Year one - what goes on?

[BrittaPerry]

Dd1 is now in year one - this is her first week.

She is relatively ahead, I think (sorry, not a boast as all could change, but it could be relevant). She's not so hot on toilet stuff, making friends, handwriting or dealing with not knowing what is going on.

Do they still do reading books etc? when do they need to know times tables, telling the time etc? Spellings? Handwriting? Writing for different purposes? Does having messy handwriting still hold kids back?

I've looked up the nc on the governments website - do the progress through the skills as the child masters them (presumably that would leave them twiddling thumbs at the end of primary though?) or go deeper or less deep into the stuff the rest of the class is doing?

My DD has been back just over a week and came home with a reading book on the first day. Even when they finish the reading scheme they will still have a reading book but he emphasis will not be decoding but improving there understanding of the deeper meaning of the story.

I think formal times tables are more Year 2+ and the focus in Year 1 is being able to count in 2's, 5's and 10's to 100.

My DD's target is the use of different connectives. There seems to be greater focus on punctuation and this is incorporated into daily sound time at her school.

Every child will have different targets though and those individual targets are what is important for your DD rather than the average child. I think the best person to help with these questions would be your child's teacher do you have a parent's evening soon?

We have parents evening in a fortnight so I will use that to get a good understanding of what my DD's targets are.

In Y1 they continue with the reading books.

They also continue with phonics and encourage the children to produce writing according to their ability (which might range from correctly writing simple words, to simple sentences, to several pages using paragraphs and various punctuation).

In maths they will introduce simple time concepts, 2/5/10 times table, measuring and weighing, simple graphs, number bonds to 20. More able children will move onto concepts like place value and more complex problem solving.

There is a very wide range of abilities in Y1 - but your child should have work differentiate to her ability.

DD has started year 1 this term and her class has been assesed an put into groups. Are they put in to groups based on ability?

Also books being sent home and in reading diary dd teacher has entered P1-9. Any ideas what this means?

Hi elm - does it mean she has read pages 1 to 9 in class?

You then hear her read at home and write 'p9-15' for example and initial it.

I am interested to hear what goes on in Year One too. Thank heavens times tables are in Y2....

Ours have done the same as elms. They've done maths, reading and literacy exercises and have been put in to ability groups (although DD is completely obvious to this I've sussed out which groups she's in as I've been through it with DS!)

Ours are already doing times tables though matesnotdates? DD seems to know how to work out 2's, 5's and 10's already. Although she's still not grasping number bonds to 20.

redskyatnight I've just read your reply. I would have thought place value was easier than times tables, simple graphs, measuring and telling the time. Have I got that wrong? Are you a teacher? Am genuinely intrigued and not saying you're wrong

numbum - HOW do you work out the ability groups? Is it done by which table they sit at, in your school? I can't even find out from ds what he has done at school every day, in terms of learning anything. I am lucky if he tells me what he had for lunch!

There is no way ds is up to times tables and they certainly are not doing that yet. and wow on your dd, she sounds very bright.

I've worked out ability groups based on last year and what I know my children can do. Our school mix the year 1/2 classes up for maths, phonics and literacy. I know DD is the only year 1 child who's in the year 2 phonics/literacy group because she's told me she's the only one who moves class. And as for maths, I know she's in a mixed 1/2 class rather than a pure year 1 class

I'm sure people think I'm nosey but I'm not! I'm just interested! I know there's a child in DD's year who is probably on a par with my year 3 DS maths wise (DS had a level 4 in his year 2 sats) and this child is only in year 1. He's an amazing mathematician and I love to see him working things out!

I'm nosey because it interests me not because I want to know how my children are doing in comparison

Dd1 once told me (in reception) that she had moved down into an easier group. Turned out she had moved up, but thre were less children in that group so she found it easier to cope wuth

kids are weird. Or at least mine are...

I think DS has been put onto a set table based on ability from Y1 Day 1. He is in a mixed Y1/2 class and what level that is, I have no idea. His school/teachers are very good at differentiating work.

His YR class did some time last year - O' Clock and half past the hour.

DS has very untidy writing but the content is ok (capitals, punctuation, sentences). He still reverses letters but tries to spell using phonics knowledge.

His school have reading books until they leave Juniors.

I find it fasinating. Dd1 is our oldest, so we have no idea what is 'normal' - i keep gettin surprised by where she is in relation to others. She is a child of extremes, too... Having special appointments for some things, amazing people in others.

Quite excited to see what happens in year one. Reception teacher (and teacher friends) seem to think she will prefer it, as t has more structure, but up to now she is saying the opposite abd that she misses choosing and being outside...

numbum - our school system is more opaque - I cannot make head nor tail of what's happening. i think i am going to start to get more nosey!

britta mine too. I am flabbergasted by the way their minds work

www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/primary-framework-mathematics-year-1-overview

Not a teacher, just my experience of having had children in Y1.
Times tables were just 2s, 5s and 10s in Y1 (and the more able children had started those in Reception). Telling the time just to the hour and half hour. They also (very early on in the year) learnt how to do tally charts and then made bar charts for e.g. their classmates' favourite pet.

