We have had another exciting half term!  We began with Book Week and read the book Albert Tolbert Master of Disguise.  We learnt lots of amazing new vocabulary which we are now trying to include in our writing.  We enjoyed dressing up at the end of the week and it was exciting joining the Y1 classes for a Parade in the hall to look at each others amazing costumes.

The children were excited to realise that they had entered Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and were going to help him by taking part in a ‘Taste Test’.  After choosing their ingredients the children did a fantastic job of writing persuasive adverts for their sweet invention.

To help persuade the Oompa Loompas to move to Brazil, the children researched the physical and human features of the country and compared them to England.  They wrote many facts and comparative sentences to persuade the Oompa Loompas.

To complete our learning in English this half term, the children have written an acrostic poem about one of the topics we have covered this year.  The children could choose from habitats, chocolate, The Great Fire of London, Florence Nightingale and minibeasts and we have been very impressed by what they have remembered.  

In maths we recapped our knowledge of place value and used this to complete addition number sentences.  We then applied this skill to solving chocolate themed word problems.  We also learnt how to use a thermometer, ruler and a measuring jug and know what we use to measure each one and their unit of measurement. We have also worked very hard to be able to read and make times on a clock.

In PSHE we have been discovering some new snacks that are good for our bodies.  Awesome Avocado proved very popular!  The children also enjoyed the fruity scone, the veggie dips and tasting a variety of fruits including melon and mango.

As part of our science ‘materials’ topic we have been exploring the different states of matter; the ways they typically behave and how they can change state from solid, to liquid, to gas and in some cases, back again.  We looked at how to change a solid chocolate button into liquid chocolate by applying heat from our hands.  The children then predicted what would happen when we put the liquid chocolate into the freezer.  The children were also posed the question ‘Can visitors to Wonka’s Chocolate Factory walk across the chocolate river (otherwise known as cornflour and water!)?’  The children predicted, observed and tested what happened when they poked, stroked, patted and cut the non-Newtonian fluid. We have also been sorting objects and pictures into living, has never lived and once living and explaining why.

Our Computing learning this half term has been about Programming.  The children recapped how to create algorithms (a set of instructions) and how to debug them (correcting mistakes).  The children began by using the “advanced” setting on JiT Turtle to get used to moving the sprite on screen before drawing squares and rectangles.  Then the children learnt how to create algorithms using the repeat command and changing the variables.  The children used ‘j2code logo’ on level 3. They used the forward (FD), backward (BK), left (LT) and right (RT) buttons inside a repeat command to draw squares and rectangles.  We then transferred this learning to complete projects on ‘Scratch’.

In music, the children have been focussing on the composer Aretha Franklin. They have also been learning how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the chime bars, reading the pitch and the rhythm of the notes. Finally, the children have been learning a song all about chocolate in conjunction with our topic this half term.

Our focus this half term in art has been printing.   To begin with we explored monoprint and block printing.  Then we carried out observational drawings of different sweet wrappers.  Following this we designed and made our own sweet wrappers using printing techniques and collage.

In PE we have been focussing on yoga and athletics. We have been gaining confidence at throwing for distance and for accuracy.

We enjoyed wearing our own clothes on Red Nose Day and taking part in ‘2s Day’.  Thank you for your generous donations.  We were also impressed by your creativity for the Easter Egg competition!  We were all very proud of Jupiter for speaking clearly and confidently to explain their learning at their class assembly.

Thank you again for your continued support, we really appreciate it.  We hope you all have a lovely relaxing half term and we will see you back at school on Wednesday 20th April.