FS1 LITERACY COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Outline

Overview

Literacy comes under the specific area of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

Learning Outcomes

The aims of all subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience.

The aims of the Literacy Syllabus is to encourage and enable students to:

  • Enjoy listening to and and using spoken and written langauge readily turn it into play and use to communicate their needs with others
  • Extend their vocabulary and develop their language skills
  • Show interest in illustrations and print in books and in the environment
  • Learn how to handle books carefully
  • Engage in activities requiring hand-eye coordination and use one handed tools and equipment
  • Use puppets and props to make up or re-tell stories
  • Mark making
  • Begin to use anticlockwise movement and trace vertical lines
  • Use a variety of crayons, pencils and thick chalk and learn to hold in correct pencil grip

Ongoing Objectives

There are objectives that are covered and built upon throughout the year.

Reading

  • Enjoys rhyming and rhythmic activities
  • Shows awareness of rhyme and alliteration
  • Recognises rhythm in spoken words
  • Listens to and joins in with stories and poems, one‐to‐one and also in small groups
  • Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories
  • Beginning to be aware of the way stories are structured
  • Suggests how the story might end
  • Listens to stories with increasing attention and recall
  • Describes main story settings, events and principal characters
  • Shows interest in illustrations and print in books and print in the environment
  • Recognises familiar words and signs such as own name and advertising logos
  • Looks at books independently. Handles books carefully
  • Knows information can be relayed in the form of print
  • Holds books the correct way up and turns pages
  • Knows that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom

Writing

  • Sometimes gives meaning to marks as they draw and paint
  • Ascribes meanings to marks 
  • that they see in different places

Topic Overviews

Term 1

Topic- All About Me

Approximate length: 4 weeks 

FS1 children will learn all about themselves and what makes them unique! The children will learn about their families, their sense and their immediate environment! The children will also learn school routines and build relationships with their peers.

Topic- Transport

Approximate length: 4 weeks

During this topic, the children will explore different modes of transport and what vehicles we use to travel in. The children will learn about the different vehicles, such as trucks, cars, buses, airplanes, boats and gain an understanding of how transport is used on land, in the air and in the sea.

 
 

Topic-Dinosaurs

Approximate length: 4 weeks   

This topic will explore the world of dinosaurs and how they lived! They will learn the names of the different dinosaurs and their habitats! Children will get a chance to create their own dinosaurs by using different media tools and explore dinosaur movements!

 
Dinosaurs 

Term2

Topic – Minibeasts

Approximate length: 4 weeks

In this topic, the children will learn about the world of creepy crawlies! The children will learn the names of different insects that are found in the UAE and outside of the UAE! The children will also go on a scavenger hunt to find real mini-beasts! The children will explore the habitats of the insects and learn about their body parts.

Minibeasts

Topic– Pirates

Approximate length: 4 weeks

FS1 children will explore the world of fictional and non-fictional pirates. The children will look at how pirates lived and what modes of transport they used! The children will also learn to talk like parents and create their very own treasure map!

Pirates

Unit – Animals

Approximate length: 4 weeks

This theme will explore different types of animals, such as farm animals, jungle animals, sea animals and zoo animals! The children will create animals, draw animals and use their mathematical knowledge to sort out animals! FS1 children will explore the differences and similarities between the sounds each animal makes and investigate animal patterns. The children will also explore animals in the UAE.

animals

Term 3

Topic- Superheroes and Community Helpers

Approximate length:2 weeks

This topic will explore the importance of community helpers! The children will learn about how they keep the community safe and healthy, and how they make life better for the people in the community. Some of the community helpers we will explore will be police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. We will also look at non-fictional superheroes that the children may be familiar with!

Unit- Traditional Tales

Approximate length: 4 weeks

In this topic, the children explore a selection of Fairy Tales. Fairy Tales will support children’s story development, ignite their imagination and learn about characters in a staory, beginning, middle and end!

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Assessment

Formative: Throughout the year, staff will observe children on a daily basis during child-initiated play and adult led interactions. The observations will help inform next steps and planning.

Next Steps