Class 1 Spring Term Newsletter
Class One Newsletter Spring Term January 2022
Welcome back to school. I hope you had a relaxing Christmas break.
Class One have come back to school with a spring in their step and brimming full of inquisitiveness and energy! I have really noticed how much they have grown both in physicality and in maturity.
Class 1 will continue with a strict cleansing routine, washing hands or applying gel. We will also continue with optimal ventilation where possible. This will be carefully balanced with the children’s level of comfort too.
Class One are continuing to develop into independent learners. As such we are now adopting a more structured approach to learning.
Please see the table below showing Class One’s learning for this term.
English | In English, the focus will be developing confident independent readers, our ability to retrieve key information from texts we read and also to infer meaning. We shall also continue to develop our writing skills to compose simple sentences to form a coherent short narrative. This will be done through targeted phonics lessons and learning linked to the following books – Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin, The Day the Crayons Quit, This is the House that Jack Built, Snow White in New York, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and various poems about the senses. In particular pupils will focus on features and themes of traditional tales such as Rapunzel and the features and layout of letters. We shall also investigate features and the purpose of writing instructions working towards writing our own setting of instructions. We will also explore poems about the senses looking closely at repetition and rhyme within these poems. |
Phonics | In phonics, we will be consolidating all the Phase 3 and 5 sounds already learnt and moving onto alternative pronunciations of many graphemes (letters that denote a sound) and alternative spellings for certain phonemes (sounds). |
Maths | In Maths, we will consolidate place value, addition and subtraction with numbers 1-20 before moving onto numbers 1-50. We will focus on 2-digit numbers and tens and ones along with counting, ordering and comparing numbers. This will progress to counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 10. Further on, class 1 will be introduced to the units of measure for length, mass and weight. |
Science | Our science topic is all about everyday materials. Class 1 will explore and investigate different types of materials and objects that are made out of these materials. They will also investigate the varying properties of materials understanding why using one material over another is better. We shall be conducting lots of experiments linked to material properties. For example, absorbency, transparency and strength. |
Topic (Geography, History) | Our Geography topic will explore our 7 continents, 5 oceans and countries of the UK. This will include their capitals and key features and characteristics. Our History topic sees us journey from the past to the present looking at the changes to nursing over the years. We will give particular attention to Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. They were both significant figures of their time, immensely improving the nursing profession. |
RE | Our topic is ‘Special Symbols and Objects’. We will explore what items are special to us and how animals can resemble us. We shall also focus on the image of Buddha and the Wesak/Vesak festival. |
Art and DT | In our art topic will be exploring patterns, textures, line drawings and rubbings with shells and fossils. We shall develop our skills using colour, pattern, texture, shape and space. In our DT topic, we shall be making puppets. |
Music | We will be looking at a variety of songs in the Blues, Baroque, Latin, Funk and Folk styles. Songs include, Into the Groove, How Blue can You Get by B.B King and Let the Bright Seriphim by Handel. We shall continue to develop our understanding of pulse, rhythm and pitch. |
Computing | Class 1 will be creating digital art. |
PSHE | We shall also focus on what it means to belong to a community linking this to caring for others and for the environment. |
Mental Health and Wellbeing | Class 1 will continue to practice mindfulness techniques and focus on positive mental health. We shall develop skills to positively identify and respond to our emotions. |
PE | For this term, PE will be taught on Tuesday and Friday. Class 1 will focus on dance skills and skills used in target games. For example, overarm throwing, hand eye coordination and using tactics. |
Reading
Please continue to encourage your child to develop a love of reading by providing as many opportunities for your child to read to you, ideally this should be daily. Please use their reading diaries to record their reading at home and provide a comment where relevant as this helps us to support them further during school time.
Your child will continue to have opportunities to change their reading books on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We will continue to encourage and remind your child to change their books by reminding them to put their reading diary and books into the ‘blue change book box’. We will also continue to ask for both reading books to be read before we change to a new set of books. This is to keep our change process as efficient as possible.
It would be beneficial for your child’s reading diary to be brought to school daily so that staff can record and leave a comment for you showing your child’s class reading during individual and group reading sessions. There are many occasions when staff are unable to do this.
Homework
Weekly homework and spellings will continue to be set on Fridays.
Homework is set to provide further practice and to consolidate learning from the week. Homework will be sent home via their blue homework book. Please attempt and hand in by the following Thursday.
Spelling will continue to be posted on Teams and also sent home via your child’s small blue spelling book. Our spelling quiz day remains a Thursday. Your child’s spelling quiz will be recorded in their spelling book and then sent home on Friday for you to see how well they did and also to share the new spelling words for the next week. These words will be at the back of the book. If your child does not return their spelling book by the following Thursday, I am unable to add the new spellings.
We look forward to a productive term!
Thank you for your continued support. Please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office should you have any queries.
Kind regards
Mrs Carlisle