Welcome to Zebras

The Teacher is Mr Richardson
The Teaching Assistants in a morning are Mrs Hobbs and Mrs Foster and in an afternoon, Mrs Blake

Some children are in Year 1 and some children are in Year 2. The children in Year 1 will follow the Year 1 curriculum objectives and their learning will be the same as their friends in the Bears' class. They will enjoy lots of opportunities to learn and play, both outside and inside with all their Year 1 friends. The children in Year 2 will follow the Year 2 curriculum objectives and their learning will be the same as their friends in the Tigers' class. They will be developing their skills throughout the year, to enable them to be ready for Key Stage 2. All Year 1 and Year 2 children are in Key Stage 1, and they follow a two year rolling topic plan. This means that no-one in the key stage learns about the same thing twice, regardless of what class they are in.

The classroom is a bright and inviting learning environment for the children to develop their passion for learning. We learn and thrive in the classroom following the school rules of 'Love and Respect.'

Reading

Children are expected to read every night with an adult. Our class target is to read two book every week. Please ask your child questions about what they have read and encourage them to make predictions about what might happen. Please sign the Reading Diaries to show teachers that the children have read their books. Reading for five or ten minutes every night will help your child to become a more confident and fluent reader. Children will receive a reading certificate when they reach a target number of books.

Our book changing day is Thursday.

Maths

At St Mary's we teach maths through Power Maths. Instant recall of number facts is an important part of being a good mathematician, so each term we focus on a KIRF target (Key Instant Recall Facts). The children need to practise these facts regularly so they can answer them each within a 6 second time frame without using their fingers to calculate. Each week they will be given a timed activity on these number facts; the activities are sent home so that they can show you their results and complete extra practice if necessary. KIRF tests will take place every Tuesday.

Year 1 Autumn 1 Target: Number bonds to 6

Year 2 Autumn 1 Target: Number bonds to 20

TT (Times Table)Rockstars

It is the government's expectation that by the end of Year 4 the children can recall all their times table facts to x12, and recall them within 6 seconds. By the end of Year one, the children need to be able to count forwards and backwards in 2s, 5s, and 10s. At the end of the year 2, the children will need to be able to recall multiplication and division facts for the x2, x5 and x10 tables without using their fingers to calculate.

TT Rockstars (TimesTable Rockstars) is a fun way to practise timestables. Teachers can set the Garage mode so the children only have to practise the times tables they are working on in class. In the game, the children can collect points to "buy" accessories for their TT Rockstars character. Your child has a log in and password recorded inside their reading record. We are encoruaging the children to log on and have a go at home to become familiar with the website. Please ask for more information if you need it.

Spellings

The children learn 5 spellings each week in their spelling booklet. If two or more spellings are spelt incorrectly on test days, they must stay on this set before they move on. For every set they complete, they can colour part of the picture at the back of the spelling booklet. Learning the key spellings is a great way to ensure your child is confident with spelling key words in their independent writing. Spelling tests will take place every Tuesday.

Autumn Term

English: Rex by Simon James with other supporting texts: Baby brains by Simon James, Dear Greenpeace by Simon James, Yum Yum - food chains, King of all the Dinosaurs poem by Paul Cookson, harvest and fireworks poetry, range of fables

  • Science: Animals and food chains
  • History: Significant people from the past: Florence Nightingale
  • Art: Exploring different drawing skills- tone, shading, texture
  • Geography: Seasonal and daily weather patterns in the UK, naming the countries and oceans of the world.
  • Playtime Toast Sales: If your child would like toast at playtime please send £1 in an envelope on Monday, which will cover the cost of toast for one week.

PE is on a Monday and Thursday.

If you have any concerns or queries please contact the class teacher on Showbie. The staff at the door can pass messages on to the class teacher. Our door is always open, so please do not hesitate to get in contact should you need to.