WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS TERM

ENGLISH

Year 1 will be exploring a heartwarming story that follows the journey of a young girl named Lila, who lives in a drought-stricken village. “Lila and the Secret of Rain” is filled with themes of empathy and determination as Lila embarks on a quest to discover the hidden secret of rain, hoping to save her community from despair. Along the way, she encounters various obstacles and learns valuable lessons about the power of friendship, resilience, and the importance of never giving up. Through her unwavering spirit, Lila’s inspiring adventure teaches young readers about the significance of hope and the ability to make a difference in the world. Year 1 will be using this uplifting story as a stimulus for their written pieces. The story offers a wide range of writing opportunities such as setting descriptions, character descriptions, narrative writing, recounts, retellings, poems and more.

Maths

This half term, the children will be introduced to various mathematical concepts. They will be looking at time, money, recognising notes and coins, volume and capacity and mass. They will also be working towards consolidating their knowledge of place value.

Science

This half term, Year 1 will be learning all about animals. We will look at the different animal types: mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and birds. They will understand the difference between carnivores, omnivores ann herbivores. They will recognise similarities and differences within and between animals, classifying and grouping familiar animals according to their physical and behavioural characteristics. At the end of this unit of work, the children will use the information gathered to design a zoo for the different types of animals.

GEOGRAPHY

In Geography, we will be carrying out a comparative study of the UK and Kenya. We will look at the similarities and differences between the two countries, the climate, physical and human features of both localities. Once the children have grasped a solid understanding of the similarities and differences between the two countries, they will explore the lives of children living in Kenya and compare those experiences with their own.

ART

This half term,Year 1 will be investigating a range of fruits. They will consider the taste, texture and appearance of fruit using sensory vocabulary to describe their favourite fruits. The children will know the different ways we can prepare fruit and vegetables (cutting, slicing, chopping, grating, peeling) and have the opportunity to engage in simple fruit preparation. The children will work towards planning, designing, making and evaluating their very own fruit kebabs.

Phonics

The children will continue to work on reviewing and developing their knowledge and application of phonic sounds. It is vital that your child is consistently reviewing all previously learnt sounds (phases 2-5) at home in preparation for the Phonics Screening Check in June. Please see me if you would like to know more about how best you can support your child with this at home.

Reading

The children will have guided reading sessions every day. They will all have the opportunity to participate in 1:1 reading sessions once a week. The children will also be provided with a reading book each week, please read with them daily and leave a comment in their reading journals. Ensure your child brings their reading book and reading journal into school every day. Please make use of BugClub at home; this is an excellent tool the children can use in order to develop their phonic knowledge, reading fluency and comprehension skills.