This topic has a strong focus on story writing. It begins with an alien spacecraft crash landing in the school grounds! The Year 1 detectives investigate the crime scene and theorise about what may have happened. We create aliens in our DT lesson and in English, we describe aliens, write poetry about aliens and even create our own alien stories.
In Computing, the children will create a simple document by changing the colour, size and style of font. They will also learn about the importance of asking an adult before using the internet.
After half term, our focus turns to non-fiction as we learn about the planets and the children create their own non-fiction book about Space.
In History, the children are encouraged to ask questions about the moon landing before using a variety of historical sources to understand the key features of events. They also learn more about Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison before embarking on their own astronaut training!
As part of astronaut training we learn about the importance of eating healthily and keeping fit. We also learn about the human body, naming different parts of the body and identifying the different senses.
During Music lessons, the children will listen to and appraise Gustav Holst ‘Mars’ from the Symphony of Planets. Using a variety of percussion instruments, the children will compose their own rhythms in response to Mars before performing to their peers.
In Art, we look at Starry Night by Van Gogh. We explore using a variety of techniques before creating our own Starry Night masterpieces!
Our year begins with a topic inspired by the text ‘The Jolly Postman’ by Janet and Allen Ahlberg and we are usually lucky enough to have a visit from the Jolly Postman! This topic has a strong focus on fairy tales and we look at familiar stories such as ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’ The children retell the original stories and then go on to adapt the stories to create our own version, just like ‘The Three Little Pugs and the Big Bat Cat.’ As part of this process, the children will learn how to re-tell stories and write sentences using capital letter and full stops.
This topic also has an emphasis on Geography and History. The children will learn about the village of Lindfield. We will look at maps and create our own maps. We also learn about the history of William Allen - the founder of the first school in Lindfield. To enrich their understanding, the children will have a visit from a local historian and will go on a village walk in Lindfield to identify some of the buildings that were significant to William Allen.
In the second half term our focus changes Bears. During this topic we look at instructional writing, seasons, the history of bears and in Science we learn about materials, We learn about their properties and conclude with an investigation to find out which would be the most suitable to make a new coat for Paddington.
We begin this topic by going on a Gruffalo Hunt through our school woods. We look at the trees, plants and animals that populate the local woods. We study the story of Peter Rabbit and use it as a stimulus to explore and grow seeds. We investigate, in Science, the conditions necessary for seeds to grow and identify the different parts of a plant. As part of our History curriculum, we recognise the significance of Beatrix Potter and her impact as a children’s author and conservationist.
After half term our attention shifts to woodland animals. In Science, we sort animals according to different criteria and in English we write poems and stories based on woodland animals. We also visit the British Wildlife Centre where we learn all about indigenous animals. In Art, we produce work inspired by the artist Angie Lewin. During our DT sessions we look at bird feeders available on the market and then deign and make our own bird feeders using reclaimed materials. Woodland Wonders is a fantastic topic which both the adults and children love!
Please find the PowerPoint from the Key Stage One Reading Meeting here alongside the relevant resources:
