It has been a pleasure to welcome everyone back at the start of the new half term. I hope you all enjoyed a restful break and that the children are feeling refreshed and eager to embrace new challenges, explore fresh ideas and take part in exciting experiences ahead. Year 1 have returned with a fantastic attitude, quickly settling back into routines and showing great enthusiasm for their learning. They have demonstrated a strong understanding of our core values by being Kind, Respectful, Safe, and Ready each day.

 

To begin this half term in English, we will be focusing on the book Lost and Found. The children will take part in a range of engaging writing activities inspired by the story, including character descriptions, retellings, advice letters, instructions and their own version of the story. Later in the term, we will explore Beegu, completing a variety of tasks such as posters, guides, captions, letters, speech bubbles and our own version of an ‘alien’ narrative.  In Maths, we will focus on multiplication and division before moving on to fractions and final geometry.

 

Our Geography topic is ‘Why does it matter where my food comes from?’. Pupils will learn that food is produced from plants and animals, with a focus on dairy farming in Devon. They will investigate how products such as milk and cheese are made and why Devon’s climate makes it a suitable location for farming. Children will also compare Devon to other parts of the United Kingdom and begin to understand how some foods are imported from around the world, including a case study on bananas. Throughout the unit, they will develop geographical skills through map work and real-life links, while considering healthy eating, sustainability, and the importance of local and global food production.

 

In Science, our topic is ‘Plants’. Pupils will identify and name a variety of common plants, including wild and garden plants and explore the basic structure of plants, such as roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. They will have opportunities to observe plants closely, both in the classroom and outdoors, and begin to understand how plants grow and change over time. Through practical activities, they will also learn what plants need to stay healthy and how we can care for them.

 

We will also take part in our wonderful Music lessons with Mrs Higson on Fridays and enjoy energetic PE sessions with a coach on Mondays.