Welcome to Year 1
from
Mrs Warwick and Miss Mellor
Our email address is: year1@kingsleyschool.org.uk
This is checked regularly however, if you need to speak to a member of staff as a matter of urgency, please either speak to a member of the leadership team on the gate on a morning or ring the school office.
If you require any additional information regarding our curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact your child's class teacher or a member of the Leadership Team.
Our current topic is 'Exploring Africa'
We will be learning all about Kenya and comparing it to the UK.
We will be learning about some famous explorers from the past who have explored Africa.
We will be reading the book 'Handa's Surprise', which is set in Kenya, for our Literacy lessons.
Scroll down to see some of our amazing work!
In our DT topic this term we made fruit salads. We tasted different fruit, chose what we wanted for our fruit salads and chopped the fruit ourselves. We made sure to wash our hands first.
Our PE lessons in Spring term focus on Gymnastics.
We will be developing our skills in balance, posture, travelling, rolls and learning how to use the gymnastics equipment safely.
We were very luck to have a visit from some firefighters and we even got to have a look around the fire engine!
Our Science topic for this half term is Light and Shadow. We started off our topic by looking for light sources. We then did an investigation where we had to use our torches to guess what mystery items were hiding in the boxes.
In this term in Computing we are learning how to use a paint app on the computers.
We have been exploring what each tool does, i.e. the paintbrush, fill and eraser tools. We have been creating some simple drawings.
In Geography we have learnt about our local area. We have learnt basic map skills and labelled a map of the area surrounding our school. We have also located Hartlepool on a British Isles map. We also know the 4 countries in the United Kingdom.
In Literacy we have been reading the book Stanley's Stick. We collected sticks from our outdoor area and used them to create a picture. We then wrote about the different things that Stanley made with his stick.
Year 1 had lots of fun this afternoon learning how to use the skipping ropes. For some of us, it was the first time we had tried but we were very resilient and didn't give up. Well done everyone.
Year 1 trip to Stranton Church
The Year 1 children visited a local church called 'All Saints Stranton Church' to find out 'What can we learn about Christianity from visiting a church?'
We asked questions and learned about parts of the church, symbols and how Christians worship.
We had a lovely time and met the priest John and Hayley who talked to us about the church.
Art - Collage and Printing
In Art we have been learning about the artist Henri Matisse. We made cut paper collages of things that are important to us.
We made a printed picture based on our collages.
We offer social time every afternoon to children who we feel would benefit from this. We play games and chat to each other whilst enjoying our snack.
In computing this term we are learning how to log onto the laptops and use a keyboard and trackpad. We have enjoyed playing some puzzle games using the trackpad.
Autumn Fun!
In Literacy we read the story 'Leaf Man' and collected leaves from our outdoor area. We used them to make our own leaf characters to write about.
Two of our Year 1 girls helped with recycling some of our unclaimed lost property so that it can be reused again. Well done!
In PE this term we are learning key skills for invasion games such as dribbling, passing, throwing and catching.
In Science we had an afternoon of exploring our 5 senses. We had to guess mystery sounds, smells, tastes and objects. We investigated how our senses are linked. For example, is tasting more difficult if we can't smell?
In Art we looked at the work of Henri Matisse and discussed what we liked or didn't like about his artwork. We will be creating our own Matisse inspired collages.
In science we have learnt about the parts of the body and their functions.
In maths we have been learning about numbers to 10. We have been ordering, comparing, adding and subtracting. We use counters, cubes and ten frames to help us.
In Literacy we have been reading the story'Aliens Love Underpants'. We had lots of fun making our own aliens with playdough and describing them.
Scroll down to see what Year 1 got up to in the academic year 2023-2024.
Music
In music this term we have enjoyed listening to the song 'Tiddalik the Frog' and playing the different rhythms on our instruments.
Dogs Trust Visit
Year 1 enjoyed a visit from the Dog's Trust where we learned our 5 'Happy Dog Rules'
History - Victorian toys
We have enjoyed learning about what toys were like in the past. We got sent some Victorian toys from Preston Park museum which we had lots of fun exploring!
We enjoyed making our own Victorian toys in inspire time. We made pop up teddy puppets. Look how fantastic they are!
Science - Everyday Materials
In Science this term we have been learning about materials and their properties. We went on a material hunt around school and talked about why objects are made of a certain material and not others.
We have also made umbrellas for Teddy to keep him dry. We had to choose materials that were both lightweight and waterproof.
We tested out which materials were waterproof or not before making our umbrellas.
PE - Bat and Ball Skills
In PE this term we have been learning how to hold a tennis racket, serve, aim and throw and catch a small ball. We have worked hard on our bat and ball skills through playing lots of games and are becoming much more confident. This will give us the skills needed to play games such as tennis as we move through school.
Maths - Numbers to 40
In maths this term we will be looking at numbers beyond 20. We have been separating numbers into tens and ones, comparing two numbers and ordering numbers from smallest to greatest.
In Art we have used sketching techniques to create our own African inspired patterns. Take a look!
PE: Gymnastics
In PE we have been trying hard to learn different balances and rolls in gymnastics. We also enjoyed learning some rhythm gymnastics with the hoops. It was hard to hold a balance while the hoop was spinning!
Science - Plants
Our Science topic this half term has been plants. We have planted our own sunflower seeds and are excited to watch them grow! We have also been on a plant hunt around our school grounds and named the different plants that we can see. We have learnt about the different parts of plants and what they do.
We have been learning the story of the lost sheep and Zacchaeus- look at our fabulous writing!
We learned about what life was like for children in the 1900s and wrote about it
We have been writing about who is special to us and why.
We have tried really hard to use a bridge and claw technique to chop different fruits for our fruit salads. After our fruit tasting we decided which were our favourite and created our own fruit salad. We then completed an evaluation to say what we would add in next time.
Our first Science topic this term is Light and Shadow. We have been learning about sources of light and how shadows are created. We read the story 'Moonbear's Shadow' about a bear who tries to get rid of his shadow! We then experimented with teddy bears and torches to see if we could make the shadow disappear.
As part of our topic on Kenya we have been reading 'Handa's Surprise'. We tasted different fruits and thought of adjectives to describe them in preparation for our writing. We tasted: mango, pineapple, kiwi, avocado, tangerine and banana. We were brave tasting some fruit that we hadn't tried before!
In computing this term we are learning about coding. We were introduced to the Beebots and had a go at programming them to carry out different commands.
We loved playing the 'guess the command' game. We had to all close our eyes while our friend programmed instructions into the Beebot. We then watched it move and guessed what commands it had been given. It was lots of fun!
In dance, we were using scarves to express our feelings. We created different movements around the room moving in different directions and speeds.
We love our inspire time on a Friday afternoon. This is the time of the week where we take part in extracurricular activities and learn new skills such as crafts, outdoor games and board games. Have a look at some of the activities we have been doing in Year 1.
In Science our Autumn term topic is "Animals including Humans". We have learnt all about the human body, carried out a 5 senses experiment and sorted animals by their different body parts.
Take a look at some of our super Science work!
In PE this term we have been learning invasion game skills and dance. In dance we have enjoyed moving in different ways based on the season of Autumn. We had to twirl like leaves falling from the trees and jump up like fireworks!
Our PE days in Year 1 are Tuesdays and Fridays. Please ensure your child has a named PE kit in school.
In computing this term we have been getting to grips with using the laptops. We have learnt how to use both a mouse and a trackpad. We have been using these skills to create some fantastic artworks based on the artists Mondrian and Kandinsky. Take a look at our amazing digital paintings!
As part of our topic "A Place Called Home" we have been learning about how we have changed over time in our History lessons. We learnt about how a baby's needs differ to ours and how we have changed since we were a baby. We played 'guess the baby' with our friends' baby pictures. Look how we have changed!
Curriculum Information
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