Autumn 1

The children have greatly enjoyed learning about Louis Braille. This week they got the opportunity to see a real braille machine and each got their name written in braille. The class also had great fun painting portraits of Louis Braille. Take a look!

In computing, the children have been practising their key skills. This week, we created self-portraits on the computer which involved using the mouse to select the different colours and size of bush as well as using the keyboard to type our names at the bottom. It was great fun - Can you tell who is who?

In RE, we have read and discussed the parable of The Lost Son. In the story, the father shows forgiveness to his son. We spoke about the importance of this and shared examples of when we have shown forgiveness and when we have asked for forgiveness. The children then worked in groups to act out different scenarios demonstrating the importance of forgiveness. The children were brilliant at getting into character and using their facial expressions! 

In Science, we have been learning about the human body and our senses. We have had great fun labelling the different parts of the human body as well as going outside and exploring our senses.

This week we performed an investigation into our senses! We tested our sight by having a go at building a tower blindfolded – this was tricky! We then tested our sense of touch by feeling different objects and discussing which was the smoothest, heaviest, and roughest. We then tested our sense of smell by smelling rosemary, mint, and oranges. We finished by testing our sense of taste by tasting raisins, lemon, and chocolate – Can you guess which was the favourite?

This week, Year 1 have been very busy counting! The children started the week becoming a human number line. They were each given a number and had to think carefully about where they would stand, making sure there were spaces left for any missing numbers. The children worked brilliantly as a team and were able to justify their reasoning.

The children had great fun having a go on the Braille machine as well as using the cane. We learnt that there are many different things in society which support blind people including guide dogs, beeping sounds as you cross the road, bright paint and also the use of a cane. The children took it in turns sweeping the cane and navigating their way across the classroom.

We have been learning all about Autumn and the changes it brings. To finish off our learning, we made Autumn wreaths using different Autumn colours. The children had a go at cutting different leaf shapes out of paper and sticking them onto their wreaths creating an autumn design.

Year 1 had great fun choosing a book from the library bus this week! They enjoyed looking at the different books on offer and reading some of the blurbs to help them make their decision. We spoke about the importance of looking after the books. The children are looking forward to reading and sharing their books.

Autumn 2

This half term, we have kicked off our learning by looking Bonfire Night and why it is celebrated. We started our history lesson by looking at a picture of a man and asking questions. Who is he? Why is he wearing strange clothes? Why is he famous? We had a great discussion and now know this man to be Guy Fawkes. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to learn about Guy Fawkes and the Gun Powder Plot.

We then spent some time in the Computer room designing our own Bonfire and firework pictures. Take a look at the different colours and shapes we created.

Today, year 1 spoke about the importance of Remembrance day and why we have a minutes silence. We then had a go at creating our own poppies using paint and our hands.

The children had a great time during maths week. They enjoyed the different challenges, especially the scavenger hunt. Take a look at the Maths Week page for more information on what they got up to!

Year 1 love Friday PE lessons with Mr Hitchings. This week, they were practising their control when using a ball. First, they had to have a go at bouncing the ball inside the hoop - This was challenging as the hoops were moving! Next, they had to throw and catch the ball whilst maintaining control, making sure it didn't roll away. Once confident, they had to see if they could clap whilst the ball was in the air. Well done Year 1!

To celebrate the Men's World Cup 2022, Year 1 have been learning about one of the countries taking part - Brazil!

To begin with, the children got messy creating their own Brazil flags using the colours blue, yellow and green and dotting the paint onto the paper. 

Year 1 have also been learning about festivals and traditions which take place in Brazil. We now know that Brazil is in South America, that people enjoy eating sweet chocolatey snacks called brigaderio and that the famous carnival celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro and involves lots of samba dancing. The children then used all of these ideas to create their own acrostic poems.

And then it was December and Christmas has come to Year 1!

The children had lots of fun decorating the Christmas tree in the classroom and are looking forward to finding out what is inside of our advent calendar.

We were also very excited to receive a parcel in the middle of our phonics lesson. Inside we found a Christmas Gonk and a letter from Santa! We have been told the Gonk will be watching us very carefully during the month of December and making sure we are all working hard and getting into the Christmas spirit!

In English, year 1 have been looking at different types of poems. Using our new found knowledge on Brazil, the children had a go at creating their very own acrostic poem all about Brazil and the information they had learnt. Take a look!

Year 1 have started to investigate 3D shapes. We began by naming the different shapes and then discussed the properties. In groups, the children were then challenged to sort them and explain to each other how they knew which each shape was. They then got creative and had a go at building with the 3D shapes, thinking carefully about which shapes would make the best foundation for their structure.

