Marvels – Y1 (2020-21)

Little Marvels have had a lovely start to the year and settled well. We have been learning about our classroom rules, routine and each other. We have been reading ‘The Colour Monster’ story that talks about the different emotions the monster is feeling. The children shared how they felt, and a lot were very happy to be back at school and to be with their friends again. They have created some wonderful colour monsters of their own.

Science

In Science, Little Marvels have enjoyed learning about naming and identifying a variety of common animals. They have been describing and comparing their features and structures and have explored the different types of animal groups such as fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. They have learnt to group animals based on what they eat and what group they belong to such as a carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. We are continuing with our Science topic ‘Animals’ next term.

Art

Little Marvels have had fun experimenting with a variety of media such as pencils, oil pastels and paint to create their own self-portraits inspired by Picasso and animal drawings linked to our Science topic.

Maths

We have been learning about how to count forwards and backwards to 10 and practising our number formation. We have also been developing our understanding of what one more and one less than a given number is using cubes and comparing quantities.

 

 

English

In English, we have been looking at fiction stories written by the same author Oliver Jeffers. The story we have been reading is ‘Lost and Found’. We have explored the characters, settings and events and have been acting out parts of the story. The children have also created some wonderful, imaginative story maps to help them write their own stories. Well done Little Marvels! They have also worked hard applying their phonics knowledge to help them write.

Computing

In computing we have been learning how to log in safely into Purple Mash using our own logins. The children are also continuing to practise finding the letters and numbers on the keyboard to log in independently and how to use a mouse. They have started to learn how to add their name to a picture they create on the computer.

Fundamentals

Little Marvels have been practising developing their fundamental skills such as their underarm throwing, hopping, balancing and jumping off equipment.

RE

Our topic this half term was ‘Christianity – The Church.’  During this unit of work, we were aiming to answer the question ‘How might some people show that they belong to God?’

Firstly, we tried to understand who or what we belong to.  We thought about the members of our family and recognised the people who guide us.  We then discussed what makes a good family.    

Next, we learned about what a baptism is.  We watched video clips of baptisms and recognised why people get baptised.  We were then able to label an image of a baptism.  We learnt important vocabulary such as: font, gown, vicar, and godparents.    

Our next lesson was to understand what the cross symbolises in a baptism.  We thought about which people would be present at a baptism and tried to list what the cross symbolises. 

To finish our topic, we acted out a baptism in our classroom.  We dressed up as a vicar, parents, godparents, and the congregation.  We dressed a doll up in a christening gown and the vicar pretended to hold the baby over the font and bless the baby by making a sign of the cross on its head in oil.  The godparents were then given a candle and certificate to hold for the baby. 

PSHE

Our topic this half term was ‘Being Me in My World’

As part of this topic, we thought about what it means to feel special and safe in our class.

We then spent time thinking about the rights and responsibilities for being a member of our class and school. 

Next, we recognised how it feels to be proud of an achievement.

During this topic, we have also listened to other people as well as contributing our own ideas about rewards and consequences. 

Music

Little Marvels have really enjoyed moving their bodies to Jack Hartmann YouTube videos. The children copied and followed his moves but, needed to listen carefully to freeze at the correct time ! Mrs Lingard showed the children how to play different percussion instruments. The children  tried to remember many names as they could. They enjoyed Mrs Lingard playing her, Clarinet, Recorder, Cornet and Guitar. She is not very good at playing the violin but she had a very good try.

Maths

In Maths this half term, we started our ‘Maths – No Problem!’ scheme.  Our first topic was ‘Numbers to 10.’ We were very excited to use our new textbooks and workbooks. 

Firstly, we were counting numbers to 10 accurately both forwards and backwards and counting similar objects up to 10 with accuracy and fluency.

We were then learning to read and write all numbers to 10 in numerals and in words and categorise and count only objects with the same name in a group.

After this, we were able to understand what zero represents and use it when counting. 

After this, we compared objects using matching and counting and then used the terms ‘equal to’, ‘as many as’, ‘more than’, ‘greater than’ and ‘less than’ as key terms.

We did lots of practical activities to help us in our lessons and learned how to use resources such as ten frames and part – part whole models. 

