The children have had an amazing start to Year 2 and have settled into the new routines extremely well.

In Phonics, the children have been continuing to learn and consolidate their set 2 and set 3 sounds. They have been using this knowledge to write about the Read Write Inc texts their group has read during the week.

Below are a copy of set 2 and set 3 sounds:

During Maths, the children have been securing their knowledge of numbers to 50 and then 100. They have partitioned and represented the tens and units and have used the mathematical symbols < > = to compare two numbers:

<    less than e.g. 34 < 50

>    greater than e.g. 45 > 24

=     equal to e.g. 29 = 29

Super Shropshire

During their afternoon learning, the children have been learning about human and physical geographical features in our school environment. The children have used a range of resources to represent the different geographical features and have drawn simple maps of the school grounds, using aerial maps.

As part of this learning, the children and parents walked from school to Ironbridge to observe the human and physical features surrounding a local landmark.

In PE the children have been learning the basic skills of cricket. The children have enjoyed learning how to pass a ball in a variety of ways and aiming for a target given.

At the beginning of our Design Technology lessons, the children were given the opportunity to explore a range of wheeled objects and tried to work out how each object moved. As the children investigated, they were asked to think about the following key questions:

• How do you think the wheels move?
• How do you think the wheels are fixed on?
• Why do you think the product has the number of wheels it does?
• Why do you think the wheels are round?

The children learnt that wheels and axles joined together and are able to turn but the axle holder is fixed to the body of the object. Together they reinvestigated the wheeled objects to identify the moving and non-moving parts of the object. They were then asked to draw a diagram of the wheeled object, identifying the wheel, axle, and axle holder.

I wonder how you can attach a moving part to a non-moving part…

The children were provided with straws, paper, scissors, glue, masking tape. They were then asked to create a wheel, axle and axle holder using the materials provided. The children experimented with the different ways that they could attach the moving part (wheel and axle) to the non-moving part (axle and chassis) remembering to ensure that the wheels were able to move.

The children were shown a range of vehicles that the designer had built incorrectly and were unable to move. The children discussed where they believed the designer went wrong and how they could fix the problem to ensure that the wheel and axle’s move.

They were then asked to design their own moving vehicle using their understanding of wheels and axles. A design criteria was shared with the children, showing what their design had to include.

Once they had completed their designs, the children were asked to select the correct materials and tools they needed to make their moving vehicles. They did a great job and showed great resilience and perseverance throughout the making process.

The children have made a brilliant start to the new year and have been working extremely hard in all their learning.

Phonics

The children are continuing to practise and learn their set 1, 2 and 3 speed sounds and transferring this knowledge and understanding into their reading of texts during their phonics lessons and Guided Reading.

Maths

In maths the children have been continuing to develop and deepen their understanding of number and place value. They have used a variety of model, images, and resources to represent the tens and units in numbers up to 50. They have also been learning how to recognise coins and are beginning to understand the values of each coin. The children used their understanding to select the correct and problem solve when buying items. Towards the end of January the children have returned to addition and subtraction and have learnt how to use jottings and number lines to solve their calculations.

Science

The children have been learning about Animals, including humans. The children have learnt the names of the different body parts and have been able to label these on a body outline. They then found out which body part supported our five senses before taking part in a senses investigation – Can you identify the substance using only one of your senses?

Foundation subjects

Within Personal Development, the children have used circle time and circle games to explore, discuss and reflect upon Respectful relationships. Together the children discussed the practical steps they can take in a range of different situations to improve or support respectful relationships. The children thought about what might have happened to cause the falling-out between friends and discussed how they could help resolve the problem.

During Art, the children have been learning how lines can be used in a variety of ways when drawing.

They have explored using these lines in their own drawings in response to music and artist’s’ work.

Together, the children create a group piece of artwork using lines to represent water and waves. They thought about how to use the various mark making materials to create different effects e.g., darker lines, thick lines.

Finally, the children applied their learnt understanding of lines to produce an observational drawing of shells.

In Music, the children have been listening and appraising different music styles – Blues, Baroque and Latin. They have shared how the music style made them feel, the instruments they could hear and whether they enjoyed listening to it. During the music lesson, the children have used glockenspiels and recorders to follow a piece of music in response to the weekly musical style.

