In Year 1, we work hard to become good learners, ready to tackle the National Curriculum. We continue to have opportunities to play and engage in practical activities, whilst learning to read, write and apply number facts with increasing fluency, independence and confidence.
Our topics are all based around books, chosen to excite the children in cross-curricular lessons and ignite a passion for reading.
What a super start to the new year! Lots of changes and challenges, but we have all managed them well.
In English, we read Elmer and created stories based on Elmer.
In RE, we started by reading The Creation Story and making a year-group display.
We learned the Christian creation story through drama, storytelling and songs. We talked about the importance of looking after our world and made thank you cards to show what we are thankful for.
In History, we explored the Great Fire of London. We learnt about how the fire changed London, such as buildings being rebuilt with bricks and stone rather than wood.
In Science, we learnt about everyday materials, matched them and sorted them into groups. We talked about their properties and were introduced to Venn Diagrams.
Our Art topic was Mixing Colours. This topic taught children about basic colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It included an exploration of primary and secondary colours and how artists use colour in their artwork. From this, we created our own pieces.
Term 2
In Geography, we looked at maps, atlases, globes and aerial photos. We worked in teams to create our own towns using wooden blocks and car mats. We located places on a map using the key and positional language. Then we went outside and followed the directions our partner gave us.
In Music, we learnt that every piece of music has a heartbeat - a musical heartbeat. In music, we call it the ‘pulse’ or the ‘beat’. When we listened and sang along to the music, we tried to find and keep the pulse or steady beat. We tried marching, clapping and swaying in time to help us keep the beat.
In Science, we learnt that humans are a type of animal known as a mammal. We named and counted body parts and identified similarities and differences. We learnt about the senses, the body parts associated with each sense, and their role in keeping us safe.
In Art, we explored portraits. We looked in mirrors and sketched a self-portrait. We had fun experimenting with collage and colour. Next, we created our own abstract collage portraits.
In DT, we learnt about the purpose of shelters and the materials used to build them. We named and described shelters and designed and made shelter prototypes. We then designed and built a play den as a group and evaluated our completed product.
Our topic started with reading ‘Topsy and Tim visit London’ by Jean Adamson. This book explores the main landmarks and attractions of London. We worked together to create a display of the story.
In Music, we read the story of The Billy Goats Gruff. We listened to and sung songs accompanying the story. These songs included ‘Trip trap’, ‘Once upon a time’ and ‘Watch out for the troll’. We interpreted the music through movement and found the pulse. Then we explored rhythms using phrases from the story and playing them on our claves.
In Science, our learning was about the seasons, seasonal changes and typical seasonal weather and events. We used scientific equipment such as a windsock, thermometer and water gauge to measure the weather. We generated scientific questions and from these, planned scientific enquires.
In Art, we learnt about collagraph printing, including how to develop a motif to make single and repeated prints. We created our own collagraphs using collage materials, rollers and ink.
Our religious focus in RE has been ‘Belonging to a faith community’. We visited our local church and learnt about what is means to belong to a Christian faith community. We learnt about Baptism and why it is important to most Christians and their faith.
As part of our topic on London, we learnt where and how the Great Fire of London started. We learnt that the Monument is a landmark to show where this historical event took place. We invited firefighter Ash to show and talk to us about his job. We asked him lots of questions to show the essential skills he uses for his job. We even got to try on his equipment!
Our topic started with reading ‘Whiffy Wilson: The wolf who wouldn’t go to school. This book explores the worries and misconceptions that children often have of starting a new school and how much joy they actually get out of attending. We worked together to create a display of the story.
In History we learnt about our school and how it has changed over time. We then compared it to how children in the Victorian era experienced school. Children learnt about Queen Victoria and the changes and advancements that happened during her reign. We made comparisons to our own lives today to those in the past.
In Music, we learnt new songs from BBC teach. The songs were based on sea, sun and sand. The children listened to music and words, focused on beats, temp and rhythm. They learnt a new song each week and then presented their work in a musical ensemble to parents.
In Science, our learning was about plants. Children discovered wild and garden plants by exploring the local environment. They identified and described the basic parts of plants and observed how they changed over time. In addition, children learnt about animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates. They identified and described their common structures, diets, and how animals should be cared for.
In DT the children learnt about wheels, axles and chassis and how they work together to make a vehicle move. They then designed and built a model taxis.
Our religious focus in RE has been about Jewish people and how they live. Children learnt about the festival of Shabbat and the importance it holds to Jews. They listened and rein acted the story of David and Goliath. In addition, children learnt about Sukkot and why Jewish people build a Sukkah in memory of this. Linking to this, in DT they designed and made a Sukkah prototype.