Our Autumn 1 Learning
Year 1 – Autumn 1: A Wonderful Start to Our Learning!
Year 1 have had a fantastic start to the school year, exploring lots of exciting new learning across the curriculum. Our theme has been “I wonder what toys our grandparents played with?”, where we have explored how toys have changed over time and learnt about the work of Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets. In English, we have enjoyed reading No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom, using the story to inspire our own writing, including character descriptions. In Maths, we have revisited key learning from EYFS, developing our understanding of place value and addition and subtraction within 10. In Science, we have become material detectives, exploring everyday materials and their properties. In RE, we have investigated what it means to belong to a faith community, learning about how Christians, Muslims and Jewish people express their sense of belonging. We have also enjoyed dance, music, making toys in Design and Technology, and exploring our outdoor environment through a seasonal walk. It has been a wonderful half term full of curiosity, creativity and new discoveries, and we are so proud of how well the children have settled into Year 1!
Year 1 English – No-Bot!
This half term, Year 1 have been enjoying reading No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet. We have explored the story, discussed the characters and developed our ideas through a range of exciting writing activities. In our writing, we have been focusing on remembering to use capital letters, full stops and finger spaces to help us write simple sentences. Our final writing outcome was a character description, where we used our ideas and descriptive vocabulary to describe a character from the story. We have been working hard to become confident, independent writers and are very proud of the progress we have made!
Maths
This half term, Year 1 have been building on their mathematical knowledge by revisiting key learning from EYFS and developing their confidence with numbers. We have explored place value, learning to recognise, count, represent and compare numbers, as well as understanding how numbers can be made up of different amounts. We have also been developing our addition and subtraction skills within 10, using practical resources, pictures and number sentences to help us solve problems. Through hands-on activities, partner work and mathematical challenges, the children have been encouraged to explain their thinking, make connections and become more confident mathematicians.
Year 1 History – Toys from the Past
This half term, Year 1 have been exploring how toys have changed over time. Using our class text, No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom, we have become toy detectives, investigating old and new toys and discovering how they are different. We have compared the materials toys are made from, such as wood, metal, fabric and plastic, and explored how toys have changed as technology has developed. We also became toy fixers, investigating damaged toys and thinking about how we could repair them. We learnt about Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, and explored why he is remembered for his contribution to children's television. Through practical activities, discussions and creative tasks, the children have developed their understanding of the past and present, learning to identify similarities and differences between toys from different generations.
Year 1 Science – Everyday Materials
This half term, Year 1 have been exploring the world of everyday materials through our exciting science topic, linked to our class text, No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom. We have become material detectives, investigating what everyday objects are made from and learning to identify and describe materials such as wood, metal, plastic, glass and fabric. The children have explored the properties of different materials, considered why certain materials are chosen for particular objects and investigated which materials would be best for helping No-Bot fix his missing bottom! Through practical investigations, we tested materials for their strength, flexibility, waterproof qualities and comfort, using our observations to make decisions and explain our thinking. We also explored the work of Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of LEGO, and discovered how toys can be designed using different materials. As we looked at the changing seasons, we observed signs of winter and created our own winter collages. The children have thoroughly enjoyed asking questions, making predictions and learning through hands-on scientific investigations.
Year 1 RE – What Does It Mean to Belong to a Faith Community?
This half term, Year 1 have been exploring the question, “What does it mean to belong to a faith community?” We have learnt about the different groups and communities we belong to and explored how Christians, Muslims and Jewish people show their sense of belonging through religious symbols, special objects and celebrations. The children discovered how Christians welcome babies through baptism and how Muslim families welcome new babies into their faith community. We also explored the importance of love and kindness through Jesus’ parable of the Lost Coin, learning that everyone is special and valuable. To finish our learning, we investigated how people show they belong to one another through wedding ceremonies, looking at Christian and Hindu traditions. Through thoughtful discussions, creative activities and exploring different religious beliefs and practices, the children have developed their understanding of belonging, community, love and respect for others.
