year1@allsaints-harwich.essex.sch.uk

Welcome to Year 1!

We have a very exciting autumn term to look forward to.   

Maths

In Maths, we will be focusing on place value up to 10 and addition and subtraction before moving onto shape.

English

In English, we will cover a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, including autobiographies, narratives, instructions and letter writing. We will also make sure that there is lots of time to read and enjoy new books.

Science

Within Science, we will be covering two units:

• Forces and space: Seasonal changes
• Animals: Comparing animals

During our first unit, we will learn how the weather changes across the four seasons and identify events and activities that take place in different seasons. We will look at how the weather changes and then prepare our own weather reports.

As we move to the second half of the autumn term, we will identify different groups of animals and begin to describe a variety of animals. We will recognise if an animal is a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore and also learn about Jane Goodall.

RE

In RE, we will be focusing on two big questions:

• How did the universe come to be?
• Why does Christmas matter to Christians?

In our first unit, we will begin by using our senses to explore the world around us. We will then explore the Christian story of creation and begin to retell this story in different ways. We will then consider our own environment and think about how we can look after it. We will then end the unit by developing our own creation story.

After half term, we will learn about the key events from the Christmas story in more detail. We will find out about how Christmas is celebrated today and begin to consider which traditions are secular and which are religious. We will also look at some religious artwork and discuss why it helps Christians today to celebrate the key events from the story.  

Geography

In Geography, we will be answering the following question: 

• What is it like here? 

In order to answer this question, we will first locate the school on an aerial photograph. We will then create a map of the classroom and locate key features of the playground. We will consider how we can make our playground even better and create a new design.  

History

In History, we will be answering the following question: 

• How am I making history? 

We will begin by finding out more about ourselves. We will sequence photos of events in our lives before exploring how we remember events. We will then find out what childhood was like for our parents and grandparents. We will be able to identify that some things change and some things stay the same.

Art

During our Art lessons, we will be using different line types and mark-making techniques in drawing. We will explore how to use line and mark making to draw water before ending the unit by applying our understanding to draw from observation.

D&T

In our D&T lessons, we will be making a stable pencil pot.  We will begin by exploring stability by balancing. We will then build towers and explore how wide or narrow bases can affect the stability of the tower. We will then test a structure’s stability with weight added in different places. Finally, we will design a stable pencil pot before using a variety of cutting and joining techniques to make a stable product.  

Computing

In our Computing sessions, we will be looking at algorithms and digital imagery. We will begin by understanding what an algorithm is and follow instructions to carry out an action. We will also begin to debug an algorithm. During our digital imagery unit, we will plan a photo story before learning to take and edit photos.

Music

During the autumn term, we will be learning a Hip Hop song called ‘Hey You!’. During the unit, we will learn to clap back rhythms and we will also learn to sing the song and play instrumental parts within the song. 

Spanish

Within our Spanish lessons, we will be learning greetings.  We will learn how to say ‘hello’ and ‘good morning’ in Spanish. We will also learn how to say our names and ask how someone is feeling.

PSHE

In our PSHE lessons, we will be covering the topic family and relationships. We will be learning about families and friendships. We will also begin to explore how friendships can make us feel.

PE and Forest School

PE and Forest School days will be every Tuesday and we ask that on this day, pupils come into school in their PE kit (burgundy shorts, white t-shirt or polo shirt and trainers). Long hair should be tied back, and earrings should be removed. During colder days, children should wear a plain tracksuit.

For Forest School, we also ask that children bring a change of footwear and socks. Wellies are ideal footwear for this, but any spare footwear will do. This will ensure that all the children can enjoy these sessions whatever the weather outside and have warm and dry footwear to change back into afterwards.

We will use Marvellous Me to keep you up-to-date with the children’s learning and to send home any reminders. If you have any questions or wish to get in touch, please email year1@allsaints-harwich.essex.sch.uk

Phonics:

Please feel free to visit the Little Wandle website to research further into our Phonics lead scheme: My Letters and Sounds | Letters and Sounds (littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk).