WRITING:

To build confidence in writing, we will start by practising sentence writing with a focus on the correct use of capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Children will learn to identify nouns, proper nouns and adjectives to add variety and detail to their work. Linking to our topic, we will then work on creating speech bubbles and comic strips about animals living in different habitats.

SPELLING & PHONICS:

We will revise some of the trickier phonics sounds and digraphs from last year to promote accurate spelling of common words. Children will be encouraged to use these sounds to improve their reading and writing. In their spelling groups, children will then work on target spelling challenges each week, tackling some spelling rules to support their independent writing.

READING:

Children will continue to learn sight words by practising their word walls. By reading stories aloud in their reading groups, they will practise responding to punctuation to make their reading sound natural. They will be encouraged to add expression to bring their stories to life. Our first class novels of the year will be The Island Vet series by Gill Lewis.

LISTENING & TALKING:

Children will continue to develop their skills when listening for information to add to their comic strips. They will share their ideas and present their work to each other. Initially they will practise sharing what they have written to the class, then move on to developing their peer assessment skills with a partner.

NUMERACY:

Children will be counting, ordering, reading and writing numbers made up of two or three digits, developing their understanding of place value, including increasing and decreasing by tens and ones. Children will then work on the role of zero to represent numbers to 1000 using a range of concrete materials and resources.

Building on skills already practised, children will also revise and develop their addition and subtraction strategies. We will work on improving mental maths skills by creating and solving word problems using written number sentences.

MATHEMATICS:

Mathematical skills will be developed through links with our topic on Global Habitats.

Measuring:

Children will learn to measure length, weight and capacity and decide which type of measurement is most appropriate. We will record measurements using the standard units, including metres, centimetres, kilograms, litres and millilitres. Through hands on activities, we will estimate the length, weight and capacity of everyday objects and then measure them to compare the estimates with actual measurements.

Time:

We will work on the children’s understanding of clocks and will learn to tell the time using both analogue and digital systems. They will practise reading o’clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to in both formats. We will also explore the hours in a day, the days in a year, as well as the four seasons, and how the weather changes across the world.

PE

We will have weekly sessions in the gym hall and on the MUGA to play a variety of team games. This will encourage children to develop their teamwork skills, including cooperation, communication, active listening, kindness and empathy. We will work on developing fitness and discuss the importance of maintaining physical fitness as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Health

We will be focusing on resilience, supporting each other to develop a growth mindset as we settle into our learning. We will continue to learn about children’s rights as part of our Rights Respecting School accreditation. We will practise daily mindful breathing after lunch to ensure everybody is calm and ready to learn.

Native Animals and Birds

In Term 1 our topic will be ‘Native Animals and Birds’. We will investigate the animals and birds native to Scotland, as well as the physical landscape of where they live. Linked to the creatures mentioned in our class novel, we will learn about different types of animals and our responsibility to look after them and their habitats.

Global Habitats

In Term 2 we will widen our topic and learn more about different habitats across the world, including rainforests, deserts and the polar regions. Children will learn to understand the key features of these landscapes and develop their understanding of the unique geography of different parts of the World.