Welcome to the Grade One webpage!
If you have any questions or need to contact me please do so (in English or French) by email. Thank you! Mr Cooper
Spring 1 Unit Of Inquiry
This term's PYP Unit of Inquiry (UOI) is all about How the World Works. Our central idea is "Materials come from different sources and their properties influence how they are used."
For this unit, Grade One are discovering and exploring different materials and their uses. Over the coming weeks we will look at how different objects are made and how materials are chosen based on their properties.
For a final exhibition, children will be presenting a design for a new toy. They will explain why they have chosen particular materials for their toys based on there properties.
In maths we will be looking at weighing in grams and kilo grams as well as the relationship between adding ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. We will also look at number bonds to 10. In our English sessions we will be read writing and talking about The Iron Man by Ted Hughes .
Winter Fete
16th October - Spellings
My apologies for the missing spellings last week. I shall be getting the spellings started again today so we are back up to speed.
Thank you for your understanding!
24th September Games Investigation
Dear Parents & Carers,
As you know, as their Unit of Inquiry this term, Grade One have been looking at games. We have looked at many games and sports old and new. For their homework they would like to interview you or a member of your family about the games you enjoyed as a child.
Here are the questions they came up with.
- What games did you play when you were a child?
- What was your favourite game?
- Who did you play the games with?
- What skills were you good at for playing these games?
Please take some time to talk to your child about these questions and write an answer to share at school.
Many thanks!
Grade One
20th September 2018 - Downloading Problems
My apologies if you have been experiencing problems accessing the files in the downloads section of the page. I think I have fixed the problem now and have created a separate page, "Downloads".
20th September 2018 - Handwriting
I will be showing the children how to write in a cursive handwriting style. Whilst this can be tricky to begin with it really helps them to understand direction and flow of letters. For your guidance I have provided a "Letters and Numbers formation" template here.
Some general tips:
- Capital letters are always written separately from the rest of the word.
- Letters always start with a "leader" from the line on the page going up into the letter. You do not take your pencil off the page until you have completed the word.
- Once a word is finished, you then dot the 'i' and 'j' or cross the 't' or 'x'.
It is always good to practise yourselves :-) If you want me to give you a demonstration, please let me know.
Pre-writing and motor skills.
It is sometimes useful to practise letter formation and general shape formation using a variety of other materials to help your child gain strength and muscle memory in their hands. Here are a few examples:
Playground chalks and chalks in general give more resistance as you draw so need more strength to create a mark. They can be a lot of fun too.
Equally drawing in sand, paint or other substances creates more drag and helps some children to feel movement and shape more clearly.
Playdough is an alternative way to form letters and shapes. This is a good one if your child is reluctant to pick up a pencil. I have an easy recipe for making your own which I am happy to share!
Finally any type of cutting, or modeling such as Airfix (with adult guidance) or Lego are great for improving dexterity and fine motor skills.
Welcome to Grade One
The children have made a fantastic start to the year. Many of us, including me, are new faces and are getting used to making new friends and finding our way around. Children who already have attended ISN have been helping new friends.
2nd November Junk Modeling
We will be doing a lot of building in Grade 1 this term so any items of packaging you would provide would be appreciated. Please make sure items are washed and dried. Thank you!