Welcome to Year 1

This term our topic is

Why did Elephants Live in Leamington Spa?

This half term, our topic is all about elephants in Leamington Spa! We will be learning about Samuel Lockhart, the first elephant trainer in England, who was born into a circus family in Leamington in 1850. After a trip to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), he returned with three elephants, Wilhelmina, Haddie and Trilby, and became famous for his circus by the River Leam (now the site of the Loft Theatre).

Using the book Elephants in Royal Leamington Spa by Janet Storrie, we’ll explore Lockhart’s life, how he cared for his elephants, and how Leamington has changed over time. We’ll also learn about Queen Victoria and Leamington’s royal charter.

In Geography, we’ll study our local area, compare Harbury and Leamington Spa, and create our own maps using symbols for landmarks and roads. We’ll also go on a scavenger hunt in Leamington Spa and visit the Royal Pump Rooms to learn about their history.

In English, our writing will be inspired by Pokko and the Drum, The Secret Elephant, and You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus. We’ll write poems, stories, and non-fiction texts.

In maths we will focus on the following topic areas: Multiplication & Division, Fractions, Place Value, Position & Direction, Money and Time.

In Science we will be exploring ‘Plants’.

In Art, we will be recreating Leamington Spa using printing blocks. In DT, we will be making sock puppets.

In PE, we will focus on Striking & Fielding Games and Sending & Receiving.

In RE this half-term, we will be focusing on Sikh worldviews.

We will also be gaining a deeper understanding of our values Thankfulness and Friendship. Our reflection area will demonstrate these values and how we incorporate these into our classroom.

Check out our Newsletter and Topic Web for more details.

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