Week commencing 14th December 2015

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the reading event last week - the children had a great time and hopefully it has given you lots of ideas for different opportunities for reading around the house. This week we have been reading Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present by John Burningham and the children have been discussing what Harvey's present might be. To support this we have a class Christmas box and each day something different is in it - the children have debated whether they think the contents are a good present or not and given reasons why. This has fed into their end of term writing assessment where they have all written about one of the presents independently. We are also completing end of term maths assessments and the children have been completing different maths activities each day to consolidate the learning covered so far this year. There are a few events to remind you about this week: Tuesday 15th 1:30pm - 3:30pm is the open afternoon, which is a good opportunity for the children to show you what they have been doing this term. Tuesday 15th 6:00pm - 7:30pm - schooll disco for Years 1 & 2. Entry costs £2 and includes a drink and a snack - no further money is needed for this event. Wednesday 16th is Christmas lunch day. There will be no school packed lunches or jacket potatoes on Wednesday, so please ensure that if you did not order the lunch in advance your child has a packed lunch from home. Thursday 17th is our Year One trip to Norwich Castle Museum - all children will need to bring a packed lunch from home with them and should be wearing their Garrick Green uniform. No spending is needed for the trip. Friday is Christmas Jumper Day and all staff and children are invited to wear a Christmas jumper in exchange for a £1 donation for Save the Children. Finally, we would like to wish you a happy Christmas and see you all when school reopens on Tuesday 5th January.

Week beg 30.11.2015

For the next two weeks we will be reading and looking at the story of The Gingerbread Man. This week we have been creating story maps and writing about our favourite part of the story. In maths the children have been learning how to perform subtraction. We have been counting out objects and moving away the amount to be subtracted away and then counting what is left in order to find the answer. Our first year one reading event is next week on Thursday 10th December. The event will start at 2pm so please be here and ready to begin at 2pm. The theme of our event is 'reading is not just about books'. We look forward to seeing you there! Just a friendly reminder to encourage your children to hand in all slips, homework and reading records as we don't have the time to look through the book bags each day. Many thanks.

week commencing:23rd November

This week we have continued our work with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children have been discussing how the different characters might feel and the reasons for this. They have been writing to the bears on behalf of Goldilocks to say sorry! In maths the children have carried on with learning about time. We have been reading and making clocks showing either an hour or half-past time and some children have begun problem solving with time. In PE we have continued with our gym, focussing on balancing, making shapes and rolls as well as looking how to end a move successfully. Our third design and technology lesson involves the completion of our project and the children are learning how to safely use saws and glue guns, amongst other tools to help them bring their designs to life. Just a reminder that the next big book share is on Monday 30th November in the afternoon - we hope to see you there!

Week beginning 16th November 2015

This week we have introduced the traditional tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children have acted out the story and have been discussing how they would feel if someone ate their food and broke their chairs! In maths we have introduced time - we have been focussing on understanding how time is used as a form of measurement and the different units of time. We have also looked at sequencing our days through morning, afternoon, evening and night time. As the week progresses we will be looking at the features of clocks and making the time. Could we ask everyone to try and help their child(ren) read at least 3 times a week at home - any extra is great, but just the three reads makes a huge difference to their reading development. Please could you also encourage your child to complete their homework independently each week as this will help consolidate their learning. Homework is usually sent home on a Friday and they have a week to complete this in so it can be broken down into smaller amounts if this helps them to complete it.

Week commencing 9th November 2015

This week we have continued with our Jack and the Beanstalk story. The children have been discussing what they would see if they went to the top of the beanstalk and are writing about it through the week. In maths, we have introduced money. The children heard how Jack had hidden all of the Giant's money and over the week they have been following clues to find specified coins. They have also been playing dice games, bingo and dominoes to help them identify the different coins and notes. Tomorrow is Children In Need Day and we will be holding a non-uniform day in support of this. Participation is completely voluntary and are asking for a donation of £1.50 towards the charity for any child choosing to come out of uniform.

