Spring 1, Week 6 Parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English

In English this week, the children learned all about report writing. We explained that a report is a fact sheet and that they would be creating their own report about bats. The children revisited the notes they collected last week and used them to help answer questions such as what bats look like, where they live, what they eat and what they do. During table activities, the children drew and labelled a detailed diagram of a bat and wrote sentences to describe it. To finish the week, the children worked together to build bat boxes, thinking about how bats might use them as a safe place to rest.

Maths

In Maths, the children extended last week’s learning by working on addition and subtraction within 20. They practised solving missing‑number problems, adding and subtracting from zero and noticing patterns in similar calculations. During table activities, the children played a Snakes and Ladders game that involved solving number sentences within 20, and another game using three dice, where they added or subtracted the numbers rolled.

Science

This week in science, the children investigated which materials would be strongest for building a house for the Three Little Pigs. They began by predicting which material might work best, explaining their reasoning. Working in groups, they created small houses using different materials and then tested them to see which ones were the strongest. Afterwards, the children shared their houses with the class and discussed the properties that made certain materials more suitable for building.

Project

In Project, the children learned about sandwiches and how they are made. They explored different types of fillings, thought about which ingredients could work well together and discussed why butter or spread is placed on bread. The children had the chance to taste a range of fillings before designing and making their own sandwiches. After making them, they tasted their creations and reflected on their choices. The children also sorted foods into healthy and unhealthy categories to help them understand how to make balanced food decisions.

We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Year 1 Team

Spring 1, Week 5 Parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English

This week in English, we began exploring our new book Amara and the Bats. The children practised using the conjunction because, writing sentences about their favourite animals and explaining their reasons. They were supported with sentence stems to help them structure their ideas. We also spent time learning about bats, first discussing what the children already knew and then adding new facts from the story. The children learnt what it means to take notes and why notes are useful. Using selected pages from Amara and the Bats, they wrote simple notes about bats and gathered key ideas to help them with future writing.

Maths

In Maths, the children focused on addition and subtraction within 10. They practised recognising number bonds, explored addition and subtraction facts, and revisited their doubles up to five. We also introduced near doubles, helping the children build mental strategies for quick calculation. During table activities, the children played a special Snakes and Ladders game with addition and subtraction sentences that determined their moves. They also enjoyed a “Four in a Row” dice game, using their calculation skills to place counters strategically.

Science

Our science lessons this week focused on the properties of materials. Working in small groups, the children explored a range of everyday classroom items and sorted them according to properties such as hard, soft, shiny, dull, bendy, and waterproof. They discussed why each material had that particular property and what it might be useful for. Each child then chose one object to draw in their science book and carefully labelled it with the properties they had identified.

Project

In Project, we continued learning about germs and why hygiene is important. The children talked about why we need to wash our hands and clean our fruit and vegetables before eating them. They drew an apple showing how bacteria can spread, helping them to understand that germs are invisible but can move easily from place to place. We also explored healthy eating and looked closely at fruit kebabs. The children drew their own kebab designs using simple step-by-step instructions and then had the chance to make their own fruit kebab.

We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Year 1 Team

Spring 1, Week 4 – Parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English

In English this week, the children enjoyed adapting the story of The Storm Whale. They used their imaginations to change key elements such as the characters, the animal in the story, and the weather. After planning their ideas, the children drew their adapted versions of the story in their books and used last week’s learning to label the nouns and adjectives within their illustrations. The children also wrote a first-person narrative based on their new version of the story, stepping into the role of their chosen main character. As part of their table activities, they had the opportunity to create and write about a completely original adaptation of the story, combining creativity with their growing writing skills.

Maths

In Maths, the children explored mass and weight. They learnt how to measure using cubes and used key vocabulary such as lighter, heavier, and equal. The children were introduced to different types of scales and practised weighing objects to compare their mass. They also ordered various items from the lightest to the heaviest, helping them deepen their understanding of measurement.

Science

This week in Science, the children learnt about magnets and explored what it means for objects to attract or repel. They investigated a range of materials, predicting which would be magnetic and which would not. The children enjoyed hands-on activities such as guiding a paper clip through a maze with a magnet and using magnets to retrieve hidden paper clips from soil , testing their predictions through play and exploration.

Project

In Project, the children continued learning about the foods we get from farms. They matched pictures of foods to their sources and answered our key concept question: Where does our food come from? The children also discussed the importance of handwashing and practised washing their hands carefully. They learnt about germs, what they are, and how they spread. The children then drew an outline of their hand and added illustrations of germs to show their understanding. They also explored what germs can do to fruits and why hygiene is important.

