Year 1: What We Are Learning!

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in Maths, we have been learning how to compare numbers that have the same number of tens. We have been looking carefully at the ones digits to decide which number is greater than, less than, or equal to another. The children have been using place value knowledge, practical resources, and mathematical symbols (<, >, =) to explain and justify their thinking. 

This week in Literacy, pupils wrote their own version of The Snail and the Whale. Using the story as an inspiration they created imaginative new adventures thinking carefully about their characters and settings. The children worked hard to use descriptive language, capital letters and full stops to make their writing engaging and clear. We were all impressed with their creativity and wonderful ideas they brought to life!

This week in Geography, pupils became weather presenters! Working collaboratively in small groups, they explored the different types of weather experienced across the UK before creating and presenting their own weather forecast report. It was wonderful to see their teamwork, creativity and enthusiasm shine through!

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

In RE this week, Year 1 have been learning about how Muslims pray and the importance of a prayer. They have explored the special items Muslims use, including prayer mats and subhah (prayer) beads, and learned about the importance of Makkah. The children also discovered that Muslims pray five times a day and learned about wudu, the washing ritual carried out before prayer. They have enjoyed developing their understanding of another faith and showing respect for different beliefs and traditions. 

This week, Year 1 had a wonderful hands-on learning experience as we explored how plants grow by planting our own tomato plants. The children learned that tomatoes grow from seeds and discovered what plants need to survive, including sunlight, water, air, and healthy soil.Each child carefully planted a tomato seedling and discussed how to look after it so that it can grow strong and healthy. We also talked about where our food comes from and the important role that farmers and gardeners play in growing the food we eat. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands dirty and were excited to become young gardeners! We look forward to watching our tomato plants grow over the coming weeks and observing the changes together.

This week, Year 1 had to design a fruit product, choosing between a fruit salad, kebab, or cocktail. The children wrote a 3 step preparation plan and then brought their ideas to life by creating annotated  drawings explaining their ingredient choices. Through this delicious project, they are mastering the ability to intentionally design, plan, and communicate a product from concept to creation! 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 2 - Learning blog

 

This term, the children have been learning all about statistics. They have practised creating tally charts and block diagrams, and they’ve been challenged to work out the difference between results — a great way to strengthen their addition and subtraction skills.

This week’s lesson was especially exciting: the children used Smarties to collect real data. They investigated how many of each colour were in their tubes and compared the ratio of colours. It quickly became clear that Smarties are not packaged with equal amounts of each colour, which led to lots of discussion and curiosity. Using real objects made the learning hands‑on, meaningful, and fun.

Despite the warm sunshine making the classroom feel a little hot and uncomfortable, Year 2 have shown fantastic effort and enthusiasm. We are very proud of how hard they are working.

Rowan Class:

Mulberry Class:

Pine Class:

Here is a fun Mini Movie to watch at home: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF_dBk8EPDk

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in Literacy, our young writers plunged into the wonderful world of storytelling as we explored the rescue of the whale in the Story of The snail and the whale, focusing on sequencing events, adverbs of time, and becoming adjective detectives.

The children "uplevelled" everyday adjectives like big, small, sad, and happy into much more exciting vocabulary!

Once the children knew the sequence of the story, it was time to write sentences about it. The children did a fantastic job of orally rehearsing their sentences out loud before using their time adverbs to bring their writing to life!

This week in Maths, the children have been learning about unitising, which is an important skill for recognising the value of coins and preparing to work with money.

To support this learning, the children used pre-money counters in our class shop. They practised grouping and counting the counters to "buy" different items, helping them understand that one object can represent a value, just like a coin.

Next week, we will begin learning about money, where the children will apply their understanding of unitising to recognise coins, count amounts, and make simple purchases. You can support your child at home by looking at different coins together and talking about their values.

This week in Science, our Year 1 children explored where our food comes from and the journey it takes from farm to fork. They learned that food can come from plants or animals and discovered the different stages involved in getting food from farms to our plates. 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

Our Year 1 athletes brought endless energy and bright smiles to this year’s Sports Day! The field was buzzing with excitement as our little superstars tackled a fantastic lineup of events. We saw incredible focus during the walking with a quoit on the head challenge, plenty of laughs and steady hands in the classic egg and spoon race, and fantastic teamwork during the fast-paced relay races. The children also loved showing off their growing coordination, clearing the hurdles with giant leaps, launching foam javelins down the field, and aiming high to throw balls right into the net. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with cheers, determination, and, above only else, a brilliant display of sportsmanship from our youngest competitors! 

