Year 1
Welcome to our Year 1 blog.
Friday 10th January 2025
Hello!
Happy New Year! The children have had a great return to learning for 2025. They have all returned rested and ready for learning.
Our new topic in Geography focuses on weather and we will be looking at the weather within the UK and around the world. In Science, we will be exploring Space, our place in space and what other things can be found around Earth. Within R.E, we are exploring Judaism and what it means to be Jewish.
This half-term, the children will doing PE, Music and Computing during their rotation on Wednesday, and so will need PE kits on Monday and Wednesday.
Have a great weekend,
Year 1 Team
Friday 13th December
Hello!
After our brilliant aquarium trip last week, the children were excited to write about their experiences and created wonderful recounts. The children have been extending their sentences using and, so and because.
In Maths, the children have moved on to subtraction number sentences. The children have used part-whole models to create their subtraction sentences and then used number lines or have crossed out images to solve these.
Next week, there will be our Christmas lunch on Wednesday, our Christmas party on Thursday (own clothes all day) and then we will be visiting the church on Friday morning for our Christmas service.
Have a lovely weekend,
Year 1 team
Friday 29th November
Hello!
The children have had a super week building their sentences for our non-chronological report on whales. They have loved exploring the underwater world through the book The Sea below my toes. In Science, the children have looked at different body parts of different animals with words such as antlers, horns, scales and feathers.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that home learning for your child can be found under the home learning tab below if you would like to do some activities at home.
Next week, we will be visiting the aquarium on Friday 6th December. Your child will need a packed lunch and a bottle of water.
Have a great weekend,
Yer 1 team
Friday 22nd November
Hello!
Year 1 have had a really exciting week with the heavy snow that we have experienced. In class, the children have learnt about what forgiveness means why this can be tricky during our RE lessons. In Maths, the children have been forming systematic number bonds to 10 and 20, whilst in Phonics the children have come across a split digraph for the first time. A split digraph is a digraph representing a vowel sound where its two letters are split by a consonant. For example, a-e sounding ai in make.
As the weather becomes worse in the run-up to Christmas, please could we ask that children come to school with appropriate outdoor clothing that is named.
Have a great weekend,
Year 1 team
Friday 15th November
Hello!
This week has seen the children take part in our Remembrance Service and our Children in Need Day. The children have shown fantastic maturity for both events.
In our English this week, the children have been creating superb sentences about whales inspired by our story The Storm Whale. Within Maths, the children have been considering commutativity- the idea that 4 + 3 is the same as 3+4.
We are still looking for parent volunteers to assist with our trip to the aquarium on Friday 6th December. If you are able to help, please speak to your class teacher.
Have a great weekend.
Year 1 team
Friday 8th November
Hello!
Year 1 have had a fantastic return to learning after the half term break. Our new topic in History is focusing on toys from the 1960s and the changes that have happened since then. In Science, we will be continuing our Animals including humans topic by considering common animals and their features. You can find out more from our Curriculum Map, below, as well as the schemas for each unit, which are a great way to discuss your child’s learning in school.
In phonics, the children are now learning phase 5 sounds. These can be found on the phonics sheet your child brings home each week, but also under the home learning tab where we put ideas for learning you can try at home.
Next week, we will be having a special Remembrance assembly at 11am. We have discussed in class why people choose to wear poppies and what these symbols mean.
Have a fantastic weekend,
Year 1 Team
Friday 18th October
Despite the terrible weather, the children in Year 1 have been out and about a lot. We have looked at aerial photographs of the school and thought about how much more we can see from our perspective on the ground. We have also been on an Autumn senses walk- identifying the signs of Autumn and thinking about how things like acorns and fallen leaves feel.
In Writing, we have planned our own version of Dear Zoo. We will be writing to a Toy Shop and asking for a new toy- we really hope they send us something exciting! The children have also been focusing on their target letters to ensure that their letter formation is correct.
In PE, the children have been rehearsing their dance, which we hope to be able to show to adults after half-term.
Parents’ Evening is Tuesday and Thursday next week. Your child’s books will be laid out in the Learning Zone for you to have a look at prior to seeing your class teacher.
Have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Friday 11th October
What an amazing way to end the week! The children in Year 1 looked amazing in their costumes as robots, Numblocks and Rockstars. On the day, we all played Numbots and took part in exciting Maths lessons.
In Maths, we have looked at the terms more than, fewer than and the same. The children have been comparing different groups to see if they can work out which pile has more. In English, the children were shocked to discover that Mrs Slaven, Mr Fisher and Miss Ballam had also been writing to the zoo and had received some unexpected pets!
In Science, the children have been considering the seasons. In Year 1, there is not a discrete seasons topic, but instead the children will look at the seasons at the end of each Science unit to ensure that they can experience the weather, clothing and seasonal changes as they happen.
Have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Friday 4th October
Year 1 have had a great week and have explored a range of new activities in the Learning Zone. In our topic area, the children have been feeling autumnal items and thinking about our sense of touch. They have also improved their fine motor skills (which supports their writing) by threading beads onto pipe cleaners.
In Maths, we have looked at 1 more and 1 less for numbers up to 20. The children have practised this using physical apparatus and also with written questions. In English, the children have created their own versions of Stuck using their imagination to alter the story and choosing different objects that could get stuck and a new main character. Our new text will be Dear Zoo.
