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
- 16th 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 then focus on identifying and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. We will then identify and name common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. We will also be describing and comparing the structure of a variety of common animals.
PSHE and MUSIC
In PSHE, we will be looking at what it means to belong to a community. We will focus on how to look at our environment and the rules we need to follow to care for each other. We will also discuss our responsibility to look after our environment.
This half term we will have Music lessons again. The focus will be on composing and improvising simple vocal chants. We will create musical sound effects and short sequences of sound in response to a stimuli. This will include playing instruments and using sound-makers.
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 rocket.
Computing
We will continue to develop our computer skills by using a range of different programmes including word, powerpoint and 2simple. We will look at creating and saving documents as well as moving images around within a document.
If you would like any further details about this half term's curriculum in Year 1, please speak to your child's teacher.