National Phonic Screening Test Maths Throughout this term we will be continuing to improve our understanding of number and place value, as well as developing confidence to complete problem solving and reasoning challenges. We will be introducing early multiplication and division and using these to solve problems. We will also look at simple fractions – identifying halves and quarters. Growing Exciting News! We will be working towards creating a Birchfield Garden Centre! The garden centre will be open for parents and friends to come and shop in on the morning of Thursday 23th May 9.30 – 10.30. We look forward to seeing you all then and will give you more details closer to the time. Science Throughout the half term we will be identifying and naming the different parts of a plant. We will also be learning the names of different wild & garden plants and deciduous & evergreen trees. We have planted lots of different seeds, most of which we hope will grow ready to sell in our Garden Centre. The broad bean seeds we have planted will be used to observe the growth of a plant and the children will be able to take them home in a few weeks time. Class Trips We are very much looking forward to a trip to Gore Farm on Tuesday 7th Wednesday 8th May. This will support us in learning about a variety of plants and trees, and we will be taking part in a range of exciting outdoor activities linked to our topic! More information will be provided soon! English In English we will be starting the topic with non-fiction writing about plants and growing, and then moving onto creative writing about Jack and the Beanstalk. When your child is practising writing at home please encourage them to use their sounds and to remember capital letters and full stops. National Phonic Screening Test In the week beginning 10th June your child will be participating in the National Phonic Screening Test that all Year 1 pupils are required to do. This will involve reading 40 words, 20 of which are real and 20 of which are made up ‘alien words’. They will all be based on the phonics we have been learning throughout the year. Summer Term 1 Year 1 Topic This half term we will be growing a range of different plants and investigating the different conditions plants need to stay alive. Art We will be looking at Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers’ painting. Then we will be creating our own versions.

Growing – Summer Term 1 Objectives English To use spacing between words. To form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place* To form capital letters* To form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another in some writing To understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ and to practise these* To compose simple sentences accurately To join words and clauses using ‘and’* To write in a way that can usually be understood by an outside audience To have some use of past and present tense To use some simple noun phrases To use some simple expanded noun phrases To make some use of capital letters and full stops To demarcate some sentences with capital letters and full stops* To use capital letters for names of people, places and days of the week* To use capital letters for the personal pronoun I* To spell most CVC words correctly To segment spoken words into phonemes and representing these by graphemes, spelling some correctly* To spell some common exception words*   Maths To identify equal groupings as the first step in multiplying. To organise objects into equal rows in order to begin counting equal numbers efficiently. To understand that doubling is creating an identical number to the one you started with. To understand that doubling is the same as saying two groups of the same amount. To solve word problems using equal groupings as the basis for multiplication. To be able to apply knowledge of division to solve problems. To determine half of a number and a quarter of a number. To be able to apply knowledge of fractions to solve problems. To be able to apply knowledge of numbers to solve problems. Science To ask simple questions To observe closely, using simple equipment To perform simple tests with assistance To sort based on simple criteria To record results in simple diagrams and charts To identify and name a variety of wild and garden plants including deciduous and evergreen trees To identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common plants and trees (leaves, flower, stem etc.) To sort plants based upon characteristics I have observed To use the local environment throughout the year to study plants growing in its habitat To observe the growth of plants that I have planted To know that some of the food we eat comes from plants Design and Technology To cut, peel or grate ingredients To assemble or cook ingredients with assistance To know some healthy and unhealthy foods I know some foods that are grown or reared locally and some that are not SMSC To tell you how I am the same and how I am different from my friends To make friends with people who are different from me To know that I belong to a community To talk to my friends nicely To explain feelings in uncomfortable situations To use multicultural and diverse resources in my class environment Art and Design To study the life and work of a famous artist To explore some simple techniques including colour and shape To think about what I want to create before I start To say what I think about other’s work To say what I think about my own work To show pride in my work