Year 1

What an amazing term it has been for year 1. We began  with our Transdisciplinary Theme ‘How We Organise Ourselves’ with the central idea ‘The lives of individuals have changed our lives today’. Our provocation began with the children becoming explorers and adventurers for the day.  We looked at atlases, maps, google Earth and even labeled the points on a compass.  We started to look at some explorers from the past that have changed the way that we look at the world, and the way that we live today. 

This was followed by the children becoming writers as they created a fact file on the life of Christopher Columbus , focussing on his journey from Spain and across the Atlantic Ocean. This was then linked to our Geography inquiry where we used atlases , globes and maps to identify and name the 7 continents and oceans. We explored the UK and researched the physical features of the countries like mountains , rivers and lakes. 

In Science , we became scientists by exploring different objects and the materials they were made from. But we didn’t stop there - we went further by using our senses to describe how the materials felt and the similarities and differences between materials. We then carried out an engaging experiment to determine the most suitable material for Christopher Columbus's boat. The children thoroughly enjoyed this activity and could explain that, among the materials they examined, wood was the best choice for boat construction due to its buoyancy.

Finally we became artists by exploring the work of the famous artist Andy Goldsworthy. We found out that he is an environmentalist who created all his pieces using natural materials . The children then designed , drew and painted their own piece inspired by Andy Goldsworthy using Purple Mash. It's been a fantastic term full of learning opportunities , exploration and celebration.

We wish you a restful Easter and look forward to welcoming you all back after the break !