Years 1 & 2 Chestnuts

Welcome to Chestnuts Class Page!

Paige Bassett

Y1/2 Teacher

Ann Wreford

Teaching Assistant

Welcome to our bright and bubbly Year 1 and 2 class! We are a group of curious, kind, and enthusiastic learners who are ready to explore the world around us. Each day is filled with exciting challenges, creative thinking, and lots of laughter as we grow together. From mastering phonics to discovering new maths strategies, we love learning in fun and imaginative ways. Our classroom is a safe, happy space where everyone is valued and encouraged to shine. We can’t wait to see what amazing things this year will bring. Let’s make it the best one yet—together! Below is the curriculum, this will be updated each half term.

Autumn A
Subject	Coverage	How to help at home?
Geography	Our Wonderful World –This essential skills and knowledge project teaches children about physical and human features, maps, cardinal compass points, and positional and directional language. They learn about the equator, hemispheres and continents and are introduced to the countries, capital cities and settlements of the United Kingdom. The children carry out simple fieldwork to find out about local physical and human features.	Use Google maps / globes and atlas’ to help children explore different continents and oceans.
Science	Plant Parts-This project teaches children about wild and garden plants by exploring the local environment. They identify and describe the basic parts of plants and observe how they change over time.	Go on a nature walk. How many different plants can you find? Can the children label the key parts of a plant? Stem? Root? Bud? Flower?
Art	Street View –This project teaches children about artwork depicting streets and buildings and focuses on the work of the American pop artist, James Rizzi. They create a 3-D mural based on Rizzi's work.	Have a look at Rizzi's work online and see if the children can copy the features from her work.
Autumn B
History	Street Detectives - This way or that way? Where should we go? Up to the local shops or down to the playing fields? Let’s learn about our local community, looking at houses old and new and finding out how our streets have changed since our mums and dads were young. Perhaps your granny or grandpa went to your school or maybe they worked in the baker’s shop? Make maps and plans of the streets around us, planning our routes. What can you see? What can we find? Whereabouts do you live? Do you know your address? Find out how to write instructions, directions, adverts and learn rhymes all about our community from different times. When the Lord Mayor writes and asks us to help make our street a better place, it’s time to get your thinking caps on and paintbrushes at the ready. Ready to roll, Street Detectives? Get your clipboards and cameras – it’s time to start investigating. .	Explore the local area with your child. Take a FREE visit to the Newton Abbot Muesum to learn about how Newton Abbot has developed over time.
Science	Animal parts - This project teaches children about animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates. They identify and describe their common structures, diets, and how animals should be cared for.	Visit the zoo! Can the children find a range of different animals?
DT	Push and Pull - This project teaches children about three types of mechanism: sliders, levers and linkages. They make models of each mechanism before designing and making a greetings card with a moving part.	Can children find any types of mechanisms around the house? Send photos into Miss Bassett!
Spring A
Geography	Bright Lights, Big City - This project teaches children about the physical and human characteristics of the United Kingdom, including a detailed exploration of the characteristics and features of the capital city, London.	Ask the children to sort a range of human and physical features. Bing Videos
Science	Habitats - This project teaches children about habitats and what a habitat needs to provide. They explore local habitats to identify and name living things and begin to understand how they depend on one another for food and shelter.	Go on a local walk in a forestery area. Can the children spot any habitats?
DT	Taxi - This project teaches children about wheels, axles and chassis and how they work together to make a vehicle move.	Can the children find any axles and wheels in their home?
	Spring B
History	Great Fire of London - Children will learn what London was like in the 1600s when the Great Fire of London began. Children will then use a timeline to sequence the main events. They will also learn why the fire spread so quickly and look at historical sources to find out how Londoners fought the fire. In addition, children will learn about Samuel Pepys and listen to extracts from his diary. Finally, they will learn how the Great Fire changed London forever.	1. Create a Timeline Draw a simple timeline of the Great Fire of London. Include 4–6 pictures showing the main events, such as when the fire started, how it spread, and how London was rebuilt. 2. Why Did the Fire Spread? Draw and label reasons why the fire spread so quickly (e.g. wooden houses, houses close together, strong winds). Write one short sentence to explain. 3. Write a Diary Entry Pretend you are living in London in 1666. Write a short diary entry describing what you saw and how you felt during the fire. Add a picture to match.
Science	Plant Survival - This project teaches children about the growth of plants from seeds and bulbs. They observe the growth of plants firsthand, recording changes over time and identifying what plants need to grow and stay healthy.	1. Grow a Seed Plant a seed (e.g. cress, bean or sunflower) in a pot or cup. Watch it grow and draw a picture of it each week to show the changes. 2. What Do Plants Need? Draw a plant and label what it needs to stay healthy (water, sunlight, air, soil). Write one simple sentence about why each one is important. 3. Seed or Bulb Hunt Look at different seeds or bulbs at home or in the garden. Draw and compare them. Can you spot any differences in size, shape or colour?
Art	Flower Head - This project teaches children about the visual elements of flowers, including shape, texture, colour, pattern and form. They also explore various artistic methods, including drawing, printmaking and 3-D forms, using paper and clay.	1. Flower Drawing Draw or paint a flower. Look carefully at the shape, colours and patterns on the petals. Try to include lots of detail. 2. Flower Printing Create a flower print using paint. You could use cut vegetables (like celery or peppers), sponges or scrunched paper to print petal shapes and patterns. 3. Make a 3D Flower Make a flower using paper, card or clay. Think about the shape of the petals and the centre. Can you make it stand up?
	Summer A
History	School Day This project teaches children about their own school and locality, both today and in the past. They compare schooling in the Victorian era to their experiences today.	School Day Diary Your child can write two short diary entries: one imagining a day at school as a Victorian child, and one describing their school day now. This helps them spot similarities and differences in lessons, classrooms, rules and playtimes. Family Interview Please support your child to chat with an older family member about what school was like when they were young. They can then compare Victorian school life, their family member’s experiences, and school today. Old vs New Classroom Objects Your child can research common Victorian classroom objects (such as a slate, chalk, or ink pot) and then find or photograph modern versions at home (like whiteboards, tablets or pencils). This helps them understand how school equipment has changed over time.
Science	Animal Survival This project teaches children about growth in animals by exploring the life cycles of some familiar animals. They build on learning about the survival of humans by identifying the basic needs of animals for survival, including food, water, air and shelter.	Animal Life Cycle Poster Choose an animal and create a poster showing its life cycle (e.g., egg → tadpole → frog). Add drawings and labels. Needs for Survival Hunt Make a list of what animals need to survive (food, water, air, shelter). Then find examples at home or outside that show these needs being met. Watch and Notice Spend a few minutes outside looking for birds, insects or pets. Talk about how they might grow and what they need to stay alive.
Art	Art This project teaches children about the concept of the portrait and how the collage technique can be used to make a portrait.	Create a Mini Portrait Collage Encourage your child to cut out colours, textures or facial features from old magazines or catalogues and arrange them to make a simple portrait at home. Explore Portraits Together Look at family photos or pictures of famous portraits online and talk about what makes each one special – expression, colours, shapes or style. Collect Materials for Collage Help your child gather safe, recycled materials (magazine pages, scrap paper, fabric pieces) that they can later use in class to create their own portrait collage.
	Summer B
Geography	Wonderful World - Part two This essential skills and knowledge project teaches children about physical and human features, maps, cardinal compass points, and positional and directional language. They learn about the equator, hemispheres and continents and are introduced to the countries, capital cities and settlements of the United Kingdom. The children carry out simple fieldwork to find out about local physical and human features. This is part two - linked to Autumn term.	Local Features Walk Take a short walk together and help your child spot physical features (like hills, rivers, trees) and human features (such as shops, houses, bridges). Talk about what you see on the way. Map‑Making at Home Support your child to draw a simple map of their bedroom, garden or route to school. Encourage them to add labels, a key and use directional words such as north, south, east, and west. UK Capitals Challenge Practise naming the four countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities. You could look at a map together and talk about where each country is located.
Science	Animal Surivial continued from Summer A.
DT	Chop, Slice, Mash This project teaches children about sources of food and the preparatory skills of peeling, tearing, slicing, chopping, mashing and grating. They use this knowledge and techniques to design and make a supermarket sandwich according to specific design criteria.	Food Preparation Practice Support your child to safely practise simple skills such as peeling, tearing, slicing or mashing using soft fruits or vegetables (e.g., bananas, cucumbers, berries). Talk about how each technique changes the food. Sandwich Taste Test Try a small “sandwich tasting” at home. Let your child sample different fillings (cheese, cucumber, ham, tomato, spreads) and discuss which flavours and textures they like. This will help them think about their own sandwich design. Where Does Food Come From? Look in your fridge or cupboards together and talk about where different foods come from (plants or animals). Children can sort foods into two groups or draw a simple chart to show their findings.

How can I help my child at home?

Let your child read their phonics book to you at least 3 times a week.

Log into PhonicsBug and allow your child to complete their allocated activities - please follow the link below. Your child's account details would have been sent to you via ClassDojo. Children will be set work weekly - linked to the sounds they have learnt that week.

ActiveLearn: Login

Staffing: Please come to speak to us at drop off and pick up. We are always around for the big and small messages.

Miss Bassett (Mon, Tues, Wedn, Fri)

Mrs Minifie (Thurs)

High Frequency words

Common Exception Words Y1 & Y2

Phase 2 to 5 Tricky Words