Year 1 Autumn 1 Curriculum Information

Hello! I’m really excited to be your class teacher this year. I hope you’ve had a great summer and we have lots planned for you this year, so let’s find out what we are doing this term.

Our class novel this year is ‘The Twits’. Mr and Mrs Twit live together in a brick house without windows. They continuously play nasty practical jokes on each other (such as worms as spaghetti, frogs in beds etc) out of hatred for one another. They also keep a family of pet monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps. Now I know what you’re thinking, those two revolting humans, that play tricks on each other – what sort of tricks will my child end up playing on me? Please do not worry, this won’t happen! They will learn how we can overcome our differences and achieve common goals by being kind to one another.

We will continue this theme in our literacy where we will be looking at the texts ‘Ruby’s Worry’, which helps us to understand that You are not alone; everyone has worries. Ignoring your feelings can increase your worries. Sharing your worries helps you manage your anxieties, instead of bottling them up.

We then move on to a Poem ‘When I am by myself’, which helps the children to understand their own uniqueness and diversity in others. As well as self-respect and seeing the positives in themselves.

During this half term we will be looking at several Big Questions in our curriculum.

Science: What super sense would you choose?

The children will be exploring the human body. Looking at body parts in details such as our eyes, ears, nose etc. and how our senses help us to interpret and interact the world around us.

They will also learn about Helen Keller, who was the first deaf and blind person to gain a degree. This imbeds into our curriculum and school ethos that no matter who you are, your disability, background etc., the world is your oyster, and you can achieve anything you want to if you put your mind to it.

Geography: What do I need to draw on a map?

In Geography the children will be introduced to the concept of aerial perspectives.

They will look at maps, and how our view can change depending on the way we look at it. They will also understand that maps can show features such as the coast, towns, villages. Landmarks including churches etc. This will also link to our math’s curriculum as they look at positional language based on a compass and moving in different directions on a map and learning the compass points: North, East, South and West. This will be great, as the children will be able to explore our local town ‘Melton Mowbray’ and have a go at drawing their own maps based on their learning.

R.E: Does God want Christians to look after the world?

We will talk about the importance of the world and how God created it. Children will be making their own creation and thinking carefully about who they can trust with it and why. Why is it important to take care of things that matter?

Art and Music – Just like any other subject art and music are an important part of the curriculum. They allow the children to express themselves in other ways and they also learn about different cultures. The children will learn about Artists such as Van Gough, Monet and Brugel and many more as we explore the skill of colour and how this can be portrayed through different media.

In music, the children will look at how we can make a beat and move and tap out a rhythm to different songs. Our focus on music this term is linked to our Science and PSHE themes of ‘All about me’.

We are also going to be coming together as a whole school in our singing assemblies, where we will be learning a variety of songs – including some traditional hymns such as ‘All things bright and beautiful’. If you have a musical talent or your child takes music lessons, we’d love to hear about this and share this with the rest of the class/school.

Did someone say fancy dress? Well, Roald Dahl is on 13^th September and Mrs Cheeseman has prizes for the best fancy dress! We can’t wait to see which character you’ll come as!

Home learning will be sent out this term based on our Little Wandle Phonic scheme, which we are pleased to introduce to the children this year in school too. Please make sure that you are sharing and reading your child’s book with theme very night to help them become more confident and fluent with their sounds and reading.  

Numbots is a great number app you can play at home and in school. We would love for you to get signed up and practice your math skills to build your fluency. Please encourage the children to play this regularly. The children will love this game as they collect coins in order to build and design their own robots. They can also compete against themselves and their friends in order to win stickers and certificates!

Please keep your eyes peeled on Class Dojo for any messages we may share.

Looking forward to my first half term with you all. We are going to have a great time! We’ve got this Year 1!