Year 1

Welcome to Year 1

Our Curriculum

YEAR 1 Spring 2023 Curriculum map

Reading

Year 1 children are given a reading book for daily reading at home. Adults are expected to read with their child every day and sign and date their reading record. We encourage adults to take the time to talk about the story, pictures or new words in the book and make connections to real life. The reading books will be changed every week. Children also visit the library where they will be able to choose a library book to read for pleasure.

English

In Year 1 we link English to other subjects.  For example, we have explored stories with different journeys.  The children have enjoyed stories like the Traction Man and Toys in space.  We always use colourful semantics to order and create sentences.
The children have had lots of opportunities to complete work independently.  They have been extending their learning by writing diary entries, invitations and we also predicted what might happen in the story.

Mathematics

In year 1 we encourage children to use concrete manipulatives to count before moving on to writing the numbers. We have been exploring themes like bigger, smaller, greater than, less than, equal to, adding and subtracting. Additionally, concrete manipulatives help they children to count, represent numbers and look for the missing numbers in a sequence. In year 1 we use numicon, unifix cubes, counters, dienes and outdoor activities to support our learning.

Science

In science we have been learning to identify and name a variety of materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock. The children have been able to distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made. We have explored the changing seasons and how plants grow.

Religious Education

In RE we have been looking different religions. For example, in Hinduism we have learnt about Hindu beliefs and why Krishna symbols are important to Hindus. We have looked at the importance of forgiveness and apologising when hurting others. The children have been exploring the connections between celebrating Holi, forgiveness and moving on after a quarrel. We also deepen our understanding of Hinduism through questions and answers with a Hindu visitor.

Art

In Art we have been learning about artists. For example, we have explored Alexander Calder. The children have been encouraged to develop their opinions and impressions of his work. We have explored sculpture, design, colour, pattern and textures.

History

In History we have been learning about Toys where we have been focusing on popular toys from the 20th and 21st Century. The children were able to think about their favourite toy from today before moving on to look at toys which were popular when their parents and grandparents were children.
Throughout our history lessons the children have been developing a range of historical skills such as: asking and answering questions, identifying and interpreting different sources and recognising change and exploring how this influences them today.