Welcome to Meerkat Class Page
Year 1
Class Teacher - Miss Lilley
Class LSAs - Mrs Smith (Mon -Fri) and Mrs Tookey (Mon, Tues and Thurs am)
School Trip
We had a brilliant time on our school trip last week. Take a look at the photos to see what we got up to!
This term our topics are 'Toys' and 'Superheroes'. Please see below the Spring Term curriculum letter for more information.
Thank you to everyone that attended the Year 1 Meet and Greet evening. For those of you that were unable to make it, please see the powerpoint below for the information that was covered.
Each half term, our learning will be based around a different topic. Below is the Year 1 long term plan that outlines what the children will be learning throughout Year 1.
This half term, our topics are 'This Is Me' and 'Sparkle and Shine'. Please see below the Year 1 Autumn Term curriculum letter.
Reading
Every child has reading day each week. This is when they will read on a 1:1 basis with an adult. Their reading day is the day they will change their reading book. The children will keep their reading book for a week as it is important the children read their book until they are fluent so they are recognising the words as a whole and to give them more confidence when reading.
If your child's reading day is a Monday for example, their reading minutes are counted from Monday to Monday. If their reading day is Tuesday, there's will be counted from Tuesday to Tuesday and so on.
VIPERS
We also refer to the VIPERS when sharing a book as a class. These can be used to support the children when asking questions at home too.
V - vocabulary - do the children understand the words they are reading/ the new word they have just come across?
I - infer - can the children make a guess about how the characters are feeling or why they did something?
P - predict - can the children guess what might happen next?
E - explain - can the children explain their answer?
R - retrieve - can the children retrieve an answer from the text?
S - summarise - can the children summarise what they have just read or what happened in the story?
Spellings
Spelling are given to the children every Thursday. These words relate to the sounds and spellings patterns the children have been learning in school. Although the children are no longer tested on these spellings, we are always looking to see if they can apply what they have learnt in their writing and across other subjects. Therefore, it would be great if these spellings are practised at home.
Below are some tips for practising spellings:
Phonics
Phonics forms the basis of reading and writing in Year 1. At Alresford, we have created our own phonics scheme that supports our children to learn all the sounds they need to read and write.
In June 2023, the children will take part in the Phonics Screening Check rolled out by the Government to assess their phonic knowledge. The children will be required to read 40 words, 20 will be real words and 20 will be 'nonsense' words (or pseudo words). You will be informed in the Summer Term as to whether your child has passed the Phonics Screening Check. If they don't, they will receive additional support in Year 2 and resit their check in June 2024.
Below is an example of a Phonics Screening Check:
Common Exception Words
Throughout Year 1, the children will be learning how to read and write certain common exception words. These are words that cannot be written by using phonics but instead have to be learnt as they are exceptions to phonic and spelling rules. The children will bring home their word bags which will have the 6 words they are working on.
Please see below the letter that was sent out with your child's word bag:
Here is the list of common exception words that the children will learn in Year 1 and 2.
Numbots
Numbots is an online game that will support your children to understand and recall addition and subtraciton number facts fluently. This will consolidate what they are learning in class.
Pupils choose their own Bot before launching into ‘Story’ and ‘Challenge’ modes. For the most effective practice, it is suggested that children should play for at least 3 minutes a day, 4 or 5 times a week.
As they progress, pupils collect achievement badges and unlock hundreds of new levels and challenges.
In the Story Mode they will also discover parts, helping RustyBot upgrade from Rust to Diamond - so he can shine inside and out.
PE
Our PE days are Tuesday and Thursday. Please make sure your child is wearing the appropriate PE kit on these days and long hair is tied back.
If your child wears earrings, please make sure they are removed on these days.
PSHE
Please see below to find out what we will be covering in Year 1 in PSHE.
Below are the statements that are taught in Year 1 as part of the national curriculum:
