Sycamore Class
Teacher: Mrs Keast (formerly Miss Roberts)
Teaching Assistant: Miss Timperley
“Be the best you can be”
My name is Mrs Keast and I am the class teacher in Year 1 Sycamore class. In our class, we thrive on trying our best with a positive mindset. There is no such thing as ‘Can’t’ in our class. We say we ‘Can’t just yet...’ but with effort, lots of support and practice, we have high expectations that all pupils can achieve in whatever they wish to.
In Year 1, we love reading stories and ALWAYS make time to read picture books, stories and love our discussions during book club. We read multiple times of day to decode the sounds and daily reading for pleasure. We believe;
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” – Dr Seuss
In Sycamore class, we thrive to master the basics of number and learn our number facts, practically with equipment, pictorially and eventually counting forwards and backwards in our heads. Number bond facts are key to help our pupils progress in our maths lessons throughout school. Please see our Year 1 maths skills section on our website.
Every day we teach handwriting and practice letter formation. Sycamore class learn to write letters in the correct direction and on the lines. We learn to write tall letters tall and letters with tails. Please refer to the online resources to support your child with their letter formation.
Our sounds in Read Write Inc specific to our ability to support children at every level. We play phonics games weekly linked to our sounds of the week. In Year 1, we do a national phonics screening check to see if our pupils can decode sounds and read accurately.
We do lots of singing and dancing in Sycamore class, and get a boost in confidence when we perform.
We always focus on praising in public and rewarding excellent work and behaviour. If Sycamore children try their hardest, make good progress, use good manners and are kind to their friends, they can move up the rainbow. When they get to the sunshine five times they receive prizes.
In Sycamore Class we have a strong focus on emotional regulation and recognising feelings. We use the story books from ‘The Colour Monster’.
