Class Information
Year 1 Class Teacher (and Phonics Lead): Miss Apsey
Year 1 Class Teaching Assistants: Mrs Hopkins
Welcome to Holly Class (Year 1)
To ensure there is a smooth transition from EYFS to Year 1, we build upon the EYFS curriculum and routine. In Year 1, we have a set COOL time in the morning every day. COOL time gives the children opportunities to complete structured challenges for a range of subjects. This is to encourage the children to be independent learners and allows them to explore through their play. In COOL time there will be a dedicated time for group work, where a group of children will work with an adult on a specific task, developing and building on certain skills. In Holly Class, we have a Rainbow Challenge linked to COOL Time. The Rainbow Challenge consists of different Challenge Zones which are located around the classroom and in our fantastic outdoor area. If the child completes a challenge in a zone, they find the coloured lollypop sticks and put it in their named envelope. By the end of the week, we have a look to see who has been able to complete all the challenges with a complete Rainbow. By the end of Term 2 we will be phasing out of COOL Time, to have a more structured approach to learning.
We look forward to welcoming you into Holly Class!
Timetable
Our timetable can be downloaded below. Here, parents and pupils have the opportunity to view the class schedule to see the day-to-day routine including the range of curriculum that is covered. We have found that children with SEND have responded well to visually seeing the structure of the day ahead.
Terms/Topic Information
At Horton Kirby Primary School we utilise the Cornerstones scheme of work. In KS1 we have a two-year rolling cycle. Each term, we will have a topic which has a driver subject focus. Below, you will see the KS1 topics taught and the driver subject focus for each one in Cycle A and Cycle B. These topics are exciting for the children, with lots of cross-curricular links. Our learning this year will be based on the topics below and will change accordingly each term. Parents will receive a Topic Web and ‘Did You Know’ at the start of each term informing them about what the children will be learning. This will also be available below to download.
At Horton Kirby Church of England Primary School, we have introduced ‘100 Things Before I Leave Horton Kirby Primary, this helps to give children the opportunity to tick off big items throughout their primary years. The experiences and activities KS1 get to complete include:
#28 Take part in a drama performance (KS1 Navtitivy Play, Harvest Festival and Easter Production)
#29 Recognise and celebrate religious festivals
#30 Chinese New Year Dance Workshop
#32 Become part of a dance
#35 Meet a real-life author
#39 Meet a real-life hero
#40 Hold a Bird of Prey
#46 Watch a Pantomine
#47 Take part in Sports Day activities
#77 Visit a zoo
#79 Meet a dinosaur!
#80 Visit a castle
#90 Sculpt with clay
In Year 1, the children are very fortunate to hatch chicks! The children learn all about the incubation period and they get to look after and handle the chicks. (Note: Miss Apsey gets the chicken eggs from a local farm, once we have had a period of time with the chicks, they are taken back to the farm, where they are very well looked after). This is a fantastic experience that the whole school gets involved in!
More Infomation about the subjects can be found on our curriculum pages.
| Term | Medium Term Plans |
|---|---|
| 1 | Term 1 MTP |
| 2 | Term 2 MTP |
| 3 | Term 3 MTP |
| 4 | Term 4 MTP |
| 5 | Term 5 MTP |
| 6 | Term 6 MTP |
Home Learning
Reading:
Throughout the year, children should choose reading books within their accelerated reader ZPD band that they will be reading both in school and at home. This book can be one from school or one that they have at home and would like to read (ideally a book that is on the Accelerated reader). This can be checked on: https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/default.aspx .
Reading books should come home on a daily basis and children should read each night. As a school, we are always trying to improve parental engagement with reading, therefore where and when possible, we would encourage you to hear your child read aloud. If you do get the chance to do this with your child then please sign and date their reading record with the page that they have read up to each time that they have read. Every time your child reads with an adult than can colour in a star on their reading chart (stuck within their reading record) to work towards a bronze, silver or gold reading award.
When reading with your child, please ask questions about the text and discuss vocabulary with them – this is very useful as is encouraging your child to record new vocabulary with the meaning so that they can use this within their own writing where possible.
Once your child has finished a reading book they should take an ‘accelerated reader’ quiz about the book they have just read. If your child scores 100% on the quiz their name will go onto the 100% board and they will have the chance of winning a prize at the end of the term. If children are reading larger books, it may be a case that it takes them the entire term to read their book which is fine.
Homework Folder:
- Comprehension & Maths – Homework will be sent home with the children each Friday in their homework folder. Children must complete the allocated sheets per week then self-mark it at home (with a parent) using the answers provided within the folder. Children will need to bring their homework folder into school by Friday each week so that I can check that all homework has been completed and identify any areas of difficulty. Please note that at the start of the school year there may be questions that the children have difficulty with as these skills may not have been covered in class yet – if this is the case children can either attempt it or leave it. Children’s homework scores should progressively improve as more objectives are covered within lessons as the year progresses.
- Spellings – Spellings will be set each Friday on ‘Spelling Shed’ and will expire 6 days later. Children should log in using their given username and password (these are stuck into their reading diaries) and practise their spellings at least 5 times each week. They will be quizzed on a selection of these spellings as a dictation task every week.
- Times Tables Rockstars: All children must complete a minimum of 5 studio games on TTRS each week. These games will be set each Friday and expire 6 days later. The children’s usernames and passwords are stuck in their reading diaries.
*Any homework that is not completed may need completing in school during break time – if there is an issue with your child completing or keeping up to date with their homework then please contact me via SeeSaw or speak to me on the playground after school.
Useful Parent Resources at Year 1
For further useful resources, please visit each curriculum page.