Trotts Hill Primary School and Nursery
Welcome to Year 1
Mrs Dent and Mrs Paice are the class teachers and Mrs Masterson is the classroom assistant, and will be supporting in class every morning and most afternoons. Mrs Taylor will be supporting us on Tuesday afternoons.
We are looking forward to welcoming the children back to school and have lots of fun learning planned. In Year 1 we will be building on all the skills developed in Reception and developing our skills further through new topics and stories.
This year we will cover a variety of skills, knowledge and understanding including the following topics:
The children will be participating in PE and outdoor skills on Wednesdays and Fridays in Spring 2. Their PE kits should be in school every day. Wellington boots also need to be brought into school to remain here so that the children can take part in our fantastic OPAL lunchtime playtimes.
Reading books and reading records will also need to be brought into school every day. The children will be asked to place them in the reading box when they come in. Please continue to read with your children as much as possible at home and make a note in the reading record when you do.
Spelling words will be sent home to learn on a Friday (based on the weeks Phonics lessons) and will be tested the following Friday. We thank you for all your support in helping your child to practice and learn these words. We encourage the ‘Look, Cover. Write, Check’ method.
We look forward to an exciting year ahead in Year 1.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - Mrs Dent
Thursday and Friday – Mrs Paice
This week the children enjoyed a fairytale day and came to school dressed as their favourite character. They had a great time asking each other questions about their characters, going out to the forest school and building houses for the Three Little Pigs and planting beans for Jack.
Year 1 had a wonderful day learning about Knebworth House.
This week in DT we looked at cutting, folding and attaching materials.
This week in DT the children focused on making knots and threading needles. They showed great determination!
Year 1 classified and sorted different animals and discussed reasons why.
In English we have been reading the Jill Murphy story 'The Last Noo Noo'. We found it funny when the main character didn't want to give up his 'noo-noo', and we made our own -'noo-noo snatchers!' Then we used adjectives to describe them.
Year have been reading the book 'Knuffle Bunny' this week. We pretended to be the main characters - Trixie and Dad, and acted out what we thought Trixie was trying to say. This will help us with our next lesson where we will be writing speech bubbles for the main characters.
Year 1 made some special Christmas decorations - we measured our height using Christmas ribbon and wrapped it around our stockings. Every Christmas we wil be able to see much taller we have grown!
We were so proud of how Year 1 performed in their Christmas show - with loud and clear voices and festive dance moves. Well done Year 1!
In RE we have been learning about prayer. This week we had a visit from Mrs Dogar who came to talk to us about Islam and the Salat prayer.
This week in our History lesson we 'celebrated our sisters' as part of Black History month. We listened to the story Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and then talked about what significant things she has done in her lifetime. We then sequenced events from her story into chronological order.
In RE this week we were looking at the Jewish festival of Sukkot. This is the Jewish harvest festival, so we made some comparisons to the Christian harvest festival. The children went outside to the forest area and created their own mini Sukkahs which we then hung pictures of our favourite fruits and vegetables in.
Year 1 have been having great fun in PE creating and learning a dinosaur dance with Mr. Sapsed. Thye have been thinking about to use travel and speed to represent the movements of dinosaurs.
Year 1 have had such a super start to the new academic year and it has been wonderful to see them all coming in with big smiles in the morning ready for their learning. It's been a busy week and we have done lots of practical Maths activities, labelled dinosaurs, learnt a dinosaur dance, been on a materials hunt around school and much more! Well done Year 1!
Over the last few weeks we have been finding out about the artwork of artist Angie Lewin in our Art lessons. We have used her work to inspire our own art work. We used rollers to create a background, printed our flower and leaf shapes, and added patterned detail in black pens. Year 1 worked really carefully and conscientiously to produce these beautiful pictures.
Year 1 have been using all their place value knowledge this week to compare 2-digit numbers, using language such as 'greater than', 'less than', 'more then', 'fewer' and 'equal'. Today they rolled dice to create 2 digit numbers, made them using base 10, or drew the tens and ones on their whiteboards, and compared them using these symbols: < > = We were really focusing on explaining our mathematical thinking, using 'because' to talk about the difference in the number of tens and the number of ones. Lots of us noticed that it's the tens number that makes the real difference finding the greater or smaller number. Perhaps you can play this game at home over the summer holiday?
In PSHE this week we talked about what it means to belong to a community, the different communities we belong to and the people who help us within those communities. We hot-seated different community figures and had to guess who we were being!
Year 1 have been learning about plants in our Science lessons, and this week we went on a nature walk around the school to see what we could find. We talked about the difference between wild plants and garden plants and used a key to identify the ones we found. We carefully drew some of the plants we saw. We also talked about how fortunate we are here at Trotts Hill School to have such beautiful outdoor spaces. Perhaps you will see some wild plants and garden plants in half term - can you find out what their names are?
This half term Year 1 have been planning and designing their own hand puppets in DT. Many of them used sewing skills for the very first time, joining the fabric using running stitch. We all agreed that perseverance and determination were very important learning behaviours when sewing! Today, the children added key features to their puppets and decorated them. The children felt that independence and enjoyment were the key PRIDE learning behaviours today. Well done Year 1, it has been lovely to see all your creativity.
This week Year 1 have been reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood. They acted out the story in small groups, thinking about how to be their character using their speech, actions, voices and facial expressions. They worked well in their groups to assign their roles, and were very convincing characters! This will really help us next week when we begin writing the story in our words.
This week when Year 1 came back to school after a long weekend, we were surprised to discover that our runner bean plants had grown! When we left them on the Friday there was not one shoot but they grew lots over the weekend. Year 1 looked closely at their plants and carefully drew the stems and leaves. The children measured them and discovered that some had grown 30cm tall! We might need to think about new homes for our plants to help them grown big and strong.
This term Year 1 are learning all about Toys from the past with Mrs Paice in their History lessons. On Wednesday we enjoyed a visit from Kate from the Stevenage Museum. Kate showed us photographs of children from the past and we talked about how they wore different clothes to children today. We investigated lots of toys from the past - some were a few years old and some were over 100 years old! Kate told us that the pull-along horse was a replica of one that children would have played with in Roman times! Year 1 asked lots of thoughtful questions about the toys and thoroughly enjoyed investigating them.
This week it was lovely to welcome Year 1 back to school and some warmer weather too! We started our new Science topic - Plants. We discussed what we already know about plants and we each planted our own runner bean seeds. We drew and described the seeds. when we looked carefully we saw that they were pink, purple, brown and speckled. We have put them next to the window and will water them every day. We are looking forward to watching them grow.
Year 1 had lots of fun on their trip to Knebworth House this week. We were given a tour of the house and looked at lots of old objects from the past, such as a shield, armour, furniture, and musical instruments. We dressed up in Tudor clothes and tried our hand at calligraphy. We even found some secret doors. In the afternoon we explored the maze and playing with toys and games such as wooden skittles and croquet. We saw some dinosaurs too, and learnt lots of facts about Knebworth House.
Year 1 have been busy again this week designing their own fruit kebabs. They planned which fruits they wanted to include and how to arrange them. Then they carefully used a variety of skills to cut, slice, chop and peel their fruit. Finally they got to eat them, and the consensus was that they were 'Yummy!'
Year 1 have been busy this week taste-testing different fruit as part of our DT topic, Making Fruit Kebabs. The children were really adventurous trying some new tastes and discovering their likes and (dislikes!) Next we will be planning which fruits to use in our own fruit kebabs.
This week Year 1 have been learning about 2 digit numbers and how to partition them into tens and ones. We used different manipulatives, PE equipment, and ourselves to represent tens and ones.
Year 1 have action mats each week and have been learning different games and movements with their bodies.
Year 1 created their own aliens using play d'oh.
Year 1 focused on their listening skills when following instructions. They had to listen out for different instructions and put the cubes down accordingly.
As part of our science topic the children have been looking at their senses. The children investigated taste and smell.
Year 1 brought in their favourite toys this week. The children discussed what their favourite toy was and why it was special. The children were looking at toys in preparation for learning their new book Knuffle Bunny.
Year 1 are currently reading The Last Noo Noo by Jill Murphy. The children created their own NooNoo catchers and described them.
Year 1 investigated different shapes. They learned about 3D shapes. The children created 3D models and then listed the shapes that they had used.
Year 1 had a fabulous time performing their Christmas songs to an audience.
The children went on a walk of the local area and investigated physical and human features.
In maths Year 1 used the same number for their part and had to figure out what the other part and the whole would be.
Year 1 created a class map and thought about where each door, room and table was situated.
As part of our maths/ DT/ Science week the children created balloon buggies using bottles. The children made them and measured how far they would travel.
Year 1 role played and freeze framed different part of the life of Mary Anning. They acted out her childhood, finding fossils and exciting times in her life.
The children worked in teams to order numbers to 30, 50 and 100.
The children completed an investigation testing the strength of paper.
Year 1 investigated the life of Mary Anning and put significant moments of her life on a time line.
Year 1 were representing digits in different ways. Using different equipment, the children had to represent a specific number.
The children enjoyed a dance lesson focusing on musical theatre. The children used a parachute to experience wind and cold air.
Year 1 visited Standalone Farm this week. The children watched pigs being fed, groomed a pony and went on a tractor ride!
Year 1 solved problems adding to 10. They used counters to help them count.
Year 1 made moving pictures using different levers and pulleys.
The children were practising different balls skills in preparation for sports day next week.
Year 1 were learning about their senses and created a mind map in preparation for our poem next week.
Week Commencing Monday 16th May 2022, Year 1 Fairytale Day
This week Year 1 had a Fairytale Day - dressing up as different characters and completing a variety of super fun fairytale themed activities. First of all we used our Computing Skills to design gingerbread houses on Purple Mash. We then completed an amazing Active Maths lesson lead by Sporting Futures. In the afternoon we hot-seated as different characters and made our own fairytale dens in the forest area. The following day we baked and decorated gingerbread men.
Week Commencing Monday 9th May 2022 LI: to make arrays
This week Year 1 enjoyed an active maths lessons where they had to quickly solve multiplication problems by making arrays with cones. We had a competition to see which team could complete the most multiplication questions correctly in 10 minutes. The winners were Orange Team - well done!
Week Commencing Monday 2nd May 2022 LI: to multiply by 2
This week Year 1 have had the challenge of multiplying numbers by 2. We have been working on arrays and doubling, as well as using cuisenaire rods to help us visualise what multiplying by 2 looks like. I have been impressed with Year 1s determination and perseverance whilst covering a tricky new topic this week.
Week Commencing Monday 25th April 2022 LI: to write a story
Following on from our work on Little Red Riding Hood last week, this week Year 1 have been retelling the story in their own words. We have been working particularly hard and trying to use adjectives and conjunctions in our writing.
Week Commencing Monday 18th April 2022 LI: to celebrate Earth Day
Today Year 1 celebrated Earth Day by having a screen free day. We completed practical activities in lessons and wrote straight in our books instead of using any printed worksheets. We also had a lovely time in our forest area completing mindfulness craft activities with the Happy Little Yogis company.
Week Commencing Monday 21st March 2022
LI: to collect data
Today Year 1 collected data about the weather as part of our ongoing Science topic: Seasonal Changes. We discussed the kinds of weather associated with Spring and compared it with the weather in Winter and Autumn. We then made tally charts of everyone's favourite weather. Following this we counted up the totals to help us interpret the data. The most popular kind of weather was sunny, and the least popular kind of weather was cloudy.
Week Commencing Monday 14th March 2022
LI: to find our about local history
This week Year 1 went on a trip to Knebworth House to find out about our local history. We had a fantastic time on the tudor treasure trail, learning about calligraphy, tudor schools and even learning some tudor dances! We had the chance to look around the kitchen and herb gardens and talked about what food they grew at Knebworth House in tudor times, and also had fun exploring the maze and visiting the dinosaur trail!
Week Commencing Monday 7th March 2022 LI: to prepare different fruits and vegetables
This week in DT we have been learning how to prepare fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways. We practised peeling, grating, chopping and slicing using knives and graters, and discussed how to stay safe when using different kinds of equipment.
Week Commencing Monday 28th February 2022 LI: to celebrate World Book Day
Week Commencing Monday 21st February 2022 LI: to make a pictogram
This week we have started a new topic in DT: Eat more fruits and vegetables. To start the topic we all shared what our favourite fruit was. Each person made a picture to represent this and we all put them together on the carpet to make a class pictogram. The most popular fruit in the class was strawberries, closely followed by apples.
Week Commencing Monday 7th February 2022 LI: to follow instructions
In English this week we have been reading and writing instructions. Today each table group independently read and followed simple instructions to make some oat cookies. Year 1 showed great understanding of how to read the instructions, as well as fantastic teamwork - allocating different jobs to each person on their table. We baked the cookies and enjoyed having them as our morning snack.
Week Commencing Monday 31st January 2022 LI: to understand how to look after the environment
Today we discussed looking after the environment and that even small changes can make a big difference. After talking about the things that we can do inside our classroom and at home, we went outside to pick litter from the school grounds.
Week Commencing: Monday 24th January 2022 LI: to investigate everyday materials
This week we have started our new Science topic, which is about Materials. We discussed the different materials that we could think of, investigated what different materials we could see around the school, and sorted materials from our classroom into groups.
Week Commencing: Monday 17th January 2022 LI: to create a self portrait
This week we have been learning about the artist Hans Holbein. After looking at his realistic portraits we created our own self portraits. We carefully studied our faces using mirrors and worked hard to make the portraits as accurate as possible.
Week Commencing Monday 10th January 2022 LI: to observe animals
Today we had the chance to observe tortoises in our classroom. We discussed what they eat and how they move, identified them as reptiles and completed observational drawings of them.
Week Commencing Monday 6th December 2021 LI: to make a Christingle
Year 1 have been learning about Christian celebrations in RE this week. They discussed why Christians make Christingles, and what the different parts of a Christingle represent. They then had a go at making their own Christingle to take home.
Week Commencing Monday 29th November 2021 LI: To place numbers on a numberline
This week in Year 1 we have been exploring place value in maths. We made out order number lines using border roll, and practised placing the first and last numbers, followed by the middle number and then filling in the rest to ensure the numbers were spaced evenly.
Week Commencing Monday 22nd November 2021 LI: to edit our work
This week we have been retelling the story of Farmer Duck as part of our work on writing a narrative. Children have had the chance to edit their work for the first time - using blue pens to fix capital letters and spelling mistakes, and adding in extra sentences to make our work even better.
Week Commencing: Monday 15th November 2021 LI: to write bossy instructions!
This week we have been reading the story 'Farmer Duck'. Today, we learnt about writing instructions and pretended to be the bossy farmer! I have been very impressed by Year 1's growing independence with their writing, as well as their beautiful cursive handwriting that we began using this term.
Week Commencing: Monday 8th November 2021 LI: to investigate old and new toys
In History this half term, Year 1 are learning about old and new toys. Today, Kate from Stevenage museum came into school to give us a workshop all about toys. We looked at photos from the past and present and discussed how we can tell if they are old or new. We also investigated lots of different toys from different time periods and thought about how old they might be.
Week Commencing Monday 1st November 2021 LI: to explore different kinds of puppets
This week Year 1 have started a new unit in Design Technology about puppets. We have been learning about different kinds of puppets and what materials they are made from. We showed out knowledge by drawing and labelling different kinds of puppets.
Week Commencing: Monday 18th October 2021 LI: To make a vegetable soup
As part of 'Eat to Grow, Grow to Eat' week we have been learning about where food comes from and making vegetable soup! We each had a turn at preparing the vegetables before putting the ingredients into the soup maker and trying our soup for our snack. Over the week, we made a story map of the soup making process and added labels to this to help us remember the correct order that we prepared things in. We used our story maps to help us write a recount of our soup making activity later in the week. I have been very impressed by Year 1's beautiful cursive handwriting!
This half term we have been learning computer skills during our Computing lessons. Today we combined all of the skills that we have been learning; logging on, opening a document, using the trackpad and dragging objects to make shape pictures on Word. We then practised saving our work by giving the file a name, and shutting down the laptop correctly.
In Geography this half term we have been learning about our local area. We went on a trip to our local shops to investigate what the area is like around The Oval, see what shops there were and think about why people might visit there. We discovered lots of shops including a butchers, a pharmacy, a carpet shop and a hairdressers. We also discussed if the houses were old or new, and talked about the similarities and differences between our houses and the houses that we walked past.
This week in Year 1 we have been busy writing recounts of our trip to Disneyland Paris! On Monday we had a virtual visit to Disneyland - experiencing the rides, listening to music and even making our own Disney ears. Throughout the week we recounted out even - making a story map, adding labels and then writing multiple sentences describing our day.
This week in Science Year 1 have been learning about the senses. We discussed which part of the body corresponds to each sense, and completed different activities to help us explore how we use our senses. This included smelling different pieces of cotton wool that had different smelling essential oils inside, and wearing a blindfold whilst feeling different objects and describing their textures.
Year 1 have had a fantastic start to the new school year at Trotts Hill! We have been busy discussing our school rules and PRIDE values; perseverance, resilience, independence, determination and enjoyment.
We celebrated children who has already show the PRIDE values in the first few days back at school, and are very excited for a fantastic year ahead.