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Transition |
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Transition is the name given to Year One children at Park Hill School. The word indicates the change from Kindergarten to the more serious curriculum of the upper school.
Homework is given every night at this stage. The idea is to reinforce classroom learning and to introduce the routine while the work is at a relatively easy level and can be finished within ten minutes. We also join up our writing, regularly write 'news' and make a start on story writing.
We aim to be able to work independently on a sheet of maths sums and to tackle concepts such as halves and doubles, odd and even numbers, adding three small numbers and starting on 'tens and units'. We look at the Stone Age in History lessons and maps and the rain forests in Geography. Music lessons cover singing, music appreciation, use of percussion instruments and some theory. French at this stage is mainly oral.
There is still time for Design Technology and Art, in which themes are taken from History and Geography. For example, we have made a model of Stonehenge. We learn to swim (on Fridays at New Malden pool) and have a weekly sports lesson. Time is also devoted weekly, sometimes more frequently, to Social Studies and Religion. We have an assembly three times a week.
Emphasis is placed on building confidence in all the children. Happy, well-behaved children are eager to learn and keen to participate. We change Form Captain every few weeks, giving at least six children a year the honour. Other sought after jobs, such as Register Monitor and Milk Trolley Monitor are also routinely allocated. Stickers and gold stars are awarded in recognition of effort, achievement, kindness and helpfulness.
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