Year 1 Curriculum Newsletter Why can’t a Meerkat live in the North Pole?

Wow: Learning Challenges: Reflection: 1. Why does Sunny live in the Kalahari desert? Would you rather be a Meerkat or a Next week we are going to visit Knowsley 2. Which animals live in cold places like the North and South Penguin? Children to think back through Safari Park to look and learn about safari Pole? their topic and using their knowledge, animals which is linked to our Big 3. How do Polar Bears keep warm? write some sentences explaining why Question and Science topics. 4. What do we mean by hot and cold colours? and to draw a picture of their favourite 5. Why do people usually like going to hot places for their animal. holidays? 6. Why do we wear different clothes in summer and winter? 7. How can we recreate a Meerkat dance?

As historians/geographers we will: Science: Why are Humans not like Tigers? Using computing we will  Explain main features of hot and cold As scientists we will:  Research information facts about places.  Answer questions about the weather. Meerkats.  Think about what people would wear at  Investigate and learn about the similarities and  Research information about tigers different times of the year in relation to difference between humans and tigers. and humans. the weather.  Use Microsoft Word to type our  Use the map and atlas to locate the Kalahari name using capital letters and full Desert, The North and South Pole and the stops. Equator.

As writers we will: As mathematicians we will: As talkers we will:  Send postcards home from holiday  Look at different types of 2-D shapes and some  Discuss hot/cold countries. destinations. basic 3-D shapes.  Ask/answer questions about  Learn about new exciting vocabulary  Compare lengths and describe whether Meerkats and Tigers. linked to our topic. something is taller, longer, shorter or higher.  Talk about how the weather  Write a report based on a Meerkat  Count forwards and backwards to 40 from any changes with each season. report. given number.  Learn the foundations of equal groupings, The main focus for this half term will be The main focus for this half term will be for repeated addition, arrays and doubling. taking turns to speak and listening children to use a range of conjunctions to carefully to our talk partners and other link their sentences: and, but, so, because children in our groups.

As readers we will: As artists and designers we will: How can you help?  Read the stories ‘Meerkat Mail’ and ‘The  Mix paint to create hot and cold paintings. Tiger that came to tea.’  Cut and tear paper and card for our collages.  Read and practise key words every  Predict what will happen next.  Gather and sort materials we will need. evening.  Learn to read key words.  Come into the classroom in the  Use our phonics skills to sound out mornings at 8:45am to support your unfamiliar and new words. child with the morning task.  Talk to your child about what they have learnt during the school day Please read with your child every evening and use the bookmarks to ask simple and what they have eaten for their questions about what you have read As musicians and gymnastics we will: lunch. together.  Make movements with our bodies, relating to Please encourage your child to bring their the way meerkats move. reading book to school every day.