In this section
Year 1
Remote Learning
In the event of remote learning being activated, please follow the timetable below:
Google Classroom Information
Year 1 Summer Term Curriculum Newsletter
Meet the Teachers Presentation
Year 1 is an important year for your child; this is the year that children move from their Early Learning Goals towards accessing the National Curriculum and children are expected to make great leaps in their reading, writing and phonic ability. In Year 1, the children will be introduced to a variety of interesting and engaging topics.
English
In English, we will be following the Read, Write, Inc phonics programme. Your child will be in smaller groups where reading, writing and building up confidence with sounds is the ultimate focus.
Children will be producing different styles of writing, for example, instructions, letters, character and setting descriptions. This will help the children become familiar with various texts and encourage them to gain a deeper understanding. Your child will also have handwriting sessions every day. This will help with letter formation and to develop your child’s cursive script, which is a main focus for the school.
Every Thursday, we will use ‘Big Writing’/’Talk Write’ strategies to further support and develop your child’s understanding of reading and writing. Please click here for more information about English teaching and learning at St Joseph’s.
Spellings
Your child will continue to receive weekly spellings which are based on sounds that have been introduced and used in phonics lessons. These should be learnt at home as the children will be encouraged to use them in their writing. In addition, your child will receive nonsense words to prepare them for the phonics testing and to ensure they are confident readers.
Mathematics
Year 1 will be developing their mathematics knowledge with the aid of ‘Mathematics Mastery’. This programme of learning has practical lessons to foster in-depth knowledge of key concepts including number, time, money, shape and space. We have sourced new materials and practical aids to complement the ‘Mathematics Mastery’ lessons.
We will be reinforcing the children’s skills with particular attention on addition and subtraction. The children will be encouraged to apply these skills to real life situations through problem solving activities and investigations. Your child will be reviewing the important mathematical vocabulary for example, more, less, count on, count back, add, plus, subtract, is equals to. The children will use a variety of practical resources (Dienes, cubes, bead strings, counters) so they can solve equations through hands on experiences. They will then be able to transfer those skills to write down the equations using numbers.
To support your child’s learning at home, daily practice of counting up to 100 and writing numbers in order will enable them to be more confident at school. Telling the time with your child and reviewing shapes around us at home can also support them with their mathematical skills. Please click here for more information about mathematics teaching and learning at St Joseph’s.
Science
In Science this year we are studying various topics such as ‘My Body’, ‘Identifying Animals’, ‘Identifying Plants’ and ‘Pets and Gardens’.
In our topic ‘Seasonal Changes’, children will explore how weather and day length affect animals and humans. They will be encouraged to use their own experiences as well as new learning in lessons to draw conclusions about how living things adapt to seasonal changes.
In the topic ‘Everyday Materials’, children will engage in many exciting lessons that will explore a range of materials including wood, metal, plastic, fabric and glass.
Across our topics, children will be given the opportunity to take part in hands-on investigations that will enhance and deepen their knowledge and understanding.
Please click here for more information about science teaching and learning at St Joseph’s.
Religious Education
Children will be learning many religious stories throughout each topic. We will discuss how Bible stories can link with our own lives and how we can use the stories to learn how to follow in Christ’s footsteps. The children will cover a range of topics, for example, ‘Advent to Christmas’, ‘Lent to Easter’ and ‘Easter to Pentecost’. The children will be able to retell stories from the Old and New Testament, such as, the Nativity story and the Resurrection.
At St Joseph’s we create an environment that encourages your child to play and work together following our mission statement. Therefore, we will continue to hold quiet reflections where children can be at one with God and learn to respect and value their faith. During his regular visits to the school, our Parish Priest supports the learning on the current Religious Education theme.
History
The history topics taught in Year 1 are: Homes Past and Present, Castles and Explorers: Discovering the World. Children will begin to develop an awareness of chronology within and beyond living memory. They will explore the lives of significant historical individuals and understand differences and similarities between ways of life in different periods.
Please click here for more information about history teaching and learning at St. Joseph’s.
Geography
The geography topics taught in Year 1 are: The Four Seasons, Where Do I Live?, and The Seven Continents. Across the topics, children develop their skills in key geographical strands: locational geography, physical geography, human geography, place geography and geographical skills and fieldwork. Their Year 1 topics provide an essential foundation in future learning through their education in geography.
Please click here for more information about geography teaching and learning at St. Joseph’s.
Art and Design Technology
Art and Design Technology is closely linked with the curriculum, plus current and cultural events. The children will develop their artistic and creative talents, advancing their art, design and technology skills. This will be achieved through exploration, refinement and consolidation. We shall also use Art galleries’ websites to study specific artists and art styles to complement the learning. Children use a variety of materials to create interesting pieces of art and sculpture based on their investigations. Design and Technology skills are developed through investigating how 3D creations bring an object to life.
Computing
During Year 1, the children will use laptops weekly to further develop their skills. Children will be able to recall the parts of the computer and will be independently able to log on and log off. In Computing lessons, we will start to explore the topics of ‘Online Safety’ and ‘Grouping and Sorting’ where children will sort objects using a range of criteria.
Physical Education
Year 1 will develop and learn new skills in units such as; dance, athletics (javelin, sprinting, hurdles and long jump) and will also have tennis lessons taught by the class teacher and the PE Specialist.
Music
In Year 1, all children learn the Zoltan Kodaly techniques for singing, memorising and performing an instrument. The musical elements of melody, pitch, timbre, tempo, dynamics, structure, melody and harmony are taught in the context of listening to and appraising the best in the musical canon. In the spring term, the children are introduced to the glockenspiel and learn how to play melodies and ensemble pieces. By the end of the year, children can read basic symbols and musical notation.
French
Year 1 children learn a wide range of familiar statements and questions, for example, everyday classroom language and instructions. The children find out about traditional French stories. They listen to children talking about how they feel in French and identify from the language they use how they are feeling. They name colours, animals and numbers. They can also say the date and different types of weather.
Home Learning
During this academic year your children will have home learning each week. This is intended to help them consolidate the learning that takes place during lesson time and will be mostly based on mathematics, spelling, reading, talk homework and Religious Education. It is important then that you allow your child time at home to complete these tasks and where you can, talk to them to ensure they understand the importance of them.
We also have a high regard at school for reading books. All children have the opportunity to take a reading book home so please ensure that your child reads as much as they can. One way of ensuring this is to get your child to read out loud to you each evening and on the weekend.
Please ensure your child is bringing their book bag every day to school, therefore home learning will be completed and handed in on time and also important newsletters and school updates will be shared.
Please click on the links below to access learning resources which will complement the current teaching and learning in Year 1. If you require any other support or have any questions regarding our Curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher via the school office to arrange an appointment.