Year 1
Summer 2 Curriculum Newsletter
Year 1
Welcome!
We welcome you back to another term in Year 1! We are all looking forward to a great term partnering with you and your child in their learning and development. As ever this term is a busy one, packed full of exciting learning. Within this curriculum newsletter there is some key information to help you support your child’s learning.
Warm weather
Now that the weather is warmer, please ensure that your child is sent to school wearing sun cream and with a hat (please ensure this has your child’s name inside). If you would like your child to reapply their sun cream at lunchtime, please send it in their bag clearly labelled with their name – children will then be prompted to reapply throughout the day and given support to do so if needed.
Although we expect good weather this term, we continue to make the most of our outdoor learning environment each day. Because of this, it is still essential that children have a named coat in school every day. As always, please ensure that all of your child’s belongings are clearly labelled so that they can be easily returned if misplaced.
As ever, it is important that children have access to fresh drinking water each day, please ensure the bottle is labelled with your child's name. We are passionate about promoting good oral hygiene and healthy teeth so please ensure water bottles are filled with water only; please save juice for a treat at lunch time.
PE
Tuesday and Thursday are our PE days this term.
Children should have a P.E kit in school at all times. We suggest they bring it in to school on a Monday and take it home on a Friday to be washed.
Indoor PE: Children will need black shorts and a plain t-shirt in their house colour. Gym and Dance is done in bare feet. Children will need trainers or plimsolls for indoor games.
Outdoor PE: black shorts and t-shirt, and a tracksuit or spare jumper for colder days. Children will also need trainers.
Jewellery: A reminder that only stud earrings and wristwatches may be worn to school. Earrings must be removed or covered for PE. Children should not wear bracelets to school.
Uniform and water bottles
Please make sure your child is wearing the correct school uniform and that it is clearly labelled to avoid confusion. Uniform guidelines are outlined on the school website – please contact the school office if you have any questions. All children should bring a labelled water bottle to school every day. A hydrated body means a higher functioning mind.
Homework
Children will have one homework book which will be used for all homework. They will have weekly spellings and maths homework. The maths homework will be set using the website Numbots. If you have any queries about the homework, please do not hesitate to come and speak to us. Homework will be collected in each Friday and given out on a Friday.
Numbots
Hardwick Primary School is signed up to the Numbots programme to support your child with their mathematical fluency. Daily practice of number facts is crucial to develop speed and accuracy of recall – the more fluent they are with their facts the easier they will access other aspects of the curriculum. For their maths homework, children are expected to play on Numbots for 5 minutes at least four times a week. Certificates will be awarded to children in celebration assembly as they progress.
Topic Homework Menus
Children will have a termly topic menu with additional homework options based on our STEAM curriculum. We would ask that all children bring in at least one piece of homework that is based on our STEAM topic each term.
Reading
We expect children to have daily opportunities to read to, or with, someone at home, as well as independently. Reading can include: books, newspapers, magazines, online reading, eBooks, reading tablets, information books, adverts, menus, poems, song lyrics – the list is endless. The important thing is that your child reads regularly (preferably daily!) and enjoys, and is engaged with, the reading! Each Friday, children will be sent home with the following:
- RWI book: This is a text that the children have been reading regularly in class to build fluency. They should be able to read this to you independently with minimal mistakes.
- Book Bag Book: This is a text that is based upon the sounds that children have been reading in class. As such, the children should be able to apply their phonics to knowledge to read all the words within the book with minimal support.
- Library Book: This is a text that the children have selected based upon their interest. These books are not based on prior phonics knowledge and should be shared with, or read by, an adult.
These books should be returned to school the following Friday to be changed.
All children have a reading diary, which they should bring to school in their book bag every day. Please record your child’s reading (as well as any additional comments) in the reading diary including the date and, where appropriate, page numbers. Halfway through the diary is a guide to help adults to support children’s reading as well as phonics/spelling guides for children as they progress through the school. To build fluency, children should read a text a minimum of three times. As such, school reading books will only be changed once per week on a Friday.
We will check the reading record is completed regularly. If your child reads four times a week, your child will receive a raffle ticket that will be entered into our termly reading raffle. They have the chance to win a book of their choice from the selection.
Curriculum
STEAM |
For our STEAM project this term we will be answering the question ‘Can I explore cultures and celebrations from around the world’? To answer this the children will be using their scientific enquiry and observation skills to learn about the different countries that make up the United Kingdom. The children will be learning about how they can use their voices expressively and how we can use body percussion and untuned instruments to accompany a Ceilidh. We will explore what a healthy and varied diet may look like and gain an understanding of where the food comes from. The children will then use this knowledge to plan a ploughman’s lunch based on their personal preferences and then they will create their lunch. |
Maths |
We will start our Maths learning for the term by exploring fractions. We will then begin a unit on ‘position and direction,’ where the children will begin developing their understanding of space. They will explore time, by identifying what a clock looks like and what the hands mean. |
Writing |
Our English work for this term will begin with a narrative to retell the second half of George and the Dragon. They will recap how to use adjectives, exclamation marks and the conjunctives ‘and’ and ‘but’. They will write in a more independent structure as they prepare for their transition into Year 2. |
Computing |
Throughout this term children will learn to use computers to create an animation. The children will be using a program called Scratch Jr. They will be using this to create characters and explore different tools. They will be given different algorithms to create simple programs. |
HRE |
During HRE lessons this term the children will be exploring living in the wider world. The journey will see the children consider media literacy and digital resilience and economic wellbeing linked to money. We will also explore the children's aspirations, work goals and career goals. |
Music |
The children will be following a unit of work on the website Charanga called ‘reflect, rewind and replay.’ They will continue to build on their skills of playing a glockenspiel as well as rhythm, pulse and beat. The children will also learn a song, which they will be performing at the end of the unit. Look out on dojo for their performances! |
PE |
Indoor - The children will be doing dance where they will be learning and performing a Morris Dance. The children will be thinking about different steps and how they can travel to their next position. The children will also provide feedback on performances seen to help their partners improve. Outdoor - Children will be focusing on athletics. They will be focusing on running and throwing. They will put this into practice by running to different spots, travelling around obstacles and throwing towards a target. |
RE |
The focus this term is Islam. Children will be looking at Islamic celebrations such as Ramadan and Eid al- Fitr and why they are important. |
Thank you for your continued support – we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and partnering with you in your child’s learning and development. If you have any questions or concerns, please do come and speak to me before or after school or contact the office.
The Year 1 Team