Topic
We begin this half term with a mini-topic all about nocturnal animals. We will learn what it means to be nocturnal and some examples of nocturnal animals.
Our big topic for this term is all about farms. We will learn about animals and their habitats, compare farms in different countries and study how farms have changed over time. We will even visit a farm later in the term!
SEAL
This theme is the first of two focusing specifically on feelings. It explores feelings in the context of the child as an individual, developing self-awareness and helping the child to realise that it really is ‘Good to be me’. The theme is about understanding our feelings as well as considering our strengths and weaknesses as learners. It aims to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in three key social and emotional aspects of learning: self-awareness, managing feelings and empathy.
New beginnings
Sadly, this half term will be my last here at Moortown. I have a new role as a class teacher in York (much closer to home) which will begin in June. My new job has extra leadership responsibilities so I am looking forward to sharing all of the good and outstanding practice that I have learnt during my time here.
I am currently writing the children’s reports so you will receive them as normal before the end of the school year. SATs will be completed and marked in the next few weeks too.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for being supportive as it has really helped the children to make very good progress so far this year. The class have been an absolute delight to teach and I will miss each and every one them.
19 April 2013
We’re learning to spell words with y at the end.
Ending a word with ‘y’ can sometimes make a very short ‘e’ or ‘i’ sound, such as ‘party’ and ‘lady’. However, the words in this list are all single-syllable words where the ‘y’ makes a long ‘i’ sound.
These will be tested on Friday 26 April.
by |
cry |
fly |
dry |
sky |
try |
fry |
my |
19 April 2013
Over the next few weeks, our spellings are going to focus on a familiar set of letters (eg ough, ight) that are pronounced differently depending on which word they feature in (eg cough, through).
This week, the set of letters are ough.
LO: words that contain ough |
rough |
tough |
enough |
plough |
thought |
through |
though |
trough |
cough |
Encourage your child to think about the different sounds they hear when they say the words, and encourage them to think of others, too.
Is there a new teacher in Y1?
You could be mistaken in thinking there is a new teacher in Y1! However, if you look carefully you will see that one of the children has let me have a rest. Lots of Y1 have brought books in this week to read to each other. It’s great to see how confident they have become.
Incidentally, can you see the questions on the interactive whiteboard? These questions are about our forthcoming Big Topic – the questions are from the pupils – they help us to plan what to teach during the topic!
19 April 2013
This week’s spellings are homophones. These are words that sound the same but have a different spelling and meaning. Your child will be tested on Friday 26 April 2013.
- meet
- meat
- deer
- dear
- see
- sea
- flee
- flea
- bare
- bear
We’ll be thinking about other homophones during the week too.
19 April 2013
Homework this week is creative. It’s the second of three homework tasks this school year when we invite children to respond to something from a cultural or spiritual perspective (we’ve timed these so they fall close to religious festivals, from Eid to Easter).
I can respond to a programme or film I’ve seen.
We’d like children to present their responses about a recent programme or film they’ve seen. We’re interested to hear your child’s opinions and any connections they might have made between the programme or film and their own life. This might include pictures, an interview (you could write a fictional script between an interviewer and a character), a letter (eg to or from a character) – anything which might include your child’s responses!
However, your child might prefer to do the following:
I can show what Passover or Easter means to me and my community.
Recently, some children will have celebrated the Christian festival of Easter or the Jewish festival of Passover. We invite children to respond to the sentence above – they might include a recount (like a diary entry), pictures, an interview (perhaps in a script), or any other creative response.
Flamingoland: the day in pictures
What a great day!
We had fantastic fun at Flamingoland. These pictures will give you a flavour of the day.
Your children were exceptionally well behaved and threw themselves into the activities with great gusto.
It certainly was an adrenaline-filled day.