w/c 18th December

We have only had a short week this week, but we have still been learning! In maths, we completed our unit on shape, but using some of the shapes we recognise (as well as some we didn't know) to make some fabulous shape pictures. This also helped us with our pencil control as we drew carefully around them. Our English lessons have been filled with winter, as we learnt what an acrostic poem was, and wrote some of our own.

Science lessons drew on our knowledge of materials, as we designed a Christmas decoration and considered carefully what material we would make it from so that it had the correct properties. Finally, we have been restricted by the weather and hall use so our PE lesson was yoga in our classroom which all the children enjoyed!

We have now collected all the children's reading books, and will not be sending any more home until after the holidays. Please do continue to read books that you have at home, and log them on Boom Reader though!

Thank you for all your support this term, the children have settled well into Year 1. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - see you in January!

w/c 11th December 

Maths

This week we are looking at shape. We have been focusing on 3D shapes at the beginning of the week naming the shapes, cylinder, sphere, cube, cuboid, pyramid and cone as well as finding them in everyday objects that are all around us.

We will be moving our learning on by looking at 2D shapes and finding these of the faces of 3D shapes! 

English

We are getting festive and writing our own Christmas poems. We have been collecting words that are linked to Christmas and Winter and will build on this by writing a short poem. 

Wider curriculum

In science we investigated which material would be the best one to make an umbrella. We tested different materials and tested them thinking about their properties and drew conclusions as to which would be best and why! 

In topic we are concluding our learning about Childhood by thinking about the similarities and differences between Childhood in the 1950's and Childhood today. 

Later on in the week we are having our first DT project since starting in Year One. We will learn all about where food comes from, how food is safely prepared, design a fruit salad, make it and taste it before evaluating it and deciding what we thought went well and what we would improve next time! 

w/c 4th December

Maths

In maths this week, we have recapped subtraction using a number line and reached the end of our current unit of work on Addition and Subtraction. We have completed a grand total of 3 quizzes to show how much we have learnt since September! 

Next week, we will be moving on to a very short unit about shape.

English

In English we have completed our story based on Wild, and edited it to make sure we did not miss any capital letters and full stops. We have then moved on to using some seasonal pictures to inspire our writing, and make sure we can include everything we have learnt so far in English - we have used capital letters, full stops and finger spaces; we have ensured we are writing in complete sentences (who and what); we have joined words, and sometimes clauses, with the word "and;" finally, we have used adjectives to help to describe a noun. 

Next week, we will be using nouns and verbs to write a short seasonal poem.

Wider Curriculum

This week, we have used our knowledge of the properties of materials in Science to observe and record the properties of different objects and explained why some objects must be made from a particular material. Next week, we will investigate this further.

In History, we have been learning about a significant event 

from the 1950s - the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We have written a fact about the coronation, and designed our own crown - this will be our have for Christmas dinner day, before we bring them home!

Finally, thank you to all the parents who came to our Christmas Decoration workshop!

w/c 27th November

Maths

In maths this week we have been subtracting by counting back, using a number line to help us.

We have also been consolidating our learning of fact families, and extending it by learning all 8 fact families! 

Next week we will be showing off what we know in some assessments, and consolidating our learning. 

English

In English this week we have been continuing with our story Wild by Emily Hughes and started to retell the story. The children have been using their plans from last week to write a first draft of their stories. They have been incorporating all the skills they have learnt in English so far this year - capital letters, finger spaces and full stops in sentences, a variety of sentence openers, time adverbials, adjectives, and conjunctions "and" and "because". Well done! We look forward to reading your final pieces next week.

Wider Curriculum

In art this week we had a little exhibition in our classrooms so that the children had the chance to admire each others' work from this unit, 'Funny faces and fabulous features'. The children have made some brilliant works of art over this unit, including self portraits, funny collages, self portrait collages, and oil pastel portraits too. After viewing each others work, the children discussed and evaluated their work and recapped their learning of different facial features, art techniques, and artists they have learnt about including Picasso, Van Gogh, and Matisse. 

In History the children have been thinking back to the toy workshop they had relating to childhood in the 1950s. 

In computing the children have been practising logging in, and opening the Paintz app on their own. They have been making a variety of pictures in the past few weeks relating to different artists, including Kandinsky. This week they were focusing on pointilism, and created some beautiful sunflower pictures!

We have been doing lots of singing practise for our Christmas Decoration workshop next week (Maple Class - Tuesday 2:15pm, Beech Class - Wednesday 2:15pm). Please have a look on the Year 1 Google Classroom if you would like to have a practise with your child. We are looking forward to getting into the festive spirit with you! 

w/c 20th November

Maths

In Maths this week, we have moved on from addition and started to think about subtraction. We have learnt the new symbol, discovered different terms for the same operation (subtraction, minus and take away) and found some strategies to help us, including crossing out if we have a picture, using a part-whole model and our knowledge of number bonds, or using resources such as cubes, counters and tens frames. Next week, we will begin to count back to subtract, using a number line for support.

English

In English, we have started to plan our own story, thinking carefully about the beginning, middle and end. We have based it on the story of "Wild" by Emily Hughes, but we have changed it in some way, for example the child discovers she enjoys living in the house and learning new things. 

Next week, we will be drafting our story and incorporating all the skills we have learnt so far this year.

Wider Curriculum

In Science, we have sorted objects into groups according to the material from which they are made. Next week, we will be thinking about the different properties of materials - hard,  soft, smooth, rough etc.

In History, we have investigated the jobs that people often did during the 1950s. We have been fascinated by the idea of a milkman and newspapers being delivered! We also discovered that when women were married and had children, most stopped working to become a housewife - the children were not so impressed with this idea! Next week, we will be recalling our visit from the toy workshop to explore childhood in the 1950s.

In Art, we have continued to explore portraits, using oil pastels to create work inspired by Andy Warhol, Nettrice Gaskins and Picasso.

Finally, we have competed in the Cross country competition to win house points... although we'll have to wait until next week to find out which house won! 

W/C 13th October 

Maths

In maths this week we are learning to write addition number sentences by adding two parts together to make the whole. For example- 4 cats and 3 dogs equals 7 animals altogether so written as 4+3=7. We will be extending our learning later in the week by working through addition word problems/stories. 

English

We are continuing our work on the story Wild. We will be learning about past and present tenses this week to build up to writing our retell of the story Wild. 

See examples below. 

Wider curriculum

In science we have been continuing our work on materials. This week we have been thinking about which naturally found materials are used to make human made materials. 

In topic we are focusing on transport from the 1950's and will be comparing it to transport today. In PSHE we talked about our odd socks and anti-bullying. 

We will also be having some special assemblies delivered by the Police helping us to think about road safety and what the Police force can help us with. 

w/c 6th November

Maths

In maths this week, we have been thinking about number bonds - 2 numbers that add together to make another number - within 10. We have used our part-whole models to help us write number sentences, and have been introduced to a bar model as another way of representing part-part-whole information. We have also learnt how to work systematically, so that we have all of the number bonds for a given number.

English

In English this week, we have written a character description for the main character in the story. We have used adjectives to describe her key features, like her green, messy hair and big, round eyes. We have also used "and" to join two related clauses or words.

Next week, we will be exploring past tense and 3rd person writing in preparation for writing our own story later in the term.

Wider Curriculum

In History, we have begun to focus on the 1950s, thinking about what entertainment was like then and how it is different from today. Next week, we'll be looking at 1950s transport.

In Science, we have looked at different products made from different materials, and matched them - something we will continue with next week.

In art, we have continued to explore portraits. This week, we have used collage to create some "funny faces" which the children loved - there are some below for you to enjoy!

w/c 30th Oct

Maths

In maths this week we have started our new unit, Addition and Subtraction. We have been looking at part whole models to support addition. For example, using two different coloured counters, we can say there are 3 green parts, and 2 red parts, so the whole is 5. We can display this visually on a part whole model. We have then been seeing how many different ways we can write this as a number sentence, e.g. 3+2=5, 2+3=5, 5=3+2, and 5=2+3. 

Next week, we will be looking at number bonds within 10, and to 10. 

English

In English we have started a new unit on a book called Wild by Emily Hughes. This week we have been focusing on a character description, using adjectives to describe nouns (size and colour), and also looking at the conjunction "and" to join words and clauses together. 

Next week we will be continuing with this story, and writing a character description starting with an opener and ending with a full stop. 

Wider Curriculum

In Art this week we learnt a little about Remembrance day next week, and painted our plastic bottle poppies - thank you for bringing so many in, they're looking great! 

w/c 16th October

Maths

In maths this week, we have reached the end of our first unit of work looking at place value of numbers within 10. We have consolidated our knowledge of greater than, less than and equal to using the symbols <, > and =. We have also learnt how number lines can help us to work out questions like this. 

Finally, we used our knowledge to play this game 

- and we really enjoyed it! 

https://nrich.maths.org/7337

After half term, we will begin to look at addition and subtraction, starting with part/whole models.

