Spring Term 2023 

This term Year 1 will create their own Acrostic poems about Spring, focusing partially on using adjectives to describe. We will be looking at the language of stories and writing from different viewpoints.  We will also write a diary entry using the past tense. We will continue practicing our letter formation to sure all our letters are correctly sized and the right way round and also that we are using our phonics skills to help us with our writing. We will continue to practice these skills through our daily caption writing. 

In Science we will be looking at the human body. We will practice drawing and labeling our own bodies with the key parts and will also match the senses that are associated with each body part. We will be looking at the work of scientist Eliabeth Garrett Anderson.  

In Maths, we will focus on learning to tell the time on an analogue clock. The times we will focus on are o'clock and the half-past times. We will look at using arrays and sharing to practice the skills of multiplication and divisions and also will be making repeated patterns. We will continue Math’s Mastery sessions which enable the children to deepen the level of their mathematical understanding. 

In Art and DT we will make our own Victorian Toys using a joining mechanism and will be creating collages in the style of Andy Burgess. 

In Year 1 we invite parents to make a £10 donation each term. This allows us to buy art supplies for our creative areas. and provide the children with real life experiences like cooking and baking. Thank you so much for this. 

We also welcome contributions for junk modelling (egg cartons, cardboard boxes, bottles, etc) and natural resources for our mud kitchen such as avocado stones, pebbles, conkers and corks. 

We would also welcome donations for the woodwork bench such as: plastic bottle lids, offcuts of soft wood, corks, lolly sticks, screws, nails etc. 

Reading 

Children continue daily phonics sessions this term using the Little Wandle scheme.  

We will continue with supported reading sessions daily for all children, in small groups.  

Reading books are changed once a week. Please bring your child’s book in every Monday, so it can be changed. Children should bring in their books every day as they will be asked to read to an adult.  Children will take home a book from the library during our weekly visits on Tuesdays. 

Please try to read with your child every day, and either sign and date their reading record, or write a comment to share with your child’s teacher. Your child will make more progress if you read with them at home. 

If you would like tips on reading with your children, please ask your child’s teacher.  

Uniform and bookbags 

Please ensure that your child wears their full school uniform each day.  Please label your children’s clothing with name labels or permanent marker.  Please ensure your child brings their books and reading record to school every day. 

PE 

The children will have a PE lesson every Friday. Please make sure they have a named PE kit (white t-shirt, navy shorts or tracksuit bottoms and plimsolls) each week.  

Continuous provision is the cycle of observation, assessment and planning at George Tomlinson and is carried out on a moment-by-moment basis.  Each week approximately 10% of the class will be focus children. Gradually over the year, we support children to prepare for more formal ways of learning so they are ready for Year 2.  This includes extending the times of carpet sessions and whole class learning and ensures they are ready for the next stage of their learning.  

Learning records and tasks completed by children are recorded in their learning journey books. By using this cycle on a moment-to-moment basis, the adults are alert to individual children (observation), thinking about what it tells us about the child’s thinking (assessment), and ready to respond by using appropriate strategies at the right moment to support children’s well-being and learning (planning for the next moment).