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 is light an important symbol? 

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 consider why we need light. We will explore what a Christingle service is and the meaning behind it. We will then design and make our own Christingles. We will consider why Jews celebrate Hanukkah and discuss why light is important to Jews. We will also read the story of Rama and Sita and talk about why light is important in that 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 windmill.  We will begin by considering how to create a stable structure. We will then use different tools and equipment to make the sails. We will learn different ways to join our structure together before evaluating our finished result.  

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 

Mrs Sheppard, Miss Gorton, Mrs Pryke & Miss Evans 

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).