Week beginning 27.07.2022  Paws, Claws and Whiskers

Another packed week with lots to achieve!
In phonics we looked at the words that started with sm, sp, spr, str and scr. We looked at words with the phonemes ew, ea, ir and air. Lots of reading, spotting, selecting words for sentences and writing words from listening to them.
In English we started innovating The tiger who came to tea' changing the animal, what it ate and where the supper was at the end. The children explored their ideas with small world and role play. They then created a story map. They wrote descriptive sentences about their chosen animal. They then attempted to write their version of the story.
In maths we looked at number stories, first then and now using addition. we found the facts, created and matched part-part whole models, matched equations and write equations. We looked the days of the week, months of the year and seasons. We looked at today, yesterday, tomorrow, before, after, later etc. We tackled problems using this vocabulary.
In art we drew a toucan using basic shapes and trued colouring with coloured pencils. We will eventually try using paint.
In PE we had dance, using equipment to explore pace, height, levels and shape. We listened to music and let it tell our bodies what we should do.
In geography we looked at compasses and compass points. We looked at the world and the two poles and the hemispheres. We looked at a map of the UK to see which country was most northern, southern, eastern and western.
In music we explored using instruments to create a soundscape for a fairy tale. Choosing the instruments for their qualities to match parts of the story.
In PSHRE we looked at transition to Year 2, sharing a Power point and looking at the staff who will greet us in September. We had already walked around the classrooms and it was good to recap. Some booklets have gone home with a few children to help them during the transition. The Power point is attached on here too if you want to have a look with your child again.

Have a great week end, not many weeks left so get plenty of rest for the last leg of your journey through Year 1!

Week beginning 20.06.2022     Paws, Claws and Whiskers

Another busy week...
Monday was the trip, full sun and long distances to walk, but brilliant to see the animals in large enclosures. We managed to discuss our science and relate it to the animals we saw. Huge thanks again to our brilliant helpers.
In phonics we went over split digraphs, with the suffixes ed est and s. We played games, searched through text and even tried a comprehension.
In English we wrote sentences for each part of the story 'The tiger who came to tea'. We focussed on the rules of a sentence, allowing the children to build on a simple sentence as they felt fit.
In maths we looked at number facts related to an image with the equation reversed e.g. 8 = 4 + 4. we linked this to part part whole. We also looked at directional language; forward backwards right left clockwise and anti clockwise. We tried to give characters and each other algorithms using this vocabulary.
In art we sketched a ring-tailed lemur, like the ones at the park. We used basic shapes and followed step by step instructions. We even attempted some shading. This was a more complex sketch with more detail. 
In music we recapped on duration, pitch and timbre. We went over our new animal songs.
In PE we did some athletics in readiness for sports afternoon.
We crammed a lot into three days and although everyone was still quite tired, the children did brilliantly.
get plenty of rest and have super weekends.

13.06.2022    Paws, Claws and Whiskers

This week in Year 1
In phonics we looked at words that used b,d and p, working on any confusion when blending words. We looked at words that used the suffixes ed and ing and the plural s. We looked at words that started with the prefix un. we looked at words that used a variety of split digraphs. Today we looked at words that used the digraph th in various places within the word.

In English we recapped the story The tiger who came to tea. We looked at new vocabulary and answered questions to check our understanding of key events. We looked at the historical context of key elements such as a milk man, grocer's boy and a simple supper of sausage, chips and ice cream at a cafe. As a class we made a story map. We sequenced key events from the story. We made our own story maps. The tiger in the shared area got up to different mischief each day.

In maths we continued looking at our number facts to ten and relating those to number facts to 20. We used these to create number stories and answer calculations using + and -. We also continued our money work, checking on coin value. We also created amounts using a variety of different coins, using our counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. This also linked with our number fact work.

In science we recapped on knowledge of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, using this to help us start to sort different animals into groups.

In art we drew a tiger face using basic shapes. See earlier posted galleries.

In geography we looked at a site map of the Wildlife Park. We looked at what colour codes were used, the various symbols and planned a possible route. We had a go at making physical maps of wildlife parks and drew some of our own, thinking where to place the different animals according to our science studies.

In PE we finished off our unit of yoga - see of your child can show you any of the move e.g cobra, warrior, salute the sun.

In music we listened to different tempo in music. We went over newly learnt songs about animals and also added a new one today! We will really miss Mrs Watkins, she makes such a difference to our sessions and our knowledge of music.

It was early Bee week and all the children received an ice pop for their efforts to get to school in good time.

Next Monday is the trip, we leave at 9.15. Each child will need at least a back pack with a water bottle, light raincoat, sun hat and be covered in sun cream. NON UNIFORM!! sensible shoes please - it is a LOT of walking. No money, we will not be able to purchase anything and will not be visiting any shops or cafes. If your child suffers from travel sickness there are medications they can take before leaving home, bands for wrists etc. Let su know so we can position them accordingly. It will be a great (but exhausting ) day. Adult helpers, please consider your own physical needs for the day as well as your child's!
Have a good weekend
Plenty of rest
Lots of reading
Stay safe

06.06.2022   Paws, Claws and Whiskers

A very busy first week back!
Phonics, phonics and more phonics! It was statutory screen week. We explored all our phonics in many different ways, making sure that we could tackle the screen as best as we could. We will let you know how your child did in their report later in the term.
In maths we used our counting in 2s, 5s and 10s to help us use money and do measures. We looked at numbers on a number line, the mid point and where 5 and 15 would come. We looked at describing the position of numbers on a number line, between, after and before.
In science we observed our plants that we potted last half term. Almost all the seeds germinated and there were leaves to explore, draw and describe.
In art we drew a simple version of a cat using basic shapes. We ended up with many cats with kittens, it proved very popular.
In PSHRE we looked at internet safety again.
In music we learnt and went over some animal songs. We tried more ostinato.
We introduced our new topic today with a reading of The Tiger Who Came To Tea. A tiger has also turned up in our shared area with tea and biscuits - will he hang around next week? What else might he get up to? Watch this space.
We will contact parent volunteers about the trip next week when we have drawn names from a hat. Many thanks for all your support.
Have a good weekend and stay safe.

16.05.2022    The Enchanted Wood

This week and next we will be looking at The Enormous Turnip, especially its repeating phrases and structure. This week in English we shared the text, ordered events, looked at new vocabulary, explored past tense regular verbs and descriptions of characters.
In Phonics we looked at ir ea ai i-e and o-e. We concentrated on spotting, blending and reading in context.
In maths we looked at counting two more and two less than odd numbers. We also started a block on money, recognising coins and their values. We continued our counting in 2s 10s and 5s, which we are getting much better at.
In science we explored seeds, what they are, where they come from and what they look like. We then planted a variety of different seeds and look forward to watching them grow.
In Geography/history we looked at the history of Gedling Country Park from farmland to colliery and now a country park for us to enjoy.
In music we sang our latest songs such as 'The green leaves blew around' and 'The king is in the castle'. We also explored more ostinato.
We coloured in bunting , ready for our jubilee picnic.

09.05.2022   The Enchanted Wood

This week started off with a fun but sticky task! We made our own magic wands!!! We followed instructions to make them, noticing the different key features of an instruction text. . We have then been working on writing instructions including a title, a list of resources and numbered instructions that include a bossy word. We learnt these bossy words are called verbs. We had a go at creating instructions for making a magic potion.
In phonics we looked at the digraphs oi, oo/oo and the splits a-e and e-e. We focussed more on decoding, spotting and reading them in sentences.
In maths we have been working on counting in groups of 2 and 10. We have been brilliant at counting in groups and so we have started to challenge ourselves to count how many groups of 2 or 10 we can see and saying the sentence 6 groups of ten is 60. Next week we will be looking at counting in 5.
During our science lesson we looked at plants we eat. We used the magnifying glasses to look at these plants in detail. We found out that we eat all parts of different plants. Can you try to tell your grown up a root, leaf, stem, flower, seed and fruit we eat. When you eat your dinner tonight / over the weekend have a look at what plant parts you are eating.
In music we listened to a piece of music call " The Hall of the mountain King". I have attached a link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSY-wD4l5DM
We discussed how the music get louder and faster. We also thought about the magical creatures that the composer Edvard Grieg was imagining when he composed the music.
Add in our D/T exploration and then revisit to make bookmarks, we have been pretty busy.

02.05.2022    The Enchanted Wood

A short week this week following our Bank Holiday Monday. This meant squeezing more in than usual, but we managed well.
In English we carried on with Hansel and Gretel. We attempted sentence writing for key events in the story, in pairs and on our own. We then did a big write and pushed ourselves to write more than ever before. Some super vocabulary was recalled and everyone improved their stamina.
In Maths we looked at the odds and even numbers with a part part whole model, recognising that even numbers can be made up of two even numbers or two odd numbers. That odd numbers can be made up of an odd and an even . We used number facts, subitising and equipment to help us tell subtraction stories e.g. first there were 6 ships, then 4 sailed away, now there are 2 ships.
In Phonics we looked at split digraphs, soft c and soft g phonemes in words. We did lots of reading and writing to enable us to embed these phonemes and spot them in words.
In science we looked at the different parts of a plant and which bits we can eat. Can you think of two leaves, stems, roots, fruits, flowers and seeds that we eat? If you get stuck ask your resident year 1 expert.
In Forest schools we looked for sticks to help us make wands next week - instruction week. This helped reinforce our knowledge of parts of a tree.
In PE we started learning how to play hockey.
Music we looked at 2beat on Purple Mash, this enabled us explore ostinati, layers of repeated rhythm. We then split into two groups and added an ostinato to a familiar song. New songs were rehearsed and the children worked hard.
Book bags only please, named like clothes as well please, Lots of random items appearing unclaimed. Rucksacks take up a lot of room in the cloakroom and can lead to injuries. Thank you for your help.
Have good weekends, plenty of rest and stay safe.

25.04.2022    The Enchanted Wood

In English we started a new text, a version of Hansel and Gretel by Bethan Woolvin. We have explored the story through role play, small world and drawing. We did a story map and a comprehension. We did a dictation exercise about the start of the story. We have also shared three other versions of the same story and looked at the similarities and differences.
In phonics we have been looking at decoding split digraphs, spotting them in text and using them in sentences.
In maths we have looked at odd and even numbers, 1 more than and 1 less than. we also looked at 2 more than and 2 less than, noticing what happens if its an odd or even. We have also recapped on addition and subtraction with a teen number and a single digit number. We have started our measures block, using non standard measures. We are getting good at estimating length.
In Science we identified trees by their leaves using an identikit we created in our teams.
In D/T we designed a gingerbread house and made sweets using play dough.
In PSHRE we looked at money and where it comes from and what we do with it.

Week starting 22.04.2022

The Enchanted Wood

We started the week with a great opener for our new topic - our walk across to the wood in Digby Park and the burrow role play, colouring and small world in the class rooms.
In phonics we looked at the split digraphs. We decoded real and alien words. We used split digraph words to write sentences.
In English we shared a text 'A walk through the woods' by Louise Greig. we looked at useful vocabulary for describing woods and trees. We worked on writing descriptive sentences. We used images of woodland to excite our imaginations, thinking about magical beings and wild animals that might be in the woods. We described a chosen animal and how it moved and what it was doing.
In maths we looked at pairs of numbers to 7 and 8. We looked at addition and subtraction, a teen number and a single digit number. We looked at how knowing our pairs of number facts can help e.g. 3 + 4 = 7 13 + 4 = 17
In science we looked at the parts of the tree, from the crown down to the roots. We tried labelling them first, then sorted proper labels and then worked with a partner to draw and label a tree.
In Art we drew the tree outside our shared area, looking carefully at its twisted branches and rough bark.
In D/T we made our own slide mechanism using a wild animal of our choice.
In PE we played different team games. Next week one of sessions will be Yoga - we can't wait.
All children should now have new reading books. We managed to hear some read and hope to catch the rest next week.
Please keep reading and logging it in their diaries.
Have good weekends and stay safe. If you get a chance to walk in local woods, please do and send us some pictures.

Week starting 21.03.2022

This week we have have been busy learning about Mary Anning and have been really focusing on our writing. We have written about different parts of her life all week focusing on using capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. Some of us have also explored use of adjectives and interesting descriptive phrases. We have been very impressed with everyone's efforts.

In Maths we have been working with teen numbers. Exploring the teen numbers that can be made by doubling a single digit, adding single digit to teen numbers and discussing whether a teen number is odd or even.

In Phonics we have been looking at the diagraph ow, aw and ew as well as spelling the tricky words some, when and looked. This week we have also been assessing your child's phonic knowledge individually. There are still some issues with split digraphs for some. We will revisit these.

In Geography we looked at the Map of the UK and revised the 4 countries of the UK and their capitals. Have a look at a map over the weekend and see if you can find the 4 countries and their capitals. We also look at where Lyme Regis is and which country it is in.

Thank you all for your generous donations on Friday, the children looked amazing in yellow and blue supporting the Ukraine.

Week beginning 14.03 2022

In Phonics we looked at the ay oy ey digraphs, we segmented and blended, spotted in text, corrected sentences and matched words to pictures.
In English we looked at the book 'Bone Girl, Stone Girl' which is about the life of Mary Anning. The children were very enthusiastic about her life and the things she accomplished. We watched some short videos as well, this brought her to life for the children. We Did a whole class comprehension, answering questions about the text. We did sentence writing and sequenced events of her life on a time line.
In maths we looked at number facts to 7 and 8. We found missing numbers in a part part whole model. We then looked at tens and ones in teen numbers, using equipment and relating it to part part whole.
In science we looked at the development of early mammals and made a timeline.
In PSHRE we looked at loss and how we try to accept our emotions and cope with missing those we love.
In music we developed our own simple tunes on the glockenspiel as well as going over our songs in class.
In PE we moved on with our dinosaur dance, exploring mirror work, taking turns to lead and follow movements based on our group dinosaur.
A lot of fun was had on Comic Relief day, the odd nose went walkies but all in all we held it together and still managed some learning.
Thursday was Pi day, so we explored pattern in maths and art. We worked together to make repeating patterns and patterns using rectangles. Our paired work was added to a class piece, quite impressive. We looked at the work of Bridget Riley as inspiration.
You will have had messages about our Dinosaur presentation - more details will follow. We do hope you can pop along to share some of the learning.
 

Week beginning 7th March 2022

In phonics we have been going over the split digraphs (magic e) a-e e-e i-e o-e u-e e.g make, these, smile, bone and cute. We have recapped phonemes, segmented, blended, written and sorted.
In English we continued with our story 'The Little Green Dinosaur', we worked together to discuss new settings and new dinosaurs he could meet, we worked together to create sentences for a grasslands scene with velociraptors, recapping on adjectives. We created our own story map with our own adaptions and then wrote our own version of the story. This took a lot of resilience and we are all proud of what we achieved.
In maths we have been looking at greater than, less than more than and fewer than. We have also compared numbers, amounts, expressions and equations using the < > symbols. We have also been balancing equations using =. We have started looking at the teen numbers, ordering them, matching them to amounts by recognising the ten within an amount.
In science we looked as mammals as an animal group, the main features that they share that help us identify them. We compared them to reptiles.
In PHSRE we discussed recognising emotions and how we would feel if different things happened to us, developing our language to express ourselves better.
In music we have continued to learn our dinosaur songs as well as learn simple tunes on the glockenspiel.
In PE we danced as dinosaurs and hatched from our eggs following the music.

Friday was the dodge ball competition, fun for all.

Week beginning 28.02.2022

What an exciting week we had with world book day!!
In English we started learning an oral story about a Little green dinosaur. We have been practising retelling it so that we can say the story all on our own. Please ask your child to tell you the story this will really help them next week when we start writing our own version of this simple tale. We have been working with our learning power captain responsible and talking about the importance of joining in with this oral work so that you are able to complete independent work on your own. We also looked at adjectives again and settings for events.

In phonics we  read and spelt words with the ow phoneme. We have looked at the 2 sounds it can make, ow as in grow and ow as in town. See if you can spot this phoneme in your reading book. Last week's tricky words were: my, mummy and little. All words we will need this week in our writing so keep practising.

In Maths we looked at missing number problems and inverse operations. The children have a good knowledge of number facts and this is really helping them to solve missing number problems without having to count backwards- well done all. On Friday we moved on to thinking about the inverse and how addition and subtraction relate to each other. We looked at calculations such as 6+2=8 so 8-2=6. We are beginning to get the idea  but we will keep working on it next week.

World book day was a huge success and the children loved dressing up as their favourite characters a huge thank you for all your efforts with costumes. We met a real author and listened to her story "Frank's Discovery" and even met the real Frank. I know some of you were lucky enough to buy a copy of the book- I hope you enjoy it. I know if you missed out you can buy the book through amazon. Don't forget to look in your child's book bag as they will have a world book day voucher. World book day reminds us of the importance of reading in childhood and the importance of this skill. Can I please remind you of the importance of reading your child's reading book at least 3 times a week. This is the book with the book band / colour code on the side. Other reading is great too but it is essential that this book is read regularly as it develops phonic knowledge in a logical manner, develops vocabulary, and provides opportunities for comprehension discussions around a text your child should be reading relatively independently after 3 reads. Most of the books we send home for this are letters and sounds and they have suggestions for words to talk about and point to discuss. All these skills need developing so that children become confident fluent readers who enjoy reading. I am aware that some children's reading diaries don't reflect how many times they actually read. Please do use the tick column to show you have read with your child as this means they win dojo prizes. In addition it means I am aware that your child may need a new reading book. I really appreciate the hard work so many of you put into reading so often with your child.

In science we have been learning all about reptiles and the key features. Lots of children can remember even more facts than we discovered. We completes a life cycle of a lizard and discussed how palaeontologists used this to work out the fossil remains of dinosaurs. 

week beginning 22.02.2022
A shorter week this week. The wind has made for some super lively children!
In phonics we looked at the digraphs ew and ue, both making the same two phonemes e.g. flew/blue  stew/argue. We segmented orally, blending orally, decoded a variety of words, spotted them in text using phoneme buttons and picking words to finish sentences so they make sense.
In English we did a whole class comprehension week on 'Tyrannosaurus Drip@ by Juliet Donaldson. A super story which was great for us to explore new vocabulary, the use of adjectives e.g. 'grim and grisly wife'. We also sequenced the story in our own drawn story maps or using construction and dinosaurs. We acted out the story and enjoyed joining in the repeating phrases. We ended the week with a quiz.
In maths we looked at pairs of numbers to 4 and 5 using the systematic system. we saw the pattern appear in a number tower. We then looked at maths stories, first, then and now to build up our understanding of subtraction. We ended up creating our own stories and writing the equations and part part whole models to match what we had created.
In science we looked at the weather in winter, especially what we had seen since Christmas. We spent a lot of time discussing hail and then the heavens opened with a timely demonstration!
In music we went over our dinosaur songs, beat and rhythm as well as following simple notation using images. 
In RE we had a special visit from Mr Singh who shared his faiths belief in being unique, special and the best we can be. He also shared about the different Sikh Gurus and some of the 5 Ks. We looked at photographs of his growing up and recognised what remained the same in each one (he has chosen to follow his faith and not cut his hair, on his head or face). The children were very polite and listened really well.
Half the class had forest schools, tidying up the autumn leaf debris and putting it in the compost. They also spotted the first signs of winter coming to an end. Maybe over the weekend you could go for a walk and see what changes you can spot. Draw or take some photographs to share via Dojo.
In PSHRE this week we have looked at being reflective, about our choices and our attitude to learning.
Next week we will start a new text; 'The Little Green Dinosaur'. It is also World Book Day on Thursday, so dress up as your favourite book character for the day!
Have a good weekend, keep safe and happy and get lots of rest.

Week beginning 07.02.2022

In phonics we looked at the digraphs aw  au  ir, reading them in words, segmenting and blending, spotting in text and adding phoneme buttons  and writing them>

In English we paused our dinosaur studies to look at what makes a good leader. The children recognised many qualities of a good leader and how they should be a role model. We looked at the story of Moses and talked about how he was a leader and the qualities he had. We a couple of extracts from the Prince of Egypt. I know a lot of the children would have liked to watch more so you might like to watch the film at some point.

In maths we wrote equations to describe a mathematical problem using the signs +,- and =. We are growing in confidence with this and improving on recognising when to use the minus/ plus sign.

In science we used all we knew about the parts of different dinosaurs bodies to design one of our own, combining our favourite parts. We named our dinosaur and said if it was a carnivore or herbivore, explaining our reasoning. This was a cool way to refresh our learning.

In music we created simple graphic scores and played our rhythms on claves. We really enjoyed being composers.

Next half term we will learn more about dinosaurs and a Famous female palaeontologist. I wonder if you know already who she might be?

Week beginning 31st January 2022

Dino Dig
In phonics we looked ey, y and oe. We decoded real words, matched words to pictures and spotted digraphs in text.
In English we looked at the diet of the Spinosaurus, how it used its snout, jaws, teeth and claws. How it lived on land and water. How it may have had webbed feet and waded in water. We looked at the rules of a sentence and wrote some of our own trying to use new vocabulary such as scavenge and carrions.
Maths this week was expressions into equations, involving early understanding of addition and subtraction. We used equipment and various different models and representations.
Science, we matched fossils to dinosaurs, looking for clues to find if they were a carnivore or herbivore.
In Geography we did more map grid work with physical features on our dino island.
We ran a research cafe, looking at a variety of different texts, poems and comprehensions. We have also looked at research on line.
In computing Miss R we introduced the internet safety week next week, with a look at games on line. We have a number of texts to share with about the subject next week. Thank you for the algorithm work you have sent in.
In gymnastics we looked at including different rolls into our travelling around the hall on apparatus, including pace, height and balances too.
In art we drew a Spinosaurus using basic shapes and some shading.
In music we looked at beat and rhythm using claves, we sang our dinosaur songs and followed simple notation.
We looked at the Chinese lunar New Year, year of the tiger, and discussed the race of the animals.

Week beginning 24.01.2022

Dino Dig

what a busy week we have had!

In phonics we continued to look at split digraphs, spotting them in words, segmenting and blending them, writing them, adding phoneme buttons and reading alien words.

In English we looked at a non-fiction text about Spinosaurus, focussing on its appearance. We made a fact map to help us recall the new facts and the fantastic language. We did a long write using our fact maps as prompts. Some super work was created and some fantastic language was used. Super authors in the making!

In maths we looked at number facts to 7 and 9 using our rek'n'rek abacus, part part whole models and block models. We looked at expressions, representations, addends and +. Today we looked at equals and the commutative law e.g. 2 + 5 = 7 5 + 2 = 7.
The children picked this up really well and used the stem sentences with confidence.

In science we sorted dinosaurs into carnivores, herbivores and omnivores using a venn diagram.
In art we drew a triceratops using basic shapes and even tried some shading.

In geography we looked at a map of dino island and used grid references to locate physical features and dinosaurs.

In PSHRE we looked at what makes a good friend.
In gymnastics we explored jumping and travelling like dinosaurs around different equipment. This encouraged balances, movement at different speeds and levels.

Have a great weekend, read loads and get out and about as much as the weather permits. There is a rumour there is a T-Rex at Wollaton Hall!!

Week beginning 17.01.2022

Dino Dig

What a busy week we have had going on a dino hunt. This week we have been creating and adding our own parts to the story Going on a dino hunt. The children have written sentences to describe the settings we went through during our dino hunt and the sounds we made as we we travelled. We also described the dinosaurs we saw. In this term we are trying to increase the amount of writing we do in a session from at least 1 sentence to several sentences. This means increasing our stamina as some of us are finding this increase a bit challenging. To help with this keep writing at home. write messages for loved ones, letters to grandparents or help with the shopping list. Try to make it fun and to write to / for a real person. We are also exploring adjectives (describing words) and onomatopoeia (sound words), you could model using these when talking about things you see or sounds you make whilst carrying out tasks etc.

In Phonics we have continued working on the split diagraphs and children are really getting the hang of reading words like bake, ride, bone or flute. some people are even spotting the split diagraph when it is hidden by a suffix like waves or baked. keep up the hard work.

In Maths we have been reviewing number facts and talking about odd and even numbers. today we investigated odd and even numbers and discovered adding two even numbers makes and even number, adding two odd numbers makes an even number and that to make an odd number you need and even and an odd number.

In science we compared different types of dinosaur, noting similarities and differences. We looked carefully for clues when exploring images of Triceratops and Baryonyx.

We have started to look more carefully at dinosaurs and compare their bodies looking at what is the same and different about them. we have looked at different habitats dinosaurs lived in and discussed the features of these habitats and which dinosaurs might like to live there.
In music we recapped on beat and rhythm using claves as well as working on our dinosaur songs for the dino museum event next half term.

Please try to make time to read with your child, the number of reads has dramatically dropped and there are less prizes being awarded. We appreciate it is tricky with our busy lives, but reading really is the key to the rest of the curriculum. The Collins reading scheme has word lists on the inside front cover. There you will see words you can support reading and also the tricky common exception words they are expected to know by sight. Go through these regularly as it will help them progress quicker. Re reading the book will also develop confidence, fluency and expression.
 

week beginning 10.01.2022

Dino Dig

What a great and fun week we have had - more dinosaur fun!
In phonics we have been learning about split digraphs, the five vowels and their friend magic e who changes their short phoneme to a long one e.g. tap becomes tape.
In English we started off with a recap of 'We're going on a bear hunt' and moved on to 'We're going on a dino hunt' The children noticed the repeating phrases and started to learn them. They enjoyed spotting the hidden dinosaur in each of the new settings. Seem how much they can recall.
In maths we compared amounts using more than, fewer than, greater than and less than. This led to great discussions on how we knew these and spotted the best way to find the difference, how many more or how many less.
We also looked at 2 D shapes, noting how many sides and corners. We also sorted triangles and squares, noticing and explaining which ones didn't fit.
In science we sorted modern day animals from dinosaurs, using the toys in class. Lots of great discussion about the number of limbs, the skin and if they were a carnivore or herbivore. Spotting those with fur was a big clue.
In art we drew a sauropod using basic shapes - linking nicely with our 2D maths.
In music we looked at beat and rhythm as well as going over our new fun dinosaur songs.
In PE we did gymnastics, jumping with two feet on mats, the floor and on and off apparatus. We are doing well with this and getting braver.
In handwriting workshops we looked at the one armed robot letters, as well as fine motor exercises.
In IT with Miss Ridley we continued with our algorithms, on ipads, choosing different challenges. They have a 'to do' activity on Purple Mash. support them with logging on and selecting the activity under 'to do'. We will check and see how they progress. Any problems contact Miss R.

Week beginning 03.01.2022

New Topic: Dino Dig

We have had a great start back and an exciting start to our dinosaur topic. This week we have been working on the poem "King of all the Dinosaurs" by Paul Cookson. We are learning to perform it so please see how much of the poem your child can remember on their own. We have talked about poems and what a poet is.

In phonics we have been reviewing all the phonemes from last term and we are ready to start on some new ones next week. Remember to hear your child read regularly and update their reading record reads over the weekend as we will be counting dojo points on Monday. We do not include holiday reads.

In Maths we have been working on 3D shapes. I wonder if you can find a cylinder, cube, cuboid, cone, pyramid and cone around your house. We have looked at the properties and which shape of bricks are best for building towers with. We have also talked about the faces and what shape the faces are. We talked a lot about straight edges and curved edges.

The dinosaur dig was a real highlight this week and the children had a great time digging up fossils and learning about the animals they came from. The children are really excited to learn more about all the different dinosaurs there were on display.

In science we went on a seasonal to look at our environment during winter. We noticed most trees have no leaves but that evergreens keep their leaves. We talked about the weather in winter and the clothes we wear when it is cold. At night it gets dark earlier and some animals hibernate. Please talk to your child all about the winter season when you are out and about.

