Phase One

This week we have been reading the story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

We described the villainous witch and thought about what potions she could be concocting in her cottage.  We thought of our own recipe for a potion and then wrote these recipes as a set of instructions. Here are our ideas:

“A potion to turn you into a rat’s tail” (Ella)

“A potion to turn you into a cobweb” (Sofia)

“A potion to turn you into sticky slime” (Bella)

“A potion to turn you into an invisible frog” (Matilda)

“A potion to turn you into slimy ear” (Kallum)

“A potion to turn you into a spider” (Benedict)

“A potion to turn you into a  princess” (Isabella)

“A potion to turn you into a lion” (Lucas)

“A potion to make you small” (Megan)

“A potion to turn you into a mouse” (Miti)

“A potion to turn you into a rat” (Nelson)

“A potion to turn you into a snake” (Leon)

“A potion to turn you into a wheel” (Finn)

“A potion to turn you invisible” (Lily D)

“A potion to turn you into a slimy, eerie, mysterious monster” (Cruz)

“A potion to turn you into an apple” (Shinjiro)

“A potion to turn you into a frog” (Lily V)

“A potion to turn you into concrete” (Edward)

“A potion to turn you into a frog” (Aaron)

“A potion to make you fade away” (Harry)

“A potion to turn you into a snake” (Erin)

“A potion to turn you into a black mamba” (Levi)

“A potion to turn you into a poisonous spider” (Chris)

“A potion to make you fade away for a year” (Harrison)

This week we have completed our D.T project to design and make a fairy tale puppet. The children all designed their puppet and wrote a list of what materials and equipment they would need to complete their project. Here are our amazing products!

In maths we have been reviewing the key skills taught this term by consolidating our reasoning and problem skills.

This week the children designed and made a beautiful plant pot from recycled yogurt pots. They then sold their product to help raise money for the Lunchbowl Network. Thank you to our school councillors Ella and Harrison who managed our plant stall.

After half term, we will be sending out information regarding our trip to Fishpond’s Wood.

We wish you all a lovely break,

The Year 1 Team

This week we have been comparing traditional and modern fairy tales. Using our core text ‘Into the Forest’ and ‘Shrek’ we have looked at the similarities and differences between stories such as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and fairy tales that are written today.

We wrote our own version of a modern fairy tale by retelling the story of ‘Into the Forest’. The children planned the story on a story map and then wrote their version on Thursday. We were all blown away by the descriptive detail the children included in their writing. They used included lots of interesting descriptive details to make their stories interesting and should feel extremely proud of all of their hard work. Here are a few of their exciting descriptions:

“I pulled the duvet over my head.” (Edward)

“I began to feel anxious. It was getting colder and darker.” (Bella)

“The trees looked like a witch’s hand.” (Leon)

“That night I was woken by a terrifying sound.” (Kallum)

” I remember she told me a story of sly wolf.” (Isabella)

“Feeling nervous, for the first time ever I decided to go to through the forest.” (Benedict)

“Tentatively I opened the door.” (Ella)

In music we have been reading the story of Peter and the Wolf. We chose instruments to reflect each character’s movements and personalities.

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

The Year One Team

This week we continued our story ‘Into the Forest’ by Anthony Browne. When we read the book we noticed that as the the main character walked through the forest he met Jack from ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’.

We read the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and after we had finished we were surprised to receive a letter from the King asking for our help.

We had a class discussion debating whether Jack should or should not allowed to keep the money or if he should be made to pay it back.

Reasons why Jack should be allowed to keep the money:

“The giant didn’t share with Jack. ” (Finn)

“Jack was poor.” (Shinjiro)

“The hen belonged to Jack’s father. ” (Lucas)

“The giant was greedy.” (Harrison)

“The hen belonged to his father.” (Miti)

“The giant was very greedy.” (Nelson)

“The giant was rude.” (Levi)

“The giant was mean to his wife.” (Kallum)

“He was poor and it was his dad’s in the first place.” (Harry)

“The giant was mean.” (Lily V)

“The giant was greedy.” (Leon)

 

Reasons why Jack should not be allowed to keep the money:

“He stole the magic harp when it did not belong to him. ” (Megan)

“Jack didn’t share the money.” (Chris)

“Jack stole the big, shimmering golden coins.” (Cruz)

“It is unfair because he didn’t share the money with the village.” (Isabella)

“Jack needs to say sorry to the giant’s wife.” (Matilda)

“He kept climbing up the beanstalk and that makes him greedy.” (Benedict)

“He stole the harp from the giant.” (Erin)

“The giant’s wife was being kind to Jack but he stole all of their things.” (Bella)

“He stole the harp.” (Lily D-P)

“How would you feel if someone took all of your special things?” (Sofia)

“Jack was greedy.” (Aaron)

“He stole the money.” (Edward)

“It is unfair because when he got all of the money he didn’t share it with the rest of the town.” (Ella)

After our class debate we planned and then wrote a letter back to the King explaining what we thought he should do.

