Wonder Zone Yr 1&2
Mrs Claire O’Brien
Class Teacher
Miss Kim Whaley
Teaching Assistant
Mrs Lucy Probert
Teaching Assistant
Mrs Jo Thornily
Wonder Zone 2 Year Rolling Programme
Welcome to Wonder Zone! Our Year 1/2 class is where children hone the skills of independent learning and explore the curriculum through a creative and energetic approach. Learning is driven by the enthusiasm of both staff and pupils, with quality talk promoting inquiry and reflection. It is recognised and celebrated that everyone is individual and time is taken to listen to each other with thought and compassion. Children are happy to acknowledge their mistakes as an essential and valuable part of their learning process, and the supportive and inclusive environment means that children become empowered, confident learners who care confident to take risks. Every term a new topic is introduced where all of the foundation subjects link together and high quality texts are chosen to support learning. Engaging, practical activites are planned and delivered that excite the children and encourage them to learn more. Every term a new topic is introduced where all of the foundation subjects link together and high quality texts are chosen to support learning. Engaging, practical activities are planned and delivered that excite the children and encourage them to learn more.
The adults in the class encourage rich conversations and facilitate the learning through the use of the 5 B’s – Brain, Bits & Bobs, Book, Buddy and Big. The classroom is organised, colourful and a place where their work is celebrated. The children are encouraged to become curious learners who are always keen to explore the next steps in their learning journey by feeling confident to ask for equipment, models and vocabulary and to use the learning environment around them to support their understanding .
In English we implement the highly successful Read Write Inc approach to teach phonics, reading and spelling for Year 2 pupils. We also use Spelling Shed as an additional resource to support and consolidate spelling patterns for both the Year 1 and 2 children. English lessons are based around a high quality, age appropriate text that is chosen by the class teachers with the aim to engage and excite the children and link in with our class topic. Through these texts, we continue to focus on punctuation and grammar with the aim of being really aware of the way in which sentences are crafted and words changed. We also encourage the use of story language and exciting vocabulary in order to promote and develop the children’s ideas, imagination and for them to develop a love of writing.
Spelling Shed: https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
In maths, we drive number knowledge through learning about place value, number patterns, times table facts and practicing the calculation of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. To support the children’s maths, all of the children in Wonderzone are signed up to Spelling Shed, Times Table Rockstars and Numbots. Here are the links to access these sites:
Times Tables Rockstars: https://ttrockstars.com/login
Numbots: https://play.numbots.com/#/intro
Spelling Shed: https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
The Great Fire of London Knowledge Organiser
Autumn 2023 – Fire! Fire!
This term will begin with a history focus where the children will learn about the ‘Great Fire of London’ and the key events surrounding it. The unit will focus on the timeline of events, key people during The Great Fire of London such as Samuel Pepys who wrote the famous diary that retold the destruction and King Charles II who was the monarch at the time. In DT, the children will have the opportunity to make bread, just like Thomas Farriner in the bakery on Pudding Lane and write instructions from this experience. The children will make their own Pudding Lane and set up a street using their own handmade houses which will hopefully be burnt down (outside with a fire crew!). They will also have the opportunity to observe what a modern-day fire engine is like and comparing this to one from 1666 when the Great Fire happened. In Art, they will look at the original St Paul’s Cathedral and sketch pictures using charcoal and then they will make their very own cathedrals from clay.
In the second part of the Autumn Term, the children will be immersed in more of a Geography and Science focus where they will be learning about the four countries of the UK with a focus on London and then materials in Science. This will link nicely to why wood wasn’t a suitable material for housing in London! In RE over the term they will be learning about Islam and the importance of Christmas for Christians as well as practising the Christmas Play! The children will focus on texts ‘The Great Fire of London, Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Paddington and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs for their English work throughout the term to support this wider cross curricular learning.
We hope this will be a topic that will inspire, engage and enthuse our children in Wonder Zone and we’re looking forward to seeing the learning they experience and create.