Week ending 27th March 2015

We started this week with an R.E. day and the children were introduced to Judaism and the celebration of Shabbat. We looked at how Jewish people celebrate this weekly occasion and the children designed a cover for the Challah bread showing some of the symbols of Judaism they had learnt about. In English, the children have been completing independent writing to demonstrate how well they have developed their skills this year. They have been writing short pieces about Science Week and 'All About Me'. They have been working hard to meet their individual targets and we hope that you enjoyed seeing how much they have learnt at the open afternoon. On Thursday we took part in a Computer Science Day, which was funded by FOGG. The children were introduced to the idea of coding and took part in a key stage 1 performance as Team Robot defeating the Meanies who were trying to spread a virus. We have completed all of our end of term assessments and we also had our last gymnastics session of the year, where the children began to develop small routines to showcase all of the skills they have developed through the year. Have a good Easter break - school reopens on Monday 13th April.

Week ending 20th March 2015

This week is National Science Week so we have collapsed our usual timetable to set up, and take part in, some exciting science experiments. The focus has been on developing the observation skills of the children and they have been discussing the experiments, making predictions on what might happen, reviewing the outcomes once they have completed the experiment and seeing how close their predictions were. We have also looked at any misconceptions and shown the children how to correct these - an example of this is that sugar dissolves in water, it does not disappear and that this process could be reversed in the right conditions. Our Science Week experiments have been: Electricity and making circuits; observing objects that float and sink and how their properties can be altered to change the result; dissolving sugar into warm and cold water to see where each reached saturation point; air catchers to design an effective parachute; and ice blocks - exploring the properties of ice. We have also been completing end of term phonics and maths assessments and our gymnastics sessions have continued by revisiting and developing out moving and rolling skills. We are now into the swing with our guided reading and we endeavour to read with each child at least once a week as part of a small group as well as individually. Please speak to one of us if you would like more information about this.

Week ending 13th March

In English this week the children have been applying all of their ideas and skills by writing their own versions of Hansel and Gretel. We have continued to look at how capital letters are formed and have practised writing words containing these. In phonics we have been revisiting sounds and reading and writing words and sentences containing these. In maths we have been using the vocabulary more than, less than and equals to, to compare two numbers. We created our own Charlie the Crocodile who likes to eat the biggest number and the children used theirs to represent the symbols for more than and less than. The children have been using the signs: < (less than) and > (more than) to create number sentences before reading them out, for example 3>1 "three is more than one". They have also been comparing amounts of objects and identifying which has the most, using the same method. Friday is Red Nose Day for Comic Relief so all children will be taking part in themed activities to support this. They are also welcome to make their face "funny for money" any way they choose in exchange for a donation to Comic Relief.

Week ending 6th March 2015

This week in English we have been reading the story of Hansel and Gretel but with a twist. The children have decided how they want the story to end and have added this to their sequencing of the events in the story. We have also been continuing our focus on capital letters in our handwriting skills. In maths the children have been completing addition and subtraction calculations using a number line to show their workings. They then used these skills to help them to solve number problems and find the missing number in a number sentence. The children really enjoyed World Book Day and we were really impressed with the range of book characters that we saw at school that day. Throughout the day they were able to choose which stories they wanted to share and we stopped for 10 minutes reading time every time the bell was rung during the day. In our topic work this week we have been looking at homes from around the world and why the material used in each makes a good building. Just a reminder that parents evening is next Tuesday and there are information sessions about year one phonics next Wednesday and Thursday please come and speak to any member of staff if you would like to sign up for one of these.

Week ending 27th February 2015

This week in English we have been revisiting poetry. The children have learnt the poem "Queue At The Zoo" by Clare Bevan and were excited to act this out as a whole class performance. We looked at the rhyming pairs in this poem and how each animal was described. The children then came up with their own animals and descriptions to create their own class poem. In maths we have been measuring using standard units of measurement. The children have measured the length of objects and recorded this in centimetres. They have also measured the weight of objects in grams as well as weighing out ingredients to a specific amount by reading the scales accurately. In PE this week we have begun our second gymnastics sessions with the external coach. Remember that on next Thursday we are celebrating World Book Day and all children are invited to dress up as their favourite character from a book for £1, which we will be donated to charity. The next Big Book Share is next Wednesday at 2pm - we look forward to seeing you there.

Week ending 14th February 2015

This week has been International Week and we have learning all about Kenya. Year One started the week with a flight aboard Garrick Green Airways where we visited all seven continents and completed a passport with facts about each and the children took part in African drumming workshops on Tuesday. The children have also been on a safari to learn about the different animals they might see in Kenya and to identify which are herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. We have looked at the day in the life of a child in rural Kenya and compared their houses to our own in the UK. As part of our whole school international award work our classes came up with ten words that are important to them. They then created a move to represent each word and we recorded them demonstrating to send to our link school. We look forward to seeing what the other school send us and to comparing the differences in what each group finds important. Across the week we have been comparing the weather between Norwich and Nairobi and the children have created their own symbols for a weather chart to record this. We finished our dance lessons for this half term by performing to the other class. The theme for the half term was teamwork, inspired by an African traditional tale and this was a fitting way to complete the sequences during international week. Finally, Friday sees our whole school trip to the theatre to see Room on the Broom and a big thank you to FOGG for funding the tickets for this. The travel cost has been met from the proceeds of the Christmas Card sale, so thank you to everyone for their support to make this possible.

Week ending 23.1.15

In English this week we have continued with The Frog Prince and the children have been working on composing sentences using questions and answers. They have also created a story map to sequence their version of the story and will be writing a recount of the conversation between the Princess and the Frog during their Big Write session. In maths we have been working on our number bonds to 10. The children have found all of the different ways that pairs of numbers can be added up to make 10 using different objects in the classroom. They have also created their own number bond ladybirds and attempted to solve number problems using their knowledge of the pairs to 10 (e.g. 4+?=10). In topic we will be investigating the materials used to make buildings safe and secure. The children will be exploring a range of materials and identifying which they think are the most suitable to use for walls and windows. Our new dance sessions are well underway - all children will need a PE kit in school every Tuesday and Thursday for these lessons. Finally, our next reading event is next Friday, 30th January at 2 p.m. - it would be lovely to see as many of your there as possible.