Year 1

In English our phonics focus is the phoneme ‘th’. We explored words that contain this diagraph at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. We discovered that we use this in so many words! Our author studies focused on two of Anthony Browne’s books that all the children could relate to: ‘My Mum’ and ‘My Dad’. We used these books to learn about and explore similes, and to create our own as well. Some of the most interesting ones were: ‘My mum is as beautiful as a butterfly, and as lovely as a caterpillar.’, 'My mum smells as nice as a flower.', 'My dad is as sleepy as a bat.' ‘My dad is a silly as a clown.’, and 'My dad is as kind as a kitten.'

We also extended upon last week’s noun exploration by delving into proper nouns. This supports our focus this term on correct use of capital letters and punctuation, and the importance of the presentation of our handwriting in the broader context of ourselves as learners. Parents will have noticed the checklist in the homework to remind children to be mindful of the foundations of handwriting, and to begin to be their own editors, by reading their own work, and checking it for punctuation, neatness and that it makes sense. These are vital skills for budding writers.

In mathematics we introduced and explored the addition symbol and used language such as put together, add, altogether and total, and the idea of equivalence. We used the ‘+’ and ‘=’ symbols to write calculations, to understand written problems that use these symbols and terminology. We also explored number bonds using hands-on materials. Working in small groups helps to deepen our understanding of the concepts.

In History and Geography, we looked at families in the past. What life was like for our grandparents, and their parents before them. What has changed? We discussed family sizes, family dynamics, and (most importantly to the children) what play was like for them. How were toys and playtime different? The children were surprised by the complexity of the clothes worn, and the simplicity of play and toys.

In Science, we investigated the statement: ‘Light is needed for objects to be seen.’ We put this statement to the test with an experiment which the children delighted in. This was followed by a shadow experiment which engaged the children for more than just the Science lesson… Our investigations were taken to the playground where the sun provided the perfect light source for shadow explorations!

What a brilliant week to be in Year 1!