Maths

During this half term, the children in year 1 have been learning all about place value of numbers to 20. They have been finding out about how these numbers are made up of tens and units and have used practical resources such as dienes to represent given numbers. The children have also been learning how to use practical resources and part whole diagrams to find the number bonds for 5/10/20.

Geography 

The children have explored atlases, maps, and Google Earth to locate the UK on the world map. They then used this knowledge to look more closely at the country where they live, the United Kingdom. Together the children found out that the UK is made from four different countries England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and discovered that Telford is in England. The children researched the similarities and differences between the weather in England and Scotland before comparing our weather with that in Ghana and Iceland.

In year 1, the children went on an Autumn walk around the local area to support their science and geography learning. The children looked at the seasonal changes to the environment and began to make predictions about what may happen as the seasons change. The children noticed the colour changes to the leaves and how many of the leaves had fallen from the trees. They were keen to collect and bring natural objects of interest back to the classroom to explore further.

Below are images of the children exploring the local area and the changes they noticed.

What another amazing month we have had in year 1! The children have been continuing to work extremely hard in all the learning they have been doing over the past few weeks.

Phonics

The children are continuing to practise and learn their set 1, 2 and 3 speed sounds and are becoming more confident at transferring this knowledge into their writing.

Maths

During maths, the children have been learning different mathematical strategies to support when adding and subtracting within 10. They are able to use a number line to count forwards and backwards as well as using jottings. The children have also learnt how to measure the length of objects using non standard (cubes) and standard units (cm).

Science

The children have been learning about different materials and their properties. They have been thinking and explaining why an object has been made out of a particular material and why other materials are not suitable for example is paper a good material for a coat.

Foundation subjects

During Art, the children have been using their knowledge of colour mixing to create their own representation of Wassiley Kandinsky’s ‘Squares with Concentric Circles’. They were able to recall lots of facts about Kandinsky from when they learnt about him in Reception!

The children have begun to learn about how to play the recorder in Music. They have found out how to correctly hold the instrument and how to play the musical note B.

As part of Black History month, the children in year 1 learnt all about Rosa Parks. The children found out about why she is an important figure in history and how Rosa Parks felt about how she was treated. The children enjoyed taking on the role of Rosa Parks and the different people on the bus as this allowed them to develop a greater understanding of how she would of felt.

The children have made an amazing transition from Reception into Year 1 and have settled in to the new routines brilliantly. They have really shown off how hard they can work and have been confident to share their thinking and understanding.

Phonics

Since starting in Year 1, the children have been continuing to practise and learn their speeds sounds using the Read Write Inc programme. It has been great to see how the children are growing in confidence to apply their phonic knowledge into their writing in both phonics and other subject areas.

Maths

In maths the children have been continuing to secure their knowledge and understanding of numbers to 10. They have been identifying numbers that are 1 more or 1 less than a given number as well as ordering no sequential numbers from smallest to greatest. During our maths learning the children have also been introduced to new mathematical symbols when comparing numbers:

<    less than e.g. 1<5

>    greater than e.g. 5>1

=     equal to e.g. 5=5

Science

The children have been learning about the changes between seasons throughout the year. The children have looked closely at the changes between Summer and Autumn and how the weather changes during this time of year. Together the children have found out about weather stations and how they help meteorologists study and measure the weather. The children than designed and built a class weather station to find out ‘How much rain falls at Woodlands?’

Foundation subjects

In History, the children have been learning about timelines and how a human changes over time. The children have also looked in detail at the life of Queen Elizabeth II and created a timeline of events from her life.

Within Music the children have been listening to different pieces of Hip Hop music and have appraise the piece; thinking about whether they liked or disliked the music and the instruments they could hear.  The have also been learning to find the pulse to the song ‘Hey you!’ and have particularly enjoyed learning the rap verse!

During Art, the children have been exploring colour and learning how to mix primary colour to create secondary colours. The children have also sketched some amazing self portraits and took great care over the positioning of their facial features.

In PE the children have been exploring point and patch balances as part of gymnastics whilst outdoor they have begun the sessions with running half a mile before taking part in team games such as follow the leader and collect the treasure.