This week in PSHE, Year 1 have been learning about how to keep themselves healthy and why it is important to look after their bodies.

We discussed the importance of getting a good night's sleep, taking part in regular exercise, and eating a balanced diet, including 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. The children talked about how these healthy habits help us to grow, stay strong, and feel our best.

As part of our lesson, the children completed a sorting activity. They cut out different picture cards and sorted them into three categories: 'Things We Need to Keep Alive', 'Things We Need to Be Healthy', and 'Things We Can Have Occasionally'. This helped them to understand the difference between essential needs, healthy choices, and treats that should be enjoyed in moderation.

The children showed excellent understanding and enjoyed discussing ways they can make healthy choices every day.

This week in Geography, Year 1 explored different types of weather and discussed how weather can change from day to day. The children learned why it is important to wear suitable clothing for different weather conditions, such as coats for rainy weather, hats for sunny days, and warm clothes when it is cold. They enjoyed matching different items of clothing to various weather types and talked about how the right clothing helps us stay comfortable and safe. 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in Literacy, the children enthusiastically began exploring a new story about a very small but adventurous snail. They developed their comprehension skills by answering retrieval and inference questions, discussing where the snail lives, what she dreams of seeing, and how she feels as she gazes out at the vast sea. Using a "Role on the Wall" activity, the children explored the snail’s appearance and personality, describing her as not only tiny but also curious, brave, and adventurous. They then used these ideas to inspire their own descriptive writing, supported by phonics lessons focusing on the ‘ai’ sound in words such as snail and trail, and the ‘y’ suffix in words like silvery, tiny, and swirly. We were incredibly proud of all our writers, who challenged themselves to write simple descriptive sentences, listen carefully for sounds in words, and share their wonderful vocabulary and ideas with confidence.

 

This week in RE, the children have been learning about Muslim beliefs and Allah. We discussed how Muslims believe in Allah and explored the idea that not everything that exists can be seen.

To help us understand this, we used a balloon as an example. The children could not see the air inside the balloon, but they could see the effect it had by making the balloon expand. We talked about how, in a similar way, Muslims believe that although Allah cannot be seen, He is always present.

After learning that Allah is important to Muslims, the children enjoyed sharing the people who are important to them and the reasons why. 

In our science lesson, the children learned about day and night and how the length of daylight changes during the summer. They created a Day and Night Paper Plate Craft by drawing a daytime scene on one half of a paper plate and a nighttime scene on the other. The children added a rotating arrow to show whether it was day or night. To deepen their understanding, the children took part in a practical demonstration. One child held a torch to represent the Sun, while another child acted as the Earth and slowly turned around. They observed that when their face was towards the Sun it was daytime  and when their back was towards the Sun it was nighttime. This helped the children understand that the Earth rotates and that the Sun shines on different parts of the world at different times creating day and night.

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

During Art this term, we have been  exploring exciting ways to develop and enhance their watercolour paintings by combining them with a variety of other materials, including chalk, oil pastels and pencil crayons. They have been experimenting with different watercolour techniques, learning how colours can blend, layer and create beautiful effects. The children showed fantastic creativity and enthusiasm throughout the project, and they are incredibly proud of the amazing artwork they have produced. Their finished pieces are full of colour, texture and imagination! 

Year 1 ALSO… 

This week in RE we have been bringing all our learning together from the last five weeks. We shared a wonderful story about a curious boy who peeks through a keyhole to discover what is hidden inside both a church and a mosque. We talked about the special features, symbols and objects he might spy inside these buildings.

 The children then drew their very own views of what they would see if they peeked into a church or a mosque. They did a fantastic job remembering the things we have explored over the last five weeks. 

This week in Science, Year 1 pupils explored the trees in our school. The children went on a walk around the school field, where they observed and identified different types of trees. They practised using their observation skills carefully and learnt that trees can be recognised by features such as their leaves, bark and shape. 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

In year one this week, we have been learning about germs and why handwashing is our best defence against getting sick. 

To see germs in action, we conducted a ‘Pepper and Soap’ experiment. We used black pepper to represent germs floating on water. The children were amazed to see that when they touched the water with their fingers, the “germs” stuck to them! However, once we added soap to our fingers, the pepper instantly moved away from our fingers to the edge of the bowl!

In KS1 each week, our pupils have been taking part in the University of Broadford Sports, which is designed to develop and strengthen new skills. Every Thursday from 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm, classes will rotate through a variety of exciting physical activities. From the high-energy Interactive Squash and Athletics to the mindful movements of Yoga and Dance, there is something for everyone. Pupils develop skills such as mastering skipping and and participate in Fun Fitness challenges.Each session is underpinned by our 4Rs of Resilience, Reflectiveness, Resourcefulness, or Reciprocity, helping pupils grow both physically and mentally.

