Welcome to the Year 1 Class Page
Here, you can follow our learning journey throughout the year, both in and out of the classroom. We are looking forward to a busy and exciting year!
Autumn Term 1 2024
Our topic this half-term is 'Into the Woods', where we will be looking at seasonal changes and weather patterns, in Science, and map reading in Geography. In English, our main text is 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson.
Below, you can find our Year 1 Autumn Newsletter, Yearly Curriculum Overview and a list of useful dates for the autumn term.
Our First Week in Year 1
During our first week, we spent some time getting to know our new teacher, teaching assistants and our new classroom.
We thought about the ways we could ensure that our classroom always stays happy and safe. The children drew some of their ideas, which included playing nicely, being kind and listening carefully.
Next, we discussed the different types of behaviour we might see and decided whether they would be acceptable or unacceptable at school. We all understand that, to have a happy and safe classroom, we need to behave responsibly.
We also talked about how everybody in Beech Class is different. We look different, we like different things and that is what makes us all unique. Even with our many differences, we can all get along and have fun. We really enjoyed making our faces out of paper plates, helping us to celebrate our differences!
We have enjoyed getting to know our new classroom and exploring, and playing with, the different equipment.
Olympic Maths Investigation Day
We had lots of fun working on some Olympic Maths games in Beech Class. We did the 'Straw Javelin' and 'Cotton Bud Archery', which were both based on real olympic events! The children had to show skill in these events but they also had to add up their points to see who had won.
A very important part of the Olympics is when the athletes proudly display their country's flags. Beech Class worked on a simple investigation, where they had to study the flags of ten nations and collect information about the colours and shapes they could see. They presented this in a simple block graph.
Art - Colour Mixing
In Art this half-term, Beech Class are learning to mix colours using paint. We named the primary colours and discussed how we can use them to mix secondary colours. We concentrated on mixing different shades of orange, using red and yellow, and used the colours to make marks on large pieces of paper.
Computing - Using Technology Purposefully
In Computing this half-term, Beech Class have been learning how to use technology purposefully. We began by learning how to log in using the laptops. Next, we located the mouse and used it to click on the different icons and we also practised finding different letters and symbols on the keyboard. Finally, we played a fun, pizza making game which helped us to use some of the keys we had located in the lesson.
Autumn Term 2 2024
Our topic this half-term is 'Superheroes', where we will be learning about real-life heroes, Florence Nightingale and Grace Darling, in History. We will also be making some puppets using textiles in our Design Technology lessons.
Our main text, in English, is 'The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man' by Michael Chabon.
Maths Week 2024 - The Crystal Maze
During our first week back to school, Beech Class had lots of fun working on different mathematical problems and challenges based on 'The Crystal Maze'. There were three challenges (a physical, a skill and a mystery) in four zones: The Forest Zone, The Shop Zone, The Classroom Zone and The Farm Zone.
The children worked on a variety of different Maths challenges including measuring lengths, creating characters using 2D shapes, adding the amount of legs on animals and using money to buy different things.
Design Technology: Puppets (Textiles)
In our Design Technology lessons this half-term, Beech Class used textiles and different joining techniques to make superhero puppets. First, they studied different types of fabric puppets, looking at how they were made. Next, they designed their own puppets. Then, they practised joining materials in different ways, including sewing, gluing and stapling. Finally they made their puppets. They are all fantastic!
Meeting Paul Sturgess
We were very lucky to meet Paul Sturgess this term, who is a Basketball player and actor. At 7 feet 7 inches, he is the tallest man in Britain! He showed us a video of some of his achievements playing Basketball in America and we also saw some of his world record-breaking certificates. Finally, he did a Basketball workshop with us and Elm Class. We were amazed at just how tall he was!
Geometry: Patterns
In their Geometry lessons with Mrs. Low, Beech Class have been learning to make repeating patterns. They began by producing simple colour patterns and extended their learning by using more colours and shapes.
Christmas Cards
At the end of term, the children enjoyed making these lovely snowman Christmas cards. They used collage techniques and paint to produce them.
Spring Term 1 2025
Our topic this half-term is 'Taking Flight'.
In Geography, we will be studying maps, along with the seven continents and oceans of the world. In History, we will be learning about the lives of famous aviators, The Wright Brothers and Amelia Earhart.
Our main text in English is, 'Little People, Big Dreams: Amelia Earhart'.
Please see the Year 1 Spring Newsletter below for more information.
Science Week 2025 - Everyday Materials
We began the spring term with Science Week, where our theme was 'Everyday Materials'. At the beginning of the week, we learnt the names of different materials, including wood, glass, metal, plastic, fabric and paper. We sorted them into sets, discussed their properties (how they look and feel) and thought about which materials different objects were made from.
We also learnt about the importance of recycling materials and how many of them can be reused or made into something else. We sorted the materials and found that lots of them could be recycled, which is great for the environment!
We ended the week by using all of our knowledge about materials to perform an exciting investigation. We wanted to find out which material would be most suitable to make an umbrella for a Teddy. We made some initial predictions, then tested four different materials to see which were waterproof and which were absorbent.
On the final afternoon, we went to the school's annual Science Fair. There, we showed the other classes and staff everything we had learnt during the week. The children did an excellent job and remembered to use all of the new vocabulary when discussing the materials. We really enjoyed our week!
