Summer 2 2022

Welcome to our final half term of Year 1. Our topic this half term is Let’s Explore! Take a look at our class newsletter to find out more about our learning.

RE

This half term our topic is Miracles. We have started the topic by looking back to FS2 and the miracles we learnt about then. The children remembered the Wedding at Cana and Jesus’s first miracle of turning water into wine. We have explored this Miracle further, learning that it was Jesus’s first miracle after his Mother Mary asked him to help. To help the children understand how the people at the wedding would have felt witnessing this first miracle the children acted as news reporters who interviewed guests at the wedding. The children loved taking on different roles and retelling the story through them.

English

Phonics Screening

The first week of half term the children have all completed their phonics screening. The children have all worked incredibly hard across the year on their phonics which has been shown in both their reading and writing progress. All the children should be very proud of all their achievements!

This half term our focus book is “My Heart is a Compass”. The story tells of Rose who goes on adventure through her imagination, exploring all corners of the world. Rose draws maps to show her travels and then shares it with her friends at show and tell. From this the children have developed their own imaginative ideas and draw maps to show where they would go. We have then worked on using adjectives to describe the different places in our imagination and written sentences about the places that contain adjectives.

Maths

In Maths this week, we have been refocusing on addition and subtraction. We started the week by ensuring that we are secure with solving addition and subtraction sentences. We have then moved on working on numbers being represented by objects in number sentences and number sentences being arranged differently. This has required the children to apply what they know differently and has certainly challenged their thinking. They have taken this challenge in their stride and shown a real growth mindset approach!

Science

In Science, we have been refocusing on materials. To start the topic we have recapped what we already know about materials in order to then apply this learning.

This week we have sorted objects, identified their material and then described their properties. We have also introduced new vocabulary such as absorbent and brittle to enable the children to give detailed descriptions of a material and its properties.

Today in Science the children have predicted which items they think will float and which will sink based on their understanding of materials. The children have then tested out their predictions and designed a boat for Captain Cook that they think will float. Over the next few weeks the childrne will build their boats and test them out, making adaptions where needed.

This week we have been very lucky to have a science workshop! The children have applied their understanding of materials and floating/ sinking to answer scientific questions such as “Do all metal objects sink?”. After experimenting with different ideas the children were then challenged to try and sink the items that floated and float the items that sank! This was a challenging actvity but the children worked hard and did manage to sink some items that had floated.

DT

In DT this half term we are focusing on textiles. This week we have focused on textiles in our everyday environment, exploring their purpose and techniques used to make them. This has given the children a real understanding of how and why textiles are used, in our schools case to give messages and help us to remember things that are important to us.

Computing

This half term in Computing we are applying our previous knowledge of Keynote and furthering our independent use of the app. The children have been learning about Captain Cook in History and are now making Keynote presentations on the iPad on Captain Cook’s life based on their learning in History.

History

Our History focus this half term is Captain Cook. The children have applied their Geography learning, learning about the county of Yorkshire where James Cook was born and making links to our local topic last half term.

We have then learnt about Captain Cook’s early life and learnt about what life was like during the Georgian Period when Captain Cook lived. The children were shocked by the poor living conditions and poor hygiene!

MFL

In MFL we are looking at colours! The children have learnt how to say each colour and then coloured in the rainbow, reading the French colour and colouring it in correctly.

Music

This half term the children are bringing all their music learning together for across the year. We have started by listening to sounds of the sea, linked to our Captain Cook topic. The children have listened and appraised what they have heard, before working on matching some of the sounds to instruments and playing them at the correct tempo.

PE

Over the last few weeks the children have been focusing on their balancing skills. The children have enjoyed working in groups to make team balances with different numbers of body parts on the ground. The children have then performed the different balances in sequence to their peers.

Sports Day!

Today the children throughly enjoyed their first sports day with parents present at St Joseph’s. The children loved being part of their houses and all showed fantastic sportsmanship! It was fantastic to see the childrne enjoy their races and cheering on their friends.

PSHE

Transition 

Over the last few weeks we have started to think about our transition into Year 2. The children are very familiar with the classroom having practiced singing and performances in there across the year. In addition to this the children have had transition morning where they have met their new class teacher and spent some time doing fun activities in the Year 2 classroom! In addition to this we have also completed Transition booklets and circles times about Y2 transition where the children have shared any worries or things that they are excited about.