English

In English this half term, we have been learning about Non-Chronological Reports.  We linked it to our Science topic of ‘Animals.’ 

Firstly, we chose an animal that we already knew a lot about – a penguin.  We identified lots of information about penguins and our teacher recorded this in a thought shower. 

Next, we were given a non-fiction text about penguins and had to use our phonics knowledge to read it and try and extract information from it.  

We then did a similar activity but with a text about tigers and dogs.  Some of us then answered questions about the text, which was quite tricky.

After this, we thought about what questions we could ask about the information we had read.  We used ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘When?’ ‘Where?’, ‘Why’ and ‘How?’ to help us.

To finish our topic, we created our own non-chronological poster about an animal of our choice. We tried to include a question, an answer and a picture.      

Science

In Science this half term, we continued with our ‘Animals’ topic. 

We were able to describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals.  We looked at different groups of animals such as: birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians.  We had to identify the animals, draw and label them and compared the differences and similarities between the animals. 

Next, we learned about how animals need to be treated with care and sensitivity to keep them alive.  We drew pictures and labelled them to show what animals need to survive. 

To finish our topic, we learned about the human body.  We were able to name, identify and label the parts of the human body. 

RE/English

We linked our RE topic ‘Christianity – Jesus’ with English.  During this unit of work, we were aiming to answer the question ‘Why is Jesus special to Christians?’

Firstly, we tried to understand how people prepare for a baby.  We discussed all the different things that a baby would need and thought about what they might not need just yet.  We then completed a sorting diagram where we categorised what a baby needs and what a baby does not need.      

Next, we discussed how we celebrate birthdays.  We talked about why birthdays are celebrated, the items used to help celebrate birthdays and stated that Christians believe that Jesus’ birthday is celebrated at Christmas.  We then created a list to show this.      

Our next lesson was to understand why people give presents at Christmas.  We learned about how Christians believe that Jesus was a gift from God.  We then thought about a gift that we were grateful for and a gift that we would like to receive.  We showed this work through pictures and a sentence. 

After this, we watched a video of The Christmas Story and talked about the people in it and what happened.  This then helped us to sequence pictures of The Christmas Story. 

Next, we created a story map of The Christmas Story.  We had to remember the features of the story and understand that a story map starts at the beginning of the story and finishes at the end. 

Our next lesson was to identify a character from The Christmas Story.  We were able to name the characters from the story and understand their role in the story.  We showed this work through a picture and sentence. 

To finish our topic, we re-told The Christmas Story.  We stuck a picture of part of the story in our books and, using our story map, we wrote a sentence about it.      

PSHE

Our topic this half term was ‘Celebrating Differences.’ As part of this topic, we identified similarities between people in our class. 

We then spent time thinking about the differences between people in our class.

Next, we thought about what bullying is.  We discussed how it is different to falling out with a friend – it is deliberate, and it happens repeatedly.

After that, we thought about some people who we could talk to if we were feeling unhappy or being bullied.

Towards the end of our topic, we thought about the different ways we could make new friends.

During this topic, we have also listened to other people as well as contributing our own ideas about rewards and consequences. 

Computing

In computing this half term, we have been continuing to familiarise ourselves with Purple Mash.  We have used the paint programme, online jigsaws and explored other tools as well. E can now confidently log on to Purple Mash independently! 

PE  

In PE this half term, we have been playing invasion games.  We had to show control when dribbling and learned to pass accurately. We were also passing and receiving the ball to each other.  As well as this, we were learning to understand defence and attack and to play in a team. Finally, we began to show how to catch a ball correctly and pass it accurately.  We were developing the following skills: balance, co-ordination, speed, power, hopping, skipping, running, jumping, throwing, catching. dribbling, control, agility, and movement.

DT

In DT this half term, we used our sewing skills to make felt fish and frogs. We had a design criteria and had to research ideas.  We also had to think about the materials we would need to use.  After finishing our felt fish or frog, we then had to evaluate it.  We thought about the best part of making it, what we found difficult and what we would change if we made it again. 

