Summer 2

Welcome to Year One

Year One are looking forward to an exciting Summer 2 term filled with creativity, exploration and new learning experiences. The children continue to grow in confidence and independence and are demonstrating enthusiasm across all areas of the curriculum. They are taught by Miss Shen and supported by Miss Crute, Miss Eddy, Miss Justyna and Mr Connell.

This half term PE will continue to take place on Monday afternoons. Please ensure your child comes to school in their full PE kit. For health and safety reasons it is essential that children wear the correct kit and pumps.

Reading remains a key priority in Year One. Please continue to read with your child every night and ensure book bags are brought into school every Wednesday. Regular reading at home greatly supports children’s phonics, fluency and comprehension. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year.

English

This half term our English learning is inspired by the texts Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain and Africa is Not a Country. Through these engaging texts, children will explore storytelling, poetry and non-fiction writing while learning about different places, cultures and environments.

They will work towards writing:

• Story retellings

• Descriptive writing

• Information texts

• Poetry

• Character descriptions

They will continue to develop their use of:

• Capital letters and full stops

• Question marks and exclamation marks

• Adjectives and expanded noun phrases

• Conjunctions

• Sentence structure and sequencing

To help at home you can:

• Read a variety of stories and information books together

• Encourage discussions about different countries and cultures

• Practise writing simple sentences using correct punctuation

• Explore and use new vocabulary in everyday conversations

Phonics

Phonics teaching continues daily as children consolidate their knowledge of Set 2 and Set 3 sounds. They will continue developing their decoding and fluency skills while applying their phonics knowledge across reading and writing.

Children will continue to practise blending using "Special Friends, Fred Talk, Read the Word" and will be encouraged to read increasingly complex words with confidence.

To help at home you can:

• Practise Set 2 and Set 3 sounds regularly

• Encourage your child to use Fred Talk when reading unfamiliar words

• Read daily and discuss the meaning of new words

• Play phonics games to reinforce learning

Maths

This half term children will be learning:

Place Value to 100

• Counting forwards and backwards to 100

• Representing numbers to 100

• Comparing and ordering numbers

• Understanding tens and ones

Money

• Recognising coins and notes

• Counting money

• Finding different ways to make amounts

• Solving simple money problems

Time

• Naming days of the week and months of the year

• Telling the time to the hour and half past

• Sequencing events throughout the day

To help at home you can:

• Practise counting forwards and backwards to 100

• Identify coins and notes when shopping

• Discuss times throughout the day

• Use clocks at home to practise telling the time

RE

This half term children will study Branch 6 – Dialogue and Encounter.

Children will learn about the Christian community and what it means to follow Jesus. They will explore how Christians belong to the Church and how the sign of the cross expresses important beliefs about God.

They will also learn about Judaism and encounter aspects of Jewish life and worship.

Children will explore:

• What it means to be a Christian

• The Church as a community of believers

• The local parish and parish church

• The cross as a symbol of Christianity

• The sign of the cross as a prayer

• Jewish beliefs about one God

• The Torah as a special Jewish text

• Aspects of Jewish life and traditions

Learning will include storytelling, discussion, art, music and opportunities to reflect on similarities and differences between faith communities.

Science

This half term children will learn about Seasonal Changes.

They will explore:

• The differences between spring and summer

• Changes in weather and temperature

• How plants and animals respond to seasonal change

• The length of daylight during different times of the year

To help at home you can:

• Observe changes in the weather each day

• Notice how plants grow during summer

• Discuss how daylight changes throughout the year

• Keep a simple weather diary

Geography

In Geography, children will learn about the Human Features of Liverpool and their local area.

By the end of the unit children will be able to:

• Explain where our school is located

• Describe how spaces within school are used

• Explain how indoor and outdoor spaces are connected

• Identify natural and human features in the local area

• Describe what makes our school special

• Understand how people use the spaces around our school

• Explore different types of maps and their purposes

• Take part in simple fieldwork activities

To help at home you can:

• Explore maps together

• Discuss buildings and natural features in your local area

• Talk about how different places are used

• Look for ways people help care for the environment

Computing

This half term children will explore Programming Animations using ScratchJr.

They will:

• Investigate sprites and backgrounds

• Create and modify simple programs

• Learn how programming blocks work

• Design simple algorithms

• Create their own animated projects

Children will also learn about Copyright and Ownership, including:

• Understanding that work they create belongs to them

• Giving their work suitable names and titles

• Recognising that other people's work belongs to them

• Respecting ownership of digital content

To help at home you can:

• Encourage simple sequencing and instruction-following activities

• Discuss how technology can be used creatively

• Talk about respecting other people's work and ideas

PE

PE lessons will continue weekly. This half term children will focus on:

• Striking and fielding skills through cricket activities

• Developing throwing, catching and batting techniques

• Improving coordination, agility and control

• Working cooperatively as part of a team

• Learning the basic rules and skills of cricket

To help at home you can:

• Practise throwing and catching games

• Encourage active play outdoors

• Develop hand-eye coordination through ball games

• Talk about the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship

PSHE

In PSHE, children will explore themes linked to mental health and wellbeing, personal identity, relationships and community. They will learn about:

• Mental health and wellbeing, including understanding feelings and emotions

• Recognising what makes them unique and special

• Personal identity and celebrating individuality

• The Holy Trinity through Three in One

• Who Is My Neighbour? and how we can show kindness and care to others

• The communities we live in and the people who help and support us

• Building positive relationships and respecting others

To help at home you can:

• Encourage conversations about feelings and emotions

• Talk about what makes each family member unique

• Discuss ways to show kindness and help others

• Explore the different communities your child belongs to, such as family, school, parish and local community

• Encourage respectful and caring relationships with others

Design and Technology

This half term children will explore Sliders and Levers.

They will:

• Investigate how sliders work

• Explore everyday products that use mechanisms

• Develop practical making skills

• Design and create their own slider product

• Evaluate and improve their finished work

To help at home you can:

• Look for sliders and moving parts in books and cards

• Discuss how simple mechanisms work

• Encourage designing and making activities using paper and card

Music

Children will continue to develop their listening, singing and performance skills.

They will:

• Explore rhythm and pulse

• Listen and respond to different styles of music

• Recognise patterns in music

• Build confidence through singing and performance activities

Spanish

This half term children will continue developing their Spanish through stories, songs and speaking activities.

They will:

• Build confidence in speaking and listening

• Practise familiar vocabulary

• Continue learning simple questions and answers

• Develop their understanding of everyday Spanish words and phrases