Welcome to Year 1

Academic Year 2022-23

The Year 1 Team

Miss Murphy (Matisse)

Miss Broad (Hockney)

Welcome to the Autumn 1 of Year 1! We hope you all had a lovely summer break and we are looking forward to sharing lots of exciting learning with you over the coming term. 
 

Important Days
Our PE days are Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure your child has their full PE kit including black/navy joggers, black/navy jumper and appropriate trainers at school every day. 
 

Key Information 

Children will be read with once a week and books will be changed weekly/when finished. Please record your child's reading on the Go Read App when you enjoy a book at home together.

Your child can also use the Times Tables Rock Stars app to practise their times tables.

Curriculum Coverage

In English we will continue practicing our use of phonics and applying this to reading and writing skills, by exploring new texts such as 'Where's my Teddy?', 'Plenty of Love’ and 'Handa's Surprise'.
 

In Maths we will be exploring number and place value, addition and subtraction and multiplication and division in a range of fluency, problem solving and reasoning contexts. 

This term we will enjoy learning about the season in Science, painting in Art, toys over time in History and continents in Geography. Keep an eye out on our class page for weekly updates! 
 

Week beginning: 12.09.22

In history this week, we explored our new school history timeline to learn about the key vocabulary "old" and "past". We then looked at some old toys from the past and came up with questions that we wanted to know the answer to about the toys. We will use these questions to research the answers next week. 

Week beginning: 05.09.22

This week we have started lots of lovely topics in our afternoon learning. In computing we will be learning all about images and photographs. We began this topic by using our school IPad's to take some pictures of our friends and things around the classroom. We then learnt how to delete these images off the IPad's.

Welcome to Year 1 

Academic Year 2021-2022

The Year 1 Team

Miss Lamont (Matisse)

Miss Broad (Hockney)

Welcome back to the Spring Term of Year 1! We are looking forward to sharing lots of exciting learning with you over the coming term. 
 

Important Days
Our PE days are Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure your child has their full PE kit including black/navy joggers, black/navy jumper and appropriate trainers at school every day. 
 

Key Information 

Children will be read with once a week and books will be changed weekly/when finished. Please record your child's reading on the Go Read App when you enjoy a book at home together.

Your child can also use the Times Tables Rock Stars app to practise their times tables.

Curriculum Coverage

In English we will continue practicing our use of phonics, exploring new texts such as Here Comes ‘Mr Post Mouse’ and ‘The Last Noo Noo’ and poetry about different animals. 
 

In Maths we will be exploring number and place value, addition and subtraction and multiplication and division in a range of fluency, problem solving and reasoning contexts. 

This term we will enjoy learning about the human body in Science, sketching in Art, The Stuart’s in History and our local area in Geography. Keep an eye out on our class page for weekly updates! 
 

For further information on our curriculum please look at the documents attached below. 

Week beginning: 09.05.22

This week we were fortunate enough to have a visit from the Stevenage Fire Service. We were able to ask some of our unanswered questions about how the fire service has changed since The Great Fire of London and how they manage to do such a good job.

Week beginning: 13.06.22

In DT, we have linked our sculpture learning to our history topic about The Great Fire of London. We have decided to create a sculpture of St Paul's Cathedral. We have focussed on the dome shape of the cathedral and used Papier Mache to create our masterpieces.

Week beginning: 06.06.22

In Computing, we have been exploring powerpoint. We have learnt how to copy and paste a picture, type sentences and change the font and colour. We have really enjoyed exploring all of the many features on powerpoint.

Week beginning: 23.05.22

This week we took a day off timetable to celebrate our Queen's jubilee. We discussed who our queen is and how she has reigned for 70 years. We created artwork and researched all about her life. We learnt some special songs and really enjoyed our day.

Week beginning: 16.05.22

Over the last few weeks we have had butterflies. We watched them grow into big green caterpillars before they went into their chrysalis. They then crawled out of their chrysalis and became beautiful butterflies.

Week beginning: 09.05.22

In Geography, the children have been learning about different types of weather and what the weather is like in each season. This week, we explored weather charts and temperature. The children worked responsibly as a team, labelling each day and what the weather was like.

Week beginning: 02.05.22

In science we have been identifying and classifying common plants and wild plants. We went onto the school field to look for common wild plants and flowers. The children were determined to find as many as possible, they found lots and lots of daisies and dandelions! 

Week beginning: 25.04.22

In English this week we have been reading the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The children were energised when acting out the story. They practised using body language and changing their voice to show which character they were. 

Week beginning: 18.04.22

In music this week we have been practising some of our key vocab: rhythm, pitch and pulse. The children enjoyed marching to the pulse and practising the skill of singing high and low notes.

