Friday 24th March 2023

This week it has been very exciting with the chicks chirping right outside our door. We were very sad to see them go but we have enjoyed having them here.

In Maths, we have been learning about mass, weight, volume and capacity. We investigated different ways to measure the capacity of many containers.

In English, we have been writing our stories about our own explorers. We have enjoyed adding adjectives to make them more interesting.

We also enjoyed our Geography lesson, learning all about the different continents and oceans.

Friday 17th March 2023

This week in English we have been reading a story about explorers. We designed our own explorers and sent them on an adventure! 

In Maths, as part of our 'STEM' (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) week, we have been doing some investigating based on the story '365 Penguins'. We had to see how many ways we could organise the penguins into triangles.

We have also been doing some investigations on length and height - we have learnt how to measure in non-standard measures and in centimetres.

We have had lots of fun during STEM week, with a focus on tractors and wheels. We have investigated if bigger cars travel further, took part in a STEM live lesson and started to design and make our own tractors. 

 

Friday 10th March 2023

In Year 1, this week we have been continuing to work very hard.

In English, we have read the book 'I am Amelia Earhart' about a famous Aviator. We have learnt lots of facts and discovered how to put this into writing our own information.

In maths, we have been focusing on estimating on a number line, using our knowledge of place value. 

During our history lesson this week, we learnt all about Christopher Columbus, his life and his voyage. We looked at where he went and what he discovered.

Friday 3rd March 2023

This week in Year 1 we have enjoyed doing lots of different learning. Yesterday, we celebrated World Book Day, where we came to school in some amazing outfits! We also had the opportunity to do some shared reading with Year 4, which was enjoyable.

In maths, we have been focusing on place value to 50, identifying tens and ones.

We really enjoyed our history lesson this week- we went on an archaeological dig to find clues about who Christopher Columbus was and why he was famous.

Friday 24th February 2023

What a busy week we've had! 

In English, we have focused on the book 'Man on the Moon', about an astronaut whose job it is to tidy the moon every day. We reenacted the story and wrote recounts of it.

In maths, we have been focusing on finding missing numbers within calculations. We have used equipment to focus on the parts and wholes. 

We particularly enjoyed our science lesson this week, where we investigated which materials can be used to build a house for the three little pigs.

Friday 10th February 2023

This week has been very busy and enjoyable in school. We have had a focus on Children's Mental Health Week and this year's theme: Let's Connect!

In English, we have been looking at how to write facts, using information about Neil Armstrong.

In maths, we have focused on subtracting and also relating addition and subtraction. 

In Skills for Life, with our focus of 'Let's Connect', we discussed how we can connect with others to improve mental health. We wrote letters to children in Y4 and shared them. We also chose books to read to other children and making new connections with older children.

We also enjoyed identifying the connections we already have and making connecting paper dolls!

Friday 3rd February 2023

This week in Year 1 we have enjoyed lots of different activities to support our learning. 

In English, we have been reading the book 'The Darkest Dark'. We have explored emotions and feelings of a character and come up with lots of different words. We discussed how to write a diary entry using good language.

In Maths, we have been working on addition. We have learnt how to double and add using 'near doubles', e.g. identifying that 5+6 = double 5+1. We have also looked at how we can use number bonds to 10 to cross the tens' barrier.

We had fun in science this week making and testing boats based on what materials we thought might be suitable.

Friday 27th January 2023 

We've had another enjoyable week in Year 1.

In English, we have been writing The Night Pirates from the point of view of the main character, Tom. We have looked at how to start our sentences in more interesting ways, including using time phrases like 'After a while'.

In maths, we have been adding within 20. We have looked at how our number bonds can help us to add.

We really enjoyed our geography this week, where we got the chance to explore compass points. We looked at how a compass works and had some time to explore directions on the playground.

Additionally, we have enjoyed learning how to programme a Beebot in our computing lessons.

Friday 20th January 2023

This week we have really enjoyed reading the book 'The Night Pirates' about a group of 'rough, tough girl pirates'.

We have used our describing skills to write the introduction and build up to the story. We have also started to look at how we edit to make our work better.

