You are here:   PARENTS   Curriculum Information   Form 1

Form 1

Spring Term 2012

Dear Parents
We would like to wish you all a Very Happy New Year. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas, despite the weather!
We have got another very busy term ahead of us and below are just a few things that we are planning. Please take a look and if you have any questions, please get in touch.

Our project for the Spring Term is ‘Our Senses’.
We have an outing to look forward to on 30th January when we will be heading over to Sensations in Dundee to explore our senses a little more!

In addition to our main project, we will also be learning about many other topics and celebrations.
Including: Chinese New Year which begins on January 23rd this year and 2012 is the year of the dragon!

Burns Night, the children will be allowed to wear something tartan on the 25th January in celebration of the Scottish baird’s birthday. We will look at some of his well-known poems and songs, and we may even learn some Scottish words!

Also during January we will be taking part in the RSPB’s National Bird Watching Survey. Details will follow nearer the time.

We will of course discuss Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) and Lent, which will lead us up to Easter and the end of term. There will be the usual Easter Extravaganza during the last week of term, and again, more details will be given nearer the time.

We like to encourage the children to bring in things from home related to the topic work and their contributions are always most welcome. Please name their possessions to avoid mix-ups.

Winter Term 2011

Firstly I would like to welcome two new members of staff to Form 1.
Miss Laura Garlick will be the new Form 1 teacher. Mrs Stephanie Cox, assisting both classes with the reading and phonics work. I hope you will join me in welcoming them both to Form 1 and wish them all the best for the coming term.  
Mrs Cashman

Dear Parents
Our project this term is “Houses and Homes”, always a great favourite with the children. As always it will be a busy term, with lots of opportunity for building and creating a wide variety of topic related models.
 
We have a trip to a local building site to look forward to during the first part of the term, courtesy of Stephens Builders. The children will get the chance to see houses being built and the materials used. We will also be stepping back in time on 28th September, when we head off to Elcho Castle for the afternoon. We will enjoy our packed lunches in the grounds (weather permitting) and then the children will be taken around the castle by a local guide, experiencing life in the castle.

We like to encourage the children to bring in things from home related to the topic work and their contributions are always most welcome. Please name their possessions to avoid mix-ups.

What you need for starting Form 1

  • A large school bag. (it needs to hold an A4 reading folder)
  • A painting apron.
  • A jogging suit in a gym bag
  • Gym shoes.
  • A snack if you wish. (no sweets or chocolate please)
  • Water in a bottle. (this is to keep our brains awake during Class!)
Note: You do not need shorts and t-shirt until the Summer term. Please ensure all items are clearly named.
What we do in Form 1

A Typical Week in Form 1

We continue to take part in the junior assemblies. These happen three times a week.
On Tuesday we have a sharing assembly, where the children can share a piece of news or show something of interest.
On Thursday we have a birthday assembly for children that have had birthdays in the previous week.
Our assembly on Friday is set aside for special events and individual class assemblies.

Other activities:
  • Monday (am) Gym with Mrs Grant.
  • Tuesday (pm) Scottish Country Dancing with Mrs Farrow.
  • Wednesday (pm) Music with Mrs Clark.
  • Friday (pm) School Library Slot followed by Music and Movement.
Note: Ballet is on Friday after school and only for children wishing to participate.

In the morning we concentrate on language and maths. (We use the Scottish Heinemann Maths scheme)
In the afternoon we do topic work.
We do a different topic each term on a two yearly cycle. (See topics below)

Year 2008-2009 / 2010-2011

Term 1 - Toys
  1. Teddy Bears
  2. Toys That Move
  3. Let's Pretend
  4. Spinners, twirlers and fliers
  5. Puppets
Term 2 - People Who Help Us
  1. At Home
  2. At School
  3. The Police
  4. Doctors and Nurses
  5. The Dentist
  6. The Fireman
Term 3 - Living & Growing
  1. Gardening and Seeds
  2. Bitterflies and Moths
  3. Baby Mammals
  4. Living, once living, non-living things

Year 2009-2010 / 2011-2012

Term 1 - Homes
  1. Our Homes
  2. Building a home.
  3. Service and safety
  4. Castles
  5. Hansel and Gretel
  6. Homes in other countries
  7. Animal homes
  8. Pets at home
Term 2 - Senses
  1. Seeing
  2. Hearing
  3. Smelling
  4. Tasting
  5. Touching
Term 3 - Living & Growing
  1. Gardening and Seeds
  2. Bitterflies and Moths
  3. Baby Mammals
  4. Living, once living, non-living things

Welcome to Form 1 Reading

Dear Parents,
The reading scheme your child will be using initially in Form1 will be “ Oxford Reading Tree”.
As an introduction to “Oxford Reading Tree” and as a way of familiarising your child with the characters s/he will be bringing a story book and an Extended Story card home for you to read together. The Extended Story cards will only be used for the first six books.
The Extended Story is a longer version of the storybook. It is for you to read aloud while your child looks at the storybook, so that she/he gets to know the story before reading it on her/his own.

Here are a few points to help you use the Extended Story.
  • Choose a quiet time to share the story.
  • Look at the cover. Talk about what the story might be about.
  • Read the Extended Story while your child looks at the storybook.
  • Look at the pictures in the storybook. Talk about them and tell the story together.
  • If the storybook has sentences on the page, ask your child the Guided Response questions at the end of the Extended Story.
  • These will help her/him read the sentences.
  • Let your child read the story on her/his own.

You don’t have to follow every step every time. Keep it fun!
When you no longer have an Extended Story to read along with the book you should still try to cover points 1, 2, 4 and 6. Ask some simple questions to encourage your child to find the answers in the storybook. Encourage them to read the answer.

At this stage
  • Your child may use the pictures as a clue. Don’t cover them up.
  • Your child may guess the sentences. Don’t try to stop this.
  • Your child may learn the sentences off-by-heart. Don’t worry if this happens.

Your child will also have a word tin, which will be used alongside the storybooks.
  • Try to go through the words in the tin each night.
  • Match them to the pages in the book.
  • If there are character’s names try to find their pictures in the book.
  • Make up the story using the words in the tin.

Only go on as long as you feel your child is able. Don’t try to carry on if they have lost concentration.

The stories are fun to read with humorous drawings that parents usually like as much as children. I hope you will enjoy reading them with your child and helping her/him become a confident reader.