Week beginning: 28.03.22

Here is a video of some of our maths learning earlier on in the term. This term we have looked at measurement and geometry. This video shows you a snippet of our learning on time. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4gyQ1H0C3LI&feature=youtu.be

Week beginning: 21.03.22

In DT we have been learning about different foods and where they come from. This week we practiced our baking skills by learning to mix the chocolate and rice krispies together. We each chose our favourite toppings to add on top.

Week beginning: 14.03.22

This week in geography we went for a walk around Great Ashby. We were looking out for physical and human features to write down on our clipboards. We linked this to our RSHE learning where we discussed road safety and how to be sensible near the roads.

Week beginning: 07.03.22

This week in computing we were learning about word processing. We were all energised when exploring 'word 2016' where we typed a biography all about ourselves. Some of us were able to change the size of our text. 

Week beginning: 28.02.22

This week we celebrated world book day by dressing up as our favourite character from a story book. We all had an energised approach to all of the exciting activities we took part in. Thank you to Miss Conroy and Mr Longland for making this special day possible. Here is just a small part of what we got up to.

Week beginning: 21.02.22

This week Mr Haig organised a 'Wellbeing Wednesday' based off the NHS campaign '5 ways to wellbeing'. We took part in lots of different activities which all helped to improve our mental and physical wellbeing.

Week beginning: 07.02.22

In maths, the children have been practising their 5 times tables. Below are some videos that we use in school which may support your child to count in 5’s at home. Don’t forget, you can also log in to Times Tables Rockstar’s to practise :)

Week beginning: 31.01.22

In music this half term, the children have explored rhythm, pitch and pulse in a range of ways including marching to a beat, singing the high low song and using the glockenspiel’s. The children showed determination to use instruments that they had not used before and were successful at finding the high and low notes. Well done :)

Week beginning: 24.01.22

In computing the children have been learning all about keeping safe on the internet and ways they can be responsible online. This has included creating rules, posters and even a password rap about how to create a strong and safe online password. The children showed energised learning when creating their very own raps!

Week beginning: 17.01.22

In History this term we are learning all about the Stuart’s. To begin our topic, the children answered the big questions “What is history?” and “What is a Historian?”. The children learnt that we are historians that learn all about the past using sources such as books, artefacts and photos. 

Week beginning: 10.01.22

Science: Awe and Wonder 

In science this week the children were introduced to a new topic, The Human Body. They thought of body parts they knew and their functions. Then, they were able to explore a skeleton. All of the children showed responsibility during this lesson, well done :)

Week beginning: 05.01.22

Happy New Year! 
This week Year 1 have had an exciting start to the Spring term with our cross curricular days. They have taken part in lots of activities to improve Life Skills such as: making jam sandwiches, recycling and British Sign Language. 

The children were especially determined when learning the alphabet using BSL. Below you can enjoy a video from each class. 

Week beginning: 13.12.21

Year 1 have had a very successful first term, the year 1 team are so proud of how determined the children have all been. We have been practicing these two Christmas songs throughout the last few weeks and wanted to share them with you. We hope you enjoy them. 

We wish you a healthy and happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming you back in the new year.

https://youtu.be/dXg5x3HmBPg

https://youtu.be/zg5bYLdlzFA

We also enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner this week, all the children in year 1 enjoyed their lunch. It was lovely to see the children singing along to festive songs and spending time chatting and having fun with their friends. Thank you to everyone who works in the kitchen for making this possible.

Week beginning: 6.12.21

Year 1 have enjoyed Christmas jumper day raising lots of money for 'Save the Children'. We also had a special visit from Santa Claus, the children were very excited to receive their presents - they were all on the good list!

Week beginning: 29.11.21

This week we have been exploring money and using the coins to help us count in 2s, 5s and 10s. We have also explored different ways of making a coin by adding different coins together. We began the week by ordering the coins in order of their value so children knew how much each coin was worth.

Week beginning: 22.11.21

This week we have enjoyed hearing a range of many interesting texts during our story time at the end of the day. Take a look at these recordings of story time in year 1 where you can see Miss Broad reading 'Jabari Jumps' to Hockney class and Miss Lamont reading 'Conker the Chameleon' to Matisse.

Year 1 Hockney https://youtu.be/M0x5tN6ONz0

Year 1 Matisse https://youtu.be/1yGhoS7czW0

Week beginning: 15.11.21

This week in DT we learnt how to make a template. We cut out our template on paper and then drew round it on felt to make the exact same shape on the felt. We practiced this to help us make our felt Christmas decoration in a few weeks.

