.jpg)
Welcome to Chaffinch Class - the home of our lovely Year 1 children!
In Chaffinch Class, you will be greeted with a warm welcome from Miss S. Armstrong (class teacher), Miss P. Kirk (teaching assistant) and Miss B. Miller (teaching assistant).
PE
PE will be on Monday and Thursday. Children will come to school in PE kit on these days. Please ensure all items of clothing, especially sweatshirts, are clearly labelled to avoid any mix ups! Children should have their hair tied back if it is long and earrings should be removed before children come to school. If your child is unable to take part in PE due to physical injury, please contact the school office.
Reading Books and Records
Children will receive reading books every week on their assigned day at the front of their reading record. Please encourage your child to read to you for an average of between 5 and 10 minutes, three times per week. We recommend little and often is best! Discussing the book after your child has finished will help you to check their understanding of what has been read and build on their comprehension skills. Please sign and date your child’s reading record and number each session, to ensure they receive the appropriate certificate or reward (only 1 reading session per day will count towards reading rewards).
Phonics
Phonics is an incredibly important part of our daily learning in Chaffinch Class, with Year 1 children partaking in a statutory Phonics Screening Check in the Summer Term. The children are taught through our brilliant Bug Club Phonics programme, ensuring they are able to recognise and apply sounds. Children participate in daily, engaging phonics sessions and these are supported further through daily reading lessons. These lessons give the children opportunity to put their phonics learning into practice. Children also have access to Phonics Bug at home, where they can revisit learning through books and games.
If you would like to help or ideas on how you can support your child further with their phonics at home, then have a look at some of these great links below, or come and speak to Miss Armstrong!
https://www.teachyourmonster.org/
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
https://blog.oxfordowl.co.uk/how-can-i-support-my-child-with-phonics-learning/
Phonics Guidance for Parents
Chaffinch Class Autumn 1
In Autumn 1, we will be revisiting Phase 2 and 3 of phonics and being reintroduced to Drawing Club for writing lessons. We will be reading lots of lovely book such as Not Now, Bernard, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Room on the Broom. We will also be watching clips from animations such as Pink Panther. In maths, we will be looking at place value to 10, as well as addition and subtraction within 10. In science, our topic is Animals including Humans, learning about human body parts and senses. In geography, our topic is My World and My School, recognising where our school is located within our town and our country.
Chaffinch Class Autumn 2
In Autumn 2, we will be starting Phase 5 or phonics and continue to use Drawing Club for our writing lessons. We will be reading books such as Chicken Licken, The Gingerbread Man and The Christmas Pine. We will also be watching clips from animations such as Captain Pugwash to inspire our writing. In maths, we will continue our work on addition and subtraction within 10, before moving onto shape in geometry. In science, our topic of Animals including Humans continues. We have planned a trip to Woodside Wildlife Park to link to this unit. In geography, our topic is My Local Park, where we will plot our route on a map and discuss what human and physical features we can see.
Chaffinch Class Spring 1
In Spring 1, we will continue to learn Phase 5 sounds in phonics. We will use Drawing Club for our writing lessons but will move to Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar as the term progresses. We will be reading books such as Superworm and Hansel and Gretel. We will also be watching clips from animations such as Bananaman to inspire our writing. In maths, we will focus on place value and addition and subtraction within 20. In science, our topic is Materials, including learning about their physical properties and comparing and grouping materials. In history, our topic is Hospitals and Healthcare, where we will learn about significant people such as Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell.
Chaffinch Class Spring 2
In Spring 2, we will continue to learn sounds from Phase 5, including revisiting prior sounds. In English, we will be reading Halibut Jackson by David Lucas and Beegu by Alexis Deacon. In maths, we will be focussing on place value (within 50), length and height & mass and volume. In science, our topic is Plants, including labelling features of a plant, comparing evergreen and deciduous trees and planting and keeping a diary of a seed. In history, our topic is Toys Through Time, where we will be comparing modern day toys to those of the last 60 years.
Chaffinch Class Summer 1
In Summer 1, we will revisiting sounds from Phases 2 to 5 to ensure knowledge is secure. In English, we will be reading 'I want my hat back' by Jon Klassen and 'The bee who spoke' by Al McCuish . In maths, we will be focussing on multiplication and division and fractions. In science, our topic is Seasonal Changes, including learning about and comparing each season. In geography, our topic is Our School Grounds, where we will be make observations to investigate the key features of our school.
Chaffinch Class Summer 2
In Summer 2, we will continue to revisit and consolidate phonics knowledge in preparation for the Phonics Screening Check. We will then move onto learning Phase 6 sounds. In English, we will be reading 'The Storm Whale' by Benji Davies and 'Hibernation Hotel' by John Kelly. In maths, we will be focussing on position and direction, place value within 100, money and time. In science, our topic is Famous Scientists and Explorers, where we will learn about the work of Ole Kirk Christiansen, Mae Jemison and Tim Smit, among others. In history, our topic is Famous Explorers, where we will learn about significant discoveries and how these have shaped our world today.