Year 1

Local Explorers

Get ready for an exciting adventure as children explore the place they call home! The children will begin by exploring the school grounds, followed by the area immediately surrounding the school, by taking part in activities that involve using and creating maps. Through these activities, they will learn how to follow and give directions, understand simple compass points, use map keys and symbols and draw their own routes around their local area. In computing, they will extend this learning by programming Bee-Bots to follow directions, helping to build their understanding of position and movement. During a local area walk, children will spot and name a range of physical and human features such as rivers, bridges, shops and historic buildings. While 'out and about' children will visit significant local landmarks, including Tewkesbury Abbey, to help them understand why people choose to visit their town.

Our Wild Neighbours

From curious foxes and clever badgers to mysterious owls and hedgehogs, children will learn all about the birds and mammals that live nearby and share our local environment. Children will explore what these animals eat, how they move and how their bodies are specially adapted to life in the wild. As the autumn season sets in, children will investigate how animals prepare for the colder months, with a special focus on nocturnal behaviour and hibernation. To deepen their connection with local wildlife, children will go on a walk around a nearby nature reserve to observe animals and their habitats first hand. Inspired by their learning, children will create observational drawings using a range of media, developing their still life skills in art lessons. Throughout this topic, children really will discover the vast array of wild neighbours that live on our doorstep and understand their role in taking responsibility for looking after them and protecting the environments they live in.

Spring Term (I)

Up! Up! And Away!

Join the children as they travel back in time to learn all about the history of aviation and the important individuals that shaped the way forward for the future of flight. The children will start by investigating early flying machines and how aviators were inspired by and got their ideas from birds in flight. Following this, the children will move onto learning about how ‘the Wright Brothers’ had the first successful aeroplane flight - a major milestone in human history - and then continue to learn about other important figures such as Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman and Mae Jemison, exploring why they were significant in inspiring others to follow a path of adventure and discovery. The children will develop their skills in chronology as they begin to understand timelines of events. Across this exciting topic, children will look at features of different flying machines and compare modern day aircrafts to early machines which will then lead onto the children using their creativity and design skills to make their very own flying machines as well as exploring 3D sculptures in art.

Spring Term (II)

Carnival of the Animals

Year 1 are going on a wild adventure to discover the animal kingdom! Children will build on their knowledge of wild animals in our locality by focussing on the reptiles, amphibians and fish that live in Britain too before extending this knowledge to find out about creatures that live across our world. Having discovered the important role that these creatures play in our world, children will turn their thinking to consider how humans can help to protect these creatures and their habitats. Using their scientific knowledge and skills, children will recognise the different features of a variety of their favourite animals before developing their understanding of how to classify animals, including humans, into groups. Stepping away from science, children will extend their learning about animals to the wider curriculum including dance, drama, music and art for an immersive and enjoyable learning experience.