Week beginning: 08.11.21

This week we began our new English topic looking at the book 'Handa's Surprise'. We began the week by acting out the story and then looked at adjectives to write descriptive sentences. On Thursday we tasted the fruit to help us to describe what the fruit tasted like in sentences on Friday. 

Week beginning: 01.11.21

This week we learnt all about parliament. We held a debate where the children used their energised learning to state their arguments for and against a school uniform. In Hockney class the against school uniform team won, but in Matisse class, the children voted to keep the school uniform.

Week beginning: 18.10.21

This week the children retold the story of Mr Wolf's Week during our English learning. They were determined to complete this  and were able to make a cross curricular link with Science which we have been learning all about the seasons in throughout this half term. The children wrote fantastic stories, using their phonics to spell and remembering the sentence rules. Well done on a successful first half term, Year 1!

Week beginning: 11.10.21

In maths, we have been focusing on our 2 and 10 times tables. In Miss Broad’s set, the children have been extremely energised when taking part in the 2 x table and 10 x table BBC Super Movers. In Miss Lamont’s set, the children have been enjoying the counting in 2’s and 10’s videos which are linked below. It’s great to see the children having fun and making progress. Don’t forget to log on to TTRS this week and have a go at the times tables that have been set on there :) 

Week beginning: 04.10.21

In history, the children have been learning all about toys from the past. They were very excited to explore toys from the Victorian era and have a chance to research what they were made from, how they move and what they were used for in the past. They learnt the names of lots of old toys including the Diablo, Jacob’s Ladder and a cam toy. All of these were very popular with the children! 

Week beginning: 27.09.21

This week in our maths learning, we have been exploring number bonds to 10 and 20. We have learnt that finding number bonds means we are looking for two numbers that add together to make 10 or 20.  The children have used Numicon, multi-link and tens frames to support their learning. They also enjoyed listening to Farmer Pete’s number bond song and writing the number sentences independently. 

Week beginning: 20.09.21

This week in English, we began a new text called ‘Where’s My Teddy?’. We have focused on the vocabulary in the text and used this to generate lots of our own adjectives to describe the characters and the setting in the story.
 

The children were all extra energised on Tuesday during our English lesson as they were able to bring in their own teddy to support their learning. We drew, labelled and described our teddy’s. Well done Year One :) 
 

Week beginning: 13.09.21

This week in our art learning, both classes enjoyed finding out more about their class artist. In Matisse, we created a collage in the style of Henri Matisse ‘The Snail’. Hockney class reimagined David Hockney’s “Rocky Mountains” painting, using lots of different patterns and colours.

We then discussed what it means to “evaluate” a piece of art and came up with examples of what we thought went well, and ways we would improve our collage/painting next time. 

Week beginning: 06.09.21

This week in our computing learning, the children were exploring the camera app using the iPads. They were able to unlock the screen, find the camera and take pictures confidently. We then discussed how to delete pictures from the camera roll and we also learnt the skill of flipping the camera around to take a selfie. The children were energised during this lesson and enjoyed finding lots of things around the room to take a photo off.

Week beginning: 30.08.21

It was great to welcome the children back into Year 1 on Thursday 2nd September. We spent the first two days in our home classes, getting to know each other, our new classroom and finding out all the things we’d be learning about in Year 1. Both classes enjoyed making some lovely art work for the reading areas and cloakroom displays.

Over the summer, some children completed the home learning tasks that were given to them on Move Up Day. It was fantastic to see so many children participate and take pride when sharing their learning. They knew lots of facts about their class artists (Henri Matisse and David Hockney) and were able to share lots of key vocabulary that will support them with their learning in other subjects such as science and history. Below are some examples of the children’s learning.

2021-22

Week beginning: 19.07.21

The Year 1 team just want to wish you a safe and happy summer. Thank you for your determination, resilience and positive attitudes towards this challenging year. Enjoy the summer holidays and we will see you when you’re in Year 2!!

Miss Lamont, Mrs Jones, Mrs Faulkner and Mrs Lavery xx 

Week beginning: 12.07.21

This week we used all the skills we have been practising in our Art learning this term, such as fastening techniques, to create our own house using junk modelling. We discussed what we would need to create a successful house including, windows, a roof and a door. The children loved being creative and finding different ways to make openings and add features to their house in their own way. We then displayed our learning outside as a gallery for our grown ups to look at before taking them home. 

Week beginning: 05.07.21

This week in computing we started to make our own book using PowerPoint. We chose a traditional tale such as Little Red Riding Hood or The Gingerbread Boy. We then created a title page, designed the background, changed the font and font size and even learnt the skill of how to add a new slide for each page in the story. We had lots of fun!

