our books.
PRAYER
1. Christians pray because communicating with God is part of their friendship with him. They believe God listens and wants to answer prayer. An answer may come through an inner feeling or certainty; it may come through the Bible or other people.
2. Christians may pray with icons, rosaries or prayer books; they may use set words or simply chat. Prayer can be silent, sung, spoken out loud or in one’s head. There are prayers of praise, help and thanks, confessions, intercessions (asking prayers on the behalf of others), graces and blessings.
WORSHIP
1. Central to Christian worship is ‘Adoration’; worship is about showing how much God is loved or how much God is worth to an individual. Christians believe their whole life ought to be an act of worship: an offering or gift to God, a way of saying ‘thank you’.
2. Christians worship in song, prayer, drama, ritual, liturgy (a set pattern of words) dance, art, poetry and story.
3. For many Christians, the heart of worship is Communion (Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper). This is when Jesus’ death and sacrifice is remembered and his presence is especially felt and draws out deep gratitude and adoration in the worshipper.
In music during the second half term, we will listen and appraise the song Round And Round and other songs in other styles:
● Round And Round ( Bossa Nova) by Joanna Mangona
● Livin’ La Vida Loca (Latin/Pop) by Ricky Martin
● March Of The Empire ( Film music) by John Williams
● It Had Better Be Tonight ( Latin/Big Band Jazz) by Michael Bublé
● Why Don’t You ( Big Band/Dance) by Gramophonedzie
● Oye Como Va (Latin/Jazz) by Santana
We will be using the glockenspiel and learning the notes: Easy part - C, D and F Medium part - D, E, F, G and A. The song we will be singing is the Disney version of ‘A whole New World’ this ties in nicely with the topic in Year 1 This half term.
In this topic, we will continue to flourish as we learn about plants. We will learn about what plants need to grow and be able to identify, name and describe a variety of garden and wild plants as well as evergreen and deciduous trees. We will be introduced to Percy the Park keeper and think about our senses while out in nature, writing poetry and a story. Children will have plenty of opportunities to explore seeds, gardening equipment and even have a go at making their own gardening gloves.
In our second topic this half term, we are heading to the circus! We will look at books with no words to inspire our writing and use Joan Miro as inspiration for some artwork. The children will have plenty of opportunities to find out more about the history of the circus and learn about animals (including humans) and their habitats.
English:
Half term 1:
We will be starting our 'In the Garden' unit at the start of this term. We will be introduced to Percy the Park Keeper. He is a kind hearted man who takes care of all the wild animals that call the park home. Some of his furry friends include the Badger, the Fox, the Owl, and the Mice. The heartwarming stories explore themes of friendship and kindness and are perfect for teaching children about nature. We will think about how we feel when we are out in nature and consider our senses to do some poetry and story writing.
Watch the video below to hear One Springy Day read aloud by the author himself!
Half term 2:
In this half term we will be inspired by "The Farmer and the Clown", "The Farmer and the Monkey" and "The Farmer and the Circus" by Marla Frazee. It tells the story of a baby clown becoming separated from his family when he accidentally bounces off their circus train and lands in a lonely farmer's vast, empty field. The farmer reluctantly rescues the little clown, and over the course of one day together, the two of them make some surprising discoveries about themselves-and about life! We will be writing narratives and recounts.
Maths:
At Isleham we follow the Power Maths scheme of work and across the Summer term we will be covering several units of work, which include finishing length and height and mass and capacity. The overview of the units are shown below and we will be sharing learning weekly on Class Dojo as the units progress.
Music:
In Music this half term, our topic is Imagination. The song we will be learning to perform is “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka The Chocolate Factory soundtrack.
Children will also learn to:
- Sing the song in two halves.
- Add some choreography to the song.
- Sing the song and include three musical instruments in the instrumental parts.
- Devise our own music using the composition tool.
- Divide into 3 groups to play instrumental parts.
Other songs we will listen to and appraise are
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins
- Daydream Believer by The Monkees
- Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie
- a small range of skills and link two movements together.
- a single skill or movement with some control.
- I am aware of why exercise is important for good health.
- Changes to the body during exercise include increased heart rate and increase breathing rate.
- Exercise strengthens our heart, lungs, bones and muscles.
- Exercise can have a positive effect on our mood and how we feel.