Welcome to Year 1/2! We are so excited to begin making lots of lovely memories together this term. We have some really exciting learning opportunities and experiences coming up! As always, if you would like to discuss anything about your child’s learning journey then please do not hesitate to speak with either Miss Watson, Miss Hamblin or Miss Caddick after school. If preferred, you can arrange a phone call or meeting via the school office or email info@belle-vue.dudley.sch.uk

Class Dojo

Remember to check Class Dojo for regular updates on your children's learning. This is a great way to keep conversations going at home and support your child's learning! Thank you for your continued support as always.

Meet the Year 1/2 Team

Miss Watson

1/2W Teacher

Phonics Lead

Miss Hamblin

1/2H Teacher

RE Lead

Miss Caddick

1/2C Teacher

History Lead

Mrs Parr

Teaching in Year 2 (Phonics, English & Maths)

Miss Fennell

Year 1/2 Teaching Assistant

Mrs Harris

Year 1/2 Teaching Assistant

Important messages

PE

1/2W - Tuesday and Friday

1/2H - Tuesday and Friday

1/2C - Tuesday and Thursday

On a Tuesday, children need to come into school wearing their PE kits.

On their other PE day, children need to come into school wearing full school uniform and bring their PE kit to change into.

Please make sure children have the correct PE kit in school and come to school with plasters already over earrings or earrings taken out.

Reading books changed

Thursday for all classes

Please make sure children bring both monster phonics books and book to share books into school to be changed, as we can not sent new books home unless old ones are returned.

Safety

Please can we ask that parents not come into the cloakroom for morning drop off and make sure that the door way is kept clear for children to come into school safely. 

At the end of the day when picking up please can you wait on the year 1/2 playground not at the top of the steps so that we can see each adult clearly before letting the children go. 

Thank you for your continued support!

Dates for your diary - Autumn Term

Our Curriculum

What will year 1/2 be learning about this term?

Phonics and Reading (Year 1):
Children will be participating in various elements of reading within the year 1 curriculum. They will have daily phonics lessons to support their decoding and blending skills. To promote fluency, expression and comprehension children will have 3 adult led reading sessions with their weekly monster phonics book. They will also have 2 lessons a week looking closely at a variety of book genres. We also enjoy reading for pleasure throughout the day, including a variety of class novels.

Writing (Year 1):
Throughout Autumn term, children will begin by building their knowledge of how we construct an accurate sentence, using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. To support their writing, they will have daily handwriting lessons to learn correct letter formation. Children build spelling knowledge by applying their taught sounds and spelling rules in phonics and putting these into words and sentences. Children will be mostly working on writing dictated sentences, but also engaging in lots of independent opportunities to write across the curriculum.

Maths (Year 1):
During the Autumn term, children will develop their understanding of place value within 10, followed by addition and subtraction within 10. They will also explore 2D and 3D shapes, learning to recognise, name and describe their properties. Throughout the term, children will develop their mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Phonics and Reading (Year 2):
Children will be participating in various elements of reading within the year 2 curriculum. They will have daily phonics lessons to support their decoding and blending skills. To promote fluency, expression and comprehension children will have 3 adult led reading sessions with their weekly monster phonics book. They will also have 2 lessons a week looking closely at a variety of book genres. We also enjoy reading for pleasure throughout the day, including a variety of class novels.

Writing (Year 2):
Throughout Autumn term,

Maths (Year 2):
During the Autumn term,

Science:

During Autumn 1, children in Years 1&2 will be learning about the human body. They will:

• identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.

• notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults.

• find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air).

• describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene. 

In Autumn 2, children in Years 1&2 will be learning about animals and their needs. They will:

• Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals

• Identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores

• Describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets)

• Differences between living, dead and never been alive

• Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other

• Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats

Geography / History

During Autumn 1, children in Years 1 & 2 will be learning about spatial sense (geography). They will:

• use simple compass directions (north, south, east and west) and locational and directional language [for example, near and far, left and right], to describe the location of features and routes on a map.

• use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features; devise a simple map; and use and construct basic symbols in a key.

• use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment.

In Autumn 2, children in Years 1 & 2 will be learning about the Romans in Britain (history). They will learn about:

• Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally (Boudicca's rebellion).

• The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements (Boudicca, Julius Caesar, Emperor Claudius).

• Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.

Art: 

During Autumn 1, children in Years 1 & 2 will be learning about drawing (exploring line and shape). They will:

• Identify that some shapes are organic.
• Connect lines to create shapes.
• Use and recognise different types of lines when drawing shapes.
• Identify basic shapes in everyday objects and artwork.
• Talk about what they like or dislike in a piece of artwork.
• Use shapes to draw a face.
• Use different pressures to make a colour lighter or darker.
• Choose lines and shapes inspired by Brianna McCarthy’s artwork.

RE

During Autumn 1, children in Years 1 & 2 will be answering the question 'What do some people believe God looks like?' They will:

• Recognise that different people have different beliefs about God’s form and appearance.
• Explain how art can be used to express feelings towards God.
• Recognise that some Hindu people believe God has many forms.
• Understand and explain that the story shows some people believe Jesus is the son of God and God on Earth.
• Recognise and explain how Christian, Muslim and Hindu people refer to God.
• Identify and describe one representation of God from these religions.
• Show respect for differences and similarities in how different religions represent God.
• Explain why people use different names for God and show respect for the different names for God across religions.

PSHE

During Autumn 1, children in Years 1 & 2 will be 'meeting their brain' as part of the MyHappyMind programme. 

Children will learn more about how their brain works, including how it helps us make good decisions and remember what we have learned. They will explore the Amygdala and how it can trigger our fight, flight or freeze response.

We will introduce neuroplasticity and explore how our brains can grow and develop when we learn something new. Children will think about how they can use Team H-A-P and Happy Breathing to help their brain work as a team, manage their emotions and support their learning.

PE

Gymnastics 

DT

During our Autumn term DT week, Years 1 & 2 will be cooking. 

Homework

Children should be reading to an adult a minimum of 3 times a week. We will be sending home a Monster phonics book (matched to children's phonics level) and a book to share (for you to read to your child). These will be swapped each week.

We will be learning the Year 1 / 2 High Frequency Words and Common exception words so learning these at home as well will be a huge advantage. 

We will also send home an activity sheet for phonics that will focus on what they have learnt that week. Please can these be completed in pencil and handed in to the class teacher when completed.

Practising number and letter formation on letterjoin (log on code below) https://www.letterjoin.co.uk/index.html 

Regular visits to numbots (passwords can be retrieved from teachers) https://play.numbots.com/?#/account/school-login/3596  to increase fluency in maths.

Websites such as Topmarks and Phonics Play are excellent free ways for your child to embed skills at home.

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ 

Phonics Information for Parents/Carers