Autumn 1 2022

Here is an overview of what your child we will be learning this half term.  Moving to Key Stage 1 can be quite a jump for the children, so some of this planning may be adapted to suit their needs.

Our topic this term is Where We Live.

English

In English we will be using a number of books that will support their learning about Harlow, where they live and the United Kingdom. Children will be continuing their work from Reception and consolidating writing simple sentences using capital letters, full stops and finger spaces.  We will be doing daily handwriting lessons to support their letter formation.  We will be following the Essential Letters and Sounds scheme of learning in phonics and the children will increase their knowledge of letter sounds and harder to read words.  This will be supported by books that cover the letter sounds and harder to read words learnt in lessons.

Maths

In the Autumn Term we will be looking at numbers from 0 to 20. Our focus in the first week will be learning to present our work neatly, number formation and learning to read and write words one to ten.  We will then look at place value, thinking about the meaning of more and less leading on to being able to name one more and one less than any number from 0 to 20. We will then move on to learning the meaning of the symbols +, - and = and begin calculating and writing simple number sentences.

Geography

Our main topic  Where We Live, is geography based. We will start by learning about how we use maps and making a simple map of our KS1 area. Then we will move on to look at maps of Old Harlow and Harlow, and we will take a walk around Old Harlow using a simple map.  We will think about the things that are special to Harlow, and places that the children know. Then we will start to think about the United Kingdom and how it is made up of four countries and remember the names of the oceans and sea that surrounds it. We will place where Harlow is on a map of the United Kingdom. 

Science

The children will look at the seasons with a focus on autumn (this topic will run throughout the year).

They will also learn about different animals and learning to recognise the key features of mammals, amphibians, birds and fish.

Computing

We will be thinking about online safety and the importance of keeping our personal information safe and what to do if we get into difficulties when online.  We will learn about the importance of seeking permission from others, especially when uploading pictures onto an online platform.  This will link to how we use our learning platform Seesaw.  Children will learning to log on and begin to upload their work to Seesaw too.

Wellbeing

Online safety is also a focus of the Wellbeing lessons and these will link closely with the computing lessons.  We will consider how being unkind to our friends or others when online is unacceptable. We will then promote a culture of respect and kindness and further consider the importance of asking permission, so that we are respectful to each other’s wishes. This will be especially relevant as the children learning to upload their photos to Seesaw and comment on their work.

Music

This term we will be exploring the resources on the online platform Charanga.  The lessons support children’s singing and general musicianship and allow children to access and enjoy music.  You will be given a login so that your child can access lots of fun musical activities at home too.  We will be learning to play the djembe drums, with a focus on copying, repeating and making our own rhythms and keeping a steady pulse.

Art

In art, we will be learning to draw a still life!  We will first learn to draw basic shapes and will be looking at a number of artists who use geometric shapes including Odili Donald Odita and Piet Mondrian. Then we will look at scale, thinking about which objects are bigger or smaller than others.  Finally, we will have a go at drawing a still life of some fruit!

P.E.

During our outside P.E. lessons, we will be developing control of rolling, throwing, catching and hitting balls with a series of activities to promote good hand eye coordination.  This will give the children the basics to be able to access a variety of games, such as netball, basketball, football, tennis, hockey and cricket.  In their gymnastics lessons, which will be held in the hall, the children will be using ‘Rock and Roll’ themed lessons to encourage them to use interesting body shapes for rocking actions and then using the best body shape to enable them to perform a number of rolls. They will then think of ways to join these movements to create a short sequence that they will perform to each other!

R.E.

In R.E. the children will be using their senses to understand why religious practises and places have meaning. We will be visiting a local church and talking about what we feel, see, smell and hear affects us.