We finished our week with music learning some new dinosaur songs which were great fun.

6th December 2021

Last week we built moon buggies, which we hope the children have shown you. We made a chassis and experimented with creating wheels and axles using construction kits before making card wheels and axles to bring home. We tested out our vehicles on ramps to see if they would move.

In RE we have been looking at the Christmas Story. We have read Martin Waddell's "Room for a Little One". We will continue looking at this story next week. We have learnt who the key characters are in the Nativity. We have also thought about what the stable would have been like and what animals might have been in there.

In Maths we have been using shapes to create pictures. Thinking about leaving no gaps and not overlapping shapes. We have found it tricky to rotate and flip shapes so that they fit together to make a picture. If you have time try using lots of small triangles to create a bigger triangle which you could turn into a Christmas tree. We have been using these ideas to make our Christmas cards. We still have a few to finish next week.

Miss R did ICT; they carried on with their purple mash log on and explored animation, mash cam, painting digitally textured pictures and keeping safe on line. keep logging in over the holidays, this will be a great help.

29th November 2021

Last week was so busy with parents evenings, space exploration and rehearsals. A big thank you again to all of you for our parent evening meetings your support is very much appreciated.

In English last week we learnt about 2 astronauts; Neil Armstrong and Mae Jemison. Please ask your child about them and see what they can remember. A few are getting them mixed up. Neil Armstrong went to space in Apollo 11 and landed on the moon and May Jemison went to space in a shuttle and carried out experiments in space. We also ordered the animals and humans on a time line to show who went to space first and last.

In phonics last week we looked at the diagraphs ay and oy. We learnt that these generally come at the end of words but in longer words can come at the end of a syllable. eg play or player.
 

In Maths we have worked hard on finding missing number from a problem. For example if there are 5 apples on a tree and 2 fall down how many are left. The children have been brilliant at using their number bonds to quickly solve these problems and explain their answers.

We have spent quite a bit of time last week getting ready for our big nativity concert. The singing is coming on beautifully and I was so proud of them all today in our practise. Mrs Watkins was very impressed too. 

Comets and Moonbeams discovered an elf and a gnaughty gnome in their classrooms on the first of December, They have been setting us all sorts of little challenges as well as writing cheeky messages. The children have really enjoyed these.

26th November 2021

We have had a great week learning all about space and the animals who were the first to go into space. We have learned about Laika the dog and her sad story of her journey to space and Ham the chimp who successfully return from space with only a bruise on his nose. Please ask your child about these animals as I know they will be able to tell you all about their journeys.

In phonics we have been learning the wh and ve phonemes. We noticed that wh is usually at the beginning of words where as ve is usually at the end of words. Look out for these in your reading books and stories.

In maths we have been learning to spell the number names: one, two, three four, five etc. Extra practise at home is always good. We have also be working on recognising odd and even numbers. Remember Moonbeams even numbers are made of twos and odd numbers have an odd block. You might like to watch the numberblocks to show your grown up what you have learnt. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08r2l4d/numberblocks-series-2-odds-and-evens

We have continued in Science to learn about the human body and naming the different parts. This week we have learnt about the key differences between boys bodies and girls bodies. Children have been introduced to the correct vocabulary to name their private parts:- penis, testicles, vulva and vagina. We read a lovely story that explain how boys and girls are different and how male and female animals are different. Children know why it is important to use this correct terminology when talking to medical professionals. In addition we discussed the pants rule and that our private areas belong to us and we do not show these areas to others. The children were very sensible and we had a really good conversation.

We have also been working really hard on our Christmas songs which are starting to sound wonderful. The children have all had a letter in their bookbags about their costumes so please look out for these. If you have any issues please do let me know.
Have a lovely weekend

19.11.2021

The Way Back Home week 3

In phonics we looked at the digraphs 'qu' and 'ph'.
We spotted them in words, read words, made words and explored alien words.
In English we continued our work on The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. We adapted the story to make it our own. We created captions for our own story plans, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
In maths we looked at part part whole models, trying to use a systematic approach so that when exploring different options we did not miss any. 6 is a whole, 1 is a part and 5 is a part. 6 is a whole, 2 is a part and 4 is a part.
In science we looked at the main parts of the human head. we labelled a head and face.
In geography we labelled the capital cities on a map of the UK, matching them to the four countries.
We started our nativity preparations, casting and working on the songs. The children are learning the songs quickly and we look forward to sharing it with you.
Odd sock day was a success and so was Children in Need day today.

PHONICS:   information to help you support your child at home.

Here are the web links to two videos of phonic lessons.