In science we enjoyed learning about the parts of a plant you can eat, although not everyone was a fan of the radish!

 

In maths we have been learning about addition and subtraction fact families. We have learnt that if 3 + 7 = 10 then 7 + 3 = 10, 10 – 3 = 7 and 10- 7 = 3.

In phonics we have been learning the sounds:

au (launch, haul, vraug, paum)

or (corn, torn, shorv, prort)

aw (yawn, dawn, chawp, kawv)

ew (few, chew, prewt, mewz)

u-e (huge, brute, chupe, lume)

ue (blue, true, laxue, whue)

While practising our throwing and catching skills in P.E we spotted a lovely rainbow which was the perfect way to end the week.

Have a great weekend,

The Year 1 Team

 

This week we have continued reading our core text ‘Into the Forest’. We noticed that a wolf was hiding behind one of the trees and this got us to thinking about what other fairy tale villains could be lurking in the woods. To help people catch the villains we wrote a wanted poster describing a fairy tale villain. We worked hard to include adjectives to describe their appearance and characteristics.

 

In maths this week we have been learning how to use a number line to solve a subtraction problem. We counted backwards and used empty number lines to solve a range of subtraction equations. We then applied our understanding to write our own fairy tale subtraction word problem.

“Shrek had 19 mushrooms. He ate 12, how many mushrooms does he have left?” (Edward)

“Sleeping Beauty had 19 tiaras. She cracked 9, how many tiaras does she have left?” (Erin)

In the week beginning  Monday 5^th February we will be making plant pots from recycled yogurt pots.  These will be sold to help raise money for the Lunch Bowl Network Charity.

Please could you help us by bringing in any used pots that we can turn into beautiful plant pots; the more the better. Please ensure the pots are cleaned thoroughly before bringing them into school.

Next week it is the turn of the Little Red Riding Hood table for Show and Tell (Edward, Ella, Sophia and Lily V)

Have a great weekend,

The Year 1 Team

Welcome back to the Spring Term. We hope you had a great Christmas break and would like to say thank you for your kind presents and cards.

This week we have started our new topic ‘Into the Woods’. We looked at the key features of fairy tales and started our new core text ‘Into the Forest’ by Anthony Browne.

When reading this book we noticed that the main character walks through a mysterious forest full of fairy tale objects and characters. We thought of words to describe the forest and wrote a description of the setting.

In science we have started learning about plants and enjoyed using magnifying glasses to examine plants closely. We looked at the shape of the leaves, the colour of the petals, the texture of the plant and wrote about our findings.

 

 

In maths this week we have been learning how to use a number line to help us solve an addition equation.

Congratulations to Sofia who was awarded the Good Manners Cup in assembly.  Sofia always goes that extra mile to be kind and courteous to everyone in school.

Next week it is the turn of the Billy Goats Gruff table (Finn, Harrison, Chris, Levi and Leon) for Show and Tell.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend,

The Year 1 Team.

This week we have been learning how to write a persuasive poster.  We imagined that we were creating a St Matthews Circus and generated ideas for a circus act. We then created a poster persuading people to come and watch.

In maths this week we have completed our termly maths quiz to show what we have learnt so far.

Last week we designed a moving picture and today we used a range of materials to create our design.

This week the children performed their Christmas performance ‘Baubles’. The children worked incredibly hard to learn their lines and remember when to walk on and off the stage, well done.

Today we had our Christmas Party. Thank you so much for all your kind donations to ensure the children had a great party to get them into the festive spirit.

Next week it is the turn of the Roaring Rocket table for Show and Tell (Scarlett, Miti, Lucas, Nelson and Shinjiro)

Have a lovely weekend,

The Year 1 Team

This week we received a letter from a character in our core text ‘The Way Back Home’. He asked us lots of questions about what life is like on Earth. We wrote an informal letter replying to his questions and telling him all about ourselves and the world we live in:

“I like to play tennis.” (Leon)

“My favourite football team is Liverpool.” (Harry)

“Earth is the third planet from the sun.” (Kallum)

“My favourite colour is rainbow.” (Erin)

“Earth has one moon.” (Lily)

“Did you know that Earth is the third planet from the sun?” (Matilda)

“Did you know that Earth is called the Goldilocks planet?” (Harrison)

“I have a favourite teddy called Libby.” (Ella)

“I have a twin sister called Ella. I am seventy minutes older. “ (Finn)

“My favourite animal is a flamingo.” (Megan)

“I like football and tennis.” (Nelson)

“Earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system.” (Miti)

“I have a cat called Bowie.” (Chris)

“I have three brothers and a dog.” (Lucas)

“I have two guinea-pigs. One is a bit cheeky.” (Cruz)

“My favourite lunch is Christmas lunch.” (Edward)

“I love my toy car.” (Scarlett)

“Earth has seven continents.” (Shinjiro)

“Earth is sometimes called the Goldilocks planet because it’s not too hot, not too dry, not too cold and not too wet.” (Aaron)

“My favourite colours are green and blue.” (Bella)

“I have a baby brother and sister but I am the oldest.” (Benedict)

“I have one cheeky brother.” (Sofia)

“I live on Earth. Earth has people and it has animals. “ (Isabella)

In phonics we have been reviewing the sounds: a-e, ay and ai.