 

Music

Year 1, Little Marvels, can concentrate and listen to a piece of music, they know how to warm up before singing either sitting or standing well so that they can project the sounds confidently. The year 1 children have really enjoyed the warmup routine which consists of stretching up and down, rubbing cheeks gently, pulling a big face and small face, pretending to chew chewing gum, then blowing a big bubble – and the most favourite and fun – writing a letter with your tongue!

They also enjoyed playing glockenspiels and having a go at composing using coloured strips of card to create a graphic score.

With Mr Garrett, they rehearsed the Whoops-Daisy-Angel nativity songs, learning to sing with good posture after warming up.

Maths/Maths on the Move Day

In Maths this half term, we started our ‘Maths – No Problem!’ scheme.  Our first topic was ‘Numbers to 10.’ We were very excited to use our new textbooks and workbooks. 

Firstly, we recapped work on ordering numbers.  Some of us focussed on numbers up to 10 and others focussed on numbers up to 20.  We did this in a variety of ways including pictures, abstract numbers and playing a game online. 

Next, we recapped work on greater than and less than.  We reminded ourselves of the <, > and = symbols used when comparing numbers. 

After this, we moved onto addition. 

First, we reminded ourselves of the Part-Part Whole model.  We did this in lots of different ways.  We watched our teacher demonstrate the Part-Part Whole model using practical equipment.  We then played some online games linked to this as well as activities on Purple Mash.  After looking at Part-Part Whole models practically, we then used them to represent numbers in pictures and then eventually progressing onto abstract numbers.  

Next, we reminded ourselves of using Ten Frames to help with addition.  Again, we began by completing some practical online games linked to this.  We then progressed onto counting the different coloured counters on the Ten Frames and writing them into a number sentence.  After this, we were given a calculation and had to put the correct amounts of counters onto the Ten Frames. 

To conclude the half term, we recapped work on Time. 

First, we reminded ourselves of the days of the week and completed an online quiz on the BBC Bitesize website.  We then reminded ourselves of the ‘Days of the Week’ song that we sing in class to ‘The Addams Family’ theme tune.  We answered questions about the days of the week including ordering them and solving a puzzle. 

After that, we looked at the months of the year.  Firstly, we sang a rap about them.  Then we made a poster putting the months in the correct order and drawing an appropriate picture to correspond with the month. After this, we progressed onto answering questions about the months of the year.

On the last day of term, our school took part in Maths on the Move Day.  We were given ten challenges to try and complete.  The challenges were practical and got us up and moving, which made a welcome change after online learning!  Our challenges included finding objects around our houses and measuring them, counting the amount of windows and doors our houses had and using our feet to measure the width of a room.  Mrs Dempsey chose two winners from our class who will receive a certificate and prize when we return to school. 

English

Each week during this half term, we have focussed on a different Julia Donaldson story.

The first story we looked at was ‘The Highway Rat.’ We read the story and watched the BBC adaptation of it.  As part of our learning, we created a picture of The Highways Rat and labelled his personality and appearance.  We also created a list of all the food the rat steals, made a ‘Wanted’ poster for the rat and thought about who our favourite character in the story was and why.

The second Julia Donaldson story was ‘The Smeds and The Smoos.’  We read the story and wrote adjectives to describe Janet and Bill’s planet.  We were also challenged to write a sentence about it.  Next, we had to draw the view that we could see from the blue rocket. Our picture included sky, terrain and plant or animal life.  We also used Purple Mash to create an alien profile and a postcard from our own planet to a friend at home.

The third Julia Donaldson story was ‘Tabby McTat.’  We read the first part of the story and then used adjectives to describe Tabby McTat. After that, we created a ‘Missing’ poster for Tabby McTat and, after reading the rest of the story, we compared two of the characters – Socks and Tabby McTat.

The fourth Julia Donaldson was ‘The Snail and the Whale.’ After reading the story, we described the snail using adjectives.  We then watched the BBC adaptation of the story and chose a setting to describe.  We also imagined where we would want the whale to take us if we were the snail and to finish, we wrote sentences about a given setting from the story.

In addition to this, we have also completed SPaG activities, reading comprehensions and phonics.     

 

Science

In Science this half term, we began our ‘Materials’ topic. 

Our first lesson was ‘Naming Materials.’  We identified a range of materials and tried to find them in our homes.

