Welcome to Beech Class – Years 1 & 2
Teacher: Samantha Hallmark & Kirsty Blencowe
Teaching Assistant: Bridget Dennett
Welcome to the Summer Term 2026
Topic: Coastline
In the Coastline project, your child will use maps to learn about the location of the world’s seas and oceans and keys to learn about map symbols. They will also find out about the directions on a compass. They will learn about the human and physical features of a coastline, including the effects of erosion and how to stay safe when visiting the coast. They will have the opportunity to learn about the work of the RNLI, what happened to the SS Rohilla and about the coastal town of Whitby, including how Captain Cook is linked to the town. They will research the tourism industry and consider what features make a place a successful tourist destination.
Companion Projects:
Science Plant parts, then Habitats.
History Significant people: Mary Anning and Grace Darling.
Art Flower Head.
DT Beach Huts.
PSHE Special people; Staying safe; Strengths and goals
Our PE days are on Mondays and Thursdays. On these days, children should wear PE kits to school, with long hair tied back and earrings removed if possible.
There is some useful information on this webpage about phonics and the particular scheme that we use, Essential Letters and Sounds, including grapheme information sheets and how the sounds should be pronounced. The grapheme sheets may be useful if your child is writing at home.
Here is a video of how to pronounce the Phase 5 sounds.
We’re looking forward to an exciting term!
Homework and Home Learning
Remember to regularly listen to your child read their school reading book: Ideally at least 3 times a week. Read aloud to your child and listen to them read to foster a love for reading and build their vocabulary and imagination. Encourage more independent reading by letting your child choose books they find interesting, and engage with them by discussing the books, asking questions to check comprehension and make predictions, and making reading a fun, active experience.
Spellings and home learning are sent home on Fridays each week in folders, and the spellings are posted on ClassDojo, too.
Links to other websites:
Click here for the Paintz website
Click here for the Hit the Button website
Click here for the DJ cows wordsearch (you can choose your own phonemes)