Welcome to Oak Class
Years 1 & 2
Class Teacher: Sarah Mathys & Louise Wright
Learning Journey
This half term our Learning Journey question is ‘Can I explain what makes my local area unique?’ In this enquiry we will look at key human and physical features of Totnes, including what facilities there are available, and will explore how land is used, how this impacts on the lives of the people that live here and what makes Totnes so special.
We will present our learning by writing an information piece for a brochure for Totnes.
PE Days
Our PE days are Monday and Wednesday. Children are to arrive at school dressed in their PE kit on this day.
Outdoor Learning
In Oak Class lots of our learning happens outdoors, so please ensure children have their wellies and a waterproof coat in school each day.
Reading
In Phonics, children read their story books three times at school and then take a similar book home to read. This helps to develop their confidence and fluency as well as encouraging them to focus more on their comprehension, punctuation and expression. Children need to have their reading book and reading record in school every day. This is changed each Friday, and children also have the option of choosing a book from our reading corner which can be changed on any day. Our main homework in Oak Class is to read this book daily in order to practise these skills. All children are expected to read for at least 10 minutes and parents/ carers are asked to keep a log of their reading in their Reading Record. Children can then earn stickers as part of our reading challenge in class!
As the year goes on, Y1 children will bring home Phonics packs with tailored challenges to support them with their Phonics at home. You can also support your child by practising their red words and Set 2 and 3 Special Friends. As Y2 children move out of Phonics, they will have access to Accelerated Reader, which will enable them to read a range of books suited to their reading level and to quiz themselves regularly to check their understanding!
You can access further books suited to your child’s reading level on:
Spelling Practice
Spelling rules from our weekly spelling lessons can be practised on Spelling Shed ahead of our weekly spelling test each Wednesday (new spellings are set every Wednesday). The children are encouraged to practise their spellings at home.
Maths
In Oak Class this half term, we are focusing on Place Value. In Year 1, the children will sort, count and represent objects to 10. They will also begin to recognise numbers as words and count forwards and backwards to 10. We will also develop their vocabulary by introducing mathematical words to describe numbers, for example ‘fewer, more, greater than, equal to.’ They will then be able to use this language to compare and order numbers.
In Year 2, the children will be working with numbers to 100. They will use Place Value charts and base 10 to partition numbers into tens and ones and they will learn how to write these numbers as words. The children will use number lines and hundred squares to develop their understanding of Place Value, and estimate, count and compare numbers. We will revisit counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s and begin to count in 3’s.
Children can practise these key areas, including their individual targets, on ‘MyMaths’ or ‘Topmarks.’ As we introduce times tables, the children will be able to log on to ‘Times Table Rock Stars’ to practise these. Each Friday, the children are set a homework task, usually on ‘MyMaths’ to complete by the following Friday.
Homework
Any additional homework will be set via Class Dojo, however, our main homework in Oak Class is reading, spellings (which can be practised using Spelling Shed) and our MyMaths challenges.