Spring Term - Off We Go...

Spring Term Learning Approach

After spending the Autumn Term helping the children fully settle into Year 1 and become familiar with routines and expectations, the Spring Term offers exciting opportunities for them to further develop their independence and challenge skills.

Throughout the week, children will complete more Branching Out Challenges independently, alongside their teacher-led tasks. The six Areas of Learning and Experience continue to be developed through targeted activities and Branching Out Challenges, all grounded in Froebelian principles that emphasise learning through play (Explore, Create, Respond).

You can view these activities and your child’s progress on SeeSaw. Please make sure you are connected to your child’s SeeSaw page via the app to stay updated.

Literacy, Languages and Communication:

Instructions and Poetry: This term, children will enjoy pirate-themed literacy activities and outdoor learning. They will follow clues, read How I Became a Pirate, and write their own instructions and posters. In poetry, they’ll explore rhymes and use their senses to write poems inspired by nature. Children will also create pirate characters, enjoy a fun-filled Pirate Day, and use technology to reflect on their adventures.

Spanish: The children will recap counting to 20, colours, and basic greetings in Spanish. They will also revisit how to ask and answer questions like “¿Cómo te llamas?” (What is your name?) and learn to say how they are feeling with “¿Cómo estás?”

Welsh:Children will learn to talk about clothes in Welsh, using words like crys-T, trowsus, jwmper, scert, cot, and het. They will also practise asking and answering “Beth wyt ti’n wisgo?” (What are you wearing?) and “Beth sy’n bod?” (What’s wrong?).

British Sign Language: The children will learn to sign the names of animals and practise the song Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring! And Spring Chicken Easter using British Sign Language, supported by Out of the Ark resources.

Maths and Numeracy:

This term, children will work with numbers to 20, learning place value, counting, comparing, and ordering. They will practice addition and subtraction using number bonds, doubles, and counting strategies.

Children will explore money up to 20p, early multiplication and division through grouping and sharing, and number patterns.

They’ll learn about time (days, months, o’clock), measure weight using non-standard units, recognise 3D shapes, understand turns, and collect simple data.

Health and Wellbeing:

The, children will explore the Dreams and Goals and Healthy Me units through Jigsaw PSHE. They will learn about setting goals, staying healthy, and making positive choices with the help of Jigsaw Jack.

Science and Technology:

Children will explore the concept of forces by learning about pushes, pulls, gravity, friction, air resistance, and magnetism. They will observe and experiment with these forces using everyday objects, toy cars, paper planes, and magnets. Outdoor visits to a park and forest will help them identify forces in real-life settings. They will also investigate how slopes, mass, and magnetism affect movement and relate these ideas to their own experiences with travel.

Expressive Arts:

In music, the children will explore Charanga – Let Your Spirit Fly and learn songs about the weather and seasons with resources from BBC Teach.

In dance, children will explore the seasons through fun KS1 dances like Winter Wonderland and Wood in the Wood! from BBC Teach.

Humanities:

Religious Education & Special Events
Children will explore why Jesus was welcomed like a king on Palm Sunday as part of Jigsaw RVE. They will also take part in special events including Children’s Mental Health Day, Internet Safety Day, and the Eisteddfod.

Local Parks and Community
Children will learn to identify and locate local parks in Caerphilly and Abertridwr using maps and photos. They will compare parks in different Welsh communities, explore their physical features, and discuss human impacts. The role of parks and forests in supporting the community and wildlife will be explored, along with sustainable practices like recycling and conservation. Children will also practice map skills by creating simple maps of local natural areas and reflect on ways they can help care for their parks.