Week commencing 2nd November 2015

This week we have been reading the traditional tale Jack and the Beanstalk. The children have heard different versions of the story and discovered that a beanstalk had grown in the classroom overnight. They had a visit from a Giant who left them a note and so we went on a Giant hunt around the school to try and find him. We also and re-enacted the story, focussing on how each character felt at different points in the story. The children sequenced the story and created their own story map to show the order of events and then wrote about what they might find at the top of their own beanstalk. In maths we have been learning about measuring length. We have introduced the idea of a fair measure and used this to compare the lengths of different objects before sorting them into order. The children have learnt about non-standard units of measurement and have practised using a range of different non-standard units to measure objects from around the classroom as well as their own foot. In topic we have begun a three lesson sequence on design and technology; however we can't give you any further details as the children are working on a surprise for you!! In PE we have started teaching gym - this term our PE lessons will be on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Please can you make sure that your child has a PE kit in school every week and send in hairbands or tape if your child has long hair or wears earrings - these are needed for their safety during these lessons. Parent/Teacher interviews are coming up soon - please see one us to book your time if you have not already done so.

Week ending 23rd October

Last week the children finished their work on Little Red Riding Hood by thinking about how each of the characters felt at the end of the story and why. They wrote independently about this for their half term assessment. In maths we were halving and quartering shapes, with a focus on each part being of equal size. In topic we talked about food that keeps us healthy and used this to learn about the artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo. The children all made self-portraits using pictures of fruit and vegetables, which will become a new display in the classroom. This week we have been finishing the half term with International Week and the whole school have been learning about Australia. The children have been learning about the history of Anzac biscuits and baked some to take home; we have read traditional tales from Australia and thought about what makes us happy (just like Karen the Koala in 'The Koala Who Learnt To Hug'); and they have been 'tour' of Australia, learning facts about the main features of the country.

week commencing 5th October 2015

This week we have introduced traditional tales and are starting with Little Red Riding Hood. The children have been talking about the characters and setting of the story and about how traditional tales have been passed down over the years. They will be going for a walk in the woods to see who they might meet and will be writing about the story later this week. In maths we have been reinforcing our counting work and beginning to look at addition by combining two sets of numbers. The children will be working with this all week and will be writing number sentences towards the end of the week. Our topic lesson this week is science and we have been learning about the five senses - the children have been using their senses of taste, smell and touch to explore different sensations. The first big book share of the year is this Thursday 9-9:30, please just come into the class with your child and there will be plenty of books for you to share - alternatively your child can bring in a favourite of their own to share with you.

Week commencing 28.9.2015

This week we have continued with our theme of Superworm in English. The children have been writing about their chosen superpowers and working towards meeting their writing targets. We have also been looking at the correct formation for letters b, p, g and q in handwriting. In maths we have been recapping on how to count accurately both with physical objects and groups of objects on paper. As part of our topic work the children will be learning how to sketch and will create a self-portrait. We apologise for mentioning this so early but the children have also started to create their own Christmas cards. In Year One we are creating ICT pictures using 2paint. There will be an opportunity to look at and order the Christmas cards on Monday 12th October. Please remember to sign up for the parent information sessions with your class TA either before or after school. Wednesday 7th October 9am Monday 12th October 2pm

Week Commencing 21st September 2015

This week we have started reading Superworm and have been acting out parts of the story. The children have chosen their own superpower and what how they would use it, and they have made superhero/supervillain capes to represent their powers. As the week progresses they will be writing sentences with a focus on beginning with a capital letter and the use of finger spaces. We have also been looking at the correct formation for letters i, l and t. Our maths and topic work have combined this week as we have been looking at eye colour. The children have completed three different bar charts to measure the number of people in the class with brown, blue, green or grey eyes in each class. We have made a human bar chart where the children have represented their own eye colour; a visual bar chart on the floor using coloured paper to represent their eye colour; and used the 2simple software to create a bar chart. We have then analysed the information to see which was the most common eye colour, which was the least common and how many more brown eyes there are than blue or green eyes. The children are looking forward to showing you what they have done so far at the open afternoon this Thursday - we hope to see you there.

Week commencing 14th September 2015

In English this week we are continuing our focus on the Gruffalo. The children will be looking at different ways to improve their work by using individual targets. They have also looked at sequencing the story and how to create a story map to show the order of events. In maths we have been practising the days of the week, counting on and back in 1s and 2s and exploring the properties of the number 2: whether it is an odd or even number, what number comes before or after it and how to spell it. In our topic we are learning about the human body. We will be playing lots of games, singing songs and the children will be labelling pictures of themselves. Just a reminder that our open afternoon is next Thursday, 24th September 1:30-4pm where the children will be bale to show you what they have been up to so far this year - we look forward to seeing you there.

week ending 11th September 2015

Welcome back! We are delighted to welcome all of the children into year one for the start of what will be an exciting and fast paced year. Over the last week the children have settled well into their new classrooms and we have been spending time getting to know them all. We started our new topic 'Ourselves' this week and the children went on a walk around the school to identify things that are alive and things that have never been alive. In English we have been reading the Gruffalo and going on our own walk through the deep dark woods to see who we might meet. Alongside this we have been completing early assessment on phonics and maths so that we can being teaching these areas at the right level and not repeat any work they may have done previously. P.E. started this week with dance and some of the children will be representing the school at the Norfolk Headteachers Conference later this term to showcase their work. More on this to follow... There is an open afternoon on Thursday 24th September where we will be available to talk to you in more details about how your child has settled in and they can show you what they have been up to so far this year.

week ending 17th July 2015

This week has been Sports Week and the children have been incredibly active learning a range of new skills and activities. So far they have taken part in:Team building exercise, climbing through a spider tower to jump down an inflatable slide; table tennis; kwik cricket; multi-skills; cheer leading; climbing and karate. A team of students form Sprowston High School came on Wednesday afternoon to set up and coach the children through a carousel of different ball-skill based activities. Weather permitting we will be practicing sports day on Thursday before the big event on Friday! The children have been learning a special cheer routine to perform before the start of the races and are very excited to show this to you. We will be sending home 2 reading books for all scheme readers this week for them to read and discuss during the holiday. It is hugely beneficial for all children to read regularly during the holidays and we would encourage everyone to take part in the library summer challenge as well as just focussing on these books. We will also be sending home the summer writing challenge, and we would encourage everyone to write just one sentence a week to help keep their skills in focus and to avoid the dreaded 'summer dip'! Please remember that, if you would like additional work for your child, you can also access a wide range of activities and games covering the curriculum through your child's Education City login details. Thank you for all of your support with you child's learning this year and for all of our other activities - we have had a great year and wish you all a relaxing summer!

week ending 10th July 2015

This week is our last 'normal' week before breaking up for the holidays! In English, the children have been reading 'The Days The crayons Quit' and enjoyed looking at each crayon as an individual with feelings and opinions. Each class had a debate to try and resolve the conflict between yellow and orange about who should be the colour of the sun and each half put their case forward very well. The children then chose their own crayon to write about and came up with some lovely ideas, before putting this altogether in their own letter as a crayon. In maths we have been learning about positional language and direction. The children have learnt about right, left, clockwise, anti-clockwise, on, in, over, under, next to, in front of and behind! On top of this they have explore making quarter turns and have put this into practice by being human beebots and giving each other directions to navigate between two points. We also finish our topic 'Rupert's Garden' this week and the children are using their designs to build a scale model garden chair. They will be using a range of tools and materials to build this and will evaluate their work against the design when completed. Next week is Sports Week and the children will need to come to school dressed in PE kits every day - kits are being sent home this week for this reason. Everyone has now been to visit their new teacher and they are very excited about moving to year two - the teachers will all be availble to meet at the Summer Fete this Friday, and you are also welcome to come about see their work from this year in the current classrooms - we hope to see you (and some sunshine) this Friday.

