Welcome to Our Kingfisher Class Page!
Knowledge Organisers
Year 1 English
This half term, Year 1 children will be exploring the exciting journey story Coming Home by Michael Morpurgo. Through daily shared reading, children will follow the adventures of a small bird travelling across forests, rivers, mountains and seas on its long journey home. As they read, children will identify the key parts of the story, including the setting, protagonist, problem, climax and resolution, and develop their understanding of how stories are organised.
Children will explore the challenges and dangers the bird faces along the way, including storms, predators and difficult weather conditions. They will discuss how these events build tension in the story and how the bird eventually finds safety and returns home. Children will also learn about first-person narration, recognising that the story is told from the bird’s point of view and considering how this helps readers understand the bird’s thoughts and feelings.
In writing, children will focus on building accurate simple sentences, identifying subjects and predicates, and using personal pronouns such as I, me and my. They will practise writing through dictation activities, improve their handwriting and develop confidence in using capital letters and full stops correctly. By the end of the unit, children will draw on their understanding of the story to retell a key part of the narrative in the first person, including an opening, problem and resolution.
Through reading, discussion, oral storytelling and writing, children will develop important skills in comprehension, vocabulary, sentence construction and storytelling, while enjoying a rich and engaging text by one of Britain's best-loved authors.
Year 1 Maths
This half term, Year 1 children will develop their mathematical understanding as they extend their work with number and place value from 20 to 100. Children will practise counting forwards and backwards, recognising patterns within the number sequence, representing numbers on number lines and comparing and ordering numbers. They will also explore finding one more and one less than a given number and begin to estimate where numbers belong on a number line.
Building on their previous learning about addition and subtraction within 20, children will investigate number facts for 7, 8, 9 and 10. They will learn to partition these numbers in different ways and find related addition and subtraction facts, helping them develop a deeper understanding of number relationships and improve their fluency with basic calculations. Throughout this work, children will regularly apply their knowledge through problem-solving activities that encourage reasoning and mathematical thinking.
Towards the end of the half term, children will extend their geometry knowledge by exploring 3D shapes. They will learn to recognise, name and describe common 3D shapes, including cubes, cuboids, pyramids and spheres, and compare their features using mathematical vocabulary.
Throughout every maths lesson, children will continue to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills through practical activities, discussion and regular retrieval practice, helping to build confidence and secure understanding of key mathematical concepts.
Year 2 English
This half term we will be studying ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens and re-told by Gill Tavner. This famous story set in Victorian England will allow the children to immerse themselves in a historical period where the world was different. Through understanding the protagonist Scrooge, the children will come to understand that people can change if they are shown the consequences of their actions and that love and forgiveness will always win through.
We will build on the grammar learnt in the first half term and explore compound sentences using the coordinating conjunctions of ‘and’ and ‘but.’ We will also give further focus to understanding the components of a compound sentence and how a pronoun replaces the subject in the second main clause. By the end of the half term, the children will be re-writing part of the story using the three part structure of opening, problem and resolution. Finally, we will look at the poem ‘On the Ning Nang Nong’ by Spike Milligan and listen for the rhyme within it. We will then look to perform the poem in front of the class.
Daily reading will look at key vocabulary and draw on the main character’s actions to understand their thoughts and feelings and redemption. We will focus heavily on language comprehension skills with decoding being taught within daily phonics lessons but supported in the text reads of ‘A Christmas Carol.’
Year 2 Maths
In maths this half term, we will continue to re-visit place value making sure we understand the value of digits within numbers up to 100. This must be secure to ensure that children are able to accurately and confidently add and subtract which is the first focus for us. Initially, we will be adding and taking away single digit numbers without bridging. Then we will continue with bridging before adding and subtracting 10’s. There will also be a focus on understanding commutativity. As always there will be a strong practical focus to support the children’s understanding.
After this we will continue our studies looking at more shape properties as well as position and direction. The focus will be on accurately identifying cones and cylinders before looking at the shapes of the faces on 3d shapes and then finally comparing 3d and 2d shapes using their previously taught knowledge.
Then, before Christmas, we will complete a unit of study on multiplication and division. To be able to complete this unit successfully, children need to be able to count confidently in 2’s, 3’s,, 5’s and 10’s so this is something that can be supported at home. We will look at the link between multiplication and repeated addition and arrays to show equal groups as well as multiplication being commutative. When studying division, we will look at how it is not commutative and how to record division statements when sharing and grouping.
Wider curriculum - These lessons will take place within our mixed tutor groups and will be carefully adapted to meet the needs of all learners, ensuring every child is supported and challenged to achieve their best.
Science
This half term, Years 1 and 2 will be learning about living things and their environments. Children will investigate the differences between things that are alive, dead and never been alive before exploring a variety of habitats and the plants and animals that live within them.
Children will learn about habitats found in the UK and around the world, including woodlands, rainforests, deserts, meadows and underground habitats. They will discover how different plants and animals are suited to their environments and how habitats provide the food, water and shelter living things need to survive.
