Year 1 News 6.12.24

Happy Weekend Team!

This week, we got into the festive spirit by putting up our Christmas decorations, making our classroom feel warm and magical. We also spent time rehearsing for the nativity, and our hard work paid off with an amazing first performance to the rest of the school. Everyone loved it, and now we can't wait to perform for our families and share the Christmas joy!

In our English lessons, we received a fascinating letter from Rapunzel with detailed instructions on how to trap a troublesome troll. We explored the steps she provided, carefully sequencing them to ensure they made sense. This activity helped us learn about imperative verbs--those commanding words like catch, place, and trap--that make instructions clear and direct.

In maths, we began by recapping 2D shapes, revisiting their properties such as sides. We shifted our focus to balancing equations, exploring how to keep both sides equal by using addition. We really impressed Miss Willis with how quickly we picked up, we will be consolidating this next week!

In RE, we recapped the idea of giving and receiving gifts and explored the Spanish festival Three Kings' Day (Día de los Reyes), celebrated on 6th January. We learned about the Roscón de Reyes, a special king cake with a hidden bean and king inside. Finding the king means you get to be king for the day, while finding the bean means you pay for next year’s cake. It was fascinating to learn about this festive tradition!

In computing, we explored the artwork of Henri Matisse and discussed how he created his pieces using the collage technique. We learned about the materials he used, like paper and scissors, to craft his bold and colorful designs. Inspired by his work, we spent time on Paintz, trying to recreate his style digitally. We used various tools, such as the fill and shape features, to bring our Matisse-inspired creations to life!

In PE, we focused on jumping in zigzag pathways, practicing our coordination and agility. We explored different ways to move, using quick changes of direction and controlled landings to navigate the paths. It was a fun and energetic session that helped us build both balance and confidence in our movements!

In D&T, we had a fun taste-testing session where we observed people's facial expressions to guess if they liked what they were eating. We explored four different fruits, discussed their names and flavors, and then tasted them ourselves. We also sampled lime juice, lemon juice, and orange juice, which led to plenty of funny faces! After tasting everything, we chose two fruits and one juice to use in our own smoothie creations.

In music this week, we explored different percussion instruments, each getting a chance to play our own. We thought about how to play them--whether to shake, tap, or scrape--and experimented with their sounds. We also spent time practicing our nativity songs, getting ready for our big performance!

Enjoy your weekend team! Rest up ready for our nativity next week!

Miss Willis