Year 1 News
Reading
This week in Year 1, students have been exploring how to make predictions while reading to develop their comprehension skills. They are learning to use picture clues, the title, and their own experiences to answer questions like “What can you see?” and “What do you predict?”. This helps them become more thoughtful and active readers. They have been practising this skill at home by asking similar questions as they read their reading book.
Writing
Students have begun learning to understand that a simple sentence consists of a single independent clause representing a single event or idea. They are building their understanding that written language has punctuation such as full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, and that proper nouns require a capital letter. Students have continued to engage in language experiences to write about. They talk about what they are going to write, plan for it and then draft. They are applying their phonics knowledge during writing. All teachers have noticed great attempts at spelling unknown words and are very proud of all of the students!
Maths
This term, students have been developing their understanding of positional language. They learned how giving and following directions can change depending on where you are facing in a space. Students focused on key concepts such as left and right, above and below, and forwards and backwards. They practised these skills through a fun drawing shapes activity, where they followed their partner’s instructions using precise positional language. They also used themselves to represent different positional words in the playground and recorded these concepts on the iPads. The students then created and followed directions to navigate to different places around the school, including the gym and specialist classes. It was wonderful to see students working together, using clear communication, and thinking carefully about direction and space!
“I liked making directions to get to the gym and testing it out.” Daniel 1A
Inquiry
In Inquiry this term, our Year 1 classes have begun exploring an exciting new unit titled Features of Places. This unit invites students to develop their understanding of the world around them by investigating both natural and human-made features in different environments.
This week, our focus has been on natural features. The students have been curious and enthusiastic as they explored the guiding question, “What does the word natural mean?”. Through discussions, books, videos, and hands-on observation, students have been building their vocabulary and learning how to distinguish between things that occur naturally in the environment—like mountains, rivers, trees, and oceans—and those that are man-made.
“I like learning about natural features because I like looking at the trees on my way home.” Hafsa 1A“I was learning about the trees, rivers and mud in our lessons.” Armaan 1A
Social and Emotional Learning
This week, S.E.L learning focused on building self-awareness and celebrating our achievements. Students explored the concept of personal strengths, learning to recognise and describe the qualities that make them unique. They discussed what being proud means and shared special moments when they felt proud of themselves. Students practised identifying these moments and created thoughtful drawings to match their experiences. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they reflected on their personal successes!
Special Event
What a colourful and creative display for this year’s Easter Bonnet Parade! The Year 1 students amazed us with their imaginative and beautifully crafted hats. From bunnies to flowers, the effort and creativity on show were fantastic. A big well done to all the students for their hard work, and a special congratulations to our Year 1 winners—your bonnets really stood out! Thank you to families for your support in helping bring these wonderful creations to life and sharing this wonderful event.