Year 1 have gone gonk mad! In readiness for Friday, the children have been getting creative making a festive window display. Today they created a stained-glass window of a Christmas gonk, as well as some beautiful stars. We are all very excited to decorate the window for Friday and cannot wait to see all of the different window displays!

Spring 1

Our new topic this half term is Materials. The children spent some time looking at different objects and sorting them into different materials. We looked at glass, plastic, wood, metal, fabric and paper. The children were great at listing the different properties for each. Can you spot any of these materials at home?

The children got messy paining different toys! In class, we have spoken a lot about toys we have today, toys from the early 20th Century and Victorian toys. Today we had a go at painting different toys, thinking carefully about the colours to choose and how to show if the toy was old or new.

In English, we have been learning about fiction and non-fiction books. The children enjoyed sorting different books and explaining how they know if it is a fiction or non-fiction books. We looked at the contents page, Index page and Glossary, discussing why they are useful and important.

Next week, the children will be using non-fiction books to create their own information page using headings and subheadings.

In History, the children have been learning about Toys from the past. To support their learning, we went on a school trip to the Discovery Museum.

We began by participating in a workshop. The children got to look at different old toys and were quick to spot the different materials each was made of. They were then challenged to sort different toys into old and new and then to sort them by material. The children worked brilliantly together and could talk confidently about which toys they thought were old and which toys they thought were new.

In the afternoon, the children explored the Science Maze getting hands on with different activities. We then finished the day with a Toy scavenger hunt - It was lots of fun.

Everyone had a lovely day and the children behaved beautifully from start to finish. Well done Year 1!

We have been looking at the alphabet in English and had great fun singing along to the song. We spent some time looking at different words and discussing how we put them into alphabetical order. We then had a look at a dictionary and had great fun finding different words and what they meant. Year 1 have been working very hard!

Spring 2

This half term we will be learning about the Easter Story in RE.

This week the children learnt all about Palm Sunday. We began by pretending we were in Jerusalem and spoke about how we might feel knowing Jesus was coming. The children then wrote down all their ideas including some questions they would want to ask Jesus. To finish our lesson, we coloured in our own palm leaves and had a go at waving them, shouting 'Hosanna', as well as taking it in turns to be Jesus.

The children looked FANTASTIC in their World Book Day costumes. We had lots of fun looking at each others outfits and guessing which character they were.

The children had a fun filled day reading lots of stories and completing different activities based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We began by reading the story and discussing the different events. The children then discussed who was their favourite character and why before having a go at creating their own stick puppet of that character. We had some wild wolves, brave woodcutters and a wonderful grandmother.

Throughout the day the children also used the computers to design their own images for the story as well as used their puppets to act out and retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

Year 1 were very excited when some people from the charity Dogs Trust came into school. They learnt lots of new things including what to do if a dog runs up to you, how to look after a dog and some rules on how to make sure dogs are happy. Can you remember all of the rules and actions?

1 - If a dog is sleeping, leave them alone.

2 - If a dog is eating, leave them alone.

3 - Always be quite around dogs.

4 - Dogs don't like hugs, they like gentle strokes.

5 - If a dog takes your toy, tell an adult.

Yesterday, we couldn't resist putting our coats on and going outside to build a snowman. Meet our newest member of Year 1 - Belle! The children enjoyed working as a team to build up the body of the snowman and then had fun finding different bits and bobs to create the face, arms and accessories. 

In History, we have been learning about Grace Darling. We found out that she was extremely brave, setting off into a storm to save survivors. After hearing about her bravery, we got into groups and retold the story using freeze frames. We had to use our face and bodies to portray different characters and emotions.

The children have greatly enjoyed coding! They have progressed confidently through the different levels, learning how to make objects move in different directions, move on command and even disappear. They enjoyed getting creative and designing their own scenery with different moving objects. 

This week the children have been learning about how we can measure the length and height of an object. We started off by using cubes to see how tall or short objects were - This was lots of fun. The children were able to count carefully and enjoyed finding different things around the classroom to measure.

We then moved on and had a go at measuring using rulers. The children were able to line up each object with 0cm and then carefully read how long or tall an object was, rounding to the nearest centimetre. After Easter, the children will have a go at weighing objects.

The children of Class 1 have worked so hard over the past few weeks. They have enjoyed learning about lots of different things, including Grace Darling, coding and poems!

As a treat, the children came in from break time to find an Easter scavenger hunt set up in the classroom! They worked together in pairs to find all of the different Easter symbols hidden around the room - It was lots of fun.

Once they had all completed it, they were all rewarded with their very own Easter egg, complete with Easter chick and chocolate (although many thought Miss Scott had eaten the ONLY egg!)

Well done Year 1 for another fantastic term - Happy Easter everyone!

