Welcome to our Year 1 / 2,

Woodpecker Class page 

Class Teacher: Miss V Bowman

Support Staff: Miss K Fairbrother, Mrs K Tyrrell, Mrs L Clarke, Miss A Wesson, Mrs L Unwin, Miss K Mistry, Mrs T Haghighat

PE Days: Tuesday and Friday 

In Woodpecker Class we love to learn. Every week we enjoy learning new skills in a wide variety of subjects across the curriculum and enjoy implementing these skills in fun and engaging activities.

Please click on the link below for all the information on what we are learning about this half-term. 

This week (14th October - 18th October)

Year 1 

In Maths, Year 1 have been looking at addition fact families. They have been starting to learn about number bonds to 10 and how helpful these are to us! 

In History the children looked at some videos from a school in the 1950s and compared it to our school. They were shocked to see that the girls and boys had separate playgrounds and they had to bring a penny for their milk each day! 

In Science they finished off their learning about our five senses with a detailed look at how we can use our sight carefully. We played a memory game where they really had to look at what they could see, and then they looked at the different parts of the eye. 

Year 2 

This week year 2 have been adding and subtracting - making a 10 first, using equipment such as base 10 and counters.  The children knowing their number bonds to 10 helps them to do this. 

In RE they have learnt about the 5 pillars of Islam and why they are important and thought about how this applies to their own life.  They considered 5 things that are important to live a good life. 

In Geography, they completed an end of term quiz to help recall some of this half term's learning.  The children were good at remembering the names of the 7 continents and some of the 5 oceans.  Here are the links to the songs of they want to sing them at home https://youtu.be/K6DSMZ8b3LE  and https://youtu.be/X6BE4VcYngQ  

In PSHE, the children drew a picture of something that is special to them and shared it with their peers explaining why it was special.  They had to listen carefully to each other's ideas and show them that what they were saying was important.  They discussed the importance of helping others by reading the story The Enormous Turnip and talked about ways we help each other at school. 

This week (7th October - 11th October)

Year 1

The children in Year 1 have been looking at “part-whole” models in Maths this week, and discovering how these can help them with adding two numbers together. 

In History they have been looking at the sorts of clothes that children wore in the 1950s/60s. They were shocked to learn that girls did not really ever wear trousers, and that most children's clothes were handmade by their mothers. 

In Music the children have been working in small groups to create performances of our chant while playing to the pulse of the music. 

In Science they conducted an investigation using their sense of taste. They tasted different flavoured crisps and looked at their results as a group to see if everyone liked or disliked the same flavours. 

Year 2

Year 2 have learning to add two numbers by making ten first.  They have been using counters and ten frames, base 10 equipment and part-whole models to help them understand this concept.

They have evaluated their castles in DT, deciding what they liked about their design and what they could do differently next time.

In Geography they investigated the produce that was sold in a greengrocer in Devon and found out if was grown locally to the shop, or somewhere else in the UK.

In Science, Woodpecker 2 investigated making ice melt quickly using salt.  They observed changes over time and recorded what they saw.  Foxes will do this investigation next week.  The children will understand why people put salt down on icy paths in the winter!

(30th September - 4th October)

Year 1

In Maths, the children in Year 1 have been learning how to use the more than, less than and equals symbols.

In History they have learning about toys from past and have been drawing them.

In Science the children enjoyed using just their sense of smell to work out what a product was eg toothpaste, vinegar.

The children have produced some fantastic art with Miss Kerry, mixing powder paints and building on their work using spirals to produce wonderful snail pictures.

Year 2

This week Year 2 have been adding and subtracting number bonds for 10, 20 and 100 thinking about fact families e.g. 2+8 = 10, 8+ 2 = 10 therefore 10-2 =8 and 10-8 = 2. They have used bar models and part whole models to represent these facts.

In Geography, they have learnt how sugar is produced in the UK and where it comes from.  They looked at a variety of different products to see how many spoons of sugar they contained.  Some foods were very surprising!

In DT, they have finished off the mechanisms on their castles and started decorating them.  They are thinking about evaluating their designs and what they could have changed to make it work better.

In Science, they considered the questions 'Can paper be strong?' and worked together in groups to create bridges out of paper that would allow a toy car to pass over it without it collapsing.  They used layers and folding to successfully make strong bridges!

(23rd September - 27th September)

Year 1

Maths: the children have been learning about 1 more and 1 less with lots of different resources. They have been exploring “more than”, “less than” and “the same” symbols. They have made their own symbol with lollipop sticks to practice with  

History: relatives born in the 1950s and 1960s visited and the children enjoyed asking them questions and finding out about the past.  

