EDLESBOROUGH SCHOOL

High Street, Edlesborough, Nr Dunstable, Beds LU6 2HS Tel: (01525) 220431 Fax: (01525) 221819

e-mail: Website:

Jane Foster, Headteacher

Dear Parents,

We hope you have all had an enjoyable Christmas and Ms Pataky and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New year.

We are both very much looking forward to working with you and your children in Year1. We have planned several exciting learning opportunities which we feel sure your child will enjoy. We will endeavour to work with the routines established by Miss Brydon to ensure a smooth transition for the children.

This letter includes points of information, the homework timetable for the week as well as an outline of the areas of learning we shall be covering this term.

Ms Pataky will be with the class on Mondays and Tuesdays and Mrs Goodyear will be with the class on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

PE will now be taking place on Mondays instead of Thursdays, the Friday session remains unchanged.

Homework

Reading books

Your child will be able to choose a reading book to take home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We know that children have busy after school schedules, and while it is not essential to change books 3 times a week we would like to provide children with the opportunity. We would ask that your child returns his/ her current book before selecting a new one. Thank you. We shall endeavour to hear your child read as frequently as we can in school and we would very much appreciate your support with sharing books and hearing your child read at home. Thank you once again!

Library books will continue to be sent home on Fridays.

Spellings

We shall be sending home spellings for your child to learn. This term some of the words will be related to our topic, most will be high frequency words and spelling patterns, an essential aspect of developing writing skills.

Numeracy and Literacy

A piece of Numeracy or Literacy will continue to be sent home on Wednesdays. Please would you ensure your child’s homework is returned by the following Monday. Thank you.

Overview of Learning

Please find the enclosed Year 1 Overview outlining the areas of learning we shall be covering this spring term.

Our main topic this term is Australia. If you have any items relating to Australia that you would be happy for the children to handle, please would you send them with your child. Thank you.

During the term the children will have opportunities to listen to people who have visited Australia describing their experiences of the country. These sessions will also include looking at photographs and handling resources to create a real Australian experience for the children!

Literacy

Literacy incorporates the learning objectives from the New Literacy Framework with its emphasis on speaking and listening and role play.

  • We shall continue to read an extensive range of traditional and well known stories and poems as well as non-fiction texts.
  • We shall be reading some traditional Australian tales and stories in fantasy settings.
  • We shall be developing the children’s writing skills, giving them opportunities to write recounts of events and stories.
  • We shall continue to teach phonics during our daily sessions and encourage the children to apply their phonic skills when reading and spelling words.

Numeracy

Numeracy incorporates the learning objectives from the Numeracy Strategy.

  • This term the emphasis will be on recognising number patterns and sequences, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s from a given number and developing mathematical vocabulary.
  • We shall be developing addition and subtraction skills and applying them in real life situations.
  • We shall be investigating money calculations and giving change as well as measuring weight and time.
  • There will be a focus on halving and quartering shapes and numbers.
  • The emphasis on sorting items will continue and the range of criteria will be extended.
  • We shall continue to retrieve information from tables and block graphs, posing more challenging questions

Science

The science activities this term include investigating the properties of sounds and hearing and identifying the conditions needed by plants for optimum growth.

  • We shall be investigating materials which carry sound well.
  • Listening to the sounds produced by different musical instruments and describing how the sounds are made.
  • Later in the term we shall be investigating the growth of plants and comparing some familiar plants with those found in Australia.

ICT

The children will be developing their word processing skills and using the computer, with adult supervision, to access information about Australia.

They will also be using programs to create their own art work based on the Aboriginal style of art.

Art/D&T

  • Children will be looking at examples of Aboriginal art work.
  • Investigating a range of media to create Australian art
  • Designing boomerangs.
  • Designing and making card koala bear models.

Geography

This term the children will be studying the different geographical features of Australia.

  • Australian animals and plants and their environments
  • The Great Barrier Reef
  • Key Australian cities
  • Some of the coastal regionspopular with tourists.

Music

We shall continue to follow the units from Music Express. The children will have the opportunity to listen to a range of music and begin to identify quiet/loud and high/low musical sounds.

  • Listening to and learning to sing some traditional Australian songs.
  • Songs for Mothers Day

PE

We shall continue to follow the school scheme of work for PE which is based on Gymnastics, Games and Dance Units from The LCP PE document.

  • The Gymnastics theme this term is exploring actions and pupils will be creating sequences of actions using various body parts.
  • During the Games Unit children will be learning basic ball skills related to cricket.
  • The theme of our Dance Unit this term is Animals.

PSHE

  • We shall be discussing relationships, family and friends
  • Children will have further opportunities to discuss the need for developing skills of sharing, negotiation and compromise. Role play activities and stories will be used to illustrate these skills. The importance of these skills will be emphasised at every opportunity and across all areas of the curriculum.

RE

We shall be following the Bucks County Units for RE.

  • Characteristics of our friends and ourselves.
  • The unit on Friends will give children further opportunities to explore the qualities of a good friend.
  • The unit Special Occasions will involve learning about Easter.
  • Stories, drama and role play activities will be used frequently to illustrate our discussions and enhance the children’s learning.

We hope this information is useful and we are very much looking forward to an exciting term ahead.

If at any time you feel you need to come and see us please do not hesitate to do so. Thank you.

Requests:

We are collecting various cartons, boxes, shiny papers, the tubes from rolls of foil etc and other items which the children can use for model making and creative work.

We are also looking to replace the fabric pieces used to build homes and dens in our outdoor area. If you are planning to dispose of any curtains, duvets, sheets or fabric lengths we would love to give them a happy home! Thank you

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

Friday 25th JanuaryAustralia Day

Thursday 14th FebruaryRed Day

More details to follow soon.

Best wishes from Mrs Goodyear and Ms Pataky and the Year1 Team.