English

In English, we have completed our final piece of writing from The Snail and The Whale - we have written instructions on how to save a whale! We have used time adverbials to make sure our instructions are easy to follow. We then edited our work with the help of an adult, to make sure we had all our capital letters and full stops. Finally, we have published a piece of work by writing the finished, edited piece in our best handwriting!

After half term, we will be beginning a new story. We will be learning about character descriptions and joining words and clauses using the word "and."

Wider Curriculum

In History, we have used our knowledge of timelines and our own families to create a family tree. Next term, we will be concentrating more on the 1950s. 

In Science, we considered why our senses are important and how they keep us safe from danger. This completes our learning about the human body, next term we will be learning about materials.

In Art, we have completed our colour mixing learning by creating a piece of art in the style of Kandinsky, mixing different colours from the three primary colours. 

w/c 9th October

Maths

This week in maths we are looking at the vocabulary greater than, more than and equal to, to compare numbers. We will also link this to the

greater than >   

less than <

equal to = symbols

For example- 4<7 4 is less than 7

English

We are still studying the book- 'The Snail and the Whale.' Over the next few weeks we will be learning about instructions and writing a set of instructions including time adverbials eg. First, Then, Next, Finally to ensure they are written in the correct order for someone to follow. We will be writing instructions about 'How to save a whale'. 

Wider curriculum

In science we have started to think about our senses and how these link to the function of the body parts. We labelled the 5 body parts and the 5 senses. 

Finally, in Jigsaw lessons (PSHE) we have been learning about actions have consequences. We are continuing to have daily handwriting lessons with a focus on capital letters and in PE we are practising defending a goal. 

w/c 2nd October

Maths

In maths this week, we have been comparing numbers; we have done this by matching objects, and thinking about enough, not enough and too many - if there are 4 pens and 4 children, there are enough pens. If there are 8 children and 4 pens, there are not enough pens and if there are 4 children and 8 pens, there are

too many pens.

We have also compared

objects using more, fewer and the same: 

Next week, we will be comparing using the vocabulary less than, greater than and equal to. We will also order objects and numbers.

English

In English this week, we have been concentrating on learning poems for our Poetry Slam competition. We have rehearsed different poems in our house groups, performed them and then chosen our favourites to represent our year group in the competition. Next week, we will be watching the poems from all the other year groups and voting on our favourites.

In our English lessons next week, we will be beginning to use adverbs of time and imperative verbs to help us follow and give instructions.

Wider Curriculum

In our Science lesson this week, we compared ourselves with another partner to see how humans a both similar and different. We thought about what makes us unique, and learnt that we are an animal called a mammal.

Next week, we will be thinking about our senses.

Finally, in History, we had a fabulous time with Alison from Oxfordshire Museum exploring toys from the past. We played with cup and balls, Jacob's ladders, yo-yos and automatons; we looked at lots of toys from the past and thought about the materials they were made from, where they were made and how they were played with. We were surprised to learn that children from the past might only have had one or two toys. Finally, we made our own thaumotrope to create an optical illusion, which we loved playing with and were very excited to bring home!

w/c 25th September

Maths

In maths this week we have been exploring counting backwards within 10, so if we start at 6, we can count back 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. We have been using a range of resources to help us, including number tracks, counters and tens frames, giant foam tens frames, and multilink blocks. 

We have also been thinking about one less, and starting to use stem sentences such as, "One less than 5 is 4" and as a challenge, "4 is one less than 5". We have also been consolidating our previous learning about numbers as words, and practising writing the words to match the numerals. 

Next week we will be looking at comparing groups by matching, and thinking about fewer, more and same. 

English

In English this week we have continued to look at The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson. The children are really enjoying the familiarity of this story, and are becoming experts at retelling it orally. We have written lots of fantastic sentences in our books to retell the story in our own words, trying to remember our capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Some children have even remembered to put adjectives in their sentences, which we have been learning about this week. For example, instead of writing, "The snail and the whale swam in the ocean", they were writing sentences such as, "The slimy snail and the huge whale swam in the deep blue ocean." 

Next week we will be looking at instructions for saving the whale, and including time adverbials in our sentences in relation to the story, The Snail and the Whale. 

Wider curriculum

In Science this week the children have been learning more about the human body, counting our body parts and thinking about why we have 2 arms and legs, but not 2 heads, and why we have as many as 10 fingers and toes!

In History we have continued with our Childhood topic, this week looking at different toys from the past, and present. The children have sorted pictures and drawn toys that toddlers and children would have played with in the past, such as a toddler's rocking horse, and a child's old fashioned dolls house, and the present such as a toddler's toy phone, and a child's games console.

