We have had a great start to the year.  We hope that you liked working with the children to share their learning about instructions, following their instructions to create sandwiches.  The children have enjoyed being back and have been full of enthusiasm with their learning. This is going to be a very exciting term leading into Christmas.

Our topic this term is….

         ‘How am I making history?’   

History

We will be looking at our own individual histories; creating an understanding of our personal chronology and learning about how we can find out more about ourselves and our histories.  We will explore how we remember special events. We will find out what childhood was like for our parents and grandparents, comparing their childhood to ours.  Finally, we will look at how we are making history - identifying how some things change and some stay the same.

Key vocabulary: celebrate, celebration, change, childhood, different, event, family, future, grandparent, lifetime, living memory, memory, now, present, past, remember, significant, similar, time capsule, timeline

Maths

This term we will begin learning about addition and subtraction whilst also ensuring that the children remember to form their numbers correctly. This will include recording their work using the correct symbols to write number sentences. The next unit will be shapes. The children will learn to name and relate the shapes to everyday objects. For example a cereal box is a cuboid. We will look at the properties of 2D and then 3D shapes. The children will explore pattern making with shapes and building to a design with 3D shapes. We will regularly be counting in 2's, 5's and 10's. 

Key Words: equals, more, less, subtract, add, few, fewer, greater addition, number bonds, number line, triangle, circle, square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, pentagon, cube, cuboid, sphere, cone, pyramids, triangular, square based, corners, sides.

English

We will spend the first part of this term looking at the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' using this to learn the features of a traditional tale.  We will retell the story orally and write our own version of 'The Three Little Pigs'.  This will link well with our Science learning about materials, exploring materials that houses are built from and designing their own houses for the three little pigs.

Our focus for writing is ‘My Life - Recounts’. In order to do this, the children will learn about using the past tense. Using words such as: I was, I saw, We had, We ran, We looked, I got, I found, I heard, I felt. With all writing, the children in Year 1 need to master starting a sentence with a capital letter, using spaces between words, using ‘and’ and finishing a sentence with a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark. There will be opportunities to write recounts in response to lots of different experiences such as our Seasonal Walk, and making sandwiches.  This fits in well with our History topic 'How am I making History?'. Finally, the children will use a timeline to write a short recount of their life.  This will give them the chance to put all of their new learnt skills together into one piece.   

If you would like to support your child’s writing at home. Maybe you could begin a diary. Each weekend, or when you have been somewhere you could write a sentence about the memory. For example: I went to see the fireworks and it was fun. We went to the shop and I saw my friend.

Each morning, the children will work in small groups on phonics. This is a combination of skills to support reading, writing and spelling. We use the Read Write Inc scheme and the children are becoming more and more familiar with 'Fred the frog talk' and green or red words. This learning is supported through reading at home. It is extremely beneficial to the children if they can read as often at home with you. We always love to hear the children read in school and see their improved progress.  We also have access to the fantastic resource, Teach Your Monster to Read, which you should have received a login for via messages on Seesaw, so that children can practise at home.

Key words: past, recount, old, new, friend, capital letters, full stops, finger spaces, character, adjectives, sentences, beginning, middle, end.  

Science

We will be using 'The Three Little Pigs' as a basis for exploring everyday materials, identifying and naming them, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock.  We will compare and group together a variety of materials based on simple physical properties and describe those properties.  We will distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made.

Key words: materials, metal, wood, hard, soft, plastic, rock, paper, fabric, glass, transparent, waterproof, absorbent, solid, property, 

Computing

This term's computing will see year 1 exploring algorithms unplugged.  We will be considering what an algorithm is, following instructions precisely to carry out an action.  Understanding that computers and devices around us use inputs and outputs will then allow us to be able to explain what decomposition is, to finally allow us to know how to debug an algorithm.

Key words: algorithm, instructions, action, input, output, decomposition, bug, debug, device, problem, assembling, sequencing.