Week ending 3rd July 2015

Exciting News!! We arrived at school on Monday to find out that some our chicks had hatched and the others hatched over the last 2 days. Everyone is very excited to see them and the children have loved looking at them in more details and getting to hold them. Hopefully they also told you all about their visit from Ed and his mini monsters on Friday - all of the children enjoyed learning more about these creatures and we were impressed with how brave they were with holding them. All of this is a result of their amazing fundraising efforts and the children have enjoyed seeing how their endeavour has been rewarded. As the end of term approaches we have begun our end of year assessments in phonics, English and maths. In our English work the children have been looking at non-fiction text and the internet as a way of finding out information. They have been asking and answering questions to find out bat facts and will be compiling their own fact sheet using the information they have gathered. Our art work was collected for professional framing yesterday and we hope to see you all at the exhibition on Tuesday 14th July.

Week ending 26th June 2015

After an exciting day last Friday at the National Gallery the children have come back to art week where they have been creating their own masterpieces based on Vincent van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'. The children have also learnt more about the impressionist style of art and applied some of these skills to their own work. the painting will be professionally mounted and framed before being available to view and order at an exhibition on Tuesday 14th July. As well as this, the Year One and Two children have been performing their summer concert. Thank you to everyone who has been able to attend this so far to support the children and there is one more performance tomorrow at 9:30 am for Mrs Ellis' class. The children have loved performing in from of family and friends and we are very proud of how well they have learnt all of the songs. Our next reading event is on Friday 3rd July and will start in the hall at 9:15 but will be based outside, so please come dressed for the weather! Finally, a big thank you to everyone who supported our recent fundraising event. We raised over £300! As well as paying for our chick eggs and incubators, we have been able to arrange a surprise for the year one's for this Friday. It is linked to their summer topic and something that the children have been interested this year, and we are sure that they will tell you all about it afterwards.

week ending 19th June 2015

This week we have been revisiting poetry and looking at nonsense rhymes. The children have learnt the poem the Ning Nang Nong and identified the rhyming pairs in it. They then had a go at creating their own poem using rhyming pairs of real and nonsense words. In maths we have been measuring ourselves and other objects using rulers and metre sticks. The children have also used their knowledge of measurement to solve problems, for example, which books will fit on this shelf? We have begun our concert practises for next week and these have been taking place during the afternoons. The children have worked hard learning their songs and they are very excited about performing these for you next week. Miss Tovell's class concert will be on Wednesday 24th June and Mrs Elli's class concert on Thursday 25th June - we look forward to seeing you there. This Friday is our whole school trip to London and we are delighted that so many of the children are able to join us. Please can you reread the letter confirming final arrangements and let us know if your child needs any medication on the day. We are sure that the children will have lots of stories to tell you about their day when they return.

week ending 12th June 2015

This week we have been reading all about the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The children have been creating their own version of this by changing the word 'ate' to some more interesting adjectives and changing the food. So far the caterpillar has been demolishing, devouring and slurping his way through the week! They have also been practising their spellings for days of the week and number names. In maths we have been looking at 2D and 3D shape sin more detail and beginning to describe the features of these. We have specifically looked at how many faces, vertices and edges 3D shapes have. How many 2D and 3D shapes can you spot in the environment? The children had a lovely day at Gressenhall and were able to relate lots of their 'Buildings' topic work to the activities they took part in. The whole school took part in a filmed Welly Beat dance today, which was organised by Slanted Dance and on Friday we will be starting our last design & technology project of the year. Phonics checks for all Year One children start next week, so please practise these are much as possible at home.