Place value was probably the hardest concept introduced - and not to all children.

www.eriding.net/resources/general/prim_frmwrks/literacy/objectives/l_obj_y1_1.html

Hi all,

I am a teacher and found this thread whilst looking for tally chart ideas! All schools are different so I can't say what other schools do, but at my school (London) we set the children based on their ages and stages levels from reception. This is for maths and literacy. Children take home books and homework every week. (linked to what we have been learning in class that week) Children are encouraged to change their books a few times a week. The levels of the children in my class vary from AS2 (age 22-36 months) to NC L1A. By the end of year 1, children are expected to be working at a level 1B.
In Maths, they should be able to:
Count at least 20 objects reliably.
Count on and back in 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s.
Double to at least 10.
Read, write and order numbers from 0 to at least 20.
Put numbers 0 ?20 in order.
Say what is one more and one less (0 ?30).
Add and subtract two numbers under 10.
Know and use bonds to 10 and total to at least 5 (and subtraction facts).

In Oracy:
Talking to others

• Able to express feelings and ideas when speaking about matters of immediate interest.
• Can talk in ways that are audible and intelligible to peers.
• Show some awareness of the listener by adjusting spoken language and using body language.

Talking with others

• Listen attentively and engage with the speaker.
• Take turns in small group situations or with talk partner.
• Can listen to what others in group suggest and then say what they agree with.

In Reading:

• Read up to 100 familiar words.
• Can sound out CVC /CCVC/CVCC words without prompt.
• Able to predict what happens next in stories.
• Know difference between fiction and non-fiction books.
• Know to stop at a full stop.
• Know that most fiction books have good and sometimes bad characters.

In writing:

• Write first and last name with capital letters where needed.
• Write simple sentences.
• Use capital letters to start sentences and full stops to end them.

Obviously, some children won't achieve this by the end of the year and those children should be identified by the teacher and currently recieving some sort of intervention. I would also think these children would be on the SEN register and there should be an IEP (individual education plan) with targets that should be shared with parents.

I think, as a parent myself, the best thing we can do is to read daily, help them learn their letters and sounds, explore the local area/get outside, talk, play (with other children) and encourage creativity. I'm amazed at how many children start my school without ever having been to nursery or having very little interaction with children their own age.

Hope this has helped.

Feel free to ask anything, but my way isn't always the way other schools/ local authorities do things!

Coco.

Coco are those the targets for your school?

Not exactly. These non negotiables are designed to help teachers with planning and identify ?the basics? for their year group. They aim to set out those essential elements that make the most significant difference to the quality and pace of children?s learning. They have been adapted from the work which has been carried out in hundreds of schools.
The non-negotiables are designed with age-appropriate expectations in mind. There is a focus on the areas where children often ?get stuck? in their learning.

We also don't follow the National Literacy Strategy as we work from the creative curriculum and dip into The Power of Reading.

Maybe ask your child's teacher what strategies they teach and if you could have a breakdown of targets?

By 'breakdown of targets' I mean for your child only at the level they are at now. No point having a target if they aren't ready to learn that yet!

I am a teacher, that's why I'm confused

Oh right, sorry.

As I said, that is what we do at my school, but as you know all schools are diffrent. What do you do in year 1, you may do something that I can magpie! : )

What is 'average' for the end of year one, and what is expected for the top of the class? Just trying to mentally work out where dd is and what she maybe should practise to learn fairly evenly.

I don't know what's average. Mine is in higher groups for year 2 but i guess the range of abilities varies from school to school. And different dc have different strengths. Might be great at one thing, not so great at another.

At end of year 1 -

For maths: she could write numbers to 100 (and further) and order them. So if she's given a sequence with a few missing she'd be able to write them in.

Twos, fives and tens - counting in.

Number bonds, just about to 20 - she was still struggling on some of the larger value ones at the end of y1. I think some subtraction mainly using a number line/grid. Know that if you've got four cakes and two people they get two each. Know that if you have three cats with four legs to work out how many legs would be 4+4+4 but also 3x4 - without necessarily knowing (without counting) that it's 12. Recognising different coins and which ones you'd need to pay for something for 54p say. Towards end of year 1/beginning year 2 working out what change they'd get.

Tell the time in terms of quarter past, half past, quarter to, oclock.
Starting to weigh and measure things.

Literacy - I think it depends on what reading level they're on. But mine has very messy writing but was using capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. Spelling - hit and miss but was doing it phonetically which teacher said was good. I was told it's the content of the writing that's important at this stage.

I think there's quite a lot on the internet about expected levels for year 1. They have SATS at the end of year 2. And there's a lot of information on the different levels and what they need to be doing to reach them. The www.education.gov.uk - gives you info on what they ought to be learning by the end of year 2 (key stage 1).

TBH I wouldn't worry too much. Things seem to suddenly click when you're least expecting them to. I thought my dd's maths was not coming on well in year 1 but by the end and in the early part of year 2, things just seemed to click with her.

Just keep reading and recognising full stops, capital letters, speech marks etc and keep asking everyday maths questions as part of everyday life. Also explaining the meanings of new words. Getting her to write shopping lists, xmas lists, little stories or poems - just using writing as much as possible.

Just my view as a parent.