Art and Design

In Art and Design we will be drawing - making our mark.  We will spend this half term looking at different ways to make marks using artists as our inspiration.  We will start with the work of Bridget Riley as a stimulus to explore the use of line in art.  We will then look at water and the artwork of Zaria Forman to continue to explore lines but in a more expressive way. We will explore famous abstract artists, including Kadinsky using overlapping 2D shapes to create an abstract composition.  Finally, we will use observational drawing to develop an understanding of techniques and learning to look carefully when drawing.

Key words: mark making, lines, inspiration, stimulus, Bridget Riley, artist, Zaria Forman, abstract, Kadinsky, 2D, shape, technique, observational.

Music

Music will allow us to participate in lots of activities for getting to know one another.  Through listening to a range of different music and playing games we will learn to identify the difference between the pulse and rhythm of a song and consolidate understanding of these concepts through listening and performing activities.

This term will also see year 1 working on our Christmas performance for the end of term to perform to our parents.

Key words: pulse, rhythm, voice, clap, listening, performing, time, patterns, character, mood, instrument, structure.

PE

PE will be inside on a Wednesday and outside on a Friday. Please can the children bring their kit to school each Monday, and they will bring it home on a Friday. Please make sure each item has a name on the label, so we can help the children keep their kit together.  Children will need a jumper and trousers for outdoor PE as the weather is now colder.

This term we will be focusing on team games and activities where we need to work together to achieve a goal.  We will continue to practise our previously learnt skills to help us work together.

Key words: teamwork, stop, release, hop, jump, collect, take turns, direction, goal.

RE

Our theme for RE this half term is to discuss and find out 'What is Christmas?'  To help us with finding this out we will visit a local church to speak with Christian people about their beliefs.

Key words: Nativity, birth, Jesus, God, Christian, believe, beliefs, manger, Wise Men, shepherd, angel, giving, gifts, gold, frankincense, myrrh.

PSHE

We love circle times and this half term we will use these games and discussions to focus on health and wellbeing; describing our feelings and developing simple strategies to manage them, recognising and celebrating our strengths and setting goals, understanding the benefits of physical activity and rest, knowing different ways to relax, understanding how germs can spread and how we can stop them, sun safety, beginning to understand allergies and understanding there are people in the local community who help to keep us healthy.

Key words: allergy, feelings, ill (poorly), emotions, germs, qualities, relax, sleep, physical activity, sun, safe, germs, local community, nurse, doctor, pharmacist, hand washing, personal hygiene.

Seesaw

I will continue to share our learning journey on Seesaw.  I appreciate your feedback and comments and especially your support with the children’s learning at home. Next term I will be placing the learning for the week on Seesaw on a Friday so that if you wish to support your child by introducing any topics before the learning, or discussing them during the week, you are able to. If there are any other ways that we can help, please let me know what would be useful.

Useful Websites

https://youtu.be/s6OiU2h3sUI This is a video of all of the sounds and how to pronounce them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zf44jxs/videos/1

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/Early-Years.html

http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/freeIndex.htm

www.oxfordowl.co.uk

http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Key Dates

Halloween menu and disco                            Monday 31st October 2022

Individual and Sibling Photographs              Wednesday 2nd November 2022

Bonfire Menu                                                   Friday 4th November 2022

Norwood's Got Talent Auditions                  Tuesday 15th November 2022

Children in Need                                              Friday 18th November 2022

Football Special Menu                                    Monday 21st November 2022

Vision Screening                                             Thursday 8th December 2022

Christmas Jumper Day                                   Thursday 8th December 2022

Norwood's Got Talent Live Final                  Thursday 15th December 2022

Christmas Lunch                                             Tuesday 20th December 2022

End of term                                                      Wednesday 21st December 2022

We are sure the children will have a great term and we look forward to working closing with you to ensure your child has the best opportunities and that they enjoy all that we offer in Year 1.