In science this week, Year 1 learned about deciduous trees. The children explored what makes a tree deciduous and talked about how these trees lose their leaves in autumn. They learned that as the weather becomes colder and there is less sunlight, trees stop making as much food. The leaves change colour, dry out and eventually fall off helping the tree to conserve energy through the winter months. The children enjoyed sharing their ideas, describing what they noticed about different trees and explaining how seasonal changes affect the natural world around them. 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

In Art this week, we have been diving into the fluid and

experimental world of watercolour. The children have been

exploring how paint behaves when it meets water,

discovering that art can sometimes be a series of

"happy accidents".The children experimented with

several professional techniques:

Wet on Dry: Painting onto dry paper

for sharp, controlled marks.Wet on Wet: Dropping paint onto damp paper

to watch the colours bleed and bloom.

We have looked at the work of professional artists

Paul Klee and Emma Burleigh. By discussing

their styles, the children learned how artists use watercolour to

express feelings and tell stories, which they then applied

to their own explorations.

This week in maths we have been focusing on halves and quarters through engaging and practical activities! We started with some paper folding and cutting to master the art of making two equal halves. Next we used playdough to introduce quarters to the children, as they found different ways to cut the playdough shapes into 4 equal parts. This allowed the children to investigate various methods of partitioning. Next we will move onto finding a half and a quarter of a quantity! 

In History this week, we learned about why the World Wide Web is important and how it helps us find information quickly. We tried different ways to find answers like using books, iPads and asking an adult or a friend. We talked about what was easy or tricky and discovered that iPads can be the quickest way to find information while books and asking others can also be helpful but be more challenging and time consuming.

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work!

Year 1: What We Are Learning

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week Year 1 had a fantastic time visiting St. George’s Church! One highlight from our trip was the scavenger hunt where the children had to scour the church to find significant items such as the font, holy water and the holding cross. We were really impressed by the fantastic and curious questions the children asked such as “How many times a week do Christians visit the church?”. The classes listened intently to Reverend Nathan, who shared wonderful insights into the church and Christianity. 

In Literacy this week, we have been learning about compound words. Our children "word engineers" as we explored the wonder of compound words. We’ve been learning what happens during a "word-collision",taking two small, familiar words and putting them together to create something brand new! From turning sun and light into sunlight, to watching rain and drops transform into raindrops, the children have loved discovering these hidden combinations. Our children have been using the conjunction "and" to link their big ideas into longer, flowing sentences.

To wrap up the week, we explored the poem "squirting rainbows". The children drafted their own poems capturing the sights and sounds of the world around them. We are incredibly proud of their growing vocabulary and the confidence they are showing in their independent writing!

Year 1 ALSO… 

Our Year 1 children took part in a fantastic Mini Marathon, completing 26 minutes of physical activity. Whether walking, jogging or running around the playground or trail, every child showed great enthusiasm and determination. Activities were thoughtfully adapted so that everyone could take part and succeed. We are so proud of their effort, resilience and positive attitude!

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 1: What We Are Learning

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

 

This week marked the beginning of our new sports initiative,

 ‘University of Broadford Sport.’ For the next six weeks, the students

 will explore a variety of physical activities.

The curriculum features a mix of Interactive Squash, Athletics,

 Yoga, Fun Fitness, Skipping, and Dance. Our first session was 

a huge success, with students showing great enthusiasm for the new sports they encountered. We look forward to seeing their confidence grow throughout the weeks! 

This week, Year 1 has been learning about equal groups. This builds the foundation for multiplication and division later on! We practiced identifying the difference between groups that are "equal" (having the same amount) and "unequal" (having different amounts). Instead of counting every item one by one, we’ve started adding the groups together. For example, if we have three nests with two eggs in each, we say "2 + 2 + 2 = 6". We’ve been using key phrases like "There are __ equal groups of __" to help describe what we see.

In Year 1 history, we have been learning about how communication has changed over time. We explored the invention of the printing press and discovered that Johannes Gutenberg created it over 600 years ago. We also learned about the Internet. With the Internet, we can find information and send messages to people anywhere in the world. The children enjoyed taking part in hands-on activities to compare different ways of communicating through time. They used ink pads and stamps, feathers and paint, iPads and pens to write their names, helping them understand how technology has changed over the years.

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work!