Our next lesson was ‘Objects and Materials.’  We looked at a range of objects and thought about what materials they may be made from.  We then tried an activity on the BBC Bitesize website.

After this, our next lesson was ‘Properties of Materials.’ After looking at a variety of materials and using vocabulary such as ‘transparent’ and absorbent’ to describe them, we played a ‘Guess the Materials quiz’ on Purple Mash.

Our next lesson was ‘Testing properties.’  We had a list of materials and decoded whether they were waterproof or not.  Then, with a different list of materials, we decided whether they were absorbent or not. 

To conclude our Science lessons this half term, we looked at ‘Everyday Material.’ We were given some objects and had to write the correct material they were made from.  We then had to write the correct property next to a variety of objects.  We used vocabulary such as ‘absorbent’ and ‘flexible.’

RE

Our topic this half term was Buddhism. 

Firstly, we read the story of Buddha.  We then created a picture of Buddha and wrote three words to describe him. 

Next, we learned about where Buddhists worship.  We virtually looked around a Buddhist temple and labelled the parts of it.  For example: the meditation area, the Wheel of life and offerings.

 

PSHE/Well-being

Our first PSHE lesson was to think about our feelings.  We listened to the story, ‘The Colour Monster’ by Anna Llenas
and thought about all of the different feelings that the book talks about.
We then created pictures in images of bottles to show the colour monster the things that made us feel the various feelings. For example, the things that made us happy, sad, angry, scared and calm.

Next, we thought about what we like about ourselves.  We had to write or draw as many things as we could that we liked about ourselves. For example, I like my hair; or I like my brown eyes; or I am funny.

We then thought about when we are feeling sad, worried, angry, or lonely, thinking about things that make us happy can help.  We thought about things that make us happy and then answered questions about it in words and pictures.

During children’s mental health week, we did lots of calming activities such as Cosmic Yoga and meditation activities on Go Noodle.  We also thought about how we can look after ourselves, what we would put in our bag full of worries, which things make us happy and who can help us.  In addition to this, some of us did some creative activities.  A few of us expressed ourselves through food- we cooked food that either made us happy or represented our culture.  The children that were in school made worry dolls and ‘Happy Face’ biscuits.    

Computing/ Safer Internet Day

In computing this half term, we have been using Purple Mash to group and sort different criteria.

We have also practised our keyboard skills.

For Safer Internet Day, we completed a quiz about how to stay safe on the internet.  We also made a poster on Purple Mash informing people about the importance of not sharing passwords and thought about how we should protect our personal information.    

PE  

In PE this half term, we have been enjoying the activities that Mr Coates has been setting.  These have included yoga, workouts and practising fundamental skills such as throwing, catching and hopping. 

Music

In music this half term, Mrs Lingard has set us lots of fun activities to try.  These included a rhythm matching game, learning about tempo, clapping to the rhythm and composition.  Some children at home and at school made music shakers.

Geography

This half term, we began learning about the Antarctic. 

First, we learned about all of the different animals that live in Antarctica such as emperor penguins, leopard seals, elephant seals, fur seals, krill, albatross, dolphin, orca and blue whale.  We created a picture of one of the animals and labelled it. 

Next, we learned about continents and oceans.  We watched a video and completed quizzes on Purple Mash.

History

Our History topic this half term is ‘Explorers.’

In our first lesson, we thought about what makes people important.  We looked at famous important people and what they have done to make them important.  For example, Queen Elizabeth II, Florence Nightingale and Mo Farah.  We then completed a quiz about what we had learned.

Next, we found out about Neil Armstrong and his moon landing.  We watched a video clip of this and thought about what we would take to the moon if we went to explore it.  We then showed through pictures and writing what we would pack in a bag if we went to the moon.

Art  

In Art this half term, we have practised our drawing skills by creating a wintery picture.  We also used Purple Mash to create a flower.  In addition to this, some of us took part in various competitions such as a sunflower competition and a Valentines competition.

Maths

In Maths this half term, we continued with our ‘Maths – No Problem!’ scheme. 

Firstly, we completed our ‘Numbers to 10’ topic. We ordered numbers and compared numbers by working out what was one more and what was one less.    