In phonics, the children have now recapped all of the phase 3 sounds and have started to learn our new phase 5 sounds. This week we have learnt: -ay (play), -oy (toy), -ou (cloud) and -ea (sea).
In RE, we have continued to think about different communities. We have thought about how Christians become part of their church communities through a christening.
Have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Friday 27th September
Year 1 have been brilliant this week! In the Learning Zone, the children have been using adjectives to describe objects, using number bonds to form ten and drawing maps of the local area.
In Maths, we have looked how numbers can be represented by objects, by a number and by a word. The children have practised writing the words and matching these to the number. In English, the children have planned their own versions of Stuck using their imagination to alter the story and choosing different objects that could get stuck.
The children in Year 1 visit the school library on a Monday. Your child will have brought a library book home this week and they can take out another book next Monday if this is returned. Your child's phonics reading book will be changed on a Wednesday.
This half-term, the whole school is focusing on our school value of kindness and what that looks like in action.
In RE, we are focusing on our communities- both religious such as a faith or belief and non-religious such as a club or a school.
Have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Friday 20th September
Year 1 have had a superb week. Lots of adults from around school have told the children how grown-up they have become and what great role models they are for the school.
In the Learning Zone, the children have been creating labels for images, identifying common animals, sorting objects and counting objects to ten.
In Maths, we have continued to focus on our 1:1 correspondence and counting items within a group. We have also looked at how we can explain how we know an answer in wrong. Lots of children are now accessing Numbots using their login, which can be found within their Reading record. Please do let us know if you are unable to access this. In English, the children have created sentences using because to explain their favourite part of the story Stuck.
The children in Year 1 visit the school library on a Monday. Your child will have brought a library book home this week and they can take out another book next Monday if this is returned. Your child's phonics reading book will be changed on a Wednesday.
In Geography, we are focusing on our local area. This week, the children explored how maps can be used to show the landscape in a 2d form. The children considered the symbols that are used and the places that can be found around school.
Have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Please find below the presentation from the Year 1 Reading presentation.
Friday 13th September
Hello!
Our brand new Learning Zone opened up for our Year 1 children this week! There are lots of exciting opportunities for children to work alongside some of the adults in our setting and to work independently. We used measuring scales to help us compare mass, counted to 10 with 1:1 correspondence, practised forming our letters correctly and talked about the seasons and weather.
We started our first English unit this week, focusing on the book “Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers. On Monday, we were amazed to find some objects stuck in a tree in our outside area. We thought carefully about how the items got there and how we would be able to get them down. We also made our own predictions about what might happen in the story and created a story map.
In our Maths sessions we worked together to sort objects. We needed to sort the objects by colour, shape and size, thinking of a "sorting rule" each time. In our Mastering Number sessions we revised number bonds to 5, practised subitising (knowing the amount without needing to count) and used stem sentences including “5 is made with ___ and ___, ___ and ___ make 5” to help us.
In our Geography sessions we went on a walk around the school grounds to identify human and physical features. We then sorted a range of pictures into two groups. In our science lessons, we were able to be real scientists! We identified and labelled different parts of the body and thought about how our body parts can help us to move in different ways.
Well done to our Year 1 superstars for completing their first full week!
Your child will be bringing home a phonics reading book on Thursdays for a week, and will be borrowing a library book on Mondays for a week- please can you ensure that these books are returned on these days. If you would like to carry out some home learning, please find a page of ideas below.
We hope you all have a great weekend!
Year 1 Team
Friday 6th September
Hello!
Year 1 have had a superb return to school. They have impressed all of the Year 1 team with how well they have approached their learning and how sensible they have been in their new classes. We will endeavour to update you with the learning that your child has taken part in using this blog each Friday.
Next week, your child will take part in their first Forest School sessions on Wednesday. They will need waterproof shoes and a waterproof coat (both named please) for these activities and these will be stored in the covered area outside Shrews.
Our PE days for this half-term will be Monday and Wednesday. Children can now come into school wearing their PE kit and stay in it all day. Please find the PE expectations here: https://www.stleonards.devon.sch.uk/parents/uniform
Please find below (under the Learning Web tab) our Learning Web for this half-term. This will show you what your child will be learning in each subject and can be a useful starting point for discussing what they have learnt at school. In Geography, we will be focusing on where we live.
On Monday 16th September at 3.30pm, there will be a reading meeting for parents/carers in the Studio. This will explain how we will teach phonics and reading this year, as well as how you can best support your child. There will also be a crèche available for any children attending.
Have a great weekend,
Year 1 Team
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Schema are used to present the key knowledge for each unit to the children in a simple way. Each lesson we recap the parts of the schema that we have covered. Schema can be a great way to discuss your child's learning at home.
Science schema- Autumn 1-Ourselves
Science schema- Autumn 2- Animals
Science schema- Spring 1- Space
RE schema- Autumn 1- Community
Art schema- Autumn 1- Sketch books
DT schema- Autumn 2- Sliders and levers
Art Schema- Spring 1- formal elements of art
Geography schema- Autumn 1- Where I live
Here you can find useful websites to support your child: