Welcome to Year 1
Adults in Year One : Mrs Sunderland
Ms Jones
Mrs Bulbulia
Mrs Noble/Mr Whawell (PPA cover Tuesday PM)
Year One Class Councillors
Democracy: Our class councillors are part of our whole school council and attend regular meetings throughout the year to help decide on areas of development and ideas brought up by the children.
The children were asked to consider why they would make a good class representative and then presented their ideas to their peers.
A vote then took place in class and the children with the most votes have become our class councillors for the year.
I'm sure they will do an amazing job!
Our fourth topic in Year One is 'All Dressed Up!'
In Art this half-term we are looking at PRINTING.
We talked today about how this means reproducing the same image again and again, using a 'plate'.
The 'plate' we used today to make some amazing artwork was our hands!
The children worked in teams to create some large pieces of art, experimenting with pressure and paint amount to see how this altered the handprint.
The children are loving PE this half-term!
We are learning yoga and begin each lesson with "Nameste" and some positive affirmations, before moving on to learn that session's poses.
This week was 'Wild West Yoga!' and our poses were - the cow, cactus, dog, cowgirl, snake and tumbleweed.
Can you match the name to the pose?
In Computing this week we began to talk about 'programs' and learned how to write a simple program for our tiny beebots.
We had worked together in teams to design a 'Beebot World' then worked together to write the programs which would allow the beebot to visit certain destinations on our maps.
For Science Week Year One conducted an experiment using playdough, as this year's theme is CHANGES.
Firstly, we all made a batch together.
We talked about how the ingredients changed as they were mixed together.
Once it was mixed, we all helped to knead the playdough.
The next step was to become 4 groups.
Then each group added more of one of the original ingredients to see how this would change the playdough.
One group added salt. They said " It made the playdough feel like grit!"
One group added flour. " It's made it all dried out and crumbly!"
One group added water. " It's all sloppy and soggy!"
The final group added oil. " It's made it slimy and slippy!"
This week in RE we began to look at ' Why Easter is important to Christians'.
We watched the story of Palm Sunday and talked about why the crowds flocked to see Jesus and laid palm leaves at his feet.
We also watched the story of the Last Supper. We then talked about what our own special meal would be.
Here are a few examples -
In Music this half-term we are learning about pitch and tempo.
Today we all used the glockenspiels to develop our recognition of high & low pitch.
World Book Day
Thursday 6th March 2025
The school theme this year was pjs & bedtime stories!
The children all looked amazing in their pyjamas!
We had a fun packed day, including meeting an author in assembly & being able to ask her lots of questions.
We also all had the chance to share our favourite book with the class and tell our friends a little about why we like it, some even read a few lines from it to everyone.
There was a whole school book swap, where we could go and choose a new book to take home.
We also really enjoyed joining up with Year 5 to share our books and hear all about theirs!
This week in Maths we are looking at weight & mass.
The children had a lovely afternoon exploring weighing scales and learning how to calculate the mass of the objects in our classroom using cubes.
They were super at estimating with their friends and then finding out the true amount.
Some children then decided to challenge themselves to make the scale balance, using anything & everything they could find in our Maths area!
In our Computing this half-term we are using our previous knowledge about algorithms to learn how to program 'virtual bee-bots', which need precise and exact instructions.
The children absolutely loved working together to try and navigate the robot around a variety of virtual environments - we even had some class challenges!
The first day back in school this half-term was 'ART DAY!'
The theme for this year was 'COLOUR' - Year One learned all about the Scottish Artist Stephen Brown.
We looked at his famous McCoo paintings and talked about their characteristics.
We then had a go at creating our own McCoo creation, including adding our own accessory and an original name!
We then looked at some of his other works and noticed that he also painted lots of other animals. We chose an animal we would like to paint and then drew it using our observational drawing skills.
Once our pencil drawings were complete, we drew a new outline in black pen and then painted them using the textured lines, bright colours and block techniques we had discussed when looking at examples of Stephen Brown’s work.
Our finished creations, as well as a whole school art collaboration piece, will be displayed in the 'Hill Top Art Gallery' in a few weeks time.
Our third topic in Year One this year is 'Wonderful Weather'
It's measuring madness in Year One this week!
In Maths we have been looking at length and height this week.
We learned how to accurately measure using objects, and then learned all about centimetres and how to use a ruler.
The children have loved this theme, and have been measuring everything they could find - including each other!
We have enjoyed DT Day today!
We have learned all about windmills & learned that they have three main parts - the structure, turbine and axle.
We then had the job of designing a windmill for a mouse!
We had to design a structure, the sails for the turbine and also the roof.
Once our designs were complete, we then had to assemble all the parts!
We learned about why our templates had 'tabs' and that these are important for helping us to stick/fasten things together.
There was some hard cutting out and fastening together to do, but we really tried hard.
We also had to be very careful with our sails, making sure they weren't too squashed, or they would not turn properly!
We all showed great resilience and did an amazing job!
Here are our finished creations. As you can see, we are all very proud of our achievements today!
Our Computing lesson this week was quite a challenge!
We have been learning all about algorithms and the importance of instructions being in the right order, clear and also precise.
Today we began to understand how to decompose an algorithm to find a problem.
Our first task was to create a picture with a maximum of 8 steps.
Then we had to consider how we had created that image, what we drew first, then what we added etc. and break it down into one additional feature at a time until we had the completed picture.
This was quite tricky for a few of us.
Finally, to check that our step by step instructions were correct, we gave them to a friend who then had to carefully follow them.
The test was seeing if the first picture created matched the final one!
Luckily, there were a lot that did!
The children were absolutely thrilled when we could match these up and they really saw the importance of clear and precise instructions!
In English this week we have been reading 'Lost & Found' by Oliver Jeffers.
On Monday the children heard half of the story, drew story maps to help them remember events and then independently wrote this part of the story.
Then on Tuesday, we read the whole story, the children added the new events to their story maps and finished off their own writing task.
Here are just a few examples of the super work they produced.
This week in PE we learned some basic gymnastic poses - the arch, dish, tuck, pike & star.
Once we had practised these, we then explored how to make letter shapes with our bodies.
Can you guess the letters we have made?
This morning we were very fortunate to have Hazel from D-side visit us.
She came to talk to us about Internet safety.
The children discussed what information is safe to share online & also what they could do if something went wrong or worried them whilst they were using devices.
On Thursdays in PE we are doing Gymnastics.
Today we were travelling around the apparatus in the style of a variety of animals, considering how we could use every part of our bodies to re-create animal shapes and movements.
Can you guess what we are demonstrating?
Our Computing theme this half-term is 'What is an algorithm?'
Today the children learned that this term means a list of clear and precise instructions.
To understand why getting instructions in the right order is important, the children played a game of dress the doll, writing down the steps as they went.
They then swapped their instructions with another team to see if their friends could follow their 'algorithm'.
In the first Geography lesson of our new theme we talked about where in the World we lived.
We talked about what an atlas is and how to use an index to locate information.
We then worked in teams to 'train our brain' to recognise the UK on a variety of maps.
It's Christmas!!!!
Christmas has begun in Year 1!
Today we opened the first windows of our class advent calendar & took it in turns to choose and hang a decoration on our tree, whilst listening to festive songs!
Today we all independently wrote our letters to Santa.
As well as working incredibly hard learning all of our songs for our KS1 Xmas performance, we have also been learning some Christmas songs in class -
The children had a fantastic time today completing their 'Reindeer Run' to raise money for Wakefield Hospice!
We have had a super day today for Christmas Jumper Day - we even did our Maths lesson with our antlers on!
It's been a busy week in Year One with lots of fun Christmas activities going on!
On Monday we had our Christmas party and whilst we were in the Hall enjoying ourselves, a special visitor sneaked into our classroom to leave gifts!
We had cake & juice, and lots of fun playing games with our friends.
Tuesday morning involved a lovely walk to West Ardsley Methodist Church, where the children met the Minister and learned all about the Christingle tradition.
On Wednesday the children enjoyed pulling crackers, wearing paper hats and tucking into Christmas dinner!
Then in the afternoon, we all watched a pantomime & had popcorn!
Our second topic in Year One this year is 'Toys,Toys,Toys!'
In English this week we read the story 'Lost in the Toy Museum' by David Lucas.
We talked about who the main character of the story was and it's setting.
We then discussed the story structure.
What happened in the introduction? What was the problem in the middle? How was the problem solved in the end?
We drew story maps to remind ourselves of the important events and the order that they happened in.
Here are a few...
We then used these story maps to help us independently write the story.
As we had these to help remind us of events, we could really concentrate on our sentence formation.
Here are some super examples...
In Music this half-term the children are learning about 'sound patterns', as an introduction to understanding rhythm later in the year.
Our lessons are based around the fairytale 'The Three Little Pigs' and in our first lesson the children had lots of fun experimenting with character voices.
This week we used instruments to create sound effects for the different events of the story.
We also learned about responding to the 'conductor's' hand jestures to start, stop and alter the music from louder to quieter etc.
In Computing this week, we used our IT skills learned last week to create some digital artwork.
We began by clicking & dragging shapes and placing them in a repeating pattern. (This tied nicely with what we have been looking at in Maths this week! )
Then we chose a 'fill' colour for our background and different 'fills' for our shapes.
This activity really helped the children to develop their mouse skills, as they were positioning the shapes & also dragging them to the correct size.
Not bad for week 2!!
We had a super History lesson today!
We used our research homework, where we had asked parents and grandparents all about their favourite toys when they were young, to help us learn about how toys have changed in the immediate past.
The children loved sharing their information with each other and comparing toys.
We then also used some non-fiction books and information cards to learn a little more about toys from the past.
The children then wrote a few sentences to describe the things they had found interesting from their 'research'.
This week has been 'Interfaith Week', so in RE we took the opportunity to learn a little about a religion we wouldn't normally look at in Year One - Buddhism.
We watched a video where children explained the fundamentals of Buddhism, and we were intrigued by the concept of meditation.
With this in mind, we had a session of 'calmness', where we had quiet time, with calming music in the background.