Computing has been a massive hit this week - the children have been learning how to log in using Chromebooks, and beginning to explore mouse control when creating a picture. Hopefully you will have received your child's logins for Google Classroom, Boom reader, and Sumdog. These were sent home on Thursday this week. 

The children have enjoyed exploring Primary and Secondary colours in Art this week and last week.

In PE this week we have continued to practise our defend and shoot skills on Tuesday, and in our dance unit on Friday we played some jungle games to develop partner work and explore ideas and sequences of movements. 

w/c 18th September

Maths

In Maths this week, we have been thinking about counting on from a number by thinking of the next number, so counting on from 4 would be 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and we have realised that we don't always need to start from 1.

We have also thought about 1 more, and have been able to find one more than any number within 10.

Next week, we will be thinking about counting backwards and 1 less.

English

In English, we have started a new book - one that we are all very familiar with (and much loved by all the children) The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson. We have sequenced the story and retold it orally. We have then reminded ourselves what makes a complete sentence, and constructed complete sentences from mixed up ones, and finally we have thought about using difference sentence openers to make our writing more interesting; rather than "The snail.." we could use "She..." for example.

Next week, we will be thinking about adjectives we could include to make our sentences even better and finally retelling the story in our own words.

Wider Curriculum

In Science, we have named parts of the body and labelled a person-sized diagram to show our knowledge. In History we have looked at some childhood items from the past, and compared them to those we might see now. We have been surprised to see how much some things have changed (boys would wear dresses until they were 5/6 years old) and how little other things have changed (dolls houses and children's stories). In PE we have continued to practise our defending and shooting skills, and used ideas about the movement of jungle animals in our dance unit.

W/C  11th September 2023

English

We have been continuing with our story focus book 'The Hike' this week. We are making our writing more interesting by thinking about using different sentence openers such as he, she, they and time words such as first, then, finally. We are also doing this by including adjectives to describe what we can see too. For example- tall tree, tiny dragonfly. This will then help us to write our retell of the story and make it exciting for the reader! 

Maths

We are representing objects this week. For example if there are 5 cows I can represent these with 5 counters. We will then move our learning on and recognise numbers as words, for example 5 as five. We will be matching these up by reading them as well as practising our spelling too. 

Wider curriculum

We have had our first science lesson this week and have thought about 'humans' and the 'human body'. We have looked at some of our body parts and how we are the same and how we are different.

We are introducing our new topic this week too- 'Childhood'. This is going to help us think about the passing of time and time words. 

-What happened last year

-What happened along time ago

-What happened yesterday

-What happened last month

In PE we will covering a dance unit as well as defending games- learning how to defend a goal. 

w/c 4th September

It has been great to see all the children back in school this week, and we have been very impressed by how well they have started to settle in to the new routines and expectations that come with the transition to Year 1. We're looking forward to a fantastic year!

English

In Year 1, we have an English lesson every day in addition to our phonics and reading lessons. This week, we have been reading The Hike by Alison Farrell and using this as the base for our work. We have made sure we understand the difference between a letter, a word and a sentence, and that we know what makes a complete sentence - it has to include "who" and "what they are doing" as well as a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, a full stop at the end, and finger spaces between the words. We have put all of this knowledge together to write some sentences to describe what is happening in the story.

Next week, we will consolidate our learning about sentences and write a short retelling of the story ourselves.

Maths

In Maths, we have done lots of practical activities with number up to 10. We have sorted objects and explained how we have done so, and thought about partitioning numbers within 10 into different parts; for example, 10 can be partitioned into 3 and 7.

Next week, we will begin our unit of work on place value - thinking about the digits in a number and their value, either tens or ones.

Wider Curriculum

We have introduced our new topic, Childhood, and will be sending home more information about that next week. This week, we have thought about childhood memories, and used our memories of the summer or our time in Reception last year to illustrate and create some bunting.

We have also managed to fit in a PE lesson, where we played some games that have been popular for many years.

Next week, we will think about what words are linked to describing and discussing the past (from long ago to yesterday). We will also begin our science lessons and think about colours in our Art lessons.

The children have coped really well in the heat - thank you for remembering hats and water bottles - as well. 

This term we will be basing our Wider Curriculum work around the history topic of Childhood. We will learn about the differences and similarities between the 1950s and today, how childhood and life in general has changed. We will be thinking about family trees and the Late Queen's Coronation in 1953. 

In Science, we will be thinking about the Human Body and exploring our senses.

We are all very excited to be beginning a new year, and have some exciting adventures ahead!