Key Stage 1

Welcome to Key Stage One.

Our driver project this Autumn term is “Childhood”.

English

The children have settled in to the term, understanding their new routine and exploring the classroom.

During this term, we will be exploring a variety of genres in both reading and writing, as well as sharing books by a range of authors. We will start the year, continuing with Drawing Club, before moving on to Talk 4 Writing, in the Spring Term. 

Maths

This term the children will explore mathematical concepts focussing on place value and addition and subtraction.

The children will deepen their mathematical knowledge and understanding through the use of concrete apparatus, as well as using pictorial and abstract methods and become more confident in forming numerals correctly.

Science/Forest School

Everyday Materials 

In this science project, children revisit learning about everyday materials from the early years project. They learn what materials are and begin identifying and classifying them in their immediate environment. Children learn about natural materials and their sources, namely the ground, animals and plants and identify products made from natural materials. They learn about man made materials, asking questions about how they are made, their features and their uses. Children group and sort a wide range of natural and man made materials and begin to look for patterns in their common properties. 

Children learn more about the properties of materials and explore them first hand before identifying and classifying materials based on their properties. They learn about Venn Diagrams, what they are used for and how to create them. They then perform a simple comparative test, testing materials for their properties and displaying their results in Venn Diagrams before interpreting their results.

Music

My Musical Heartbeat

Every piece of music has a heartbeat – a musical heartbeat. In music, we call it the ‘pulse’ or the ‘beat’ of the music. When they are listening and singing to the music and songs in this unit, the children try to find and keep the pulse or steady beat together. They might march, clap or sway in time finding a movement that helps them to keep the beat. We will be introducing glockenspiels to our lessons too, and learn the importance of playing instruments in time, together. 

Art and Design

Mixing Colours

In this art and design project, children are introduced to colour theory. They revisit the names of the primary colours and use them to make the secondary colours. They explore and describe the use of colour in various paintings from different artists and genres and describe them using colour-related vocabulary. They paint simple colour wheel, experiment with mixing paint directly on the paper’s surface and use primary and secondary colours to paint a colourful, patterned composition.

Design and Technology

Everyday Materials

This science project is taught to link with design and technology projects, connecting the children’s understanding of properties and uses of materials, selecting appropriate materials for a specific purpose and providing an explanation of their decision.

History

Childhood 

In this history project children develop their vocabulary of time including before, a long time ago, yesterday, many years ago and present. The children are introduced to the concept of artefacts and explore a range of objects, interpreting what they tell us about childhood in the past. The children begin to compare artifacts from the past to the objects that they use today. 

Children develop their understanding that people grow and change over time and learn the stages of human development. They revisit learning from the early years about significant events including birthdays and family celebrations and are introduced to family trees. 

They learn the word decade and it’s meaning, they order decades chronologically and learn about significant events. Children use photographs as historical sources to compare everyday life and childhood in the 1950’s to today.

Geography

Childhood 

In this project children develop their geographical knowledge of picture maps. They apply their understanding to make comparisons about a place changes over time and begin to consider the causes and consequences of change. They’re visit their learning about human features and name and locate them on a map.

PE

Throwing and Catching

• Master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing, and catching, as well as developing balance, agility, and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities.
• Participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending.

Spanish

The children will attend their weekly Spanish lessons with Fen from Kidslingo learning lot of new words and songs in Spanish.

RE

This half term, the children will be exploring our unit question 'Who is a Christian and what do they believe?'
These lessons will consist of writing activities, reading, and using secondary resources such as the internet and books, to explore key concepts of the religion and how these compare with other beliefs and faiths. 

PSHE/British Values

Being Me in My World

In this Puzzle (unit), the children are introduced to their Jigsaw Journals and discuss their Jigsaw Charter. As part of this they discuss rights and responsibilities, choices and consequences. The children talk about being special and how to make everyone feel safe in their class as well as recognising their own safety.

The British Values are incorporated throughout the children's daily routine and this is highlighted on a day to day basis, from being a nice friend, following instructions and using our manners to having responsibilities, understanding boundaries and looking after ourselves and doing what makes us happy. Although the children are regularly reflecting each value, we always have one or two that are a main focus. The focus values this half term are is “Democracy and Respect”. 
Each of the British Values are incorporated through the children’s PSHE lessons and they lay the foundations for discussion during our weekly class assemblies. Our student council meet and suggest ways of how we can filter the understanding of these values throughout school, they talk to the other children and bring their feedback back to the meetings, promoting a voice for all the children at Combs.