Welcome to Sunshine Class! Year One September 2015 – July 2016

Start of the day The children come in when the bell goes. They hang up their coats and put their book bags in their trays outside the classroom. Each day they put their reading book and reading record into their group basket on the table in the shared area. They settle to the early work task on the board.

Literacy Our Literacy lessons in Year 1 are all about developing independent readers and writers. We try to link our literacy lessons to our main topic where possible in order to provide a greater purpose and enjoyment. The main targets for writing this year will be to independently use capital letters for the beginning of sentences, spaces between words, begin to use a range of punctuation including full stops, question and exclamation marks, using and, but, because to join ideas in sentences, and use words such as adjectives to add interest. Most of all, we want the children to ENJOY WRITING! The themes for our writing throughout the year will be: Stories with familiar settings Poetry, using the senses Instructions Fairy stories and traditional tales Recount and dictionary Information texts Poetry, pattern and rhyme Fantasy stories Stories from a range of cultures Poems on a theme

Phonics All children in the school are streamed for a daily 20 minute phonics session. We include a wide range of activities and stimulating resources for these sessions to enable the children to learn effectively. In the summer term, Year 1 children nationally are tested on their phonics skills. This consists of a booklet containing a combination of real and ‘alien’ words for the children to decode. The test outcome is reported to you in your child’s end of year report. We regularly assess how the children are grasping the sounds, and this informs our planning, and the groups the children are placed in.

Reading Books The children have all been given reading books now, continuing initially on the colour / box they were at the end of last year. Reading books are routinely changed each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by either a teacher, TA or parent helper. We will endeavour to hear the children read as often as we can within our busy timetable. The Children have a ‘guided reading’ session twice a week.

Maths At the start of Year 1, children are enthusiastic ‘beginning’ mathematicians. They have an understanding of the basic concepts of number, shape and measurement, and see mathematics as an exciting and practical element of the curriculum. Whole class activities Counting Direct Teaching Problem Solving Group work Mental/practical

The Key Areas for Maths Using and applying mathematics Counting and understanding number Knowing and using number facts Calculating Understanding shape Measuring Handling data

Topics for the Year Autumn 1 ‘ Where can we go, what can we see?’ Autumn 2 ‘Fun and Games’ Spring 1 ‘Blast Off!’ Spring 2 ‘Eureka!’ Summer 1 ‘Fantasy, Dragons and Castles’ Summer 2 ‘Hooray for Holidays!’

PE PE lessons are on Wednesday and Thursday for Sunshine 1 and Tuesday and Wednesday for Sunshine 2 There may be times when we do additional lessons or the planned lessons need to be changed so kits need to be in school each day.

Homework Learning Logs The weekly tasks are on the school website There is a box outside the classroom for the learning logs They go home on Thursday and are due back by the following Tuesday.

It is important that parents and the staff work together. We want you to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child. We have Parent’s Evening in November and March. We also send an Interim Report out in February. Please don’t feel that this is the only time you can come in and talk to us. You can make an appointment to suit you to come in for a chat or you can catch us in the playground before or after school. How you can find out how your child is getting on?

Medical Matters Any sickness, diarrhoea, must be followed by 24 hrs absence. Any absence requires a note or telephone call explaining why. Head lice are common! Please check regularly and treat as recommended. Only prescription medicines can be administered by staff. Children with asthma will be helped to take their inhaler.

Please remember…. If you have any concerns or questions, we will be happy to help you. Mrs Collett- Headteacher Mrs Richardson – Deputy Headteacher Mrs Allison – Class Teacher Mrs Smith- Class Teacher Mrs Williams – Class Teacher