In maths, we have continued to focus on the value of teen numbers. We looked at where they are placed on a number line and how to order numbers to 20. We also estimated on a number line, using our knowledge of place value.

We had a lovely time exploring maps in our geography lesson this week. We named and began to identify the seven continents using globes, atlases maps and iPads.

Friday 13th January 2023

Welcome back!

This week, we have kick-started our new topic 'Pirates and Exporers'.

We have read the book 'Pirates Love Underpants' which focused on a quest. The children have been working on replacing 'and' in a sentence and focusing on story writing with a quest, as well as using adjectives within writing.

In maths, we have been looking at the place value of numbers to 20, including using tens and ones.

We enjoyed our science this week being introduced to materials. We named some everyday materials and then came up with different ways that we could sort materials.

 

Friday 16th December 2022

What a week it's been!  We have had very successful nativity performances - the children did brilliantly. They did an excellent job delivering lines and singing with confidence - what stars! Thank you to everybody who supported with learning lines and coming to watch.

Well done everybody!

In English this week, we have continued reading The Jolly Christmas Postman, and we have designed and written our own postcards to Father Christmas, with focus on asking questions.

In maths, we have practised our addition and subtraction skills in many different ways.

Have a great Christmas break one and all!

Friday 9th December 2022

It has been a very busy week! This week we have started reading 'The Jolly Christmas Postman' by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.

We have looked at traditional characters and discussed the meaning of 'villain.' We have then planned our own traditional tales based on well known ones.

In Maths, we have looked at how we use the equals sign to balance two number sentences. We have also started to look at how shapes can represent numbers too!

We have been very busy practising our nativity and we look forward to sharing it with you next week.

Friday 2nd December 2022

We are all very excited now it is December - we have all been talking about our advent calendars and cheeky elves.

In English this week, we have continued reading the book 'Yours Sincerely, Giraffe'. We have been working on setting descriptions, writing postcards to and from the African savanna. 

During our maths lessons, we have been very successful in describing 2d and 3d shapes as well as sorting them. We have also used digital tools to create repeating patterns with shapes, as well as using our knowledge of shapes to create Kandinsky's 'circles'.

We have also been very busy practising songs and rehearsing lines for our nativity. We are looking forward to sharing it with you all in a few weeks time.

Friday 25th November 2022

This week, we have been busy practising songs and lines for our nativity! We are looking forward to sharing it with you in December.

In English, we have been reading the chapter book 'Yours Sincerely, Giraffe'- about a giraffe who is lonely and writes to somebody to ask to be his friend. We have been practising our letter writing, writing in different roles.

In maths, we have learnt all about 3d and 2d shapes, using some new vocabulary. We have learnt how to describe them and sort them in different ways, as well as seeing where shapes appear in real life.

We really enjoyed our geography lesson, looking at maps of Stoke Mandeville. We had to find familiar places like the park, pub and school.

Friday 18th November 2022

We have had a very exciting week in Year 1. Firstly, thank you to everyone who came to watch our 'fire'. We really enjoyed creating our own Great Fire!

In English this week, we received a letter to King James I, warning him about the Gunpowder Plot. We discussed what a letter is and planned and wrote replies to Thomas, thanking him for his warning.

In Maths, we have completed our learning on addition and subtraction. We have focused on writing number sentences in different ways, including having the equals sign at the start.

We got very messy in science this week looking at 'poo!'. We were investigating different animal diets and whether they're carnivores, herbivores or omnivores, so we dissected some poo to see what evidence we could find. We found leaves, feathers, fruit peel, 'bones' and grass. We had to decide who we thought it belonged to.

Finally, we have learnt lots in anti-bullying week, including the differences between hurtful behaviour and bullying, what to do if you are being bullied and some feelings involved with bullying.

Friday 11th November 2022 

We've enjoyed our English lessons this week, learning all about fire safety. We discussed ways to stay safe at home and prevent a fire. We also talked about how smoke alarms work to keep us safe - we put this learning into practice when we had a fire drill in school too! We have started to write information texts about fire safety using some of this vocabulary.

In maths, we have continued to practise and apply our addition and subtraction skills, solving missing number problems and mixed number problems- it has been very tricky.

We learnt lots in science this week, focusing on animal body parts and how they're similar and different to humans.