Next, we moved onto our ‘Number Bonds’ topic.  At first, we made number bonds using pictures, Ten Frames and Part-Part Whole models.  We then progressed onto making number stories using pictures to help us.    

After this, we moved onto our ‘Addition Within 10’ topic. We began by adding using number bonds.  And then moved onto adding by counting on. We completed the topic by completing number sentences using the Part-Part Whole model.    

English

Our topic this half term was ‘Stories with Repeating Patterns.’  We used ‘Zog’ by Julia Donaldson to explore this. 

Firstly, we identified features of a book such as the author, illustrator, title, blurb, front cover, and back cover.  We then learned about the purpose of these features. 

After reading the story and discussing the plot, we chose a character and described it to our partner.  We thought about the character’s appearance and personality.  We then moved on to using adjectives to describe Zog. 

Next, we thought about the main parts of the story and sequenced them as a class.  In groups, we then acted out parts of the story. 

We then thought about where capital letters and full stops are placed in a sentence.  We were given sentences about the story and identified the capital letters by circling them in red and identified the full stops by circling them in blue.  We then had to re-write given sentences and put the capital letter and full stop in the correct places. 

We will continue with this topic in the Summer Term.

During the last week before the Easter holidays, we took a break from our topic to take part in a masterclass from the author Luke Temple.  He sent us videos about his book ‘Albert and the Blubber Monster.’  After reading extracts of it, we designed and labelled our own monster and gave it a name.  We then described our monster’s head, body and teeth using adjectives.  After that, we listened to a description of the Blubber Monster’s castle and sketched it by paying attention to the adjectives used.  Finally, we chose pictures of treasure and used adjectives to describe it.  Some of us wrote sentences about the treasure. 

Science

In Science this half term, we began our ‘Plants’ topic. 

During our first lesson, we found out the definition of a wild plant.  We then looked at some photographs of wild plants and learnt their names.  Afterwards, we walked around the school grounds and collected information of how many different types of wild plants were growing and what they were called.

For our next lesson, we found out the definition of garden plants.  We then looked at some photographs of wild plants and learnt their names.  Afterwards, we designed our own garden consisting of garden plants. 

Just before the Easter holidays, we found out the definition of deciduous and evergreen trees.  We then looked at various examples of these trees and sorted them into the correct categories. 

We will continue with our topic in the Summer Term.  

RE

In RE, we continued and completed our ‘Christianity – God’ topic from Autumn Term 2. 

Firstly, we tried to understand why Christians pray.  We watched video clips of Christians praying and learned about the features of prayers.  We then used all of this knowledge to write our own prayer.  We used language such as ‘Amen.’

To finish, we read The Easter Story and watched an animation about it.  We discussed the features of the story and discussed how the various people in the story might have felt.  We then designed our own stained glass window with the symbol of the cross in it.

PSHE

Our PSHE topic this half term was ‘Keeping Healthy.’

We began the topic by thinking about healthy diets and how it is important to have different types of food in our diets.

Next, we were learning about how medicines can make us feel better when we are poorly.  We looked at a range of children’s medicines and discussed how important it is to be administered by and adult and how the instructions need to be read and followed.  We then completed a sorting activity where we had to decide whether images of things we put into our bodies were always healthy/safe, sometimes healthy/safe or never healthy/safe. 

To complete our topic, we discussed how to keep safe when crossing the road.  We made a list of how to cross the road safely, watched video clips about it and then acted it out on the playground.  We then made a road safety poster.   

Computing

In computing this half term, we have been using Purple Mash to learn about algorithms.  We followed an algorithm to colour a bird and Hansel and Gretel’s House.  We then considered how the order of a set of instructions is important.  We had to correct an algorithm for how to make a sandwich as the images did not correctly match the instructions. 

We have also practised our keyboard skills.

PE  

In PE this half term, we have been practising fundamental skills such as throwing, catching and hopping with Mr Coates.  We also really enjoyed a sequence of movements to music in our dance lessons.    

Music

In music this half term, we have been warming up our voices with Mr Garett by singing fun songs.  We have also sang number songs and sang a range of other songs.

