Welcome to Year 1

Welcome to Year One!

Hello everyone and welcome back to another fantastic year at Bedford Drive Primary school! We are so excited to see you all again and to start a wonderful year together in Year One. We have lots of exciting learning opportunities planned for your children this half term.

Your Year One team are:

Mrs Silver - Teacher, Mrs Potts - Teacher, Mrs Smith - Teacher, Miss Callanan - Teacher,

Mrs Cooper - HLTA, Mrs Ebbrell - Teaching Assistant and Mrs Wagstaff - Teaching Assistant

Phonics and Reading

Just like in Foundation 2, every day the children take part in a phonics lesson which is planned using the Little Wandle scheme.  The children will be learning lots of new sounds and will have a go at reading these in words and spelling them too. You can find detailed information on how phonics and reading are taught in school on the phonics and reading curriculum page on the website.

We would really appreciate it if you could help you child to learn these skills at home too. Look at our Curriculum Overviews by pressing the Curriculum Overview button below, to find out more about our learning across the year.

Big Cat Collins decodable books

We are continuing to use Big Cat Collins books which are appropriate to your individual child's reading ability. Every child reads every day to an adult.  They will work on the same book for one week, with each day having a different focus.  This book is then sent home with your child for them to read to you at home.  The idea behind this is they consolidate the reading and develop their fluency at home. If you have any questions or queries regarding the book your child has been set, or how best to support your child with their reading, please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s class teacher.

 Reading for pleasure

One of our favourite parts of the day is our whole class story time.  Over this term we will be sharing lots of quality picture books such as Elmer, Owl Babies and Traction Man.  The children also love reading books from our class library.  We have chosen a number of ‘Reading for Pleasure’ books for our children to enjoy at home.  Your child is not expected to read this on their own, it is an opportunity to cuddle up and read together.

 Book Bags

Your child’s book bag will be sent home every Thursday and will contain

·         a decodable phonics book, which your child will have already read several times in school

·         a reading for pleasure book, which you can read to your child, perhaps as a bedtime story

·         a reading record which we would ask you to make a comment in each week

·         a homework book, which will have an activity in linked to something that we have been learning about in school

 Book bags are to be brought into school every Wednesday.   

Writing

In Year 1, children take part in a daily English lesson based on the Literacy Counts programme. Carefully selected picture books and engaging experiences are used to inspire purposeful writing. Across the year, children explore a range of text types, including stories, recounts, messages, instructions, letters, non-chronological reports, postcards and recipes.

Children are encouraged to say their sentences aloud before writing them and to use their phonics knowledge to identify the sounds within words. Throughout the year, they develop their use of capital letters, full stops, finger spaces and other age-appropriate punctuation. They also learn to reread their writing to check that it makes sense and begin to add detail to make their work more interesting.

Handwriting

Regular handwriting lessons help children to form letters correctly, clearly and consistently. Letters are taught in “handwriting families”, which group together letters that have similar movements and formation patterns. For example, the Curly Caterpillar family includes letters such as c, a, o, d, g, q, f, s and e.

Throughout the year, children learn where letters sit in relation to the line, how to form capital letters and digits correctly, and how to leave appropriate spaces between words. Developing a comfortable pencil grip and increasing control, fluency and presentation are important parts of our handwriting teaching.

Spelling and grammar

Learning to spell accurately is an important part of becoming a confident writer. Spelling is taught through:

• Daily phonics teaching using the Little Wandle programme.

• Applying phonics knowledge when reading and writing.

• Learning common spelling patterns and rules.

• Exploring age-appropriate prefixes and suffixes.

• Learning to read and spell common exception and high-frequency words.

• Practising spelling regularly in different contexts.

Grammar and punctuation are taught through meaningful reading and writing activities. Children learn how words combine to make sentences and how capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks are used. Regular, short periods of practice at home can make a significant difference to children’s confidence and fluency.

Maths

In Year 1, our daily maths lessons are based on Maths — No Problem!, a mastery programme designed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. Children explore mathematical ideas through practical resources, pictures, discussion and written methods.

Lessons often begin with a problem for the children to explore and discuss. They are encouraged to share their ideas, explain their reasoning and recognise that there may be more than one way to solve a problem. Children then develop their understanding through guided practice, independent work and mathematical journalling.

Across the year, children learn about:

• Number and place value, including numbers to 100.

• Addition and subtraction.

• Position, shape and pattern.

• Length and height.

• Multiplication and division.

• Fractions.

• Time and money.

• Mass, volume and capacity.

Children also take part in regular Mastering Number sessions. These short, practical sessions develop secure number sense, mathematical fluency and the quick recall of important number facts.

Wider curriculum

At Bedford Drive, our Year 1 children experience a broad and balanced curriculum designed to meet the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has been carefully planned to meet the needs of our children and ensure that learning is relevant, engaging and progressive.

Across the year, children will:

• Learn about the history of toys and the history of transport.

• Explore where we live, including Rock Ferry and the Wirral, as well as learning about the continents of the world and the four seasons.

• Study the human body, animals, plants, seasonal changes and everyday materials, while developing their skills in working scientifically.

• Create artwork through photography, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, printing, textiles and weaving, inspired by artists including Andy Warhol, Andy Goldsworthy and Gunta Stölzl.

• Design and make freestanding structures, moving pictures using sliders and levers, and fruit smoothies as part of cooking and nutrition.

• Explore technology, digital painting, digital writing, grouping data, programming robots and creating simple animations.

• Learn about Christianity and Judaism through a range of key questions, celebrations, stories and traditions.

• Develop their personal, social and emotional understanding through the Jigsaw themes of Being Me in My World, Celebrating Difference, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me.

• Listen to, perform and respond to music from a wide variety of styles, including hip-hop, reggae, blues, Latin, folk, funk, jazz, pop and Western classical music.

More information about these subjects can be found under the Curriculum tab on our school website.

Physical Education

In PE, children develop their confidence, coordination, balance, agility and teamwork. Across the year, they take part in gymnastics, dance, outdoor and adventurous activities, and a range of games involving running, jumping, throwing, catching, striking, attacking and defending.

PE takes place every Wednesday. Children should come to school wearing their PE kit and all jewellery must be removed. Further information can be found on our uniform page.

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning takes place every other Wednesday and is led by our specialist PE teacher, Mr Fisher. Children learn in our outdoor classroom, where they explore the natural environment and participate in practical, creative and adventurous activities.

Outdoor learning helps children to develop their confidence, independence, resilience, teamwork and understanding of the natural world. Children should bring suitable footwear and a weather-appropriate coat.