Welcome to Orange Class
A very warm welcome from the Orange Class team at Willow Lane School! We are excited for a year full of curiosity, creativity, discovery and fun.
In Year 1, we value play-based learning and high-quality interactions, supporting every child’s development alongside exciting discovery time within our provision. Through our learning, children will expand their knowledge of animals and the world around them, explore their local area, discover transport through the years and learn about the importance of the railway.
Our curriculum is enriched with creative music lessons and art, where children will explore sculpture, colour mixing and printing. In science, we will investigate the human body, materials and the seasons. Through personal development, we will nurture children’s physical development as well as their emotional and social skills, helping them to become confident, independent and caring learners.
We are always here to support you and your child. If you would like to discuss anything, we are here every day — just catch us at the door!
We look forward to sharing a wonderful year of learning and growing together. Love from the Orange Class Team
This term in Year 1, our two main themes are Discovering the Animal Kingdom and Wheels, Wings and Waves — giving our children plenty of opportunities to explore, investigate and discover the world around them.
During Discovering the Animal Kingdom, we will learn about different animals, their body parts and how we can group and name them. We will explore different continents and discover where animals come from around the world, thinking about the different climates and weather they experience. In art, we will get creative with colour mixing, exploring warm and cool colours. In English, we will be exploring the wonderful story Lost and Found, using it to inspire our own writing and ideas. We will also become animal experts as we create our very own animal fact files and visit Blackpool Zoo!
Moving on to Wheels, Wings and Waves, we will travel through the history of transport, discovering how people have travelled and moved around the world over time. We explore how trains have changed through the years and why they are so important. Focusing on the life of George Stephenson and the important role he played in creating the railways. 🚂
Music will also bring our transport topic to life as we explore rhythm, beat and sounds inspired by different forms of transport. We will sing, move and create our own musical patterns, developing our confidence and creativity as young musicians. 🎶
In Maths, we will be building our knowledge of place value within 100, addition and subtraction, mass and volume, fractions, money, time and shape. We keep all lessons fun and interactive with hands on learning to help children grasp each concept. We take time to revisit units and build concrete connections with prior learning from Red Class.
And, of course, our learning will be mixed with plenty of excitement as we work towards our brilliant Nativity, alongside lots of festive fun, creativity and seasonal delights! 🎄✨
Phonics in Year 1 📚
Phonics is an important part of our daily routine in Year 1, with children working at their own individualised level to ensure they are supported, challenged and able to make progress at their own pace. The majority of children will be working through Phase 5, developing their knowledge of alternative sounds and spellings and becoming increasingly confident readers.
In June, children will take part in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, which is a short assessment of the phonics skills they have developed.
Reading at home as often as you can with your child makes a huge difference. Regular reading helps children to develop fluency, confidence and understanding, while also giving them the opportunity to apply their phonics skills in context. Even a few minutes of reading together each day can make a real difference! 🌈📖
