Foss Class Curriculum Letter Autumn Term 2023

Dear Parents, 

I hope you have all had a fantastic summer break and managed to find some sunshine.  I’m sure the children are raring to go and get back to school.  I know we are all looking forward to seeing them in Foss Class and would like to give the children a warm welcome into Year 1 and Year 2. I am very much looking forward to our year ahead together.   

Show & Tell Rota 

To help me to get to know our Foss Class children and for them to get to know each other even better, your child will be bringing home with them a ‘Me’ bag for our Show & Tell sessions on a Friday afternoon. This first term, we are going to base our ‘Show and Tell sessions around the ‘Getting To Know Me Bag’. Some ideas and instructions are on the bag, but we ask that no more than five items are placed in the bag. The children only need to be able to explain and talk about their bag and items for a few minutes and then the rest of the class will have the chance to ask questions. These sessions will take place on a Friday afternoon and the timetable below will let you know when your child’s slot is. We will send all the bags home in the first week and they can then come into school on the day of their session or before and stay in lockers until the session. If an object is very special, expensive or fragile then please use photos instead. They could be emailed to fossclass@langton.n-yorks.sch.uk   

Topic/English 

We kick the year off with a super topic for the Autumn term, called ‘Dinosaur Planet’. This is always a very popular one with the children (and staff).  So, we are definitely looking forward to seeing who the dinosaur experts amongst us are. We shall be exploring the dinosaur planet together, imagining we’re palaeontologists, learning some amazing facts about our favourite dinosaurs, writing some exciting dinosaur stories and also some dinosaur jokes and rhymes.  We’ll even be using our artistic skills to make some model dinosaurs, design some dino eggs and hopefully have a visit from a real-life palaeontologist and dinosaur expert! We’ll study museum collections, look closely at ancient fossils and study reptiles to understand how dinosaurs may have lived and eventually died out. We’ll learn about the great fossil hunter, Mary Anning, and follow in her footsteps, studying dinosaur teeth and bones to find out what dinosaurs liked to eat. At the end of the term, we’ll hold a dinosaur party where we’ll invent some dinosaur games to play and entertain you with our wonderful dinosaur music, jokes and facts. 

There are also a couple of activities that are available in York currently, until the end of September, that may be a fun, interesting and educational option for any free time or weekend adventures. They are https://yorkmix.com/when-dinosaurs-ruled-york-exciting-free-trail-brings-prehistoric-city-to-life/ and https://www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/exhibition/mary-anning-rocks/ 

We will continue to have our daily, phonics and guided reading sessions and the children will bring home a reading book and library book to share with you as usual.  Please keep a look out for these books in their bags on a Friday and also their homework book. Once in Year 2, we encourage the children to have a go at their homework tasks.  This follows the pattern of a topic-based piece of homework which they have two weeks to complete, followed by a piece of English homework, to be completed for the following Wednesday and then a piece of maths homework. Though it can take a bit of getting used to for our younger children, encouraging the children to attempt homework and reinforcing the idea of taking the book home and handing it back in again on a Wednesday, helps them hugely when they transition into Key Stage 2 at the end of the academic year. Our Year 1 children will be only having a topic-based homework on the topic fortnight. They will not at this stage have the maths or English homework. 

Please find below a copy of the topic homework that you will find in your child’s homework book (Year 2) or on Tapestry (Year 1). 

Dinosaur Planet Topic Homework Ideas – when it is a topic homework please complete one of these either in your book (year 2) or upload onto Tapestry (year 1’s). A reminder will be placed in homework books on the relevant dates. 

Maths 

In our first term, our daily maths lessons will help your child to learn to compare and order numbers from 1 to 100 and to count in multiples of 1,2,5 and 10.  Our Year 2 children will recognise the place value of two-digit numbers and will be able to use this to solve problems.  In addition and subtraction our Year 1 children will make and use number bonds to 10 and 20, add and subtract 1-digit and 2-digit numbers to 20 and learn to solve simple problems.  Our Year 2 children will use their addition and subtraction facts to 20 and work out related addition and subtraction facts to 100. They will learn different methods for problem solving mentally and understand the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction. 

Science 

Our science topic this term is ‘Animals including humans’.  We shall start by learning all about our bodies and which part of the body is associated with each sense.  We shall be looking at the needs of animals, including ourselves, for survival and learn how animals obtain their food.  We shall also begin to understand why a healthy diet, exercise and looking after our bodies is so important. In the second half of the term, we shall be looking at seasonal changes and all things weather related.  Wellie boots to the ready! 

Outdoor learning 

Mrs C will be donning her wellies and taking the children out for their outdoor learning activities.  Hopefully the weather will be kind as we head through this first term.  These sessions will run on a Wednesday afternoon and provide a fantastic opportunity for your children to learn outside of the classroom.  For this, children will need a change of footwear; either wellies, boots, or outside trainers, so they are not sat in wet socks, tights or shoes. We do go out in all sorts of weather and conditions so coats are a must as well please.  

Music 

Our music lessons this term will focus on all things Dinosaur. We will learn to sing, play and improvise our favourite dino themed songs and become confident in our performances.  I don’t like to mention Christmas too early, but as the second half of term speeds along, we will build up to all things Christmassy.  Our focus song for that half of the term will be Ho, Ho Ho…You’ll be singing along in the car before you know it!   

P.E 

P.E for Foss Class will be on a Monday and Friday afternoons.  Mr Cairns continues to teach P.E in Foss Class on Mondays and will hopefully be outside as much as possible.  I will then take the children for an additional P.E session on a Friday afternoon.  

 We shall also be continuing with our weekly PSHE, RE and Computing lessons, so have a very busy, exciting timetable ahead of us. If you have any questions or queries, then please do grab me at the start or end of the day.  Alternatively, you can drop me an email at fossclass@langton.n-yorks.sch.uk .  

In the meantime, I look forward to working with you and your children this year. 

With best wishes 

Jo Huntriss & the Foss Team