We completed mandalas, which are Buddhist patterns, drawn and completed to help achieve a calm mind.
After the session we then talked about how we felt, and everyone agreed that they felt much better!
The children even asked if they could complete mandalas the following day, in their 'time to explore' time!
We have now begun our Computing lessons in Year 1.
In our introductory lesson we talked about what a computer actually is and worked with a partner to look at some household items to see if they contained a computer.
Then we independently logged onto the laptops and opened 'Paint'.
We then learned how to 'click and drag' shapes onto our paper using the mouse.
As we were so good controlling the mouse to do this, we then moved on to learn how to use the 'fill' icon (bucket).
As you can see from the smiley faces, the children loved this!
Every week the children have reading lessons, where they are learning reading comprehension skills, such as retrieval, visualisation and inference.
This term we have looked at The Teddy Robber and are now reading a selection of poems from AA Milne's book ' Now we are Six'.
The children are learning how to spot 'clue words' in comprehension questions and how to skim texts to locate answers.
We work in pairs to develop these new skills.
This morning the children had an assembly to raise awareness of 'Anti-bullying Week'.
In class we then did our first ever 'drama' session, where the children had to opportunity to listen to and then act out the wonderful story below.
This gave the children the chance to really feel how the characters within the story might feel and to reflect upon those 'right choices' that grown-ups talk about so much!
Please talk to your child about this story and the importance of talking the someone about any worries.
Our first topic in Year One this year is Marvellous Me!
Today was ALL AROUND THE WORLD DAY!!!
In Year One we learned about all things french!
We began by learning a few geographical facts about the country, including it's capital city & it's famous landmarks.
We learned about the french flag too.
We then watched a short film about how croissants are made & sampled some ourselves!
We watched a virtual tour of Le Louvre, and then watched a video all about the Mona Lisa. We learned some interesting facts about this priceless artwork.
We then had a go at re-creating it ourselves!
In the afternoon, we learned how to count to 10 in french!
We then went on the learn how to say hello & greet each other in french.
When we had practised, we took it in turns to video our conversations.
Here are some examples -
We all made french flags to wave as we shouted 'Bonjour!'
I asked the children what they had learned or what was their best bit of the day -
Monday was our very first DT Day!
The children were learning all about fruit and vegetables.
Their first task was to look closely at a selection of chopped fruit and vegetables and see if they could see which category the food belonged to, based on spotting any seeds.
Next, we talked about where fruit and vegetables grow.
After that, we all had the chance to practise our cutting and juicing skills, as we prepared all of the ingredients for our afternoon of making smoothies!
In the afternoon, firstly we sampled a pre-made smoothie and the children had to guess the ingredients. There were some interesting suggestions!
Then we all sampled the ingredients for our own drinks. These included lemon, lime and orange juice. Also, avocado, pineapple, banana and strawberries.
After tasting, the children then created their own recipe with the ingredients they had liked.
They all made their smoothies with a little adult support, and finally evaluated them with a thumbs up or thumbs down.
In Science this week we learned all about the pioneering zoologist Joan Procter.
Joan Procter was obsessed with reptiles and even had a pet crocodile when she was young!
Here are a few examples of the children's work about this Scientist.
In Art this week we learned how to use our previous skills in continuous line drawing to move onto developing our observational drawing skills.
Initially drawing shells with 2B pencils and ink, we then chose objects from around our classroom to attempt to draw using continuous drawing.
In PE this week we have been practising our jumping skills.
We thought about how to use our whole bodies to help us jump higher and further!
We even had a class competition to see who could jump the furthest!
In Art this week we began to learn about the skill of continuous drawing.
We began by practising drawing spirals on paper with 2B pencils.
We discussed how this involved using different parts of our bodies - not just our hands!
We then moved on to look at the work of Molly Haslund, a Dutch artist who creates artwork outside using circular patterns.
We were inspired by this and took ourselves outside with chalks to create our own art.
Our next step was back in the class room!
We all got a large piece of black paper and began using oil pastels to create 'rainbow snails' using the spiral shape as our inspiration.
Here are our amazing creations -
In PE on Thursdays we are learning about how we use our whole bodies to move. This week we played a game where we had to copy a partner and move just like them!
In PE on Tuesdays we have been looking at ball skills. Here are a few photos of us having fun practising our catching skills -
In Science we are looking at our senses.
Today we conducted experiments to find out just how tricky it can be to identify things using only one sense!
We had 5 Senses Stations, and the children had to identify & record what they thought they touched, tasted, heard, smelled & saw.
Here's a few photos of the Scientists exploring!
In our first Art lesson this week we all drew self-portraits in our new Sketch books.
We used mirrors to study our own faces, to help us remember those details that we sometimes forget!
There were some truly super pieces of work.
When we had finished we had 'an art gallery' and walked around admiring each other's work.
We then talked about the subjectivity of Art, and how we all like different things for different reasons and that's ok!
In PSHE this week we looked at 'Being the same, being different'.
We read the story of Elmer and talked about how we should embrace being unique!
The children then talked to their friends about what was the same and what was different about them.
Here are a few examples -
