The Seasons - Teacher Explanation

Welcome to the introductory lesson on seasonal changes for Year 1, entitled "The Seasons." This lesson is an integral part of the National Curriculum, which mandates that pupils observe and understand the changes that occur across the four seasons. To ensure continuity and depth of understanding, this lesson is linked to subsequent lessons 1.7 and 1.16. Before diving into the lesson content, it's essential to prioritize health and safety by checking all glassware for any damage to prevent accidents. The lesson offers a rich cross-curricular experience, integrating English through a simple comprehension activity, Maths via measuring and recording temperatures, and Art, where pupils will create tree posters that depict the changes trees undergo through the seasons.

Students will learn that the year is divided into four seasons, each lasting three months, and they will be expected to identify and describe these seasons starting from any point in the year. They will explore how day length and temperature vary with the seasons, which is crucial for understanding environmental changes. For a deeper engagement with scientific methodology, teachers are encouraged to refer to the Key Stage 1 skills videos and progress matrices available on the website. The lesson includes hands-on activities such as the season card game, where pupils sort images into their appropriate seasons, and an art project to illustrate how trees change over the year. Additionally, pupils will learn to measure temperature using thermometers and understand the concept of centigrade. They will also participate in a class activity to determine the season in which each pupil was born, using a graph for visual representation. To fulfill the National Curriculum's requirements, students will construct a rain gauge and regularly monitor rainfall and temperature, culminating in an analysis of environmental changes throughout the year in later lessons.