Unit 1 (Year 1 and Year 2)
Unit 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) continues to build on the Foundation Stage where structured play situations and timetabled free choice activities continue to offer opportunities for social and emotional growth and the development of the imagination. Children are encouraged to begin developing an independent work ethos through regular homework.
Characteristics
Characteristics of Unit 1 include a growing emphasis on the teaching of phonic knowledge to inform emergent writing. This will gradually lead to an increase in recorded work. We have a focus on sight word learning as a basis for the development of fluent reading with understanding.
The following Areas Outline the Unit 1 Curriculum:
Literacy
We follow the National Curriculum for England and implement our English programme through the revised primary framework.
The interactive whiteboard and the introduction of "Big Writing" have assisted children with their learning, helping to promote increased attention to speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in a lively, motivating way.
In Year 1 and Year 2, units of learning covered throughout the year focus on narrative, non-narrative and poetry.
| Narrative | Non-fiction | Poetry | |
| Year 1 | Stories with familiar settings Stories from a range of cultures Traditional Fairy Tales Stories about fantasy worlds |
Labels, lists & captions Instructions Recounts Dictionaries Information texts |
Using the senses Pattern & rhyme Poems on a theme |
| Year 2 | Stories with familiar settings Traditional stories Different stories by the same author Extended stories/significant authors |
Instructions Explanations Information texts Non-chronological reports |
Patterns on the page Really looking Silly stuff |
Each unit and genre encompasses elements of the following:
- Speaking and listening for a wide range of purposes in different contexts
- Listening and responding
- Group discussion and interaction
- Drama
- Reading and writing for a range of purposes on paper and screen
- Developing phonetic awareness and use
- Word recognition - decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling)
- Word structure and spelling
- Understanding and interpreting text
- Engaging with and responding to text
- Text structure and organization
- Sentence structure and punctuation
- Presentation
Mathematics
During their time in Unit 1, children progress from using concrete apparatus to count, add and subtract, gradually making the transition to increasingly abstract mental operations and calculations. We use the National Curriculum for England using the Revised Primary Framework for mathematics. This programme places an increased emphasis on using and applying maths in a variety of problem solving contexts. We deliver this programme using a spiral teaching method, revisiting areas several times over the year and building in a range of tasks that require understanding and an application of the taught mental and written methods.
The curriculum consists of 7 strands, which are covered at different levels in each year group:
- Using and applying mathematics
- Counting and understanding numbers
- Knowing and using number facts
- Calculating
- Understanding shape
- Measuring
- Handling Data
These strands are organised into five blocks which are visited approximately once a term:
- Block A: Counting, partitioning and calculating
- Block B: Securing number facts and understanding shape
- Block C: Handling data and measures
- Block D: Calculating, measuring and understanding shape.
- Block E: Securing number facts, relationships and calculating
Other Subjects
Other subjects in the curriculum are covered in our topic work. These are studied on a rolling two year programme as outlined in the Unit 1 topic cycle. Cross curricular links are made, where appropriate, to encourage children to make connections across areas of learning. Our topics place an emphasis on skills and concept learning, as well as the acquisition of knowledge.
Learning a Language
At ICS children have the opportunity to study another language as part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Children in Year 1 and Year 2 can choose between Arabic or French. These languages are taught three times a week as part of our Primary curriculum. Children who join us with very little English are offered additional English classes at this time until they are confident enough to learn another language.
Download the Primary handbook for Parents.
Download the Foundation stage handbook