Welcome to Spencer Class!

 Class Teacher: Mrs Weston

 Classroom Assistant: Mrs Holifield

Spencer class is full of discovery, growth, and adventure in learning! This is a special stage in your child's educational journey, where we focus on laying a strong foundation for their future success.

In Year 1, we aim to create a nurturing and supportive environment where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to explore their full potential. We understand that each child is unique, with their own talents and interests, and we are dedicated to helping them grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Our approach centres on:

Nurturing Individual Growth

We recognise the importance of supporting each child's personal development. Through kindness, encouragement, and patience, we will guide each child in building confidence, resilience, and a love of learning. 

Growing Talents

Every child brings their own set of skills and abilities to the classroom. We will celebrate their strengths and provide opportunities for them to discover and develop new talents, whether in reading, maths, art, science, P.E., music or other areas. 

Support Every Step of the Way 

Learning is a journey, and we are here to walk alongside each child every step of the way. Our teaching team is committed to providing individualised support, fostering collaboration, and creating an inclusive environment where all children thrive. 

A Meaningful Learning Journey

In Spencer Class, we embark on a rich and varied curriculum designed to ignite curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning. Through hands-on activities, creative projects, and interactive lessons, we aim to make learning exciting, engaging, and meaningful. 

We like to work closely with parents to ensure each child's time in Year 1 is a positive and rewarding experience. Together, we can nurture a love of learning that will last a lifetime. 

Our Learning Journey

TERM 1:

As we begin the year, we’ll ensure our mornings begin with soft landings, creating a safe and happy environment for our children. This approach will help them confidently engage with the Zones of Regulation, fostering emotional awareness and self-regulation. In Geography, we’ll embark on an exciting exploration of our incredible planet! We’ll dive into the continents and oceans, discovering how their locations influence climates. Students will learn how temperatures decrease as we move from the equator to the poles, revealing the fascinating world of climatic zones. Our role as Tour Guides will take us through our village, where we’ll uncover the unique physical and human features that define our community. Using maps, Google Earth, aerial photographs, and fieldwork, we’ll discover the wonders of our little village. In Art, we’ll channel the style of Georgia O’Keeffe, designing and painting flowers inspired by our village pottery gardens. Each child will create a unique pebble to represent their identity and craft calm jars to help regulate their feelings. In English, we’ll write independent stories inspired by ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and celebrate our uniqueness through ‘Only One You’ and ‘You Be You’ by Linda Krantz. Our focus in Maths will be on numbers to 10, counting forwards and backwards, understanding one more and one less, writing numbers and their names, comparing numbers, and mastering number bonds to 10. In Science, we’ll spark curiosity about humans, our bodies, and our senses. Students will name and label various body parts while exploring the importance of our senses in our daily lives.

 

 

TERM 2:

This term, we are embarking on an exhilarating learning journey that promises to ignite our imaginations and expand our knowledge! We will travel back in time to the Jurassic era, exploring the fascinating world of dinosaurs and uncovering their historical significance. In Maths, we will employ the part-part-whole method to master addition and find the difference, while also learning the value of numbers up to twenty, enhancing our mathematical skills. To fuel our creativity, we will dive into the enchanting story of The Girl and the Dinosaur, inspiring us to write our own thrilling tales filled with adventure and imagination. Key Stage 1 will also come alive with our Christmas nativity, The Fleece Force, where we will perform joyfully, celebrating the festive spirit together. In Science, we will engage with everyday materials by collecting, identifying, classifying, observing, and naming them. With our newfound knowledge, we will create a moving dinosaur within a dazzling Jurassic scene. Furthermore, we will channel our inner potters by crafting beautiful Christmas decorations from clay, learning about the fascinating processes of kilns and glazing.

 

TERM 3:

Join us this term for an exciting adventure as we delve into the fascinating world of castles! As Historians, we will explore the majestic features of these historical structures, discovering who lived in them and how they were defended. Our journey will take us to Oxford Castle, where we will experience a real local castle firsthand. To bring history to life, we will also create a medieval banquet at school! In Science, we will investigate the materials used in medieval castles compared to those in our modern homes, collecting and classifying everyday materials. As Artists, we will continue our exploration of the colour wheel, mixing primary colours to create vibrant secondary colours. We will draw and paint our own castle masterpieces, design shields, and craft stunning stained-glass windows inspired by the modern Brazilian artist Romero Britto. In English, we will unleash our creativity by writing our own stories inspired by ‘The Princess and the Pea’. We will also dive into ‘The Snowflake Mistake’, focusing on rhyme and crafting a delightful Snow acrostic poem. In Maths, we will work with numbers up to 20, mastering addition, subtraction, and understanding the value of teen numbers using tens and ones. Get ready for a term filled with learning, creativity, and fun!

 

TERM 4:

As Geographers, we will focus on our precious planet, diving into the wonders of where we live in this incredible world. We will explore the countries that make up the UK, their capital cities, and the seas that surround them. Together, we will discover how we can help protect our oceans from pollution, understanding that as global citizens, we all have a role in caring for our planet for future generations. In Design, we will unleash our creativity by designing and making our own ‘Save the Planet’ t-shirts to wear at our WOW event! In English, we will write heartfelt letters to Mother Earth, expressing our apologies for harming our precious planet and suggesting ways to protect it. Our focus book, ‘Here We Are’ by Oliver Jeffers, will inspire us with enlightening ideas. As part of World Book Day, we will read 'I Wonder' and create an acrostic poem along with wonder boxes and butterflies. In Maths, we will concentrate on numbers from 0 to 50, exploring their value through number lines, addition and subtraction, number bonds, fact families, and solving engaging picture and word problems. As scientists, we will embark on an exploration of animals, classifying them into different groups based on their appearance and diet. Additionally, we will adopt an endangered animal as part of our global advocacy project, helping to protect our precious planet.

 

TERM 5:

This term, we are diving into the enchanting world of Chinese myths and traditions. Our storybooks, Chopsticks and The Runaway Wok, will spark our imaginations and inspire us to write letters and stories, all while honing our writing skills. We will focus on using capital letters, finger spaces, and full stops to make our writing shine. In Maths, we will explore numbers up to 50, mastering addition, subtraction, and solving number problems. We will also investigate length, height, weight, and volume, making Maths both fun and practical. As budding geographers, we will locate China and the United Kingdom on the map and explore their unique physical and human features. Comparing Beijing and London will help us understand their similarities and differences, using accurate geographical vocabulary. In Design, we will construct a bridge and test its strength! As scientists, we will delve into the fascinating world of plants, learning how they grow, identifying different types, and understanding how seasons affect their growth. We will even grow our own sunflowers to witness healthy plant growth firsthand!