Finally, we are very excited about our 'London's burning' afternoon. We have been baking bread in preparation for this!

Friday 4th November 2022

This week in English, we have been looking at how to use a question mark. We have also learnt all about Simone Biles as part of Black History week.

In maths, we have learnt the posh word 'subtract'. We have looked at lots of different ways that we can subtract numbers, ensuring we always subtract from the greatest number.

We really enjoyed our History lesson this week, learning all about The Gunpowder Plot and why we celebrate Bonfire Night.

We also had great fun during our outdoor learning day. We used natural materials to create different pictures: an insect, a mammal and a tree.

Friday 21st October 2022

In English this week we have been writing instructions. We read the book 'Pumpkin Soup' and came up with our own ideas for a soup including: chocolate soup, ice cream soup, chicken nugget soup and fairy dust soup. We then learnt some bossy words and came up with actions to go with them. Finally, we wrote our fantastic instructions.

In maths, we have been continuing to learn about addition. We have started to recall number bonds at speed, as well as looking at systematic number sentences.

During science, we identified signs of autumn. We discussed how in autumn things change including leaves and trees.

 

Friday 14th October 2022

This week, in English we have been doing more amazing writing. We have planned and learnt our own version of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Some versions included: We're going on a monkey hunt, a panda hunt and a tiger hunt! The children have continued to work on using full stops correctly. We have also learnt what an adjective is.

In maths, we have learnt all about part whole models, bar models and addition. We have started to write our own number sentences using the symbols + and =.

We did some great science learning this week too. We investigated different ways that we could group animals. Then, we learnt about the scientific groups to classify animals: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and insects.

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Friday 7th October 2022

We have had a very busy week! Our English learning this week has seen us read, learn and write the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen. We talked about how this story has a repeating structure which makes it easier to re-tell. We have seen amazing progress with the children's writing!

In maths this week, we have been doing lots of work on number lines. We have been using number lines to estimate numbers to ten and understand the value of each number. We have also been continuing to work on our fluency by looking at the shape and composition of numbers over 5.

Our focus in science this week was to identify how our senses are used in everyday situations. We tried some blindfolded challenges to see what it is like to not have the use of a sense.

Friday 30th September 2022

We have been seeing some more brilliant learning this week. 

In English, we have continued to work on sentence writing and have learnt all about capital letters. We have practised using them in sentences using the 'green for go' and 'red for stop' technique.

In maths, we have been continuing to compare numbers using the greater than and less than symbols, ordering numbers and making numbers in different ways. 

In Science this week, we had great fun learning about the five senses. We learnt how each sense links to a body part, and then we used our senses to explore different foods.

  

 

Friday 23rd September 2022

It's been another great week in Year 1.

In English, we have continued our learning around Toby and the Great Fire of London. We have explored diary entries and different words we can use for feelings.

In maths, we have learnt new words 'Greater than' 'less than' and 'equal to'. We will be learning special symbols for these words too. 

We particularly enjoyed our history learning this week. We looked at pictures from the past and present and used clues to work out whether we thought they were old or new. We discussed black and white photos, painting and using clues in the pictures to work out whether it was modern or old. For example, lots of children pointed out that the horses and carts in one of the photos are not what we use today and that one of the photos must be newer because it had lots of lights.

Friday 16th September 2022

The children have enjoyed a lovely first full week back and have settled into their new routines really well. I have been particularly impressed with their changing for PE! 

In English, we have been reading a book called 'Toby and the Great Fire of London'. We have learnt how to write in sentences to re-tell the story. We used pictures to help us and we are starting to use full stops to end a sentence.

 

In maths, we have been learning about the value of numbers. We have used a number line to count forwards and backwards and have been learning to make numbers in different ways, as well as practising our fluency on a rekenrek.

In science, we explored some questions about our new topic 'Animals Including Humans'. We also investigated how humans grow - we measured our hands and feet and discussed predictions about what we thought might happen to our measurements by the end of the year.

We have really enjoyed learning about history - we discovered this means 'in the past.'  We discussed how things happen chronologically and created our first timelines- a timeline of our life so far!

Well done everyone for a great first week!