Alison Wright's Visit
We were very lucky to be visited by Alison Wright this term. Alison was born with short arms and she came to talk to us about how this has not stopped her leading a full, active life. She helped us to understand that we are all different in many ways and that we should all be kind to one another, no matter what.
Because her arms are shorter, Alison uses her feet to perform lots of different tasks. She showed us how she uses them to write and challenged us to have a go as well! The children were very sensible during Alison's workshop and asked her some interesting questions, which she was more than happy to answer.
Chinese Zodiac Dance Workshop
To celebrate Lunar New Year, we took part in a dance workshop based on 'The Great Race'. This tells the story of the order of the animals in the Chinese zodiac. Ben, who is a dancer, taught the children the movements and they put them together to make a fun and educational dance.
Computing - Algorithms Using Bee-Bots
In Computing, Beech Class have been learning to program algorithms (instructions) using Bee-Bots. First, they learnt how to program the Bee-Bots correctly and were challenged to move them forwards to knock over a tower.
Next, the children were asked to think very carefully about the route their Bee-Bots should take to get from one point to another. They planned their routes using special instruction cards and used these to program their algorithms. If the Bee-Bots did not go were they were supposed to, the children had to change, or debug, their algorithm to make it correct.
Spring Term 2 2025
Our topic this half-term is, 'All Aboard!', where we will be learning about how transport has changed in History. In Geography, we will be naming and locating the countries of the United Kingdom.
Our main text in English is 'Mrs. Armitage on Wheels' by Quentin Blake.
Creative Arts Week
At the beginning of the week, the adults were lucky enough to work with artist Darrell Wakelam, who taught us how to make 3D sculptures using cardboard. When the children returned to school, we showed them how to use these skills to make a variety of sculptures themselves. We began by making simple fish, using paper, to master the use of slits to make them 3D.
Once we had mastered the use of slits to make our sculptures, we moved on to making some 3D cardboard masks. We tried to use Darrell Wakelam's technique called 'pure making', where everything that is cut off is reused somewhere on the mask. The means there should be no waste!
We also made some paper plate turtles, from Darrell Wakelam's website, to consolidate our skills. Again, we used slits to make their shells 3D and then we added papier mache to colour them. They are very effective!
One of the more complicated techniques Darrell taught us was to use 'fences and bridges' to make 3D sculptures. We had a go at producing a whole class mouse from 'The Gruffalo' using this technique.
Book Week 2025
We began Book Week with a visit from children's author Steve Webb. He came to Beech Class to teach a workshop based on his books. We had a go at making some rhythmic sentences using animal names, which was lots of fun. He also did a draw along, where he taught the children how to draw a cow from his book, 'Cows Go Boo!'.
We also took part in some role play, where Steve read, 'Cows Go Boo!' and the children acted out some scenes using props.
After Steve Webb's visit, we read, 'Cows Go Boo!' again and had a go at sequencing some of the key events. It was tricky picking the most important parts!
As a lead up to World Book Day, Scholastic ran an online 'draw-along' workshop. The author and illustrator of, 'When Fish Finger Froze' read the story and showed us how to draw the main character from the book. It was lots of fun!
Here are some of our amazing drawings of Fish Finger.
And finally, here we are in our World Book Day costumes! Our theme was comic book characters.
Little City
Beech Class really enjoyed their time in Little City. They were able to dress up and role play lots of different jobs, including builders, vets, doctors, hairdressers and mechanics.
Our Visit to Amberley Museum
As part of our learning in History about how transport has changed, we visited Amberley Museum. We began the day by having a ride on a small diesel train. Some of us were in a carriage with no doors or windows, so we had to sit very still!
Next, we had a look at some real examples of transport from the past, such as cars, motorbikes and bicycles. Then we made a wooden wheel, in a workshop, with one of the museum's volunteers.
Probably the most exciting part of our day was having a ride on a 100 year old bus. We took it in turns to ride on the bottom and the top. As you can see, the bus had no roof!
After lunch, we had a look at some fire engines in the old Fire House. We saw some firefighter's uniforms from the past and some equipment they used to use.
Finally, we visited an exhibition about electricity, where the children were able to see some old household appliances, find out how electricity is generated and press lots of buttons! We also saw some more trains in another exhibit.
We had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
Mark Making in Art
Beech Class have really enjoyed their Art lesson this half-term. We have been learning to use lots of different media, such as pencils, pens, charcoal and oil pastels to make various marks. This will really help us to develop our drawing skills. Here, the children have used proper drawing pencils to practise their mark making in their sketch books.
Summer Term 1 2025
Our topic this term is 'Street Detectives', where we will be studying the features of the local area and developing our mapping skills. In Science, we will be learning about different plants and naming their parts. Our main text in English is 'Dragon Post' by Emma Yarlett.
Please find the Beech Class Summer Newsletter attached below, which will give you more information about our learning this term.
Active Maths Day
We started the summer term with 'Active Maths Day'. The children took part in lots of different Maths challenges, while being active at the same time. The activities included a number line to 20 race, true or false number questions and using natural materials to add, and make patterns. We had a great day!
Our Police Visit
Beech Class had a very special visit from two police officers. PCSO Spencer (who you might recognise!) and PCSO Tara came to talk to us about the role of the police. They showed us their uniforms, the equipment and pictures of some of the vehicles that they use. Some of us even tried on some hats!
At the end of their visit, the officers showed us their police car. Everyone had a go at sitting in the driver's seat!