Year One Curriculum
English
Language is at the core of children’s learning. The Year One’s language programme permeates all areas of the curriculum.
This consists of speaking and listening, reading, writing and interpreting symbols and visual texts.
Speaking and listening: Students are exposed to a range of activities designed to develop their listening and speaking skills. We aim for the children to express themselves clearly and be aware of modifying their speech in different situations (e.g. with peers, adults, oral story-telling or news giving)
Reading and Writing: Students read and respond to a range of fiction and non-fiction text and learn to write in a variety of text forms such as reports, narratives, poetry, fairy tales, letters, recipes and journals. Through these experiences, they develop spelling patterns and word knowledge, though they may also work on individualised spelling programmes.
We aim to instil in the students a love of reading and an appreciation of a wide variety of prose and poetry. We encourage the children to use a wide range of strategies to assist them in learning to read.
Mathematics
The Mathematics programme is designed to develop a sense of understanding of mathematical concepts using a range of methods including the use of practical, problem-solving activities and technology. Students are encouraged to explain and clarify their thinking; develop their confidence and to record their work in many different ways.
Students develop their sense of number by counting, grouping and modelling. They sort, compare and contrast shapes, numbers lengths and sizes. Students measure a variety of objects and distances. We aim for the children to make connections and transfer mathematical knowledge in different contexts.
General Studies
Our Community
Our Year Ones focus on developing a sense of community within the classroom, school and wider community. Some of these communities may include their home, sporting and recreational clubs or tutorial clubs. They explore their roles, responsibility and commitments to these organisations, developing a sense of how a community can function effectively and the notion of positive relationships.
Transport
Students explore how people move from place to place and the choices that need to be made with different modes of transport. They begin to understand that different modes of transport have different advantages and disadvantages. During this unit, students plan an excursion on as many different modes of transport as they can. This provides a rich opportunity for writing, discussing, classifying and identifying all the types of transport they have experienced and observed. They also explore how these modes of transport impact on our environment.
Materials
Students have the opportunity to explore various materials and are encouraged to identify, describe, classify and compare materials according to their properties. This unit develops their language and enriches their vocabulary as they attempt to describe what they see, smell and feel, and hear. Words such as flexible, rigid, porous, manufactured, natural are introduced.
Library
The Pok Fu Lam Campus library houses a wide range of good quality children’s fiction collection, an extensive reference library and a rich German collection. The Year One classes attend the library on a weekly basis. Students are encouraged to care for and borrow books on a regular basis. The small but exciting library will provide opportunities to enjoy books and inspire the love of reading. Full access to online databases and references is available in the library.
Learning Technology
Learning Technology is a digital tool which supports cognitive development, problem solving and thinking skills; it enables students to construct, represent and remix their own and others knowledge from the vast amounts of information available to them.
Learning Technology is represented by a combination of hardware and software solutions. In the EPD students are exposed to a range of hardware solutions such as laptops, video recorders, data-loggers, sound recorders and GPS. The majority of software solutions used will be Free and Open Source and browser based – examples can be seen in the Learning Technology room on LEO.
The main purpose of Learning Technology is to support learning skills such as enquiry, reflection and communication. It enhances our students’ learning capacity by making them more independent and creative learners. Learning Technology give students more choice and enables them to be more creative about how they represent and express their ideas and understandings. Particular emphasis is placed on developing Information and Digital Literacy skills.
Inquiring with Learning Technology
Students use Learning Technology for inquiry and research. They identify information needs, locate and access information. They organise, use and interpret information to improve their understanding.
Creating with Learning Technology
Students use Learning Technology to be creative in the way they extend and represent their thinking skills. They use Learning Technology to analyse problems and information needs, develop strategies and evaluate solutions. They make decisions about appropriate use of Learning Technology solutions. They use Learning Technology to generate ideas and plans and to monitor and reflect on their learning.
Communicating with Learning Technology
Students use Learning Technology to enhance communication. They learn to communicate and apply Learning Technology to present information, engage with diverse audiences and collaborate. They communicate face-to-face and remotely with individuals and networks. Students experience and share different views, construct new understanding and develop empathy with others.
Operating Learning Technology
Students gain an understanding of the systems they are operating. Skills in operating one system can be transferred and built upon when operating other systems. They learn to apply Learning Technology standards and conventions. They apply preventative strategies to protect systems and data and solve basic Learning Technology-related problems.
Year One Programme Outline
The children become familiar with basic operations and know where to find and save their work. They learn how to use technology purposefully, creating and manipulating shapes, adding and editing simple units of text and using Paint to create pictures. The development of their skills is linked to the activities they are doing in class. Particular emphasis is placed on encouraging children to use technology to review and revise their work. By the end of Year 1 they will begin to add and edit text, manipulate images and shapes and add sound files. The main programmes used are; Kidpix, Textease and 2Create-a-Story. Parents can support by installing Textease at home and giving their children opportunities to practise use of the mouse, text entry and editing and use of the tools in Paint to create digital pictures.
Music
Classroom Programme
All classes have two music lessons per week with a specialist music teacher. These lessons are a balance of LISTENING, COMPOSING, PERFORMING (singing, playing and moving) and cover a wide variety of musical styles. The focus is always on the concepts of music.
The programme aims to extend the child’s musical experience, knowledge and understanding of a wide variety of musical styles from all over the world. At the same time opportunity is given for children to draw on their own musical experience and knowledge and use their skills to enhance their learning.
Year 1
- Focus is on concepts of beat, simple rhythm and pitch recognition.
- Children use tuned and untuned percussion to consolidate the concepts, create their own simple music patterns and tell a story through improvisation.
- Songs and listening works are chosen to reflect or relate to General Studies topics.
Physical Education
The Year One physical Education Programme focuses on leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Students explore small equipment, basic gymnastics, dance, swimming and running and jumping activities. They have the opportunity to develop teamwork and sport-specific skills through a variety of activities.