In maths we have been estimating, measuring and comparing the lengths of different objects. We used cubes to measure a: lollipop stick, pencil, pipe cleaner, domino and straw. We then used a ruler to also measure the items in cm. We wrote mathematical statements using the symbols < > = to compare the length of each object.

Next week it is the turn of the But Martin! table for Show and Tell (Harry, Ella, Benedict, Erin and Matilda).

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

The Year 1 Team

 

This week we have started our new core text ‘The Way Back Home’ by Oliver Jeffers.

We have explored poetry and learnt that there are different styles of poetry with different key features. We wrote shape poems and generated vocabulary to include in a descriptive list poem.  Our list poem had a special structure that we needed to follow: description of setting, emotion, description of setting, emotion, description of setting, emotion.

We hope you enjoy reading a few of the examples below:

In science we have learnt about carnivores, herbivores and omnivores and drew a food chain to show what different animals eat.

In maths we have been using the symbols < > and  = to compare numbers.

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

The Year 1 Team

This week we have written our own version of the story Beegu.

We used puppets to retell the story and learnt how to use story language to help sequence the events. We planned our story using a story map which then helped us in our writing.

We were all so impressed with the children’s writing and how hard they worked to include interesting details in their stories.

“She laid down and looked up at the stars.” (Leon)

“Beegu was anxious.” (Miti)

“She tried to talk to a mysterious creature.” (Bella)

“She crashed on a mysterious and creepy planet.” (Nelson)

“The next morning a man with an angry face took her by her ears and said Get out!” (Sofia)

“She spotted a box with some puppies inside.” (Lucas)

“Beegu wasn’t supposed to be here. She had crashed on a strange planet.” (Matilda)

“She thought she heard her mummy calling but it wasn’t her, it was a big, red thing.” (Edward)

“She carefully walked in the school and asked if she could join in but somebody kicked her out.” (Ella)

“She stumbled over a brown box. She tiptoed in the box and snuggled up with the little puppies.” (Benedict)

“Beegu wasn’t supposed to be here. She crashed on a strange and eerie planet.” (Lily)

“She lied down staring at the sky.” (Megan)

“Beegu wasn’t supposed to be here. She tried to talk to the creatures but they ignored her.” (Cruz)

“Beegu wasn’t supposed to be here. She had crashed on an eerie planet.” (Kallum)

“From far away she thought it was her mum calling.” (Erin)

“Beegu didn’t like being alone.” (Finn)

“Soon she found a brown, mysterious box with mysterious creatures in it.” (Harry)

“She tried to talk to the little creatures but they ignored her. Some wouldn’t even stay to listen.” (Isabella)

“She was lost, lonely and anxious.” (Aaron)

“She crash landed on a mysterious planet.” (Shinjiro)

“She snuggled into a box but a big creature threw her out.” (Scarlett)

“She was sad and anxious.” (Chris)

“She snuggled in with kittens but a big man threw her out.” (Harrison)

In maths we have been solving addition and subtraction number sequences. Next week we will be revising one more, one less, ten more, ten less of a given number and learning how to use these mathematical symbols: > < =

We have now learnt all of the songs for our Christmas Show and have started our rehearsals. Next week we will send out a letter describing your child’s costume for the performance.

In phonics we have learnt the digraphs: er (letter), ur (church) and ir (bird).

Next week it is the turn of the Beegu table for Show and Tell (Edward, Sofia, Megan and Harrison).

We hope you have  a lovely weekend,

The Year 1 Team

 

 

 

 

This week we have been learning the key features of non-fiction texts. We have enjoyed looking at various information pages and discovering lots of fascinating facts. Did you know that Earth is often called a ‘Goldilocks’ planet? This is because it isn’t too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry for life to survive.

We created our own information pages about Earth to help Beegu learn about our planet. We sorted and grouped our information remembering to include  photographs, captions and sub-headings to make our pages clear for the reader. In our information pages we told Beegu about our planet’s solar system, moon, animals and continents.

In maths we have been creating repeating patterns using colours and shapes. We read the story ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ and even designed some repeating patterns for the aliens’ underwear.

We have also worked hard to develop our reasoning skills this week by explain our thinking.

In phonics we have learnt the sounds o-e (phone, home, cone) i-e (kite, bite) and revised igh (high, sigh).

We are still working really hard on our handwriting to try and make sure our letters are the correct size and shape. This week we focused on the letters q and x.

We have started getting ready for our Christmas Show and next week the children will be taking home a copy of their line to practise.

Next week it is the turn of the Q Pootle 5 table for Show and Tell (Finn, Cruz, Chris, Isabella and Leon).

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

The Year 1 Team