The Little Marvels looked and tambourines and claves too, but we used the words Timbre and Rhythm when creating our music. We listened to hear how the plastic and wooden tambourines sounded different and how holding the claves tightly gave a different timbre. We then copied and repeated simple, short patterns. We tapped out the rhythm to – Mrs. Dempsey is the best, We love Mrs. Dempsey.

We enjoyed listening to some Easter songs and finished off with a sound lotto game.

We joined in with the Lancashire Music Service YouTube Channel and the Jump up and Join in episodes with Emma and Tim.

Geography

Our Geography topic this half term is ‘Penguins.’  During this topic, we will be answering the key question ‘Why don’t penguins need to fly?’

During this half term, we looked at the first ancillary question: ‘Where is Pip’s home and what do we find there?’  We read the story ‘Where is Home, Little Pip?’ by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman.  Afterwards, we discussed what kind of animal Pip was and in what sort of place she lived; why getting lost was so dangerous for Pip and what might have happened to her given the conditions she encountered. We were encouraged to think about the geography of this place – particularly the landscape and associated weather conditions.  We then though about what we already knew about penguins and where they live.  We then wrote a sentence to identify the geography of the story setting. 

In our next lesson, we used a map to identify the continents and oceans of the world.  Mrs Lingard taught us a song in Music to help us remember them!  The continent we were focussing on was Antarctica.  We watched a video clip and discussed why it is known as the ‘white continent.’  We looked at images of Antarctica and thought about what it would be like to visit there and what we might see and hear.  In our books, we used an image of Antarctica to write adjectives to describe what it would be like there and what we might see. 

We will continue with our topic in the Summer Term.     

History

Our History topic this half term is ‘Great Explorers.’  During this topic, we will be answering the key question ‘What does it take to be a great explorer?’

During this half term, we looked at the first ancillary question: ‘Why is Ranulph Fiennes in the Guinness World Records?’  We asked ourselves the question ‘What does it mean to make history?’  We looked at some images of Ranulph Fiennes and discussed what his job might be and why he might be famous.  After finding out that he was an explorer, we discussed what this meant.  We then wrote a sentence about how he was also the first person to travel on foot to both the North Pole and South Pole, and the only person in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the North Pole and South Pole.

In our next lesson, we watched a variety of video clips to gain an insight about what Antarctica would be like.  We thought about the challenges that Ranulph Fiennes might have faced and the qualities we would need to be a successful explorer.  We then showed this through a drawing in our books and made a list of qualities. 

After that, we looked at a map and tried to identify the Himalayan Mountains in Asia. We then looked at images of Mount Everest.  As a class, we wrote a summative paragraph about Ranulph Fiennes. 

We will continue our topic in the Summer Term.    

Art  

In Art this half term, we have continued to practise our drawing skills by sketching flowers.  This linked to our Science topic.  First, we sketched a large flower.  Then we sketched the same flower again but tried to draw it smaller.   

Maths

In Maths this half term, we continued with our ‘Maths – No Problem!’ scheme. 

Firstly, we completed our ‘Subtraction Within 10’ topic. We completed this in many ways such as subtracting by crossing out and subtracting by counting back on a numberline.  We then applied our knowledge to addition and subtraction facts.

Next, we moved onto our ‘Numbers to 20’ topic.  At first, we counted to 20 by making ten and counting on.  We then progressed onto writing numbers to 20 in both digits and words.  Next, we ordered and compared numbers to 20.    

After this, we moved onto our ‘Addition and Subtraction Within 20’ topic. We began with adding by counting on.  We then moved onto adding by making 10 and then adding by adding ones. We then completed our topic by subtracting by counting backwards using a numberline. 

English

We continued our topic of ‘Stories with Repeating Patterns.’  We used ‘Zog’ by Julia Donaldson to explore this. 

Firstly, we answered questions about the text.  We used our knowledge of the text to answer questions about it.  Next, we were introduced to Kung-Fu punctuation.  We had great fun practically creating sentences with the Kung-Fu actions.  We then used this knowledge to confidently write simple sentences about images from ‘Zog’ with capital letters and full stops.  After this, we created a story map as a class and then discussed actions and performed it.  To complete this topic, we chose a part of the story and changed part of it.  We then wrote sentences to show this. 

