Learning in Year 1

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Autumn 1 – Using Voices

• Children will use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
• Children will also learn how to combine different parts together to create one piece of music.

Autumn 2 – Beat/pulse and rhythm

• Children will learn to clap, stamp and play the beat/pulse of different pieces of music.
• Children will be taught to internalise the beat by counting the beat in their heads.
• Children will learn the difference between beat and rhythm and will clap rhythms.
• Children will have a chance to play different rhythms using djembe drums.

Spring 1 – Tuned and untuned instruments

• Children will spend half a term learning how to play a piece of music on glockenspiels.
• During this unit, children will be exposed to what the music looks like in standard music notation.
• Children will be given the chance to perform their pieces to other classes.

Spring 2 – Musical elements (pitch, tempo, dynamics)

• Children will be taught about what pitch is and follow the pitch of songs using their hands.
• Children will learn about tempo and how the tempo changes in different pieces of music. They will also consider how this changes the effect of the music.  
• Children will learn about dynamics (louds and softs) and will experiment with how these are created within music.

Summer 1 – Listening and responding

• Children will listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
• Children will respond to music by considering how it makes them feel and what the images it conjures up in their imaginations.

Summer 2 – Composition

In this unit, children will experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music they have learnt about throughout the year.  

Autumn 1 - Throwing and Catching / Fundamental Movements / Dance

• Activities focus on the exploration of fundamental movements using basic movement vocabularly using safe and enjoyable activities.
• Developing balance, agility and coordination and begin to apply these in a range of activities.
• Perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Autumn 2 - Jumping and running / Fundamental Movements / Dance

• Activities focus on the exploration of fundamental movements using basic movement vocabularly using safe and enjoyable activities.
• Developing balance, agility and coordination and begin to apply these in a range of activities.
• Perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Spring 1 - Throwing and Catching / Fundamental Movements / Gymnastics

• Activities focus on the exploration of fundamental movements using basic movement vocabularly using safe and enjoyable activities.
• Master basic movements of running and jumping as well as developing balance, agility and coordination.
• Perform simple gymnastics sequences.

Spring 2 - Jumping and running / Multi sports

• Activities focus on the exploration of fundamental movements using basic movement vocabularly using safe and enjoyable activities.
• Master basic movements of running and jumping as well as developing balance, agility and coordination.

Summer 1 - Athletics / Games

• Combining all fundamental movements from the previous half terms.
• Participating in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending.

Summer 2 - Athletics / Games

• Combining all fundamental movements from the previous half terms.
• Participating in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending.