Topic Summary
Can we touch the moon?
This topic starts with the enquiry question ‘Can we touch the moon?’ The children learn about Neil Armstrong, Sputnik and Laika the dog, providing a stimulus for creativity and enquiry. We will work creatively to design and build our own rockets and think logically about what animals and humans need to survive. The children will develop their knowledge of the ‘space race’ to understand historical events and their place on timelines.
In the topic we will be teaching the children the following key concepts:
- Creativity – Do you think the creation of the rocket is a good thing?
- Influence – Have you been influenced to thrive for the impossible?
- Collaboration – How has collaboration changed the world?
- Logic – How can we join materials successfully together?
Curriculum Visits/Events
- 18th February - Centre for Life Visit
Subject Information
Key Texts and stimulus:
- Man on the Moon
- The Way Back Home
- Counting on Katherine
- How to be an Astronaut
- Beegu
- Meet the Planets
English
We will be using these texts as inspiration for our writing, using our knowledge from our daily phonics lessons to segment the words we want to spell before using our sound knowledge to support us writing them.
We will continue encouraging children to expand sentences using adjectives and the conjunctions ‘and’. We will introduce using question marks and writing in the past tense. This will support us as we begin to develop our Non-Fiction writing.
Maths
We will begin by looking at developing a strong number sense within 20, looking at counting on and counting back as well as finding one more and one less. We will then begin to look at addition and subtraction within 20. We will focus on using our number bonds to 10 to support solving problems. We will be using maths resources such as number lines, Numicon, part-part whole models, 10 frames and many other practical equipment.
Science
In Science this half term we will be exploring and observing seasonal changes and plants in Winter.
We will spend the rest of the term using our scientific skills to investigate floating/ sinking, freezing/melting, transparency /opaqueness and water absorbency. Most of our investigations will use the context of problems involving space travel.
PSHE and MUSIC
In PSHE, we will learn how rules are important to keep ourselves and our communities safe. We will explore hazards around us and how people help to keep us safe. We will talk about what to do if lost or worried and how to ask trusted adults for help.
In Music this half term we will be focusing on echo singing, composing word patterns, improving mi-re-do and playing a percussion ostinato based on the song ‘Football’ by Alison Burns and Tony Bonning.
Design Technology
This half term we will evaluate simple shape and proportion looking at the features of a rocket. We will use our knowledge of materials and explore woodwork skills of joining materials together. We will use these skills to design and make a toy rocket.
Computing
We will develop our keyboard skills, making lists and ordering instructions. We then use drawing software to design and label rockets. After making our rockets, we will collect and record data around the length of their journeys.
If you would like any further details about this half term's curriculum in Year 1, please speak to your child's teacher.
Credits:
Created with images by PhotoArt Thomas Klee - "Six colourful rubber ducks, a family of ducks, yellow, blue, purple, black, white and orange, swimming in the water in a paddling pool" • fuzzbones - "Keep you safe" • JavierArtPhotography - "Open Bible"