Week ending 5.6.2015

We are now in to our final half term of the year. This next half term is already full of exciting things all of which we will keep you updated with. This week back has been International Week and we have been learning all about Thailand. We have prepared and cooked pad Thai which all pupils enjoyed tasting even though it was quite spicy! We have learnt about Buddhism and explored the five oceans of the world. We enjoyed finding out about different animals which live in the oceans in our imaginary submarine! Next Tuesday is our trip to Gressenhall. Please can you make sure all children are in school by 9am promptly so that we can leave on time to make the most of our day. We will be filming the Welly Beat dance on Wednesday 10th so please make sure your child brings their wellies into school! On Monday morning we will be having our class photos taken. The week beginning 15th June will be the start of our phonics checks so please practice as much as you can at home. There are lots of online games (see links below) and you can also access Education City which has some great resources. http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/PicnicOnPluto.html http://ictgames.com/poopDeckPirates/index.html

Week ending 22nd May 2015

This week is our Big Write assessment in English and the children have been creating their own story. We used Jasper's Beanstalk as our entry point and the children have come up with a huge range of ideas for what plant they could grow. They will be applying all of their English and handwriting skills learnt to date when they write their stories independently on Thursday. In maths we have been looking at money and different ways of making an amount (e.g. 5 pence can be made up using a 5p coin; 5 x 1p coins, 2 x 2p and a 1p coin). We have also been busy preparing for the fete and the children have been creating signs for the stalls, making and decorating cookies, and labelling the toys ready for this afternoon. In PE we have finished our dance lessons for the year and the whole school will come together to film their welly beat challenge after half term. PE will continue to be on a Tuesday and Thursday after half term, when it will be games, so please send in a PE kit for these days. Finally, we would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our fundraising fete today and we look forward to seeing you all there at 3pm!

w/e 15th May 2015

This week in English we have been reading The Diary of Wombat by Jackie French. We talked about where wombat's come from and the children went on holiday to Australia. They have been introduced to verbs as the term for action or 'doing' words and have looked at how this changes the spelling of a word, for example: wait - waited, surf - surfed, walk - walked. They will finish the week by writing a postcard to tell us all about their 'holiday' and what they did. In maths we have been learning about multiplication. The children have been looking at how to create 'lots of' amounts in order to complete calculations and remembering to focus on the first number being the number of piles or 'lots' required. We are having an RE day this Friday, and will be learning all about Hinduism and how it compares and contrasts to Christianity. In PE , the children are continuing to learn the welly beat dance ahead of our whole school performance later this term. Thank you to everyone who has returned their permission slips for the Gressenhall trip - if you have not yet done so, please can you give these to your class teacher by 29th May.

Week ending 08.05.2015

This week we have been looking at the story of Mrs Armitage on Wheels by Quentin Blake. We all chose our favourite mode of transport and then modified it. We learnt how to label a picture by drawing our modified vehicles and labelling the modifications. Mrs Ellis modified her skateboard with a steering wheel to help her turn corners and a cushion for when she falls off! Miss Tovell modified her scooter with a book and I-pod in case she got bored, a coat hanger in case she got hot and a cushion again for safer landings! In maths we have moved on from halving and quartering to look at division. We have been doing lots of practical activities which involve sharing and dividing. If you have any pegs, pencils or objects which can be used for counting please let your children use them to help them complete their homework. Thank you to all those who attended the Big Book Share. We always appreciate the support we get. The plans for our summer fete are going well. Please keep donations for raffle prizes and the toy shop coming in. ***IMPORTANT NEWS*** Our trip to Gressenhall has unfortunately been postponed until Tuesday 9th June. We will shortly be sending out more information regarding this trip.

Week ending 1.5.2015

This week in English we have been reading the story 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea' by Judith Kerr. The children all chose their own animals and learnt how to write a list of their favourite food and drinks! The children will be writing their own version of the story and attempting to use a comma in writing their list of food and drinks. In maths we have revisited halving and quartering. We started the week with a carousel of activities which including making play dough pizzas and halving and quartering a variety of objects. Our topic this week will be all about animals and the different animal groups. On Friday the children will be challenged to create their own zoo! Thank you for all of the donations for our chick fundraiser so far. Please bring in any toys, raffle prizes or sweets as soon as you can so we can start organising our stalls. The fete is Wednesday 20th May between 3pm and 4pm. The past few weeks have our reading numbers have dropped. Please remember to read your child's reading book at least three times a week with them and record it in their yellow reading record. Don't forget this Friday 1st May at 9am we have the Big Book Share. Remind your children that they can bring in their favourite book to share with friends and family.

