Ash Class 2023 - 2024
Welcome to the Ash Class page. We are a busy class of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. Here you will find regular updates about our adventures! Miss Gibson is our Class teacher and is supported by Mrs Hartness and Mrs Taylor.
Week commencing 08.07.24
This week we have been making story maps to help us confidently perform poems in English, in RE we created our own story with a moral based on the 10 commandments, in DT we made our own pizzas and in Exciting Writing we created our own summer acrostic poems.
For Receptions last topic we are looking at seasides. We have been comparing past and present seasides and learnt about bathing machines, Punch and Judy shows and how people stayed protected from the sun 100 years ago.
Week commencing 01.07.24
This week we have been exploring poetry by looking at rhymes and giving our opinions on a variety of poems. In Maths we've recapped how to measure length, mass and volume. We linked our length lesson to Reception's topic by measuring out the length of sea creatures on the playground using meter sticks. We were amazed at how big a Blue Whale is! In Science we planned and conducted an experiment to test which material would make the best coat for Waddle and in DT we planned our Pizzas.
Reception have continued looking at sea creatures this week and wrote some great descriptive sentences about a sea creature of their choice. They have also been adding and subtracting and learning how to write numbers 11-20.
Week commencing 24.06.24
This week we have been recapping time in Maths and exploring the features of a newspaper article in English. In RE, we learnt about the 10 commandments, in Music we learnt a song on the xylophone and in Science we continued exploring materials and their properties. In Topic we learnt how to use a compass and used these to give directions to a partner.
Reception have been learning about sea animals this week. They have learnt about the different zones in the ocean, what creatures would be found in each zone and how some fish can make their own light!
Week commencing 17.06.24
This week has been assessment week and Access all Arts week. The children have done brilliantly in their assessments. Year 1 also did such a great job with their Phonics check last week too. I am very proud of them all and the progress they have made since the start of the year!
We have enjoyed a variety of different Art workshops this week, including mark marking, photography, dance, drama and sound. We particularly loved making forced perspective photos where they trick the viewers mind. In Drama, we had a go at using our bodies to create different objects and using our face/bodies to express ourselves in different ways.
Week commencing 10.06.24
Lots of food orientated photos this week but I promise we haven't just eaten our way through the week! 😂 This week we have continued recapping previously learnt Math skills such as addition and subtraction using number lines and multiplication and division. In English we have made our own jam sandwiches to help us plan and write our own instructions using the key features we have been learning about. In DT we tasted a variety of bread and decided whether it was a suitable base for our pizzas, in PE we learnt a new team game and in Music we began rehearsing a very special song.
Reception have done some lovely writing this week on the life cycle of a caterpillar. They have also made some great otter holts out of natural materials, sorted foods from 'The hungry caterpillar' into healthy and unhealthy groups and made symmetrical butterflies at the creative table.
This week we have been going over word walls, number formation and number bonds to 10/20. Please continue to practice these at home as I'd love to give out more badges next week!
Week commencing 03.06.24
A great first week back! This week we have been doing lots of recapping in Maths in preparation for assessment week. Year 1 have recapped recognising tens and ones in numbers to 100, identifying the missing numbers on number lines and finding ½ and ¼ whilst Year 2 have focused on finding the difference, finding quarters of amounts and solving missing number problems. In English, we have been writing instructions using imperative verbs and time adverbials and in Science we tested some different materials properties. In DT we have started our new topic of 'Pizza' and in PE we practiced striking with accuracy. In Exciting Writing, we wrote non-chronological reports about our favourite hobby/sport and we got to have a go at Miss Gibson's old hobby, Majorettes (apologies for any bruises that appear over the weekend).
Reception had their wonderful trip to Paxton Pits and learnt lots of great facts about minibeasts and wildlife. Upon their return to school, they have written some great descriptive sentences about their day. They have also felt inspired to do some minibeast rock painting and investigate the life cycle of ladybirds and caterpillars.
Reception Paxton Pits trip
Just a notice about clothing for our trip on Wednesday. Children must wear long trousers (school or PE trousers), long sleeves (school cardigan/jumper, long sleeve top under their school top) and trainers. Please apply sun cream in the morning and bring a sun hat. Although it isn't forecast to rain, I would suggest also packing a light rain jacket in case the weather changes. Bags won’t be carried around all day but please try to limit their lunch, snack, sun cream, rain jacket etc to one bag.