As the unit progresses, children will explore how living things depend on one another and will be introduced to simple food chains. Through practical investigations, outdoor learning and observations, children will develop their scientific knowledge while learning more about the natural world around them.
History
This half term, Years 1 and 2 will be learning about the Romans in Britain. Children will discover who the Romans were, how they built a vast empire and why they invaded Britain. They will learn about important historical figures, including Julius Caesar, Emperor Claudius and Boudicca, and find out about Boudicca’s rebellion against Roman rule.
As the unit progresses, children will explore the Roman army and investigate what life was like in Roman Britain. They will learn about the towns, roads and buildings the Romans created and consider how Britain changed during this period. Children will also discover that many aspects of Roman life remained long after the Roman armies left Britain.
Through stories, maps, discussion and historical enquiry, children will develop their understanding of the past and learn about the lasting impact the Romans had on Britain.
Art
This half term, Years 1 and 2 will be exploring colour, shape and texture through the work of a range of artists. Children will learn about Henri Matisse and his famous cut-outs, discovering how he used colourful paper, organic shapes and complementary colours to create artwork. They will create their own cut-outs, experimenting with colour, shape and composition to develop their artistic skills.
Later in the unit, children will learn about visual texture and how artists show what something feels like through their artwork. They will study paintings by Albrecht Dürer and Jan van Eyck, exploring how different marks, colours and techniques can represent textures such as fur, fabric and other surfaces. Children will then apply these ideas in their own creative work, using a range of materials to create detailed observational drawings and textured artworks.
Through looking closely at artworks, discussing artistic techniques and creating their own pieces, children will develop their creativity, artistic knowledge and confidence in expressing their ideas through art.
R.E
This half term, the children will be exploring the Christian belief that Jesus is God on Earth through the Christmas story. They will learn about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, including the journeys of Mary and Joseph, the visit of the shepherds and Wise Men, and the special signs that Christians believe showed that Jesus was no ordinary baby. Children will be introduced to the word incarnation and learn that Christians use this word to describe God coming to Earth as Jesus.
Throughout the unit, we will investigate key characters from the Nativity story and consider why Jesus is important to Christians. They will explore the gifts brought by the Wise Men and discuss what these gifts might tell us about who Jesus was. Children will also look closely at Christian artwork, Nativity scenes and carols to discover how Christians remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus today.
As the unit progresses, the children will think about the messages Christians take from the Christmas story, including kindness, generosity and helping others. Through discussion, role play, art, music and storytelling, they will develop their understanding of why Christmas is a special celebration for Christians and how the idea of incarnation is at the heart of the Christmas story.
P.E
In PE we will continue to work on our fundamental skills using hand eye coordination. The children will focus on developing their fundamental movement skills through a range of games and physical activities. They will practise running, jumping, balancing, throwing, catching, rolling and striking, while developing their agility, coordination and confidence. These skills will enable them to take part in team games understanding cooperation and competition.
Our P.E. day will be Friday.
Computing
In computing, the children will continue their creative start by learning techniques to create digital artwork and then they will begin to look at spreadsheets by entering data and exploring simple formulas.
In the digital artwork unit they will learn to create artwork in the styles of impressionism, pointillism, pattern from the arts and crafts movement and of the artist Mondrian. By the end of this we hope the children will have quite the artistic portfolio!
After this creative unit they will look at spreadsheets. They will initially look at understanding what a spreadsheet is and then move on to editing one, entering and manipulating data before understanding how entered data can create simple block diagrams.
Music
This half term, Year 1 and Year 2 children will continue exploring Beat Music through the music of The Beatles. Building on their previous learning, children will further develop their understanding of pulse, beat, metre and tempo by listening to and performing well-known songs, including Yellow Submarine and Help!.
Children will continue to develop their singing and performance skills, learning how melodies and accompaniments work together to create a complete piece of music. They will use both tuned and untuned percussion instruments to accompany their singing and will become increasingly confident in reading and performing simple rhythmic patterns using musical notation.
As the unit progresses, children will explore how different instruments, rhythms and sound effects can be combined to enhance a performance. They will compare pieces of music, discuss their musical features and work collaboratively to rehearse and refine their performances. Through listening, composing and performing, children will build confidence, teamwork and musicianship as they prepare for a final class performance.
PSHE
This half term, Years 1 and 2 will be exploring relationships, emotions and wellbeing through their PSHE learning. Children will develop their understanding of a wide range of feelings, learning how to recognise emotions in themselves and others, talk about them using appropriate vocabulary and understand how feelings can affect behaviour. They will learn strategies to manage strong emotions, build resilience, develop positive self-esteem and know where to go for support when they need it.
Alongside this, children will explore friendships, kindness and anti-bullying. They will learn what makes a positive friendship, how to resolve disagreements respectfully and why it is important to treat others with kindness and respect. Children will develop an understanding of what bullying is, how it can affect people’s feelings and wellbeing, and how to respond to unkind behaviour by being assertive and seeking help from trusted adults.
Through stories, discussions, role play and practical activities, children will celebrate similarities and differences, learn how to support others, and develop the skills needed to build positive relationships, manage emotions and contribute to a safe, caring and inclusive school community.
