Autumn Term
Our topic this term is 'Let's Play'
This term we have an exciting topic all about toys old and new.
Please check out our knowledge mat below to see what facts and learning your child needs to know this term in topic.
English
In English we will be reading stories about toys following two key texts, the first one is called ‘Traction Man’ by Mini Grey and the other is called ‘Emily Brown and the Thing’ by Cressida Cowell.
In Year 1, we will be focusing on writing captions and labels to describe the characters. We will learn to write a simple story from the texts. We will even write simple instructions of how to make our toy.
In Year 2, we will be focusing on the key criteria needed for instruction writing and will be having a go at writing our own set of instructions to make a toy. We will be doing lots of work around vocabulary including adjectives and expanded noun phrases to help with our story writing.
Maths
In maths we will be focusing on place value and addition and subtraction.
In Year 1, we will be learning to count forwards and backwards to 100 and learn the place value of numbers to and beyond 20. After this we will learn practical strategies to add and subtract numbers.
In Year 2, we will be focusing on recognising the amount of tens and ones in 2 digit numbers and learning to partition numbers to 100. We will be comparing numbers using the terminology more than, less than and equal to and will use the symbols < > and = to represent this. We will also be practising our 2, 5 and 10s times tables and introduce counting in 3’s. We will be looking at number bonds to 10, 20 and 100. We will be teaching the children fact families and adding and subtraction of 1 and 2 digit numbers. The children will be shown how to use apparatus such as diennes to help them add and subtract numbers as well as show this pictorially using jottings.
History
In history we will be learning about similarities and differences between the toys we play with now and those from the past.
In Year 1, we will be thinking about why and how toys are different. We will sort toys on a timeline to sequence how they have changed.
In Year 2, we will be focusing on describing events that happened in the past and how this has influenced the timeline and creation of toys such as the introduction of plastic and electronic toys. We will be describing what life was like in the past and compare it to life today.
D&T
In design and technology we will design, make and evaluate our own traditional toy. How exciting!
In Year 1, we will be designing a peg doll to make and choosing materials we want to use from a given list. We will say what we like or dislike about our creations.
In Year 2, we will design two toys and make a choice as to which toy to make. We will develop our own set of design criteria and think of the materials we will need to collect in order to make it. We will evaluate our products by comparing it to our original designs and stating how we would improve our toy if we were to make it again.
Computing
In computing we will be improving our mouse skills when using our laptops. We will be looking at algorithms and what they are.
In Year 1, we will learn to click, drag and drop using a mouse. We will be creating a simple algorithm and learning how to debug a simple algorithm.
In Year 2, we will learn the different functions of a keyboard such as delete, enter and space bar. We will learn to identify errors and debug these in an algorithm.
RE
Over the term in RE, we will be learning about faiths and celebrations including harvest and the Jewish festival Rosh Hashanah. We will be very busy!
In Year 1, we will learn about different Christian and Jewish annual celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah and Shabbat.
In Year 2, we will be learning about Jewish people’s ideas about God and the story of creation. We will be making links between this and the importance of Shabbat.
Science
In science we are learning about materials including the different materials used to make toys.
In Year 1, we will investigate the properties of different materials.
In Year 2, we will be looking at how materials can be changed and the suitability of a range of everyday materials.
PE
On Mondays we will be doing gymnastics skills including balances, jumping and rolling. On Fridays we will have expert coaching from Kixx where we will learn outdoor ball skills and games including football.
Art
In art, we will be looking at the artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo.
In Year 1, we’ll be using collage to create our own masterpieces.
In Year 2, we’ll be printing, pressing, rolling and rubbing to create a piece of artwork.
Geography
In Geography, we will be looking at the weather and seasonal changes. We will begin to identify different features of landscapes such as a beach, cliff, forest and river.
Music
In music, we will be following the ‘Charanga’ scheme of work. We will be using the units ‘Hey you’ and ‘Christmas’, to learn songs, march in time with the pulse and copy rhythms.
SCARF
In PHSE, we will be focusing on our feelings, our relationships and valuing differences. We will learn what emotions we feel and how we can deal with them, recognising when we need help and who to ask for help. We will also explore our similarities and differences and talk about always being kind.
We are looking forward to learning together this term!