Welcome to Year 1!
This year is crucial for transition. This is the year the children move on from the Early Years profile and onto the national curriculum. We are passionate about ensuring children receive the diet they need to be successful. We understand that many children will still need time to transition, therefore the Reception and Year 1 team work very closely to ensure information is shared and plans are put into place to support the children moving into Year 1. Learning through play continues to be valued, with carefully planned provision to challenge and interest the children. Teaching and learning is mindful of the Early Years profile and we spend time nurturing the prime areas of learning. Speaking and listening is key within our lessons and creativity can be found within our whole curriculum. Children become sportsmen, singers and actors, keen historians and scientists just to name a few! Our curriculum is full, rich and varied and children love to learn!
Curriculum overview:
Phonics:
In Year 1 we believe that high quality phonics teaching is the key to creating confident, fluid readers. We use Read, Write, Inc as a base for our phonics teaching, but have adapted it to suit the needs of our own children at Kader. We operate our phonics lessons in small groups so that children are receiving the phonetic diet that they really need. We send home books that are carefully matched to children’s confidence in phonics and complete regular phonic assessments to keep a handle on progress and children’s needs. We have seen fantastic progress in phonics and children within year 1 leave us with firm foundations ready for their next step in their reading journey!
Year 1 is the year the children take part in the statuary phonics screening tests. You can find more information about the tests here…
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-information-for-parents
Time to play!
We still value play within our Year 1 classrooms and areas are set up to create curiosity and engagement. Children enjoy exploring the different areas and learning in the moment. Teachers regularly change the provision to keep interest high and maximise learning.
As children enter the national curriculum, we hook children in with engaging topics and ideas. Teachers make learning fun and children enjoy all of the different subjects we cover.
Maths
In Year 1, children follow a progressive sequence of learning to enable them to become competent learners. Children are challenged and reasoning and problem-solving questions to extend their learning and understanding. Children take part in active lessons to fully embed their understanding.
Writing
In Year 1, the children continue their writing journey, focusing on identifying and including the subject and verb into their sentences. We structure our lessons based on ‘The Writing Revolution’, a whole school approach to writing. As the children’s understanding of basic sentence structure develops, we then start to introduce ‘Talk 4 write’ strategies which allows the children to consolidate their learning in a longer piece of writing.
Science
In Science, the children will learn about topics including ‘plants’, ‘animals including humans’ and ‘everyday materials’. In Year 1, we focus on practical sessions to allow children to learn through a ‘hands on’, enquiry-based approach.
Useful links:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Autumn Term
Memory Box
Splendid Skies
Spring Term
Bright Lights Big City
Paws, Claws and Whiskers
Summer Term
Our Wonderful World
Moon Zoom