Our next topic was ‘Letters.’  To begin our topic, we compared different types of texts such as postcards, text messages, posters and invitations.  We worked with a partner to discuss and highlight their various features.  After this, we read a variety of letters.  We discussed and highlighted their features and correctly sequenced a letter.  We identified that the letters we looked at contained questions.  We therefore identified question starters and question marks in given questions.  Next, we progressed onto correcting given questions by including a capital letter, question mark and question starter in the correct place.  After this, we were given an image and asked to create questions about it.  We then read the story ‘Zog and the Flying Doctors’ by Julia Donaldson.  We chose one of the characters from the story who had been helped by the doctors.  We then planned a letter from their perspective thanking the doctors for their help.  To complete our topic, we used our plans to write a letter from the perspective of a character from the story. 

Our final topic of the half term was ‘Instructions.’ To begin our topic, we compared different types of instructions such as recipes and instructions for games.  We worked with a partner to discuss and highlight their various features.  After this, we read a variety of instructions.  We discussed and highlighted their features and correctly sequenced a set of instructions.  We followed a set of instructions to plant beans, which linked to our Science topic of ‘Plants.’  We also had great fun learning about imperative verbs.  We played a boardgame linked to them as well as playing games such as ‘Charades.’  Next, we began to write a set of instructions for getting ready for school.  We included features such as bullet points, imperative verbs and pictures.  To complete our topic, we used all of our knowledge to write a set of instructions for a younger child explaining to them how to get dressed.  We used all of the features we had learned about.  

      

Science

In Science this half term, we continued with our ‘Plants’ topic.

Firstly, we began to identify the different parts of the flower.  We then created our own pictures of flowers using materials such as straws and paper cake case.

In our next lesson, we stuck real flowers into our books and correctly labelled the different parts such as petals, stem, leaves, roots and seed.

Next, we learned about the function of each part of the flower.  We found out how the stem holds the flower up, the leaves take energy from the sun, the roots take nutrients from the soil, the petals attract the bees and new flowers grow from seeds.   

RE

In RE, we began our new topic of Islam.  We were aiming to answer the question ‘How might beliefs about creation affect the way people treat the world?’

Firstly, we were thinking about how we should appreciate our natural world.  We went on a nature walk and talked about aspects of nature that we enjoy.  We collected leaves, flowers and acorns and used them in Art to create collages of our natural world.  

Next, we discussed the good and bad changes to our environment.  We looked at images of beauty such as rainbows, animals and beaches and then compared them with negative images of our world such as pollution, litter and deforestation. 

In our next lesson, we thought about how Muslims might think that it is important to teach children to care for all living things.  We listened to some stories from the Qur’an and interpreted their message through drawings. 

After that, we learned about what we might see and experience at a mosque.  We interpreted information from sources such as videos and identified the important features of a mosque.

Next, we needed to understand the role of a caretaker so that we knew what it would take to be a caretaker of our world.  We interviewed our school caretaker, Mr Moffitt.  He told us all about what his job entailed. 

Finally, to complete our topic, we sketched pictures to show what we think the natural world should look like.  We also compiled a list of rules that should be followed for looking after our world.    

 

PSHE

Our PSHE topic this half term was ‘Relationships.’

We began the topic by thinking about how it feels to belong to a family and care about the people who are important to us.  We identified the members of our families and understood that there are lots of different types of families.

Next, we identified what being a good friend meant to me.  We identified which qualities make a good friend and understood how to make a new friend.

After that, we recognised which forms of physical contact are acceptable and unacceptable to us.  We learned about appropriate forms of physical contact to greet our friends and understood which forms of physical contact we prefer.  

Next, we learned about who can help us in our school community.  We thought about knowing how to ask for help and when to ask for help.

Then we recognised our qualities as a person and a friend.  We thought about ways to praise ourselves.  

Finally, to complete our topic, we told each other why we appreciate someone who is special to us.  We discussed ways to express how we feel about people.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week in May, we began to understand how nature can help our mental health.  As part of this, we gained a greater understanding about mental health and thought of ways how nature can help our mental health.  We designed a poster that encouraged others to do all they can to feel close to nature.

