What will my child learn in KS1?
As your child leaves behind the EYFS curriculum, they will move into the key stage one curriculum, although they make take with them some goals. For each year group, there is a set of age-related expectations. All children will be assessed regularly throughout the year – and in different ways – to see if they have reached these standards. Children are supported and extended as needed to help them to meet or exceed the expectations for their year group.
In June, there is a phonics screening test for year one pupils, which will test their ability to read real and nonsense words. It is nothing to worry about and children will have had lots of practise by the time this test arrives. At the end of year two, teachers submit pupil assessments to the government. If they did not pass their phonics screening, they will also take this in year two. Teachers use their ongoing assessments to adapt learning for pupils to help them meet targets and make good progress.
Reading
Phonics continues in years one and two, moving pupils from phase two and three in Reception, through phases four and five in year one and then on to phase six in year two. In year one, pupils will learn to blend and read through daily, fun, pacy lessons. They will also learn a range of non-phonetic ‘tricky’ words. By year two, pupils’ phonics work focuses more on spelling patterns. Throughout key stage one, pupils will develop their speed and be able to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. All children will be heard to read regularly and will be read to by an adult daily.
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Writing
Pupils’ writing in year one usually develops at an impressive rate. They learn to write in sentences and to use more ambitious language, whilst beginning to work out which letters can be joined. In year two, handwriting should become more consistently sized and regularly joined. Writing teaching focuses more heavily on grammar, and pupils by the end of key stage two are expected to understand and be able to use the following:
Noun, adjective, adverb, suffix, subordination, noun phrase, past tense, present tense, statement, question, exclamation, command, capital letter, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark, compound sentence, and expanded noun phrase.
Maths
Maths lessons in year one are usually very hands-on, with plenty of hands-on activities. Your child will count with practical resources and work with their friends to explore number, shape and pattern. Now that they are using numbers over 20, they will learn to use a 100 square to help with their adding and subtracting. Number bonds will also be reinforced.
They learn to count forwards, backwards, in 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and they will begin to double and halve. They will do maths inside and outdoors, and will talk about maths during other subjects, such as recording in tables for science or weighing ingredients for design technology.
In year two, children will learn multiplication and division facts for the two, five and ten times tables. They will also learn to add and subtract with two-digit and one-digit numbers. In fractions, they will find ⅓, ¼, ½, and ¾ of a shape or a quantity of objects. Children will reason about properties of 2D and 3D shapes, as well as a range of data-handling methods such as bar charts and pictograms. They will also begin to become more familiar with measures, including weight, capacity, and length, and telling the time to five minutes.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16&AgeGroup=2
How can I help my key stage one learner at home?
- Carry on reading. As your child’s reading develops, help them to develop strategies for more independent reading, such as chunking longer words, sounding out and blending and using pictures as clues. Continue reading regularly to your child as well as hearing them read several times a week. This will allow them to hear expressive reading, which means they will know more easily what they are aiming for. Ask them a range of questions to support their understanding, such as:
- What do you think is going to happen next?
- Who is (character)?
- Why do you think (character) was upset/happy?
- Focus on number. At school, we subscribe to Numbots for EYFS and year one and Time Table Rock Stars from year two and above. These help children to develop more automaticity with number facts. Focusing on number bonds and times tables through pictorial representation and quick-fire recall is the best way to reinforce the maths your child is learning at school.
- Keep other learning light. Your child will be tired after their day at school, and you may notice a change in their behaviour – particularly in year one. They need lots of time to play, run, and enjoy their time at home. There is real value in everyday experiences such as cooking, going for visits, spending and saving money and writing cards to friends.
