Learning from David and Goliath
This week in RE, Year One have been learning about David and Goliath. We explored how David’s faith in God gave him the strength and bravery to defeat Goliath. The children reflected on how this story links to our Christian values of perseverance and courage, reminding us that with faith and determination, we can overcome challenges—no matter how big they seem!
Jolyon – “David showed courage because he fought the giant!”
Isaac – “He persevered even though he only had five stones and a slingshot.”
Gracie – “David didn’t give up!”
Topic – Computing
This half term, our Topic is Computing. Yesterday, we discussed what a computer is and what sort of devices we might have at home that have a computer built-in.
Today, we’ve been looking at algorithms. We’ve been learning all about the program ‘Scratch Jr’ and how to create an algorithm. We know how to set a sequence so that our Sprites (characters) move, shrink, grow and turn.
We also learnt how to debug an algorithm that does not work and how to alter a sequence.
We’ve had a lot of fun using Scratch and learning about all of the buttons and how they work. We are really looking forward to using the program again next week and learning more!
We’ve also started to look at our Geography vocabulary, which you can see below.
Help at home: Read through the new vocabulary to support your child with their learning this half term.
Our Daily Poem on Internet Safety
Our Year One class has been enthusiastically practising a daily poem themed around Internet Safety Day. The children love reciting the poem each day, growing more confident and expressive as the week progresses. By the end of the week, they proudly recite it more independently!
Daily poem practice enhances reading fluency, builds vocabulary and boosts memory skills.
Help at Home Tips:
- Read the poem together at home.
- Discuss new words and their meanings.
- Practice with fun voices to boost expression!
Living and Learning – Internet Safety Day
This year’s theme is ‘Too Good to Be True? Protecting Yourself and Others from Online Scams.’
Last week, we had a fantastic visit from D-side Dave, who taught us three essential rules for staying safe online. We were so impressed by how confidently the children remembered them:
1️⃣ Always ask permission from a grown-up before going online.
2️⃣ Only talk to people you know and trust.
3️⃣ Stick to websites and apps that are right for you.
In our first session we read the story Chicken Clicking (This is a YouTube link. Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip). As we read the story, we discussed what wasn’t true—like how the fox was pretending to be someone else. We also discussed how Chicken Clicking didn’t follow the three online safety rules. The children then came up with questions for Chicken Clicking and took part in a hot-seating activity, where they asked a friend pretending to be the character a question they had written.
In our next session, we explored why we should never share personal information online. Details like your name, home address, or school can tell others who you are and where to find you, so it’s important to keep them private.
Help at home:
🔹 Can you remember the three rules for staying safe online?
🔹 Take the quiz to test your knowledge on protecting personal information!
Comparing Numbers to 20 in Year one!
In Year One, the children have been mastering how to compare numbers up to 20 using greater than, less than, and equal to. They are now able to confidently organise their own number lines and describe numbers in different ways! This helps them understand number order and comparisons clearly.
Help at home:
- Try using everyday items like blocks, toys, or snacks. Ask questions such as, “Which is more: 6 cookies or 9 cookies?” or “Is 14 greater than 7?”
- Encourage your child to draw their own number lines to practice comparing numbers.
- Play a game where you describe a number: “I’m thinking of a number greater than 15 but less than 17. What number am I thinking of?”
Topic: Geography
This half-term, we’ve been learning what it means to be geographers! This week, we ventured into our local community to carry out some exciting fieldwork. Before setting off, we talked about how to stay safe during our trip.
Here are some of the safety rules we followed:
- We wore high-visibility jackets so drivers could easily see us.
- We stayed with our group and our adult leader at all times.
- We listened carefully to instructions and only crossed the road when it was safe to do so.
During our fieldwork, we visited four different areas and made observations about noise levels, litter, recycling bins, traffic, how safe we felt and the plants and trees around us. We recorded our findings in a chart using happy, neutral, or sad faces.
Back at school, we analysed our results and wrote a sentence about which place we thought was the best. It’s been a fantastic week of exploring and investigating our community!
Help at home: Become a Local Geographer!
Encourage your child to observe their surroundings at home.
You can:
- Go for a short walk and note things like noise levels, litter, plants, and safety features (e.g. crossings or streetlights).
- Create a simple chart with happy, neutral and sad faces to record their observations.
- Talk about ways to improve the area, like picking up litter (with gloves!) or adding more plants.
This is a great way to reinforce their learning and show how geography connects to everyday life!
Persuasive Writing in Year One
This week, our Year One class wrote persuasive sentences inspired by Clean Up! to encourage everyone to care for the beach and our environment. We’ve been learning how to use the conjunction “and” in our writing and the children practiced giving reasons why we should help. Some of their brilliant sentences included: “Clean up the beach and save the animals” and “Put your plastic in the bin so that the turtles can swim happily”
We talked about why it’s important to put rubbish in the bin and recycle. Rubbish left on the beach or in nature can harm animals, pollute the water, and make our beautiful planet look untidy. Recycling helps save energy, reduces waste, and gives materials a new life instead of ending up in a landfill.
Help at home:
- Discuss how your family can reduce waste and recycle more.
- Look for items around the house that can be recycled and practice sorting them together.
- Spot conjunctions like “and” in books, signs, or conversations.
We are so proud of the children for their thoughtful and creative writing. We are already seeing huge progress in their writing skills this term and they’re all becoming confident little writers!
Maths
Since coming back in January, we’ve been exploring the numbers from 10 to 20. We’ve focused on understanding these “ten and a bit” numbers by breaking them down into tens and ones, showing how each number consists of one ten and additional ones. We’ve also practiced identifying one more and one less than these numbers.
Today, we extended this learning by working with “ten and a bit” numbers on a number line. Using flashcards numbered 10 to 20, we ordered them, then turned them upside down and thought about where each number would fall on the number line. Finally, we shuffled them and selected three random numbers and arranged them in order from smallest to largest.
Living and Learning: Safety and Risks
Year One Class News: Exploring Risks!
This week in our Living and Learning lesson, Year One took a closer look at risks! We began by revisiting what we mean by danger and safety and explored the meaning of taking risks. The children shared examples of risks they take in everyday life, identifying some around school and at home.
In the classroom, we discussed how small actions like leaving items on the floor or chairs out can create risks and how we can avoid them to keep our classroom happy and healthy. At home, we focused on the kitchen, considering risks such as touching a hot oven or spilling water.
The children also worked together to order different risks by level—low or high. We discovered that some risks, like going up stairs or making a drink, depend on other factors.
Here are some thoughtful comments:
Gracie: “It depends what type of drink you’re making. Is it hot or in a glass?”
Luna: “There could be different hazards in the garden, like a wasp.”
Jolyon: “Going up and down stairs is more dangerous when you’re younger.”
Well done, Year One!
Help at Home
Click here to play an educational game about identifying risks around your own home!
Calming Yoga in Year One
Our amazing Year One yogis are discovering the benefits of yoga!
They’ve been practicing their balance and focus with fun and challenging poses like Dancer, Tree, Sloth, Downward Dog and Warrior. They’ve unlocked their inner warriors and are now sequencing poses into a graceful flow.
Each class begins with calming breathing exercises – Elephant Breath is a firm favourite! We finish with peaceful meditations to feel calm and strong.
Help at Home Tips:
- Practice Elephant Breath together to relax.
- Try a Tree Pose challenge – who can balance the longest?
- Create a mini yoga flow with your child’s favourite poses!