Summer 2, Week 1 Parent Blog

Maths:

In Year 1 Maths, the children have been learning how to solve addition and subtraction word problems. They carefully read each question and discussed what the problem was asking them to find out. To support their learning, the children used concrete materials such as counters, cubes, and a number of resources to help them represent the calculations and work out the answers.

The children enjoyed using practical resources to build their understanding and develop their confidence in solving problems independently. They also practised explaining their thinking and sharing the strategies they used to achieve their answers. We were very impressed with their enthusiasm, teamwork, and growing mathematical skills.

English :

In English, the children have been learning about recount writing. They explored how to retell events in the correct order using key sequencing words such as First, Then, and Finally. The class discussed what they did during their half-term break and shared their ideas with one another before beginning their writing.

The children worked hard to write lovely sentences about their experiences, remembering to use the past tense in their recounts. They showed great creativity and enthusiasm when talking about their holidays, and we were very impressed with their growing confidence in writing independently.

Project:

In the Project, the children thoroughly enjoyed learning about our exciting new topic, Dinosaur World. They have been learning all about dinosaurs, including why they became extinct, what fossils are, and the important job of a palaeontologist. The children were fascinated to discover how fossils help us learn about creatures that lived millions of years ago.

As part of their learning, the children carefully cut out dinosaur bones, stuck them into their books, and labelled them correctly. They also explored some dinosaur bones we made out of clay, which the children loved examining and discussing together. This was a very exciting and engaging history lesson that brought their learning to life.

The children are especially excited about today’s trip to the dinosaur park, where they will have lots of fun and continue to deepen their understanding of the topic through real-life experiences. We know it will be a fantastic day and a wonderful opportunity to bring all of their project learning to life.

 

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

 

Summer 2, Week 2 Parent Blog

Maths

This week in Year 1, the children have been learning about addition and subtraction facts to 20. They have explored fact families and used them to understand the relationship between addition and subtraction. The children have also practised finding 10 more and 10 less than a given number, helping to develop their number sense and confidence with mental calculations.

English

This week in English, the children have been learning about recounts, linking their learning to last week's exciting trip to Dinosaur World at Knebworth House. They began by ordering photographs from the trip into the correct sequence and discussing the events that took place. The children used a range of time connectives, such as first, next, then, and finally to retell their experiences. They also explored the use of adjectives to add detail to their writing and were able to write short sentences using time words to recount the events of their day.

Project

This week in Project, the children have been learning all about the famous English palaeontologist, Mary Anning. They thoroughly enjoyed learning about her life, her important discoveries, and the achievements she made despite facing many challenges. The children had thoughtful discussions about what was fair and unfair during Mary Anning’s lifetime and were very intrigued by how different life was many years ago.

They were especially excited to learn that some of the dinosaur fossils discovered by Mary Anning can now be seen at the Natural History Museum. To bring their learning to life, the children took part in an outdoor fossil hunt, searching for dinosaur fossils and exploring like real palaeontologists. This hands-on experience was a huge success and generated lots of excitement and enthusiasm for learning.

Science

This term in science, the children have been learning about materials. They have explored a range of everyday materials and have been developing their understanding of their names and properties. This week, the children were given a challenge to think about how they would repair a torn umbrella. They discussed which materials would be most suitable and explained their choices, considering the properties of different materials.

It was wonderful to hear the children's ideas and reasoning during these discussions. The children then drew and labelled pictures in their books, identifying the materials they would use to fix the umbrella and explaining why they had chosen them.

 

Have a lovely sunny weekend !
The Year 1 Team