This term in maths we linked our maths with International week. We walked around the school to find out how many of the flags were displayed around the school. As we looked we created a tally chart. After collecting the data we created pictograms to show the number of each flag displayed around the school. Can you see which flag we found the most of? 

Literacy

We started Literacy in Spring 2 off with the fable The Lion and the Mouse. We looked at features of a letter and language features. We role played the story and also sequenced the events. We then wrote a letter to the Mouse persuading him that Lion was not a bad character ensuring we use all of our writing skills. We also celebrated world book day and designed our own t shirts. 

DT

In DT we designed costumes for our carnival. We first needed a design brief and designed our patterns for our tartan. We looked at different tartan prints and researched different patterns from parts of the UK. Using the key symbols from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland we designed our prints for our headband. To make our headbands we used fabric and used polystyrene to do relief printing. The whole process required resilience, teamwork and innovation!   

In Geography we have been learning about hot and cold countries. We have used globes, atlases and compasses to find different continents in the world. We found out that the hottest countries are near the equator because it is closest to the sun. We also looked at where we come from and located them on a map. We learnt how many continents there are in the world and researched which countries belonged to each continent. We related this back to the UK being a moderate country to help us in our Science lessons. In addition we visited London City Airport to explore new language and even met a Pilot!

In Computing we have been exploring how to operate Beebots through developing our communication skills, directional language and developing an understanding of Algorithms. We have learnt how to share an Algorithm with our partner to direct them or the Beebot to a desired destination. By the end of the topic, we have been able to understand that most electronic appliances/ devices (even naming ones we see around us) need to be directed to be used through an Algorithm.

Literacy

This term we have been rehearsing poems about ‘Bravery’ to get ready for poetry day! We watched Michael Rosen and Maya Angelou perform a variety of poems, which inspired us to use our big voices, expressions with our face and actions with our hands. We all got the chance to perform our poems to our class who then voted for their favourite one.  We have continued to explore a variety of books and develop our love for reading.

Maths

In Maths we have been learning to tell the time. We used our analogue clocks to show o’clock and half past. We now know that the long hand shows us minutes and that the shorter hand tells us the hour. We also know that the long hand must point at 12 for it to be something o’clock! 

After learning how to tell the time we learned about halves and quarters. We now know that quarters have 4 equal parts and halves have 2! We have also consolidated our adding and subtraction skills using a variety of strategies and resources.

In Maths, we have learnt how to partition two-digit numbers. We started by practically using concrete objects, such as cubes, and then moved on to using dienes to carry out fair swaps of units and tens. We remembered that 10 cubes have the same value as one ten (ty) and explored how a range of real-life objects, such as Lego blocks, pasta or pencils, have the same value but different appearances. We have lately been using number lines to develop our addition and subtraction skills. We use real number lines, draw on them and then apply that method into solving more complex 3 or 4 step operations. We enjoyed counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s forwards and backwards during our starter activities.

Literacy

In Literacy, we read Little Red Riding Hood and described the Big Bad Wolf! We used drama to help us explore Wolf's appearance and character and had wonderful discussions reflecting on his actions in the story. The children produced fantastic independent writing focusing on capital letters, full stops and adjectives.

Topic

In History we have been learning about Kings and Queens, to support this we visited the Tower of London. We explored the White Tower, where the armour and weapons were kept, and learnt about the jobs in the castle. We were excited to see the black ravens and even took pictures next to them. We also learnt that part of the Tower of London was used as a zoo to entertain royal guests. When we returned to school, we compared how the Tower was used in the past and now. 

During Science Afternoon, we linked our learning about materials and their properties to the visit to the Tower and created and tested majestic thrones!

In science we learnt about materials and their properties. We started by having a look at different objects and thinking about what they are made of. We learned that lots of everyday objects are made of plastic, metal, fabric, glass and wood. We spoke about why each material is appropriate to use for that object. We sorted materials according to their properties and learnt about the difference between an object and a material.

Literacy

In Literacy we have been looking at the author Julia Donaldson. One of the books we read was The Smeds and Smoos. We covered lots of reading skills and used colourful semantics to help understand the story and write about it. The skills we learnt about were, sequencing, predicting, and inference.

Maths

In maths we have been representing numbers using cubes and ther everyday objects. We also looked atpatterns, identifying and sequencing patterns and numbers. We used pictures and everyday objects to make our own patterns too. We worked as partners and had to use our communication and teamwork skills. Can you see any patterns in your home?          

Geography

This term we took part in our annual Geography Day. We visited West Ham park to carry out some field work and explore the grounds. We went on a nature trail and did some tree spotting and some observational drawings. We used magnifying glasses to observe mini beasts and also collected items from the natural environment such as leaves and tree bark to make some rubbings.    

Literacy

For world book day we had to make a character using a potato. In literacy we then wrote a book review about our favourite book and why it was our favourite book. We also had to look at a picture of a front cover and come up with our own title for the book. This was quite challenging as we had to use our inference skills and predict what the story was about based on the image on the front cover. Can you guess which book this character is from?

