Maples (Year 1)
Welcome to Maples Class
Class Teacher: Mrs Green
Email: sgreen@bewickbridge.co.uk
Teaching Assistants: Ms Stocker and Mrs Bharadwaj
Toy Stories
This term, our topic is ‘Toys’ and we have a lot of exciting activities planned.
In history we will be looking at how toys have changed over time. This will include comparing toys from the present day to those in the past, learning about toys our grandparents played with and finding out about toys from the Victorian times.
In DT we will continue with our focus on toys by exploring how sliders and levers work in moving picture books. We will then be designing and creating our own books to share with the reception children.
In art we will start the first part of the term by doing some printing work based on Japanese cherry blossom. This will involve looking at the work of artists Katsushika Hokusai and Damien Hirst. For the second part of the term we shall be doing some observational drawings of toys.
English
This term we will write:
A piece of persuasive writing based on the book the Greenling by Levi Pinfold.
Some poetry and riddles based around the poem Stegosaurus Wayne by Kenn Nesbitt
During these units we will be working hard on our handwriting and presentation and remembering all the things we need to include in our writing.
Maths this year!
Science
In science we will be learning about everyday materials and their properties. We will be working scientifically to;
distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made
identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock
describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials
(hard, soft, strong, weak, absorbent, heavy, light, solid and runny, smooth and rough)
compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties
Reminders
PE Kits: Please bring PE kits into school on Monday mornings and take them home to wash after school on a Friday. We will have a mixture of indoor and outdoor PE lessons so please ensure your child's PE kit is appropriate for all weathers.
Water bottles, reading records and reading books should be in school everyday.
Please ensure that all items (including lunch boxes, spare clothes and water bottles) are named as this will help us to know who they belong to and return them to their owners. In Year 1, children might have occasional toileting accidents, this is why we encourage you to put some spare clothes in your child’s bag.
Home Learning
Every Friday I will upload home learning activities to google classroom for your child to complete during the week. Handwriting sheets which can not be completed on google classroom will be given to the children at the end of the school day on Friday.
Home learning will include:
Reading x 5 per week (10 mins)
Weekly - handwriting, spellings, maths
Topic based project (1 per half term)
Home learning project
For your home learning project this term I would like you to choose 1 of the activities below to complete and then bring into school by Friday 27th May.
Option 1- Can you write a story about when your toys come to life? Think about ‘Toy Story’ for inspiration. What do your toys get up to while you are at school?
Option 2 - Interview a grandparent or older relative/friend about toys they played with when they were younger. E.g. toys they played with, their favourite toy, how it worked, what was it made from. Write down what they told you to share with the class.
Option 3 - Design your own board game or toy. Take a picture or bring it in to show the class.
Maths at home
Reading at home
We recognise the value of a partnership between home and school to support children in the development of their reading skills. Children who read regularly for 10-15 minutes at home will gain a great deal. Please encourage your child to read at least 5 times a week.
Tips for reading with your child:
Find a quiet space and a quiet time.
Have a look at the front cover together. Ask your child to tell you what they think the book will be about (predict).
Don’t worry if your child gets a word wrong. Encourage them to read till the end of the sentence. They might self-correct, however, if they are really stuck encourage them to use ’Special Friends’, ‘Fred Talk’, ‘read the word’.
Discuss the story and encourage their storyteller voice
Suggested reading list:
Here is a list of books that you may want to read with your child.
The Smartest Giant in Town - Julia Donaldson
A Squash and a Squeeze - Julia Donaldson
The Gruffalo’s Child - Julia Donaldson
The Gigantic Turnip - Aleksei Tolstoy
The Whisperer - Nick Butterworth
The Blue Balloon - Nick Butterworth
The Cat in the Hat - Dr Seuss
Hairy Maclary - Lynley Dodd
The Incredible Book Eating Boy - Oliver Jeffers
The Large Family Collection - Jill Murphy
Charlie and Lola - Lauren Child
The Trouble with Jack - Shirley Hughes
My Friend Bear - Jez Alborough
Avocado Baby - John Burningham
The Jolly Postman - Allan Ahlberg
Mister Magnolia - Quentin Blake
Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel
The Princess and the Pea - Minnie Grey
Don’t Forget the Bacon - Pat Hutchins
Emperor of Absurdia - Chris Riddell
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka
Mixed up Fairy Tales Hillary Robinson - Nick Sharratt
Not Now Bernard - David Mckee
Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey - Dominic Walliman
The Big Book Bugs - Yuval Zommer
Once Upon a Raindrop - James Carter
A Cat’s Guide to the Sky - Stuart Atkinson