Art: the children have been drawing shells with felt tips and exploring different effects by dripping water on top  

Year 2

Maths: Year 2 have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.  They have been able to spot missing numbers on number tracks and look for patterns when finding multiples.  They have also been counting forwards and backwards in 10s from different numbers such as 68 to understand that only the tens should change and not the ones. 

Science: The children investigated whether materials could change shape.  They used wax, which they learnt was a solid, and understood that when it was heated up the particles are no longer tightly packed together, and they move to create a liquid.  They put solid wax in moulds, we heated it, then the wax quickly cooled and had formed its new shape.   

Geography: They have been learning about the export of fruit this week, in particular bananas, which is a popular fruit in the UK.  They followed the harvesting of bananas from a plantation in Costa Rica and learnt the steps involved in the cleaning, inspecting, boxing up and shipping to the UK.   

DT: Thank you for all of the boxes!  The children have begun putting together their castles using their designs including a hinge and a pulley or lever for the drawbridge.   

(16th September - 20th September)

Year 1

English: For the Gingerbread man story map- children have drawn some lovely maps with their partners and are able to use them to retell the whole story 

Maths: Counting backwards from numbers between 10 - children enjoyed making paper rockets and using them to count backwards 

Art: Observational drawings of shells 

Year 2

English: Year 2 have been learning the text 'How to trap a dragon' using Talk for Writing actions.  They then started thinking about their own mythical creature that they could trap, and they wrote about why.  They decided what they would use to trap their creature and wrote a list of what you need.  

Maths: They have been using base ten to partition 2-digit numbers in different ways, they have also been finding missing numbers on number lines that have intervals of 10 and 1.

Science: They considered the question: Are all fabrics waterproof?  They tested a range of fabrics to see if they absorbed water then used wax crayon to make absorbent fabrics waterproof! Sometimes it didn't work so the children had to make sure their layer of wax was thick!

Geography: This week Year 2 look at the export of cheese from a dairy farm from Devon who exported their cheese all the way to Australia! They used maps to plot a route by boat and looked at the continents they would pass to get there.

DT: Year 2 have designed castles this week ready to make a castle next week which uses levers or hinges.  Any box donations would be appreciated for this, cereal boxes are perfect, thank you!

(9th September - 13th September)

Year 1

English: The children have been doing drama – acting out the story of The Gingerbread Man and hot-seating the characters.  The week culminated in preparing and baking delicious gingerbread men!

Maths: Year 1 have been counting on from a particular number and drawing chalk number lines to aid their understanding.

History: The children had great fun exploring objects that might have been in their grandparents’ homes (and some staff!)  A telephone with a dial sparked huge interest – and the fact that you can’t move too far when using it! 

Year 2

Maths: They have continued their work on place value, with a focus on comparing numbers e.g. 10+5 < 25 and then ordering numbers from smallest to greatest and greatest to smallest.  They can talk about how many tens a number has to help them decide if it is smaller or greater.

English:  After reading Jack and the Beanstalk last week, they have written some of their own settings for the top of the beanstalk.  They drew their setting and thought about what adjectives they could use to describe it.  Then, they wrote descriptive sentences using their senses.

Geography: They were exploring the question 'Why are there so many dairy farms in Devon?' They looked at the area of Devon on a map and some pictures of the farming areas.  They were identifying human features and physical features.  They then looked at the differences in temperature, rainfall and sunshine compared the rest of the UK.

Science: They investigated the question 'Are hard materials absorbent?' and explored hard materials such as wood, metal, plastic and rock.  

DT: They are exploring levers and hinges this week, they made a card which showed an egg hatching so used a hinge to open and close the egg.  The children enjoyed deciding what would hatch from their eggs!

(2nd September - 6th September)

Year 1

In English the children are learning about traditional tales, starting with Little Red Riding Hood.  They have been writing labels, lists and captions. 

In Maths the children in Year 1 have started their mastery maths lessons, working well with partners. They have been counting objects to 10 and sorting objects into groups. 

In Art the children have enjoyed drawing spirals in different ways and in History they have been comparing new and old houses. 

Year 2

In Maths Year 2 have been learning to understand the value of each digit in 2-digit numbers using base 10 equipment and part whole models.  They have been comparing the numbers and deciding which numbers are greater or less.

In English they have read the traditional story Jack and the Beanstalk, created story maps to re-tell the story and have begun collecting adjectives to describe the setting of the castle.

In Science they tested absorbency of different types of paper to see which were the best for cleaning up spillages.  

In Geography the children discussed where dairy products come from.  They followed a farmer in Wales on a dairy farm who showed the process involved for milking cows, refrigerating the milk, collecting it to take to factories where it is pasteurised and bottled up to go the shops.