Summer 1

The children loved using the scales to weigh different objects. They began by comparing items and discussing which is the heaviest, lightest and which are the same. The then had a go at working out the mass of each object by using cubes. The children placed each item onto the scale and carefully counted the number of cubes needed to balance the scales.

The children worked brilliantly at their tables and took it in turns to use the equipment.

This week, Year 1 have gone Matilda mad! We have started to read the story in class and began learning about the character Matilda.

This week, the children began learning different dance moves to two of the well-known songs from the Matilda films. Over the next couple of weeks, we will continue practising and have a wonderful dance project by the end, telling the story of Matilda. 
Keep up the energy and fantastic dance moves Class 1!

Every Tuesday, Class 1 are in charge of looking after the guinea pigs, Miggy and Bruno. The children love the responsibility and enjoy getting them fresh water and food to eat and drink.

This week, Miggy and Bruno came to join us for our Maths lesson. The children were very excited but remembered to be nice and quiet so the guinea pigs could settle into the classroom. 

Today we took the magnifying glasses outside to look at different plants in the playground. We searched for different wildflowers and looked closely at the shape, texture and colours of each.

We also looked at different leaves and began to think about the important parts of a plant and the different jobs each part has. The children were able to identify the stem, flower, leaves, seed and roots.

As we are learning about different types of flowers, trees and plants, the children had a go at planting their own sunflower seed. They took it in turns preparing the soil, creating a hole and covering their seed. The class were confident in explaining that each seed will need soil, sunlight and water to grow - Let's hope the sunshine comes out soon!

The children are working so hard on their Matilda dance. They continue to show great enthusiasm and look forward to recording it soon!

This week we have been celebrating the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. During our computing lesson, the children were asked to design a postcard for the coronation. They had the freedom to draw any picture relating to The King. We have some fabulous designs including The King on his throne, his orb and sceptre as well as the Union Jack.

The children have practised identifying different coins and have spent the week making different amounts. To help them, they have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.

To put their skills to the test, the children went shopping! Around the classroom were different items for sale. The children had to take their purse full of money and see if they could buy things. We even had a go at paying with too much money and working out the change!

The class have worked SO hard the past few weeks on our class dance to Matilda. They should be so proud of themselves.

We have had lots of fun and cannot wait to see the finished edit - We hope you are excited too!

In our English lessons, we have been reading the story of The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch. We have done lots of super work including describing the setting, writing about our favourite part and also having a go at writing instructions on how to make a jam sandwich.

To end the week, the children got the chance to design their own iced sea biscuit for Mr Grinlings lunch. The used icing to decorate a biscuit, making sure it had a seaside theme. Delicious!

In Science, we have been looking at plants, flowers and trees. Today, the children went into the playground to look at different leaves. They had to draw them before having a go at identifying which plant they came from using a identification key to help them.

Summer 2

Year 1 took part in a Multi Skills Festival at The Newcastle United Foundation. We arrived and were very excited to see six different activities set up around the hall. The class was split into two groups and everyone got a turn at each activity. The children practised hockey, football, rugby, basketball, tennis and throwing skills throughout the morning. Everyone displayed great teamwork skills, encouraging each other during team races.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a quick snack in the sunshine before heading back to school. It was a fantastic morning out and all the children behaved beautifully travelling to and from the venue. Year 1 should be very proud of themselves!

Year 1 have been making arrays in Maths. They were given a worked problem and had to find the answer by using the cubes to create an array. This was tricky at first, but with lots of practise, the children were able to set out clear arrays for each question.

Things got messy in Maths this week! We have been looking at how we double numbers, making sure we add the same number together. Once we had practised, we created some very colourful butterflies using our fingers and paint! First, we had to create a pattern of dots on one side of the butterfly. We then folded the paper, pushing down hard, creating a butterfly with dots on both wings.

Pond club have been VERY busy. Over the last few weeks, the children have watered the plants, filled up the bird baths, weeded some of the pots and planted new seeds. The children designed and painted their own plant pots before filling them with spoil and putting in wild flower seeds and poppy seeds. We are all very excited for them to grow!

The children had a great time visiting Tynemouth this week!

In geography, the children have been looking at the coast and identifying different human and physical features. They put this knowledge to the test with a scavenger hunt. The children had to spot different features, explaining what each was, as well as identifying their own. 

Afterwards, the class made their way onto the beach where the scavenger hunt continued. They were quick to spot lots of physical features including shells, seaweed and rockpools. The children then had some time playing on the beach creating sandcastles, digging holes and burying Ronni, before having a picnic on the beach. 

It was a lovely day and the children should be very proud of themselves as they travelled sensibly to and from the beach, listened to instructions and played beautifully together. Well done Class 1!