Computing

In computing this half term, we have been using Purple Mash to create an animated eBook. 

During the unit of work, we learned about what eBooks are and their pros and cons.  We then added animation and sound to our stories.  Finally, we added backgrounds to our animations.  

We have also practised our keyboard skills.

PE  

In PE this half term, we have been learning to work collaboratively as part of a team.  We have had to develop our listening skills.  We have completed obstacle courses and team games. 

We have also learned about some of the main parts of our skeleton including the spine, pelvis and ribs.  We also learned how to take care of our skin and bodies in the sun. 

Music

In music this half term, we have been warming up our voices with Mr Garett by singing fun songs.  We have also learned about dynamics.

This half term the Little Marvels have sat quietly and listened to several different genres of music to then say whether they like or disliked the piece of music.

There were then challenged to say why…… they liked or disliked it using some musical vocabulary: Dynamics Loud /forte, soft/ piano. Tempo slow/ largo, fast/ presto

We then created some music trying to use our elements of music – dynamics and tempo. We looked at a simple graphic score and followed it deciding whether we would play loud or soft, fast or slow.

Using the Charanga rhythm grid we created a pictorial graphic score and followed it playing triangles and tambourines.

Finally, we made our own graphic score.

Geography

In Geography, we continued with our ‘Penguins’ topic.  During this topic, we will be answering the key question ‘Why don’t penguins need to fly?’

During this half term, we learned about the features of birds.  We found out that not all birds can fly and those that can’t are good at something else such as running or swimming.  We learned how all birds have wings, feet, feathers, beaks and lay eggs. 

In our next lesson, we were trying to understand the differences between plants and animals.  We were able to use our prior knowledge to identify facts such as animals can make a noise whereas plants cannot. 

We then investigated how Emperor Penguins have adapted to life in Antarctica.  We found that they have thick fat to keep the cold out, they have thick, oily feathers to keep the water off, they have small flippers for swimming fast and they have a pouch to keep their egg warm. 

Next, we used a variety of sources to compare and contrast the Sahara Desert with Antarctica.  We found that they are in different continents, they have different weather and different animals live in both places. 

Our last lesson of the half term was understanding how camels have adapted to life in their environment.  We found that they have long legs to keep their bodies away from the scorching ground, they store fat in their humps, they have thick, leathery pads on their knees to stop them from burning, they have two rows of eyelashes to protect their eyes, they have a thick layer of fur to keep them warm at night and they have flat, leathery pads on their hooves to make walking on the sand easier.  

We will continue our topic next half term.   

History

In History, we continued with our topic ‘Great Explorers.’  During this topic, we will be answering the key question ‘What does it take to be a great explorer?’

Firstly, we compared life from ninety years ago to now by looking at the explorer Amy Johnson.  We used a variety of sources to find out about how Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo to Australia.  During the procession to welcome her home, we could see how the cars were different back then, the ladies had different hairstyles, the clothes looked different and there were no electric windows in the cars. 

In our next lesson, we recognised the change in roles of women now and ninety years ago and used video sources to try and answer the question, ‘Do you think women in the 1930’s were treated fairly?’  

We then used all of our knowledge about Amy Johnson to suggest why she was such a great explorer.  One of the main reasons we found was that she was brave and achieved something that had never been done before. 

After that, we compared an old map and a modern map of the world.  After discussing the similarities and differences, we were introduced to the great explorer Christopher Columbus.  We studied artwork which told of Columbus’ expeditions to discover new lands.   

We will continue our topic next half term.    

Art  

In Art this half term, we have continued to practise a variety of skills. 

Firstly, we created a collage of nature which linked to our RE topic of Islam.  We went on a nature walk around the school grounds and collected leaves, flowers and acorns.  We then created a collage out of them.  After this, we sketched our collage.

We then practised our skills of sketching a real-life object.  We linked this to our Science topic of flowers and sketched flowers.

Next, we sketched our self portrait and then used chalk to sketch our portrait again. 

To finish our topic, we sketched and painted camels.  This linked to our Geography unit where we were learning about how camels adapt their bodies to live in climates such as the Sahara Desert.