Welcome to Moonstone Class!
Moonstone Class is made up of 25 wonderful Year 1 children and our class teachers are called Mrs Keenan and Mrs Robinson.
(Mrs Robinson teaches us every Monday and every other Tuesday, and Mrs Keenan teaches us the rest of the days).
We are very lucky across Year 1 to be supported by lots of fabulous teaching assistants at different times during the week, and these are: Mrs White, Miss Hawkins, Mrs Dowthwaite, Miss Gaunt and Miss Bossman.
On our webpage you will find some important information such as our spellings and any important dates for your diary. These will also be communicated on Class Dojo where further regular updates will be shared so please make sure you are connected.
We hope you enjoy seeing all of the fantastic things that we do in Moonstone Class.
Feel free to send me a message any time on Class Dojo, or through my school email:
ghardaker@dovedale.derbyshire.sch.uk
(I got married last year but I still use my old email address!)
Key Dates
- Monday 5th January - Back to school
- Wednesday 4th February - Expert Group Afternoon
- Friday 13th February - Break up
- Monday 23rd February - Back to school
PE Days
Our PE Days for Spring 1 are as follows:
Indoor PE - Every Tuesday afternoon
Outdoor PE - Every Thursday afternoon
The PE kit should include:
A plain red/white t-shirt (with or without the school logo)
A plain black sports jacket
Plain black or navy joggers or shorts (weather dependent)
Trainers or plimsoles
Reading
Your child will receive a reading diary and a wallet containing 2 books. The first book is a black and white ‘storybook’ – this will be a copy of the book your child has learned to read in their Read, Write Inc phonics group. They will know this book and should be able to read it fluently – this is their book where they can show off their great reading skills to you! The second book is a ‘Book Bag Book’ – this book will be matched to your child’s phonics knowledge. Although they will not have read this book in school, they should be able to read it quite easily. This book enables your child to apply their phonic skills independently and for this reason, this is the book we encourage you to focus on at home.
Soon the children will be receiving a library book. This will be a book to share together at home. We promote a love of books and reading at school and would like to encourage this at home. We do not expect children to be able to read the sharing book themselves, but we do expect them to enjoy listening to it, learning from it and talking to you about it!
In order for our phonics teaching to work effectively, it is essential that all books are returned to school. After hearing your child read at home, or sharing a book together, please make sure all books go straight back into their reading wallet / bag so they are always readily available at school. Depending on their phonics group, children will be given new reading books every 4 to 6 days.
Please note:
- Some black and white storybooks have a space for the child's name. Please leave this blank as these are not personal copies, and will be re-used.
Finally, a reminder that we ask for you to hear your child read at least 3 times each week. Please sign your child’s reading diary after each read and include any comments you would like to make. If your child has read at least 3 times each week, their name will get entered into our Reading Raffle!
Spellings
After the first few weeks of school, your child will receive weekly spellings to learn at home. We don't start them straight away as we want to give your child time to settle into Year 1 life before throwing something else at them! Once we start spelling tests, please support your child with practising their spellings at home so that they are ready for their weekly spelling test. The spelling test will take place every Friday. We don't try to 'catch the children' out with the spelling tests - we help/support them (especially at the start) and we use them as more of a learning point!
When we give the children the spelling booklets, the children will also receive log in details for a website/app called Spelling Shed. Spelling Shed is used across the school and it allows the children to practise their weekly spellings in a fun way. The children love using Spelling Shed.
Please see the link below for other fun ways to practise spellings at home.
Please find information below on our learning during the Spring 1 term.
Maths - This half term, the children will cover Place Value and Addition and Subtraction. Within the Place Value block, children will count, find one more/one less, use a number line, estimate, compare numbers and order numbers. Within the Addition and Subtraction block, children will add by counting on, add using number bonds, find doubles and near doubles, subtract using number bonds, count back, find the difference, find related facts and solve missing number problems.
Indoor PE - Our indoor PE this half term is Dance. Children will learn a dance called 'Animals'. They will practise their dance moves, perform in front of their peers and might even get to take part in a 'dance off' with the other Year 1 class!
Outdoor PE - Our learning block for this half term is 'Attacking and Defending'. Children will practise identify and find space, show understanding of basic attacking principles, learn basic defending principles and basic tactics in a game. Children will practise weaving in and out of stationary objects at pace.
Science - Children will continue the learning block of Materials however this half term focusses more on the properties of materials. Children will investigate the best materials for different items for 'Teddy's house' based on their properties. They will explore and experiment with a variety of materials, perform simple tests and describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials. Children will also compare and group together materials based on their properties.
RE (Religious Education) - Children will explore the key question 'Who is a Muslim and what do they believe?'. Children will identify ways a Muslim might describe their God, retell a story about the Prophet Muhammad, recognise special objects used by Muslims, recognise and describe the significance of the Mosque to Muslim and will recognise the importance of the Quran to Muslims.
PSCHE (Personal, Social, Citizenship, Health and Economic education) - Children will explore the learning block 'Exploring Emotions'. During this half term, children will recognise a range of feelings and use appropriate words to describe them, recognise how others show feelings and how to respond. Children will explore how to communicate feelings to others and will develop simple strategies for managing feelings. Children will also recognise that their behaviour can affect others.
Geography - Our Geography learning block for this half term is 'Human and Physical Geography'. We will be exploring the seasons and weather patterns and applying the knowledge we learn to have a go at becoming weather forecasters ourselves! We will also learn the definitions of 'human' and 'physical' geography and identify the human and physical geographical features of Long Eaton and comparing these with other places in the UK.
DT - Our skill focus in DT this half term is 'structures'. We will explore some everyday household structures and how their design makes them suitable for their needs. We will then be designing and making a photo frame, designed for a chosen audience, and selecting the appropriate materials and tools to ensure it is fit for its purpose.
Music - Our learning block for this half term is 'How does music make the world a better place?'. Through this, the children will be introduced to Tempo and Dynamics. It celebrates a wide range of musical styles. The clearly sequenced lessons support the key areas of the English Model Music Curriculum; Listening, Singing, Playing, Composing and Performing. Children will practise these skills using the songs If you're happy and you know it, Sing me a song, Sparkle, Rhythm in the way we walk and Big bear funk.
Computing - Our learning block for this term is 'Programming A - Moving a Robot'. Children will be introduced to early programming concepts. They will explore using individual commands, both with other children and as part of a computer program. They will identify what each command for the floor robot does, and use that knowledge to start predicting the outcome of programs. Children will also be introduced to the early stages of program design through the introduction of algorithms. Children will also consider how to use technology responsibly. Every Wednesday's assembly will focus on Online Safety to enable children to stay safe growing up in this digitally-rich world!