Mr Hedges

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/b079886e-dee8-4e36-b027-5f4c904b5af1

Mrs Chamberlain

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/cf4f49e9-c16b-494c-afd8-764204d57ba

Moon Zoom      08.11.2021

We have had another busy week learning about space. In our English lessons we have been reading the story "The Way Back Home" this week we have focused of ordering. We ordered sections of the story, key events, sentences and words. Today we wrote a sentence from the book making sure we left finger spaces between our words, listening for sounds so that we could spell words and sitting letters on the line. In phonics we have been working on consonant blends at the end of words such as lunch, soft, jump etc. This is really improving make sure you look out for these blends in reading book.

A polite reminder, please can you to hear your child read at least 3 times a week and record this in their reading diary. Children who have this regular practise reading their phonics based book will gain confidence and this really helps them to become successful readers quicker. Please record this in their reading diary as this will mean they win dojo prizes the children really love these and some children are quite disappointed when they see friends winning prizes and they are missing out. All you need to do is write the title and sign it if you don't have time for a comment don't worry.

In Maths we have been looking at what a whole group is and what part of a group is these skills will help the children with solving missing number problems and fractions in the future.

In Science we have been naming body parts and labelling drawings. Geography lessons have been focused on learning about the UK the 4 countries and how to locate them on a map. We also looked at a the colours used on a map and how they help us to locate geographical features such as mountains and lakes.
 

Week beginning 01.11.2021

MOON ZOOM

We have had an exciting first week back. We have started our new space topic and enjoyed our new class text “The Way Back Home” by Oliver Jeffers. We shared the text for fun then carried out a whole class comprehension session. On Thursday an enormous rocket arrived in the classroom and we had a fantastic discussion about space, rockets and gravity. Lots of new vocabulary was introduced and the children are starting to use it in discussions.
In Phonics we worked on consonant blends such as sp in space. Look out for these blends in your reading books. There is also some spelling games on spelling shed to practice this skill.
In Maths we have been working on using comparative vocabulary. We have been comparing length, heights, weights, capacities, depths, distances and quantities. When your child is in the bath you might want to discuss the depth of the water and compare the volumes of water in plastic cups and bowls. Eureka! Try using 'deeper and shallower'.
In science we have started learning about our bodies and naming the parts of the body. We worked together to share what we know already and identify anything we might need to learn about. We played a fun game of 'body bingo' which helped us start to recognise new body vocabulary e.g. shin.
In Geography we have been learning about the countries that make up the UK and their capital cities. Recalling these facts takes lots of practice, looking at maps and discussing them regularly really helps these facts to stick. The children enjoyed looking at map and finding these 4 countries and their capital cities.

Comets and Moonbeams
We have had a very busy week learning about Mrs Armitage and her bike.
In English we have been building up to writing our own version of Mrs Armitage. The children had some great ideas today of what she could ride on and what Mrs Armitage might add to make it an even better vehicle. I had buses which had sweet machines added, go-karts with rocket boosters and even a car with its very own hot tub!!!! Such imagination Moonbeams, well done.

In Maths we have started to look at splitting numbers up into tens and ones and counting large groups by making groups of ten and adding the extra ones on to make a 2-digit number.

We have carried on looking at the history of bikes and the children have loved learning about the boneshaker and the penny farthing. This week we also created our own timeline of bikes through the ages and look at what is the same/ different between the bikes. It was interesting looking at which wheel the pedal turn as older bikes the pedal turned the front wheel and modern bikes turn the back wheels. Have a look at you bikes and trikes at home which wheel do the pedal turn.

In science we looked at creating Mrs Armitage a waterproof umbrella and today we have been testing out different materials look for the ones which are waterproof. You might like to look around your house for waterproof materials.

In phonics we finished reviewing the phase 3 phonemes this week and worked on learning to spell me, be and see without any support.

Next week we will be starting our RE topic on harvest and Sukkot and learning all about pumpkins. If you are growing one at home I would love to see pictures via dojo. I wonder who has grown the biggest pumpkin.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Chamberlain and Mr Hedges

‘Mrs Armitage on Wheels’    27.09.2021

This week we have:

In phonics we have recapped the digraphs  ar  er  or  ow  ee . We spotted the digraphs in words, we drew phoneme buttons, we matched words to pictures, we hunted real words from alien words and wrote them to make words.

In English we looked at story maps and sequencing key events of the story.

In Maths we counted objects to 20 and beyond. We counted to a 100 on a hundred square, number lines and Gattegno boards. We paused at the 9s to make sure we were confident which tens number came next.

In Science we sorted objects Mrs Armitage used for her bike by the materials they are made of. We discussed our findings and tried explaining why some materials were not used and some used more than others.

In History we looked at the history of bikes and how they have changed over time.

In PHSRE we discussed solving problems through negotiation. How can we sort our disagreements between ourselves.

In PE we did gymnastics; balances and rolls and game skills; throw and catch.

In music we looked at dynamics, making sounds louder and softer in a variety of ways.