Have a lovely weekend!
The Year 1 Team

Spring 1, Week 3 parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English

In English this week, the children continued exploring The Storm Whale and showed great enthusiasm as they followed the events of the story. They created their own story maps to retell the story and began learning about nouns and adjectives. The children practised identifying both in sentences and then applied their knowledge by labelling their story map. The children also became narrators and stepped into the shoes of the main character. They wrote a short descriptive paragraph in the first person, imagining themselves as Noi and retelling part of the story from his perspective.

During table activities, the children used their skills to label pictures, completed sentences by adding suitable adjectives, and worked with colourful semantics to build sentences before writing them on their whiteboards.

Maths

In Maths, the children focused on solving one-step word problems using multiplication and division. They practised using their table knowledge to help them work out answers and talked through the steps needed to solve each question.

For their table tasks, the children used bar models to share amounts and deepen their understanding of division. They also solved one-step word problems supported by pictures to help them visualise what was happening in each scenario.

Science

This week in Science, the children investigated different materials to find out which ones would be the most suitable for building a boat for the Gingerbread Man to safely cross the river. They tested a range of materials, discussed their properties, and predicted which would float or sink. Afterwards, the children used what they had learnt to design and make their own boats using the materials they had explored.

Project

In Project, the children learnt about the different foods provided by various animals and explored where our food comes from. They discussed the types of food that come from farms and sorted items based on their origins. The children also learnt about map coordinates, practised following instructions to locate items on a map, and used this knowledge during group work.

To finish the week, the children worked in groups to build their own model farms using pictures and resources, identifying animals and the food they provided as part of their discussions.

Have a lovely weekend!
The Year 1 Team

Spring 1, Week 2 parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English
This week in English, the children continued reading The Storm Whale and really enjoyed diving deeper into the story. They explored the thoughts and feelings of the characters and learnt how to use thought bubbles to show what a character might be thinking. The children practised writing in the first person, imagining themselves as Noi and describing his experiences. They also learnt what characters are and identified who appears in the story. Children also discovered new vocabulary and worked as a time to find the definitions. Children also looked at different sentence types, including questions, exclamations, statements, and commands.

Maths
This week in Maths, the children had a recap of their 2s, 5s, and 10 times tables. They also learnt about arrays and how they are linked to multiples. For their activities, the children used spinners to create arrays and explored which numbers belonged to the 2s, 5s, and 10s. They looked at numbers which go into the multiples of 2s, 5s and 10s.

Science
In Science, children learnt about objects, materials, and their properties. They looked around the classroom to identify different objects and discussed what materials they are made from. The children then talked about the properties of these materials, such as whether they are hard, soft, shiny, or dull.

Project
In Project, the children began learning about how fruits and vegetables travel to the UK. They explored the meaning of the word local and sorted fruits into two groups: those grown locally and those that come from further away. The children also learnt what a tally chart is and created one to show their favourite fruits.

Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Gorur and Year 1 Team

Spring 1, Week 1 Parent Blog

This Week in Year 1

English

This week in English, the children began exploring their new book, The Storm Whale. They started by looking closely at the front cover and used the visual clues to make predictions about what might happen next in the story. Each child drew a picture of their prediction and wrote a sentence explaining their thinking. As we continued reading, the children discussed the story in more depth by considering questions such as where Noi’s dad goes every day, what pets Noi has, and what Noi discovered on the beach. During activities, the children enjoyed role‑playing different scenes using small‑world resources to bring the story to life. They also spent time looking at information books about sea animals and shared what they knew about different creatures. To help develop their understanding of facts, they sorted statements into those that were true and not true about whales.

Maths

In Maths, the children explored 3D shapes. They investigated what makes a shape 3D and discussed the features that distinguish them from 2D shapes. Through hands‑on exploration, they discovered which shapes can roll and which cannot, and they talked about why this happens. The children also labelled different 3D shapes, organised picture cards into the correct categories, and compared 2D and 3D shapes, discussing how they are similar and how they differ.

Project

In Project, we began our new unit titled Chop, Slice and Mash. The children learnt about where different foods come from and explored how fruits and vegetables grow. As part of their sensory learning, they smelled and tasted a variety of fruits and described their textures and flavours. They also drew pictures of their favourite fruits. We started reading Handa’s Surprise, which gave the children an opportunity to talk about the fruits in the story and the animals that took them. They labelled the fruits from the book and learnt about where different fruits grow around the world.

Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Gorur and Year 1 Team