As scientists, how can we care for our plants?

Week 1

What an amazing week it's been in Year 1! We swiftly got back into our routines while also preparing for our first school trip of the year.

In English, we have been looking at our new text 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. We completed our box of tricks lesson, cold write and lastly drew our story maps to help us to remember the story.

In maths, we began our new unit on multiplication and division. Throughout the week we looked at counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. We practised counting forwards and backwards in 2s, 5s and 10s.

In science, we designed a pot suitable for planting a flower. As a class we discussed the different requirements a plants need to survive. Next week, we'll plant our pots, with each child taking charge of watering their plant.

In geography, we began to compare the weather across the UK. We looked at the weather in the different seasons and drew what clothes and items you would need for each season.

In ICT, we started our new coding unit. We recapped what an algorithm was before moving on and looking at an object and an action.

As part of our Design & Technology unit this term, we'll be making smoothies. On Friday, we identified fruits from a selection of fruits and vegetables, learning that for something to be classified as a fruit, it must contain seeds.

On Wednesday, Year 1 visited Chessington World of Adventures for a fantastic Science workshop based on their Living things and their Habitats topic! The children loved seeing all the animals and even getting to meet some of them up close! 

Week 2

Another great week in year 1!

In English, we began to innovate our story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' to 'Jenny and the sunflower'.

In maths, we worked on grouping and sharing equal groups. We worked on arrays and revisiting our learning on doubles.

In science, we went on a treasure hunt for plants and trees around the school grounds. We used our checklist to see if we could find any of the plants and trees on our list. We were looking  and naming common flowers, deciduous and evergreen trees.

In Spanish, we revisited the 5 colours we looked at in lesson 1 before learning 5 more in lesson 2. We now know a total of 10 colours in Spanish.

On Friday, we completed the 'Wild Mile Run'. The children looked fantastic dressed as wild animals as they ran as many laps of our school as they could.

We also had our first PTA movie night of the term. The children enjoyed the movie 'Wish' while snacking on popcorn, fruit and drinking juice.

Thank you to the PTA for organising and setting up the 'Wild Mile Run' the children really enjoyed this event. Also a massive thank you again to the PTA and to the Dolphin parent volunteers for helping run a very successful movie night.

Week 3

We have had another busy week in year 1!

In English the children started off by planning their very own version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. They chose fantastic characters, plants and settings for their stories. They then went onto write their stories independently and used their green pens to correct any spelling and punctuation mistakes. The children worked really hard of this unit of English so we will be displaying them in our class window to share them all with you!

In Maths we have started a new unit of learning on fractions! We began by recognising half of an object or shape and then went onto finding a half. Net week we will move onto recognising a quarter!

In Science the children learnt to identify and describe the basic structure of plants. They labelled the plants, roots, stems, leaves and flowers in their book. We also recorded the growth of our mint plants! In Geography, the children turned into professional weather reporters as they described different kinds of weather around the United Kingdom.

Have a great long weekend, we look forwards to welcoming you back to school on Tuesday!

Week 4

We have enjoyed the fabulous weather this week in Year 1.

We began the week by starting our new English unit which is based on an explanation text. We are looking at 'How to care for a sunflower'. We have completed our cold write, box of trick, story map and a drama lesson.

In maths, we have continued our fractions unit.  We continued to look at recognising half of a quantity before looking at finding a half of a quantity. Then we moved on to recognising a quarter of an object and finding a quarter of an object. We know that a quarter has 4 equal parts.

In science, we looked at identifying common trees based on their leaves. We went out to the nature garden and used a key to help us identify what trees were in school.

In geography, we observed and recorded the changes in shadows and the sun movement. We used chalk to draw around the objects that had shadows in the playground and we did throughout the day. We discussed what happened to the shadows during the day. We also got to play a game of shadow tag!

Also in geography, we looked at clouds. We used cloud finders to spot what clouds were in the sky. We then wrote some sentences in our books about the type of clouds we saw.

Enjoy the sunshine and be safe!

Week 5

This week year 1 has had another very busy week!

In English, we started off by innovating our explanation text to be about a daffodil rather than a sunflower. The children changed various adjectives, time words and verbs and conjunctions. We then moved onto our guided write and we have been very impressed with the children's handwriting in class!

In maths we finished off our fractions unit by being able to recognise and find a quarter of a quantity. We then moved onto out new unit in maths where the children are learning about position and direction. They applied their knowledge of fractions to turn objects a quarter turn, a half turn a three quarter turn and a full turn. The children also had lots of fun doing the 'Cha cha slide' when learning about the directions of left and right.

In D&T the children had a lovely time practicing food preparation skills. They juiced oranges, lemons and limes. They also chopped mangoes, strawberries, bananas and pineapple. After they had prepared the food they then got to try the different freshly squeezed juices and fruits and thought carefully about what combinations they might want to use next week when they make their smoothies!

Have a great weekend!

Week 6

What a fantastic conclusion to an incredible six weeks in Year 1!

We wrapped up the half term by crafting a guided explanation text on how to care for a flower. Year 1 students showcased their creativity by innovating the flower descriptions, using vivid adjectives and action-packed verbs, and drawing some wonderful illustrations.

In math, we completed our unit on position and direction, even incorporating Bee-Bots to enhance our learning!

In PSHE, we had a heartfelt discussion about the important people in our lives. It was wonderful to hear Year 1 share their thoughts on who they cherish most. The children then drew pictures of these special individuals in their books and wrote sentences explaining why they are important to them.

In D& T, the eagerly anticipated smoothie-making activity finally arrived. Year 1 peeled, chopped, and blended their fruits to create delicious smoothies. They were a  success, and the children were immensely proud of their tasty creations.

Have a great week off and enjoy using the phonics packs to practise lots of phonics!