Any questions, please ask :)
Week commencing 20.5.24
This week in Maths, we have been interpreting and recording data using tally charts, pictograms and block graphs and in English we have been planning and writing Handa's diary using time adverbials and writing in past tense. In Topic, we located human and physical features on a map of Cambridgeshire using the OS symbols learnt in our previous lesson. In Computing, we continued to explore different instructions on Scratch, in RE we discussed the moral of the Islamic story 'The Crying Camel' and in Art we researched a variety of famous collage artists and planned our own collages in their style. We then begun making our collage this afternoon using a variety of media and materials.
Reception have been exploring wild animals this week. This has included sorting animals into their habitats, discussing their features, using adjectives to describe them and using Beebots to move around a wild animal map.
Additional- PE will be going back to a Thursday afternoon after half term.
Week commencing 13.5.24
This week in Maths we have been recapping the value of coins and notes, added and subtracted with money, and worked out change. Then we all went to Miss Gibson's toy shop and gave her the correct money for our choice of toy. In English we have been looking at the features of diaries, such as using time connectives, past tense and suffixes. The children had great enjoyment in becoming Miss Gibson and writing a diary entry as an exhausted (in their words) teacher.
In Science we explored the school for objects which are made from common materials, in PSHE we ranked our rights from most important to least important and in Phonics we are recapping the ue/u-e sound. Reception have been learning about farm animals this week and wrote some great clues for Ash class to guess their secret farm animal (see Tapestry). They have also been improving their fine motor skills by feeding the animals with tweezers, matching the quantities to the numeral and making paper plate dogs.
Week commencing 6.5.24
This week in Maths we have all been working hard to master our number bonds to 5 in Reception and number bonds to 10/20 in Year 1. We have also been learning about time and how to show 30-minute, 15-minute and 5-minute intervals on a clock. In English we have planned and written our own version of Handa's surprise.
In Art we have continued our independent projects to create our own collages using a variety of materials and in Topic we have been learning to identify map symbols. Reception have continued their topic of animals by looking at pets this week. They have written descriptive sentences about Miss Gibson's pet dog, made paper plate dogs, shared bones equally between animals and role played in the vets.
Week commencing 29.4.24
This week we started looking at position and direction in Maths, using vocabulary such as clockwise, anti-clockwise, quarter turn, half turn etc. Reception have also joined us in using positional language to describe an object's locations, such as next to, behind, in front, on top etc. In English we continued looking at 'Handa's surprise' by retelling the story using conjunctions and adjectives. We also learnt how to use a possessive apostrophe.
In PSHE we came up with some class promises to make sure we respect each other's rights, in RE we learnt about the moral of another religious story and in Science we sorted materials and explored whether they are natural materials or man-made. Reception have been busy learning about the Ice Age. They have compared extinct animals from Ice Age times to animals that exist today.
Week commencing 22.4.24
This week we have continued using our division skills to help us find half and quarters of amounts. In English we have been looking at the story, Handa's surprise. We have been using our inference skills to answer questions about the story, sequenced the main events and wrote speech for one of the characters. Today we got to try the fruits from the story and used our senses to write descriptive sentences.
In Music we learnt the song 'Your imagination' to explore how our voices can change pitch and in RE we learnt what a moral is and discussed what the moral of 'The boy who cried wolf' is. Reception continued to learn about dinosaurs and how to identify the features of a herbivore, carnivore or herbivore. They also started looking at repeating patterns in Maths.
Week Commencing 15.04.24
This week we have been recapping multiplication and division in Maths. In English we have been writing character and setting descriptions using adjectives, conjunctions and suffixes. We were introduced to our new Science topic of materials and started an independent Art project based on the artist 'Eduardo Paolozzi'. This half term we are doing Athletics, so we began by focusing on running and how the pace of walking, jogging, running and sprinting impacts our bodies.
Receptions topic this term is animals and we have started by focusing on dinosaurs. They have been making paper plate dinosaurs at the creative table, writing about a dinosaurs features at the writing table and making dinosaurs using 2D shapes at the maths table.
Week commencing 25.03.24
What a fabulous last few days! On Tuesday we had our Easter service and on Wednesday, a lovely Rocksteady concert. Well done to Reception for their first ever performance! The children have been working really hard since last week to get their writing stickers and we all enjoyed a class game of hide and seek this morning (I must be crazy)!! We also did some Easter crafts, had an Easter egg hunt and watched a film with popcorn.
Ash have had a fabulous Spring term and they all deserve a restful break. See you all on the other side!!