Maths

In maths we have been learning about measure. We learnt how to measure length, capacity and mass. We discussed the importance of these in real life and what jobs we would need to use each of these topics in. We used rulers, weighing machines, measuring jugs and containers to measure.

This term in maths, we learned how to multiply and divide. We used cups and maths tables to find the answers to multiplication and division maths stories. We even practiced using concrete resources like cubes and pasta to make arrays of a number to multiply it and later on divide it. After practicing like this we were able to write the maths stories into our books and solve them independently.

Literacy

We started Literacy in Spring 2 off with our fable The Lion and the Mouse. We learnt how to role play the story and also sequence the events. We then created a letter to the Mouse ensuring we use all of our writing skills. We also explored characters and settings this term, and used our communication skills to compare different books. We also became illustrators and made our own characters for our chosen settings!

Science

In Science we have been learning how to be Scientist! We used some scientific skills to make predictions, test, observe and classify different materials. Year 1 found out that the best material to make the lens of sunglasses were glass or clear plastic because they were transparent.

In DT we explored food and different tools. We explored ways we can use tools. We used knives, graters, juicers, spoons and peelers. We really enjoyed using the tools safely to make a fruit salad. At the end of the lesson, we got to enjoy our fruit salad. We also looked at healthy eating and how to stay fit by exercising.

Literacy

In Literacy we have been looking at the author Julia Donaldson. The books we read were The Gruffalo, Tiddler, Room on The Broom, Snail and The Whale and Superworm. The reading skills we covered were sequencing, describing characters, comparing, inferring and predicting what happens next in the stories. We also made some Gruffalo crumble, broomsticks and puppets of characters. Which is your favourite Julia Donaldson book?

Maths

In maths we have been identifying and sequencing patterns and numbers. We looked at patterns and identified which ones were patterns and which were not. We used pictures and objects to make our own patterns too. We worked as partners and had to use our communication and teamwork skills. Can you see any patterns in your home?         

This term has been extremely busy with lots of amazing things. In science we have been learning about animals and classifying them in to groups. We looked at carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. To enhance our learning, we went to London zoo and saw many of the animal groups we learnt about. We also visited Ark farm and got to pet animals. We used our communication skills and resilience as some of us were a little scared to touch the animals at first!

Literacy

This term we had some special visitors in our school. We observed the life cycle of a butterfly in real time as we had our own caterpillars who transformed in to butterflies right in front of us. We used our observation skills to see the changes that happen at every stage.

Maths

In maths we have been learning about 3D shapes. We learnt about how many corners, sides and faces they had. We named the 2D shapes we could see on the face of a 3D shape. We also looked for real life objects that look like 3D shapes.

RE

In RE this term we learned about Hinduism. We were able to label all the parts of a puja tray; which Hindus use to worship. We also performed an assembly for our parents and told them all about the trimurti (the three main forms of god) and how Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of light. We even worked as a team and sang them a wonderful song!

Literacy

In literacy we have been learning about the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We first used role play and colourful stories to recall the story in order. We then practiced writing sentences that included capital letters, full stops, question marks and some exclamation marks. We were even able to use suffixes in our writing.

Maths

In maths we have been learning about measure. We learnt how to use a ruler to measure accurately and compared lengths. We discussed the importance of it in real life. We need to measure when building, buying clothes, cooking and many other reasons! We compared different measures and ordered objects according to their sizes. We also organised our friends in height order which was a challenge as some of us are very similar in height!

This term in maths, we learned how to multiply. We used cups and maths tables (and our knowledge of adding ‘lots of times’) to find the answers to multiplication maths stories. We even practiced using concrete resources like cubes and pasta to make arrays of a number to multiply it. After practicing like this we were able to write the maths stories into our books and solve them independently.

Literacy

We started Literacy in Spring 2 off with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After watching a live performance of the story Goldilocks asked us to help her write a letter of apology to the Three Bears for her behaviour at their cottage. We thought about all the things she could say sorry for before using our neatest handwriting to help write her letter.

Topic  

In Science, Goldilocks asked for our help again! She also wanted to give the three bears ice poles to day sorry but didn’t want them to melt on her way there. To help her, we carried out an investigation and explored different materials to figure out which one would be best to keep the ice poles cold. We found that out of paper, fabric, foil and plastic, foil was the best at keeping them icy and cold.

In Geography we have been learning about hot and countries. We have used globes, atlases and compasses to find different continents in the world. We found out that the hottest countries are near the equator because it is closest to the sun.

Literacy

This term we have been expanding our vocabulary. We explored dictionaries and looked for key features of a dictionary. We found that dictionaries are ordered in alphabetical order and they tell us the meaning of a word. Some children looked for words using the dictionary and we ordered some words in alphabetical order.

Maths

In Maths we have been looking at solving addition and subtraction problems. In our classes we learnt to use number lines to jump forward to add and backwards to subtract. We learnt to use our fingers to solve maths stories mentally.