YEAR GROUPS Year 1 Autumn Termly Newsletter English We are starting the term by reading the Percy the Park Keeper books by Nick Butterworth. We will be sequencing one of the stories, as well as writing labels and sentences for some of the pictures. We will then look at the traditional tale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, and ‘Jim and the Beanstalk’. We will be reading ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ by Judith Kerr. We will write character descriptions using adjectives and will be re-telling the story, replacing the tiger with different animals. Finally, we will be reading ‘Dogger’ by Shirley Hughes, which links to our topic of toys. In addition to this, we will be having daily phonics and handwriting lessons, as well as developing comprehension and reading skills in targeted Guided Reading lessons and focusing on spellings and grammar each week. After half term, we will look at poetry for National Poetry week. We will study ‘Now I am six,’ by A. A. Milne and ‘Simpkin’ by Quentin Blake. We will write a diary entry about a girl who has lost her toy in ‘The Lost Property Office’ and a letter from the Princess to the Giant from the fairy tale ‘The Princess and the Giant’. Finally, we will read the book ‘The Lonely Beast’ by Chris Judge and create our own beasts. Next half term we are starting weekly spelling tests; we will be practising the spellings in school but please encourage your children to practise at home. These will take place every Friday. Maths We will be continuing with the mastery approach to teaching mathematics. We ensure we begin each new skill using concrete materials, such as unifix cubes or numicon. We then move on to visual methods, including number lines and part, part, whole models. The children are then equipped with the skills to solve more open-ended problems and should be able to reason, giving explanations for their answers. This half term, we will focus on the themes of number, place value to count up and down from 100. After half term, we will look at comparing quantities by learning about part and wholes. We will focus on numbers 0-5 and learn how to add, subtract, compare and create the numbers. Science Our science topic this term is Materials and their properties, which we will be linking to our topic of toys. We will also be looking at seasons and weather as an on-going project over the year through our science walks to Wandsworth Common. We will be investigating which material is the least absorbent when making a roof for a hedgehog’s home. We will be comparing the properties of different materials, as well as investigating which materials are best to build a bridge and strong enough to hold a teddy bear. Computing This half term, we will be focusing on how to stay safe online. We will also be using the Ipads to explore the app, ‘Chatterpix’ by drawing our own animals, taking a photo of them and then giving them a voice to make our pictures talk. After half term, we will be using the Ipads to explore the app, ‘puppet pals’. The children will be creating and choosing their own actors, designing their own backdrops and recording their voices to make up their own stories. They will also be encouraged to re-tell the stories we read in English and other familiar stories they know. Topic Our topic question this half term is: “What makes a good toy?” We will be thinking about our favourite toys, comparing old and new toys, including the materials they are made from, and designing and making our own toys. After half term, our topic is: “How is light used in winter festivals?” We will be learning about a number of winter festivals with a focus on the importance of light. This will include Bonfire Night, Diwali, Advent, Hanukkah and Christmas. Art/DT The DT curriculum will link with our topic work and will include designing, making, and evaluating a toy. After half term, our art and DT will be linked to our topic and preparation for the KS1 Christmas production. We will be creating bonfire monoprints, Advent wreath pictures, as well as making divas (Diwali lamps), decorations and props for the Christmas performance. PSHE We are basing most of our PSHE lessons around the Mind Up Curriculum, which focuses on fostering children’s well-being through mindful practice. We will learn about the three main areas of the brain and how they can help us to make good decisions. We have also worked together to make our class charters, looking at the rights and actions of every child in order to create a safe and fun learning environment at school. PE In PE, we will be teaching yoga to help build up their strength, flexibility and concentration. We will have a session on Mondays with Mr V. Hedgehogs will be doing gymnastics then football. Squirrels will be doing football, then gymnastics. After half term, we will be looking at movement through dance. Children should arrive at school in their PE kits on the days they have PE. Please ensure all PE kits are named. RE This term, we will be answering the question, ‘What festivals do people celebrate?’ We will look at the harvest festival, creating thank you cards, Diwali and how Christmas is celebrated around the world. Music This half term our music work is focused around one song: Hey You! - a Hip Hop song for children. We will: listen to and talk about the song Hey You! and other Hip Hop songs; build on our knowledge and understanding about the features of music through vocal warm-ups; learn to sing the song; have a go at composing and improvising. Next half term our music work will be focused around two songs: Rhythm In The Way We Walk (Reggae style) and The Banana Rap (Hip Hop style). We will: listen to and talk about the songs and other songs in the same style; build on our knowledge and understanding about the features of music through vocal warm-ups; practise our composing and improvising skills and work towards an in-class performance. Trips and Special Events We will do a seasons walk around Wandsworth for Science this term, which will involve looking at the way things change during the seasons. Year 1 will also be going to Forest School. Hedgehogs will be attending for 6 weeks in the first half term and Squirrels will attend after the second half term. Please send children into school with warm clothes which you do not mind getting dirty and water bottles. If children are wearing wellies, please send in a change of shoes for the afternoon. If there are any volunteers to help support us walk to and from Forest School, please get in contact with us or your class rep. It would be appreciated! Reminders Please send your child in with their coat, book bag (no rucksacks), reading record, water and fruit (optional) every day. Please ensure everything is named! Please record any reading you do with them at home in their reading record. Scroll To Top This website makes use of cookies to enhance browsing experience and provide additional functionality. Details Allow cookies