All about Year 1

Who is in our class?

Mrs Wright                 Mrs Kumari           Miss Wilkinson          Mrs Sigsworth                  Mrs Clifford

Class Teacher            1:1 Support               1:1 Support                Class Teacher              Teaching Assistant

Monday all day            Every day                 Every day                Thursday all day            Tuesday afternoon

Tuesday morning                                                                                                                  (PPA cover)

Wednesday all day

Friday all day

Our Class News

 We hope that you enjoy looking through our learning journey in Year 1. 

The posts will appear newest to oldest so you can scroll down to see what we have been getting up to since joining Year 1 in September. 

At the bottom of the page, you will see the curriculum documents for each half term. These will be added to and updated throughout the year.

There is also information about Homework expectations. 

If you ever wish to speak to us about your child's learning, please either come chat to us at the door or book an appointment through the main office. 

You can also email any queries to kwright@christchurch-pellon.calderdale.sch.uk.

What have we been up to?

Posts appear newest to oldest as you scroll down. 

As an early Christmas treat, year 1 went on their first ever school trip to the Vue Cinema in Halifax.

After an early picnic lunch in the classroom, we caught the bus into town. The very kindly bus driver didn't even charge us for the children, which was a very nice surprise.

We then visited the big Christmas Tree near Broad Street Plaza for a class photograph.

Once we arrived at the cinema, we got settled into our seats and dug into sweet popcorn, sweets and juice.

Moana 2 was so much fun to watch and year 1's behaviour throughout was excellent, they really made us proud.

We carefully crossed the road to the bus stop and waited patiently for it to arrive. We even managed to spot 2D shapes in the bus station roof!

The year 1 staff could not be prouder of how our children behaved, even when the return bus journey was very busy and space was tight. Everyone really enjoyed the trip and we are excited to do more in the future.

Inter Faith Week

Year 1 were given Hinduism to research.

We learned:

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest major religions.

People who follow the religion of Hinduism are known as Hindus.

Most religions usually have a ‘founder’ who set them up, such as Jesus (Christianity) and Muhammad (Islam). Hinduism did not have a founder.

Most Hindus believe in:

• The importance of family/respect for elders
• Being peaceful
• That cows are sacred animals

All Hindus believe:

• Each person has a soul that is part of a circle of life, death and rebirth.
• A person’s soul is reborn in another person or in an animal.
• In karma – that good actions lead to a more desirable rebirth, while bad actions lead to a less desirable rebirth.

Diwali & Holi Festivals

In October or November, Hindus celebrate Diwali – The Festival of Lights.

It is a celebration of light over dark and good over evil.

Divali is celebrated in lots of different ways but most Hindus will:

• Clean and tidy their houses in preparation for visitors.
• Create Rangoli patterns using coloured powders and rice or flowers.
• Visiting the Temple
• Diya Lamps
• Watching Fireworks.
• Sharing a Family Feast.

Inter Faith Assembly

Each class in school got to show off their art work.

We created a giant art piece using paint, coloured rice and hand cutouts.

Mrs Kumari even added some traditional Henna patterns on. 

We love how bright and colourful our art turned out to be and it is displayed proudly in the classroom. 

Geography

We have been learning about our local area. 

We have looked at Google Earth to see what is around our school like shops, houses, a reservoir, allotments and much more. 

We loved showing each other where we live and the places close to school that we visit frequently.

Morrissons and Asda were frequently mentioned, especially buying sweets! 

SCIENCE

In science we have looked at seasonal changes in Autumn and Winter. We did some practical science experiments. The first experiment was a challenge to see if we could pick up ice cubes with string. Unfortunately, because it was so hot in class, this didn't work but we were able to have some excellent discussion troubleshooting it and seeing what might have made it work if we tried again.

We then replicated how a rain cloud stores rain and then becomes too heavy and the rain begins to fall. Year 1 loved this and created some beautiful artwork depicting the experiments. 

Take a look at our experiments below:

RE - Celebrations

We looked at the special celebrations that happen in different religions. 

Celebrations help to mark and remember special times.

Christians celebrate harvest Festivals by showing gratitude and giving to others.

Jewish people build shelters during Sukkot to remember the story of Moses in the dessert.

Muslims celebrate Eid at the end of the month of fasting during Ramadan.

Hindus and Sikhs celebrate Diwali with diva lights and fireworks.

Religious and non-religious celebrations may include candles, gifts and special food.

Year 1 created Sukkahs (a den) using our Tuff Tray and enjoyed reading with a friend in there. 

We also tried foods that Muslims may share during Ramadan when they break their fasts.

We also led the collection of dried and tinned foods, toiletries and sweets to donate to Smart Move during the Christian celebration of Harvest. 

English/Writing

We have been looking at a story called My Teacher's Secret Life. In the story, the children believe teachers live at school. They imagine what the teachers get up to after the children go home and are shocked to find them doing normal things like food shopping at Asda!

Year 1 were imagining what they think the teacher's of Christ Church get up to in the evenings. Ideas included:

Mrs Bastian rides around the school in a trolley while the teachers cheer her on.

Miss Wilkinson sleeps on the Year 1 rug, watching tv on the big board in class.

Mrs Wright rollerskates in the hall. 

You can see more of the children's ideas below:

History - Toys Old and New

Our first learning opportunities in Year 1 have been about Toys from the past and now. 

We have created a Toy Museum in class and compared old and new toys, seeing their differences and similarities. 

We discovered that older toys tend to be made from wood, fabric and metal. They also don't need batteries or electricity. 

Newer toys tend to be made of plastic and need batteries to move. 

Year 1 LOVED making toys from different things in the classroom. 

We discovered a real love of creating cameras and taking 'selfies' 

Take a look at some of the things we have created!

Beginning Our Year 1 Journey

We have spent lots of time in the first term getting to know our new adults, new classroom, new routines and new learning. We love playing and exploring the resources in class and have taken part in lots of practical learning opportunities. 

Mrs Wright is getting to know us better, learning what we like and don't like and how we learn best. 

We love being in Year 1 so far and are looking forward to more adventures going forward. 

Curriculum - Autumn 1

Curriculum - Autumn 2

Curriculum - Spring 1

Curriculum - Spring 2

Curriculum - Summer 1

Curriculum - Summer 2

Homework

Reading at home with your child is the single most important thing you can do! 

Each week your child will bring home a phonics reading book. Please be sure to sign their reading record to celebrate how much wonderful reading they are doing. If a child has read 4 times within a week, this counts towards their Target Trip rewards. It may seem repetitive to read the same book over and over, but this is an important part of their reading journey. Familiarity with a text helps build fluency and confidence. Of course, please record any and all books that you read with your child as it is all greatly beneficial!

We are launching new Reading Certificates and prizes this year. Rewards will be given for every 10, 20, 50 and 100 books read. 

We will also send weekly spellings linked to their phonics learning.

Finally, your child has a log in to play Numbots at home. This can be accessed on a phone, tablet or computer. We will also do sessions of this in school, so please don't worry if they cannot access it from home. Any extra practice will really help them with their maths learning, but we know not everyone has internet and devices. Please let us know if your child needs a reminder of their log in details. 

This app is designed for young children and is a really fun way to support your child with their Maths learning. 

Please see the videos below for more ideas on how to support your child's learning at home: