Grasshopper Class (Year 1) 2025 - 2026

Welcome to the class page for Centipede Class.

Here you will find all of the exciting and wonderful things that your child will be learning during their time in Year 1. If you have any questions, please use Class Dojo or speak to a member of our team at drop off/ pick up.

Thank you

Autumn Half-term One

This half-term our class will be learning and rehearsing our writing skills using the text 'Old Bear' by Jane Hissey

Our writing focuses are:

Punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop

Adding 'es' or 's' to plural nouns

The children will be working on using story language, character and setting description and will be sequence simple sentences to form short narratives.  

Spellings

Children have spellings linked to their reading levels that are reviewed every week. For children who have completed these challenges in reading and spelling they progress onto the Year 1 common exception words. 

This half term in maths we are going to be working on:

Place Value within 10 & Addition and Subtraction within 10

Place Value within 10 small steps

• sort objects, count objects, count objects from a larger group, represent objects, recognise numbers as words, count on from any number, one, more, count back from 10, one less, compare groups by matching, fewer, more and the same, less than, greater than and equal to, compare and order objects and numbers, the number line

 Addition and Subtraction within 10

• introduce parts and wholes, part/part whole model, write number sentences, fact families, number bonds to 10, add together, add more, addition problems, subtraction - find a part, fact families, take away/ crossing out, how many left?, subtraction on a number line.

Numbots

Year 1 children will begin to use this fun, interactive maths game on their tablets. It is a great game to support children in fluency with numbers. They will be given a user name and password which can be used to access the game online at home. 

Everyday 8.50 - 9.30 am we will have our phonics lesson. Each child will bring home a shiny book and paper book which are matched to the sounds they are learning in their phonics group. Your child will have read the paper copy already in school and will be able to share this with you independently. The shiny book will be new to them and they may require some adult support with this as they decode the words. 

Reading Expectations

Read with your child every day even if it is just 2 minutes- this can make all the difference. 
Please record all home reading in your child’s reading diary so we can ensure that your child is receiving their vending machine book or reading buddy. Frequent reader prizes will be awarded on a Thursday. 

When reading, ask your child about what they think might happen next in the story, how they think the character is feeling, who the author is and what do they do. 

It does not have to be their paper or shiny book they read, it can be any. Remember, you too can read to them - change your voice for expression, bring the characters to life. 
Shiny book bag books MUST be returned to school every day ready to be changed every Monday. 
Paper books ( they are the same as what they are reading within their phonics lesson to promote confidence) should be coming into school every day so that they are ready to be changed every Friday. 
Reading diaries MUST come in every day regardless of whether or not they have been written in - we cannot replace them if they are continuously being lost or not taken care of.  

The children who have progressed off the RWI phonics scheme will be joining the Whole Class Shared Reading Class. During these sessions they will be reading a shared narrative and learning more complex reading skills using VIPERS. To learn and practise these skills we be using the text 'Above and Below'. 

This half-term we will be learning all about Materials and their properties and uses.

In this topic children will:

• Identitfy and name materials
• recognise and name common materials
• differentiate between an object and the material it is made from
• describe properties, compare and group sorting materials
• simple investigations and tests to observe changes
• begin to understand why certain materials are used for different objects based on their properties

When working scientifically children will be able to:

Suggest ways to test materials for their properties, make predictions and recognise whether they were accurate, use their observations to answer questions, recognise if a test is fair. 

We will be having lots of fun learning through practical experiments and learning all about the famous scientist Charles Darwin

This half-term will be studying History

Our topic is 'Toys from the Past' 

Learning Objectives:

• Learning Objectives Identify changes over time- comparing their toys with those of their parents and grandparents
• Use historical sources such as artefacts, photographs and stories to find out the past
• Develop chronological understanding - begin to understand events by placing toys in chronological order 
• Compare and contrast old and new toys - identifying any similarities and differences in materials, design and function
• Explore materials and how toys have changed with technological advancements

Your child will have a music lesson each week, where they will learn to play instruments and explore their musical abilities. This half term our Year 1 topic is 'My Favourite Things' and our focus will be pulse and rythmn.

In PE this term, the children will be practising their running skills and also exploring their own health and well-being. 

Your child will have 2 PE lessons each week. Please ensure they come into school in their PE kit on these days. Grasshopper Class will have PE on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. 

This half-term our children do not have Forest School sessions.

Maths Family Home Learning will be handed out in books on a Monday to be completed by the following Monday. Each week children collect a star for their work and prizes will be awarded for the best participants. The standard of home learning in these home learning books has been exceptional so far. So please keep up the hard work and fun learning with your children.

Useful links

Class dojo

ttrockstars 

Rules of spellings
"ee" sound in a "y" sound e.g. smelly, cheeky, belly, sneaky. 
turning the "y" into an "i" for pural use e.g. babys - babies,  cherrys- cherries, berrys- berries. 

Sentences and Writing Expectations 
Is your child consistently using captial letters for the start of their sentence, names of places and people?
Is your child consistently using the correct punctuation to finish a sentence? E.g. The black dragon flew across the dark sky. What would you like for your birthday? Charlie was so exicted! 
Is your child using a range of adjectives to describe? E.g The red, hot fire crackled. 
Is your child using the word 'and' to join two clauses together? E.g. A huge and grumpy orge. 
Is your child using the suffix -ed, -ing, -est, -er? 

Home resource - Youtube 
Simply type in "tricky words set 2 / 3 to support your child's learning of red words they find within their RWI books. 
Question starters - why, who, when, where, how, do...great home resource simply type in "Question Starters"  look for the red background.
Jack Hartman - Multiply by 2,3,5,10 (youtube)
Oxford Owl - phonics 
Learning walks - asking your child what a tree or the clouds look like, how many birds they can see, counting how many cars they saw. 

General Reminders:

Please ensure that your child's belongings are clearly labelled – uniform, water bottles etc.

Water bottles should contain water only.

Most communication will be done via Class Dojo. This is a great way to upload and home learning and WOW moments. You can also use this to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any questions or concerns.