Welcome to Year 1 – we are busy bees! This year we become really confident with our writing and reading and learn a whole host of new and exciting things in lots of different subjects. We try to become really independent as well.
Mrs Kuhn (Monday-Wednesday) and Mrs Martin ( Thursday-Friday) are the Year 1 Class Teachers. We are very lucky to have all the patience, talent and experience of Mrs Anstee to support our learning too.
We learn through a creative curriculum and get to go on lots of school trips because we believe that getting out of the classroom to explore the world around us is essential to learning. Some trips are local and some will be a little further. Due to the fact that our curriculum changes with the children’s interests and topics which come up, the trips are different every year. However, we try to go on a trip at least once every half term. Watch this space!
We use the school behaviour system. If you are unsure then please pop in for a brochure or download it from the website. We use a stage system, with clear sanctions for each stage. We see lots of positive praise, stickers and stamps too. Rules are clearly set at the beginning of the year and children are reminded of them frequently. Unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with fairly.
Maths We consolidate the number work learnt in the Reception class and begin to develop problem solving skills. The children learn many mathematical concepts such as calculation, using graphs and measuring objects.
Literacy This is such an exciting subject in Year 1 as the children come in beginning to write and leave writing stories of their own. We work hard on learning letters and sounds in Read Write Inc, as well as reading skills and writing skills. We use a wide range of texts to support the learning of Literacy.
Science, History and Geography: Every half term, we learn about a new topic, which normally combines elements of learning from all three subjects in an integrated approach. We may learn about electrical circuits in science but this will be linked to learning about sustainable electricity in England (geography) and around the world.
RE/PSHE We think every child matters in our class and RE and PSHE give us the opportunity to talk trough children’s feelings and experiences, helping them to make sense of the world they live in. We are about to start using MINDUP which enables children to understand and learn how to control negative emotions as well as engaging in mindfulness techniques to calm and focus children ready for learning.
ICT There are so many exciting ICT opportunities in the Year 1 Classroom. We record our stories on tape, we video our singing and drama, we use the laptops to write reports on how our sunflowers are growing…the possibilities are endless!
PE The children love to dance to music, recreate a favourite story with movement, develop their ball skills and pretend they are at Wimbledon when we play tennis in the Summer.
Homework : Please encourage your child to read each evening. A piece of homework will be given out every Friday and should be returned on Wednesday.