Week beginning: 28.06.21

This week in our maths learning we have been learning all about 2D shapes. We identified, named and sorted lots of 2D shapes and we enjoyed listening to the shapes song to help us. We also discussed the features of 2D shapes. We know that squares and rectangles both have four straight sides, circles have one curved side and a semi-circle has one curved and one straight side. 

Week beginning: 21.06.21

This week we started a new text in our English learning - The Gingerbread Boy. We reminded ourselves of the common features in traditional tales such as; story language, repeated phrases and good and bad characters. We then used acting skills to retell the story. We practised different voices and actions to show the audience which character we were portraying. We all loved pretending to be the cheeky Gingerbread Boy and shouting “run run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” and lots of us enjoyed pretending to be the sly fox swimming him across the river!

Week beginning: 14.06.21

This week we had our Healthy Lifestyles cross-curricular days. We had so much fun learning about the Olympics and different ways to keep ourselves healthy. We were able to experience some Olympic inspired activities such as wrestling, canoeing and relays. We also learnt about skills for being a great athlete such as courage, determination and respect. Below are some pictures of some of the activities that we took part in. 

Week beginning: 07.06.21

This week in English we began exploring a new text called Bats. This is a non-fiction text that taught us real facts and information about bats. We have been learning about features of non-fiction texts such as labels, headings and a contents page. We were able to label our own picture of a bat using the correct scientific vocabulary. We also learnt that at nights bats see through using their hearing. They squeak and the squeak bounces back at them to tell them if an obstacle is there. We tried out being bats using squeaking noises to help us to see. Then we used our VIPERS skill explaining to explain if we would want to see like a bat. We made sure to use the conjunction ‘because’ to help us to explain. 

Week beginning: 24.05.21

This week, we completed our papier mache art project where we created the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. First, we applied layers of newspaper and a glue mixture onto the top of a balloon to create the dome of the cathedral. We had to wait for this to dry. The next day, we painted the dome and then added detailing to make it appear more realistic. We chose the correct thickness of paintbrush based on what we we were painting (e.g. thicker paintbrush for painting larger areas). Some children also colour mixed  their paint to create their own perfect colour for St Paul's cathedral. Next, we created tin foil sculptures of a cross. After the dome is dry, we will put the cross on top of the dome. We look very forward to seeing the final products. 

Week beginning: 17.05.21

This week we took part in Well-Beeing Wednesdays. We were able to discuss ways to be mindful and strategies to help when we are feeling worried or upset. For example, reading a book, gardening or painting. In the classroom, we sponge painted some butterflies to create symmetrical patterns. Outside with Mr Haig, we were able to plant flowers and learn about the important pollinators. We loved being able to spend this time outside. This was an enjoyable afternoon for all! 

Week beginning: 10.05.21

This week in art we continued our learning journey about sculpture. We looked at some of Alberto Giacometti’s art and discussed the features of his sculptures. Using what we know about the human body, we then made our own sculptures out of tin foil based on Alberto Giacometti’s work. Once our sculptures were made, we had lots of fun manipulating the tin foil in different ways to make our sculptures run, dance and jump.

Week beginning: 03.05.21

This week in science we continued our learning journey about plants. We discussed all of the things that plants need in order to survive. Using this information, we were given a special space mission!  Using what we know about plants, we had to design, build and present a structure that could help a plant to survive on Mars. We discussed challenges to growing a plant on Mars and ways we would overcome those with our designs. We had lots of fun doing this! 

Week beginning 26.04.21

This week we enjoyed two cross- curricular days. We got to immerse ourselves in all parts of the theatre from costume design to script writing. We looked at the theatre production Aladdin and enjoyed acting out some scenes from the show. Below are some photos from our performances to the year 2 children. 

Please find below the Year 1 Fluency Facts for Summer Term 1. 

Week beginning: 19.04.21

In science, we have started our new topic all about plants. This week we went on a wild plant hunt. We looked for wild plants such as dandelions, buttercups and brambles. Each time we found one, we recorded it on our tally charts. We really enjoyed identifying the names of the wild plants. 

Week beginning: 12.04.21 

This week, we started to learn about traditional tales in English. We discussed some of the common features of traditional tales such as repeated phrases and good and bad characters. We read the story Little Red Riding Hood and explored some of these features within this text. To help us to learn the story, in small groups, we each acted out a scene. Then we put all the scenes together to perform the whole story. Some of us invited Miss Jewitt to come alone and be part of our audience. We all really enjoyed acting and then watching each other’s scenes! :)