Autumn 1
This half-term is all about settling into school, building friendships, and exploring the world around us through seasonal changes and harvest celebrations.
Project 1: Transition – Getting to Know Ourselves
Big Questions:
- Who am I?
- Who am I in my family?
- What makes our class special?
What we’ll do:
- Learn routines and expectations for school life.
- Share “All About Me” bags and family photos.
- Explore similarities and differences between families.
- Create a class charter and celebrate what makes us unique.
Key Texts:
- What Makes Me a Me
- Our Class is a Family
- I Am Almost Always Kind
Vocabulary:
Name, family, belong, same, different, days of the week, months of the year.
End Points:
- Children will confidently talk about themselves and their families.
- Understand that families and classes can look different but all are important.
Project 2: Harvest and Seasonal Change
Big Questions:
- How would I describe today?
- What do you expect to see in Autumn?
- What is harvest and why do we celebrate it?
- What do we eat that’s harvested?
- Which bread from around the world do we like the most?
What we’ll do:
- Learn about the seasons and signs of Autumn.
- Explore harvest traditions and why helping others matters.
- Taste breads from around the world and vote for our favourite.
- Make simple bread rolls and learn where food comes from.
- Collect and display data about our likes and dislikes.
Key Texts:
- Leaf Man – Lois Ehlert
- The Squirrels Who Squabbled
- It’s a No-Money Day
- The Little Red Hen
- Chapatti Moon
Vocabulary:
Autumn, harvest, wheat, flour, ingredients, celebrate, kindness, prefer, like, dislike.
End Points:
- Children will understand seasonal changes and the concept of harvest.
- Recognise that people can like different things and that’s okay.
- Begin to use data to show preferences.
How Parents Can Support
- Share family photos and talk about your child’s favourite activities.
- Discuss signs of Autumn on walks and talk about weather changes.
- Involve your child in simple cooking activities like baking bread.
- Talk about celebrations and why helping others is important.
