Inspired by: Monster Zoo - Medium Term Plan

The 'Monster Zoo' medium-term plan provides a structured approach to teaching Year 1 students key literacy skills through an engaging theme. Week 1 focuses on understanding the importance of titles and events within 'Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo' by Amy Sparkes. Students will practice verbalising their thoughts before writing and begin to punctuate sentences correctly with capital letters and appropriate punctuation marks. The lessons are creatively titled 'Monster Zoo', 'The Letter', and 'What A Surprise!' to pique the children's interest.

Subsequent weeks build upon this foundation by exploring word meanings and linking them to known vocabulary in Week 2, appreciating rhymes and poems in Week 3, and engaging in discussions about the text in Week 4. Each week, students are encouraged to compose sentences orally before writing, and the plan introduces grammatical concepts in a step-by-step manner, such as using capital letters for proper nouns, prefixes, and the correct use of 'ing', 'ed', 'er', and 'est' in spelling. By Week 5, students make inferences from the text and read their writing aloud, while Week 6 consolidates learning by having them retell stories and check their writing for coherence, also introducing the use of 'I' with a capital letter. The lesson titles, such as 'Wonder Words', 'Messy Monsters', and 'First Prize Monsters', keep the theme consistent and engaging throughout the plan.