Our Year 1 Class (ages 5-6 years), forms part of the Key Stage 1 phase of Primary school. In Year 1 learning takes place through a structured approach, which continues to incorporate play based learning and moves into more formal academic learning which builds on the skills developed in the foundation stage of the Pre-Primary curriculum.
Learning is based on the English National Curriculum for the foundation subjects. This provides a framework for learning which is enriched by an awareness of the context of our host country and the international background of our students.
We continue to incorporate a range of activities within the program that are inclusive and personalised for each child. We reserve the right to modify our programme based on the needs of our students.
Year 1 is a critical building block and a gateway to more formal academic learning. Our goal is to prepare each child by the end of Year 1, to be ready for the greater independence expected in Year 2.
The following information provides an overview of expected topics to be covered during Year 1.
English
The English curriculum is not taught in isolation, as the language of instruction at Hillview is English. However, there are key skills that may need to be taught as stand alone sessions. The English curriculum builds on the Emergent Literacy Skills introduced in the Reception Year and the outcomes for the end of Year 1 are students who are confident readers, who have well established speaking and listening skills and are writers and presenters at an age appropriate level.
Our outcomes are achieved through teaching and learning focused on the following key areas:
Phonics
We follow the ‘Letters and Sounds’ scheme which focuses on Phases 3-5 of the English National Curriculum. This means that the children will learn about the 44 phonemes in the English language and how these are blended to produce words.
Reading
The focus is on developing the students’ ability to decode simple Consonant Vowel Consonant (CVC) words. In addition to this there is a focus on learning to recognise ‘tricky or sight words’ which do not follow conventional rules. These are also known as ‘High Frequency words’ which form part of the essential building blocks of early reading and writing.
We use a variety of texts from internationally recognised reading schemes to individualise reading progression for each child.
Writing
We use the ‘Mighty Writer’ programme to develop independent writing skills.
Spelling
We use the spelling assessment the Single Word Spelling Test (SWST) to establish a baseline for each student to explore known and unknown spelling rules. We can then individualise the spelling programme for each child.
Mathematics
All of the learning in Mathematics is through the Maths — No Problem! (MNP). This is a series of textbooks and workbooks written to meet the requirements of the 2014 English National Curriculum using the teaching strategies developed in Singapore that lead to them becoming world-leaders in Primary maths performance.
Topics to be explored include:
Number and Place Value
- Numbers to 10
- Numbers to 20
- Numbers to 40
- Numbers to 100
Calculations
- Addition and subtraction within 10
- Addition and subtraction within 20
- Multiplication and division
Fractions
- Making halves and quarters
- Sharing and grouping
Measurement
- Length and height
- Time
- Money
- Volume and capacity
- Mass
Geometry
- Positions
- Shapes and patterns
- Space
Science
- Plants
- Ourselves
- Living and Growing
- Material Properties
- Forces
- Sound
Humanities
- The development of homes
- Toys through time
- The history of flight
- Round the World – snapshots of different countries and cultures
- Our Local Environment
- Simple mapping
Computing and ICT
- Technology around us
- Working with Images
- Coding
Art and Design
Pupils will be taught:
- to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
- to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
- to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
- about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work
Music
- Use voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
- Play tuned and untuned instruments musically.
- Listen with concentration to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
- Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.
Drama
Pupils will be taught to:
- Use both voice and action to convey character and parts of a story
- Retell or invent structured stories and dialogue
- Explore emotions and reactions when performing and watching
- Develop social skills, working sensitively with others
PE
- Movement and dance lessons
- Coordination with bat and ball lessons
- Outdoor games
- Adventure climbing and balancing lessons
- Outdoor sport specific lessons
- Athletics and cross-country lessons
- Indoor gymnastics lessons
- Swimming
Personal Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education
- Being special
- Keeping myself safe
- Friendships
- Hillview Values
The outcome of the Year 1 programme are children who are ready to face the academic challenges of the Year 2 programme, who are happy, are able to communicate well, have the ability to think critically, who can share their thoughts and ideas with confidence and are beginning to understand how they learn best.