Hello and Welcome to Maple Class page,

Your teachers this year are: Mrs Yeandle and Miss Reed. Your teaching assistants are: Mrs Pearce, Mrs Muchmore and Mrs Dyer. For one afternoon per week Mrs Kelly will teach topic and a Premier Sports coach will teach PE to Maple.

As mathematicians, Year 1 have been learning about numbers to 10 and part - whole within 10.  The second and third unit respectively are addition within 10 and subtraction within 10.  Year 2 are looking at numbers to 100, moving on to a unit on addition and subtraction and looking at fact families. They have also been practising skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. Maths lessons are delivered using the Power Maths WRM scheme. We have recently started a new maths scheme to improve fluency from NCTEM. We also practice our arithmetic skills daily through 'Fluent in Five'. 

This half-term, Year 2 will focus their English learning around the book "Troll Swap" where they will practise writing a story using different sentence types including exclamatory statements, statements, and questions, following the story pattern, using expanded noun phrases, past tense verbs and punctuating their sentences correctly. Their writing will focus on including subordination (if, when, because) and coordination (and, but). They will start to use our new spelling programme 'Pathways to Spell'. They also have weekly Guided Reading sessions.

The Year 1s will continue to learn phonics with Fred Frog and practise writing skills through different story books as part of Read, Write Inc.   

For more information about Read Write Inc please follow this link where it explains all the language and how it works - https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/

This half-term we are being Geographers and our topic is Here I am.  Children will learn about features of our local area on a map including physical and human features.  They will learn the key differences between different types of settlements: villages, towns and cities as well as learning about the points on a compass. 

As scientists we will be exploring plants and plant growth.  The children will look at seeds, seed germination, parts of a plant and what a plant needs to grow e.g. water, light and the correct temperature.  Each child will have the opportunity to grow a plant from seed.   

In RE Year 1 will be looking at the story of Creation and how we can draw close to God through creation and prayer.  We will learn about looking after God's world and will make individual pledges to look after God's creation and work together as a class to create something to help look after God's world.    

In Year 2 they will look at the story of Noah from the Old Testament and look at the theme of water that symbolises new life.  We will learn about baptism and share our individual experiences of baptism through memories and photographs. We will learn the various symbols used in baptism including water, oil, a candle, a white garment and a cross. 

In ICT Year 1 will be practising to log on to the laptops using their login cards and how to access simple ICT games as well as understand what each button on the keyboard represents and how to log off and shut down successfully.  Year 2 will be practising logging on to Accelerated Reader to become competent at completing their online reading quizzes. 

In DT Maple will start a new unit on healthy eating and the importance of a balanced diet, trying different fruits and vegetables before deciding their recipe for a delicious smoothie. They will practise cutting, chopping, slicing, juicing and peeling as well as how to clean up their work stations successfully.

In PSHE and RHE we will look at ''Being Me". Within this unit Maple will explore their hopes and fears for the year ahead as well as the rights and responsibilities they have from belonging to Maple class. They will learn that their contributions, actions and choices help make Maple a safe and fair place to learn and where there are rewards and consequences for their actions.  Children will discuss and agree on a learning charter for the class to follow for the coming year.    

In Music this term, Year 1s learning is focused around two songs: Rhythm In The Way We Walk (Reggae style) and Banana Rap (Hip Hop style). You will Listen & Appraise other styles of music and continue to embed the interrelated dimensions of music through games and singing. Year 2s learning is focused around one song: Hands, Feet, Heart. The material presents an integrated approach to music where games, the dimensions of music (pulse, rhythm, pitch etc), singing and playing instruments are all linked. As well as learning to sing, play, improvise and compose with this song, children will listen and appraise different styles of South African music.

Below you will find the key vocabulary for science and geography. Please talk to your child about these key words to find out more about what they have been learning! 

Please come back soon to see what we’ve been up to!