Year 1/2 had a great time on their trip to the Computer Museum today. They explored a variety of technology from past to present times, which has helped inform their knowledge of our current topic 'Changes within living memory'.
They created codes on a computer and became traffic light engineers, explored how phones and gaming controls have changed over time, looked at where computers first began and got to try playing lots of old games and arcade machines.
Week Commencing 18.03.24
This week we have been looking at mass in Maths. We have compared weights using 'lighter' and 'heavier' and also used scales to measure in grams and kilograms. In English we have been looking at the features of a non-chronoligcal report before planning and writing our own about an animal of our choice. In DT we finished creating our vehicles, in RE we explored what it means to belong to a Muslim community and in Topic we looked at how teddy bears have changed over time.
Yr1/2 Computing trip tomorrow
Children need to be in school by 8.35am in the morning please and will be coming in through the school office instead of the classroom.
Week Commencing 11.03.24
This week we have completed many great Science activities for British Science week! We have tested which biscuit is the most 'dunkable' (very informative results for Miss Gibson's tea breaks), how to camouflage moths, how to identify evergreen and deciduous trees, and how sunlight creates shadows. Some of the children also presented their Science homework projects which were fabulous! Ash loved finding out lots of new information and asked lots of great questions.
In English we have created our own fantasy settings, thinking about how we can describe them using magical vocabulary and exciting adjectives. In Maths we have recapped division and partitioning numbers into tens and ones.
Week commencing 04.03.24
This week has been assessment week and I am so incredibly proud of my little team! They have done amazingly and their brains deserve a restful weekend.
This week we have also been looking at how to keep a balanced diet in PSHE, started creating our vehicles in DT and made a little surprise for a special celebration on Sunday. World Book Day focussed on the book 'The black book of colours'. We discussed how braille is used to read and then had a go at describing objects using touch rather than our sight. In the afternoon we also had a go at writing our names in braille using buttons.
Well done Ash class!
Week Commencing 26.02.24
This week we have been busy recapping lots of Maths concepts which we have been introduced to so far this year, including money, comparing numbers to 50 and Year 2 have been working hard to master working out the missing number in a number sentence. In English we have been writing speech, creating a fantasy character profile and writing in past tense. In DT we have started designing our vehicles, but first we had to explore the different ways that we can connect the wheels, axel and chassis to the body of our chosen vehicle. In PE we are looking at ball skills (dribbling/throwing/catching) and in Exciting Writing we wrote a persuasive letter to Mrs Whiting, asking for a new playground apparatus to fill the hole from the moon buggy.
Reception are still learning about people who help us/superheroes and have been looking at the book 'Supertato' during busy learning. They have had great fun saving the peas from the evil peas trap, making their own vegetable superhero for the book, writing their own superpowers, designing their own masks and using playdough peas to subtract.
Week commencing 12.2.24
In Math's we have started learning about fractions. We began by finding half of a shape before moving onto learning about the fractions ½ and ¼ of a number. In English we planned and wrote our letters to tourists persuading them to visit the 'man on the moon'. These were full of expanded noun phrases, contractions and conjunctions! Some of us even included questions to get the reader thinking.
For our final dance session we looked at funky music from the 70's, in RE we look at the Jewish celebration 'Shabbat' and considered how this gives Jewish people a sense of belonging, in DT we looked at a variety of vehicles in preparation for our new topic after half term and in PSHE we tasted a variety of foods which we may not have tried before. Reception have also been learning about 'people who help us' and today we had a visit from a policewoman! We got to chat with her, look at some equipment and try on her uniform.
When we return, PE will go back to Thursday afternoons and spellings/library to Tuesdays. Have a lovely break!
Week commencing 5.2.24
One week to go! This week we have been looking at measuring in cm's and meters and using the words longer, taller and shorter. In English we have continued looking at our book 'Man on the moon' and writing a setting description of the moon using expanded noun phrases. In Exciting Writing, we wrote instructions on how to make our favourite sandwich and we had to be specific after Miss Gibson ended up spreading jam on her hand!
We have continued looking at our local community in RE and how our celebrations of Christian festivals create a sense of belonging, in Science we looked at the parts of a plant and their job and in PE we learnt to express ourselves to classical music. It was internet safety day on Tuesday and we investigated what makes online content trustworthy and reliable. We then held an agony aunt role play session where we gave advice to children with online safety concerns. We ended the week learning about Chinese New Year. We had a go at making lanterns, concertina dragons and drawing the symbol of the year that we were born.