Welcome to our Year 1 Class Page.  

Curriculum Information for Parents and Carers – Year 1 Autumn Term 2023

The Autumn Term is underway and we would like to share with you a summary of what your child is learning in class.  We would also like to share some ways that you can support your child at home.

Detailed information about the topics can be found in the Knowledge Organisers at the bottom of this page.  The Knowledge Organisers contain the key vocabulary and learning for each topic and you can look at these with your child over the course of the term. 

English

We will be delving into several high-quality picture books to help us to practise and apply our writing skills this term: writing a list of things we like and dislike, writing captions, writing instructions, and exploring and performing poetry.  We will continue our learning of writing conventions, focusing on using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops.

Mathematics

Number and Place Value: Count forwards and backwards to 10.  Count, order, read and write numbers to 10. Compare numbers using words like less than, greater than, equal to.  Solve addition and subtraction problems to ten, exploring number bonds.  We will also be introduced to how to use a number line.

Geometry: Recognise, name and sort 2D and 3D shapes.  Create patterns using 2D and 3D shapes.

RE

Families: We will explore who is in our family and how we care for each other.  We will learn that God loves and cares for every family.

Belonging: We will discuss what groups and communities we belong to.  We will learn that Baptism is an invitation to belong to God’s family.

Waiting: We will learn that Advent is a time to look forward to Christmas, waiting in joyful hope for Jesus.

Judaism: We will be exploring stories with a focus on Abraham and Moses.

Science

Autumn Half Term 1: The Human Body - In this topic, children will learn about the basic parts of the human body and explore their five senses using a wide range of activities.

Autumn Half Term 2: Material Changes - In this topic, children will identify and name objects and the materials from which they are made.  They will compare and group materials based on how they look and feel.

Seasonal Changes - The children will explore seasonal changes at varying times throughout the term.

History

Autumn Half Term 1 - In this unit, the children will explore their personal chronology and find out about the past within living memory.  They will examine photographs and ask questions.  They will begin to look at a simple timeline extending back to before they were born.

Geography

Autumn Half Term 2 - In this unit, the children will locate where they live on an aerial photograph, recognising features within a local context.  They will create maps using classroom objects before drawing simple maps of the school grounds.  They will follow simple routes around the school grounds.

Music

Autumn 1: Ocarina (Rhythm and pulse) Memorising, notating and recalling rhythms (rhythms involving crotchets, quavers and crotchet rests - including rests at the start of the bar) using Ocarinas to cement understanding.

Autumn 2: Nativity Diaphragm, projection, performance skills; singing posture, projection, actions.

PE

Fundamental Skills: Children will explore balancing, running, changing direction, jumping, hopping and skipping.

Sending and Receiving: Children will develop their throwing and catching, rolling, kicking, tracking and stopping a ball.  They will be given opportunities to work with a range of different sized balls and apply their skills individually, in pairs and in small groups.

Ball Skills: Children will explore their ball skills, such as hitting a target, dribbling both with hands and feet, and kicking a ball.

Dance: Children will explore travelling actions, movement skills and balancing.  They will understand why it is important to count to music and use this in their dances.  Children will copy and repeat actions linking them together to make short dance phrases.

Art

Children will be exploring mark-making and types of lines.  They will also be working and experimenting with different materials through observational and collaborative pieces.

Design and Technology

Children will be exploring slider mechanisms and the movement they output, to design, make and evaluate a moving storybook from a range of templates.

RHE (Relationship and Health Education)

We will explore how we are all unique and special.  We will look at ways to keep ourselves clean, healthy and maintain personal hygiene.  The topic encourages children to celebrate similarities and differences between people, including our God-given bodies and the things they enable us to do!

How you can help your child at home

• Reading daily and talking about the book - recalling what has happened
• Completing Phonics Homework
• Helping with Maths homework
• Providing support with half termly projects
• Lots of talking!  This helps build understanding of the world around us, as well as vocabulary