week ending 24th April 2015

After last week's dragon art we decided to follow the theme into this week's English lessons and have been reading 'Tell Me A Dragon' by Jackie Morris. The children have been working with adjectives and describing the dragons they have seen in the book, before applying these skills to the creation of their own dragon. We have also looked at similes as a way of describing things. They will also be writing a descriptive piece all about their own dragon. In maths we have revisited using a number line as a strategy with addition and subtraction and the importance of counting accurately to help add or subtract any size number. Some of the children have also been looking at jumping in 10s on a number line and 100 square as a way of adding on tens and then the ones. In PE this week we have been continuing with learning the welly beat dance, including creating some of their own moves. Our topic this term is Rupert's Garden, all about the natural world around us. Last week the children planted some sunflower and tomato plant seeds so that they can observe the changes as they grow. They will be recording the planting process as part of this week's topic day. As part of our topic we would also like to hatch some chicks in school for the children to see how this process works. We have been challenged to raise the funds for this as a year group and FOGG have offered to match whatever we raise. The children came up with the idea of a mini fete, which we plan to hold on Wednesday 20th May 3-4pm. The children will be preparing their own notices and invitations for this event and, where possible, will also be manning their own stalls. We would be grateful if you could support their plans by coming along on the day to support the children and also by donating any raffle prizes or unwanted toys for their stalls.

Week ending 17th April

Welcome back - we hope you all had a nice Easter. This week is Art Week and all of the children have been very busy using their art skills to help us contribute to the whole school dragon project for the corridor displays. We hope that you will be impressed by their hard work when the displays are put up over the coming weeks. As well as this, the children have been learning how to identify the number pairs that add up to 20 by working systematically through the pairs (e.g. 0+20=20, 1+19=20, 2+18=20). They have also been completing independent writing all about their Easter holidays. Our dance lessons have started again and this half term the children are completing the welly beat challenge for the Angels charity - more information about this can be found here: http://www.angels-charity.org/campaigns/welly-beat-challenge.

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.

Week ending 30.01.2015

This week in English we have begun to look at the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We have read the story and retold it as a class, which helped us to recall the story and sequence the main events. We enjoyed acting the story out and then asking Goldilocks questions. In maths we have revisited fractions. We have previously looked at halving and quartering shapes and have this week been applying this to halve and quarter amounts. We even helped Goldilocks to share her sweets between herself and the three bears! In topic this week we will be looking at homes from the past. We will be creating a time line of the houses in Old Catton. Don’t forget our Year One reading event this Friday starting at 2pm. The theme of the reading events is ‘Reading is not just about books!’

Week ending 16.1.2015

What have we been doing in English? This week we have started looking at the story of the Frog Prince. We have acted out and sequenced the story and asked the Frog Prince and Princess questions. We have started to use question marks in our writing. What have we been doing in Maths? This week we have been doing lots of work with numbers and identifying numbers on a 100 square. We now know to jump back to find one less, jump up to find one more, jump up to find ten less and jump down to find ten more. What have we been doing in Topic? Our topic for this term is all about buildings. Last week we went out on a buildings walk and talked about all the things we already know about buildings. This week we will be using our homework to help us identify key features on our journeys to school. Other news… This half term we are lucky enough to have Bryony teaching dance in PE. The next Big Book Share is Thursday 22nd January from 9am. Please come along if you can. Our year one reading event will be Friday 30th January. We hope you can make it!

Week ending 9th January 2015

Happy New Year! This week we have been settling back into routines and catching up on reading with the children after the holidays. In English we have introduced poetry and have been focussing on poems that rhyme. The children have been coming up with rhyming words for their own name and creating poems by identifying the rhyming pairs. In maths we have been learning about how to count in 10s from any given number and ordering numbers up to 100. Please make sure that all children have their PE kits in school as our PE sessions starts again, with dance, next week.