Welcome to Hazel Class

PE DAYS Autumn 1– Wednesday and Friday

Class Teacher: Miss Ashworth

Class Teaching Assistants: Miss Crowther, Miss Ross, Mrs Sanderson and Mrs Greenwood

We hope you’ve all had a lovely summer break and enjoyed some well-deserved rest and sunshine. We’re excited to welcome the children back to Hazel Class for a brand-new school year!

English

Our first English text this term will be The Whale Who Wanted More by Rachel Bright. The children will explore the story and its themes before moving on to research their own animals and create an information page.

Throughout the half-term, we’ll be enjoying a carefully chosen selection of high-quality picture books as our class novels. These engaging stories will spark rich discussions around language, character development and key themes.

Guided Reading

In Year 1, children take part in small-group guided reading sessions twice a week. Groups are based on phonics knowledge, helping each child build confidence and fluency with texts that match their learning stage.

In Year 2, children continue to develop their comprehension and vocabulary skills. Phonics support remains in place for those who need it, and as children become more confident readers, they begin to move into larger group or whole-class reading sessions. Across the year, we’ll explore a range of texts linked to our weekly phonics focus.

The children will develop skills by answering questions following our VIPER skills which are:

VIPERS stands for 

Vocabulary 

Inference 

Prediction 

Explanation 

Retrieval

Sequence or Summarise 

Maths

In Maths this half-term, both Year 1 and Year 2 will be diving into a range of exciting and practical topics.

This half-term in Year 1, children will be building on their understanding of number and place value.  We will be exploring numbers to 20 and beyond, practising counting forwards and backwards, and learning to compare and order numbers. Children will also begin working with addition and subtraction, using practical resources and number lines to support their learning. 

This half term, Year 2 will be focusing on place value and addition and subtraction. Children will deepen their understanding of numbers up to 100, learning to read, write, compare, and order them confidently. They’ll also begin exploring different strategies for adding and subtracting, using number lines, practical resources, and mental methods to solve problems. These skills will help build a strong foundation for future maths learning.

Multiplication is a pivotal part of Maths education and underpins so many aspects of the curriculum through school. It would be so beneficial if at home, children could be practising times tables. The primary focus should be on 2s, 5s and 10s for Year 1 and 2s, 5s, 10s and 3s for Year 2. TT Rockstars is a great way for children to practice their times tables. The children will have a TT Rockstars login in the front of their reading record. 

Your child will now also be able to access NumBots.  NumBots is an online learning platform that we’re using to support your child’s understanding of number bonds and to help their addition and subtraction skills. These are the essential building blocks for higher-level maths concepts, so we are excited by the impact that NumBots will have on your child’s learning. The TTRockstars login code, which is in the front of your child’s reading record book will also give you access to Numbots.

Science

This half term, both Year 1 and Year 2 will be exploring the topic "Animals Including Humans" in science. Children will learn to identify and name a variety of animals, understand basic needs for survival, and explore how humans grow and stay healthy. Children will learn to observe closely, ask questions, and develop their understanding of the natural world through hands-on investigations and discussions.

                                                                 Geography

This half-term, our geography topic is Our Local Area.

The children will explore the features of their surroundings, learn to use simple maps, and begin to understand how places are connected. Through practical activities and local exploration, pupils will develop a sense of place and an appreciation for their community.

History

This half-term, our history topic is toys.

The children will be learning about toys from the past and how they compare to the toys we play with today. Through exploring old and new toys, children will begin to understand how materials, designs, and play have changed over time. They’ll also learn to ask questions, use historical vocabulary, and think about how life was different for children in the past.

Readers

Reading books will be changed twice per week. Books will be changed on Tuesdays and Fridays each week. If your child finishes their book early, they are welcome to read their library book, re-read their current book or use bug club.

Get caught up in a book...

In Hazel Class, we understand the importance of reading and expect children to read for at least 10/15 minutes each night. It is important that we instil the skill of sustained reading into our children rather than just reading a few pages a night. This will encourage a love for reading as well as helping with fluency and expression. Record books will be checked and we will also encourage a love of reading through choosing books from our reading corner and school library. Bug Club is also available if you want to read further books with your child at home.

Our class library day is Monday when children may select a book to take home from the library. Please return to school the following Monday and then your child can choose a new book.

P.E

Our P.E. lessons this half-term will be on a Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Please could you ensure that children come to school wearing the correct P.E. kits on the day of their session. 

Spellers

Weekly spellings will be on Edshed every Friday. Your child has their own Edshed login attached to the inside of their reading record book. We encourage you to look at these spellings at home with your child. However, we will not complete a test during school. Instead, we will assess the children through spelling games and activities on the spellings for that week throughout the week. If you would like a paper copy of the weekly spellings, then please let me know, and I can sort this for you.

New spellings will be added to Spelling Shed on Monday 15th September and they will be updated every week from then on. Each week's spellings will be linked to the phonics focus for that week, reinforcing the sounds and patterns covered in class.

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb/login?redirect_uri=%2Fen-gb%2Fgroups%2F2602998

Forest School

This half-term we will not be attending forest school.

Snack 

If you would like your child to have a snack, please pay for this on parent pay at the beginning of the term.

Notices

If you have any questions or concerns, my door is always open.

Don't forget to check our school twitter @Waterprimary for updates.

Thank you for the support.

Miss Ashworth