What a busy week we have had in Year 1 this week…

Maths

This week, we have been focusing on the part, part whole model, which is a valuable tool for understanding how to add two Numicon numbers together. Our students have engaged enthusiastically with this concept and have begun to grasp how the model can help them visualise addition.

To deepen their understanding, we extended our learning by writing calculations that correspond to the part, part whole model. This not only reinforces their addition skills but also helps them to connect visual representations with written calculations.

Additionally, we embarked on an investigation to explore all possible sets of two numbers that can combine to form a given total. To make this activity more engaging, we used a dice to randomly determine our target number, which sparked lots of creativity and problem-solving among the children. It was wonderful to see them discover the various combinations and work collaboratively to share their findings.

As we continue to build on these concepts, I encourage you to reinforce this learning at home. You might consider using everyday situations to create addition problems or even have fun with dice games that challenge them to find different number combinations. Such activities can make mathematical thinking enjoyable and relevant.

Next week we will be looking at subtraction!

Our fact of the week next week is… 1+3 = 4

Read, Write Inc.

What a fantastic week we've had in Read, Write Inc.! The children have been showing incredible enthusiasm as we review our sounds and explore phonetic reading. One exciting focus has been identifying our 'special friends' in words. This brilliant concept helps them break down words into bite-sized chunks, making reading that little bit easier and more enjoyable.

You can really help your little ones at home by practising this approach together. Have a bit of fun exploring words, hunting for those special friends, saying the sounds, and reading the words out loud. Your support is invaluable and reinforces all the hard work we do in class!

Alongside phonics, we've also been honing our handwriting skills. The children are learning the vital roles of capital letters at the start of sentences and how to use full stops properly at the end. It’s lovely to see their progress in both areas!

Reading

Every week the children will bring home two books in their reading folders, one being a RWI home book. Children are expected to try and read this three times during the week to ensure they are building on their reading fluency. The RWI home books will be changed, by an adult, every Monday.

The other book (with the coloured sticker) should be changed independently by the child themselves - first thing in the morning is a great time to do this! These books can be changed as regularly as needed.

Please encourage children to place their reading folders in the trays, so we can read with your children and ensure books get changed. Thank you for your support with this.

Please listen to your child read as much as possible at home and record this in their reading records. Every week, one child from each class will receive a reading certificate in an assembly. Children will also get a certificate for every 20 times they read so it is important that the reading record gets signed every time they read at home.

If you have any questions, please speak to your child’s class teacher.

Thematic

Wow wow wow! We were absolutely overwhelmed with how wonderful Wednesday afternoon was! A big thank you to everyone who participated in creating such a brilliant opportunity for our Year 1 children to share items from the past. We are truly grateful and can hardly believe how much they learnt from this experience.

This week, our thematic lessons continued to focus on history, specifically on why it's essential to explore memories, places, and people from the past. To kick things off, we took a fascinating look at past photos of the Ramsgate Tunnels. The children were delighted to compare these images with how the tunnels look today, sparking numerous discussions about how they've changed over time. It was heartening to see their curiosity blossom as they delved into local history!

We could hardly contain our excitement when a very special visitor joined us in Year 1! This visitor kindly shared their own experiences of visiting the tunnels, and the children were full of fantastic questions to ask. Our visitor not only answered their queries but also helped them uncover even more intriguing facts. It turned into a lively discussion, and it was thrilling to see how much the children engaged with the learning. This amazing place is right on our doorstep, and the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts made it all the more relevant and exciting!

As if that wasn’t enough, on Friday, we shifted gears and directed our attention to Augustus Pugin, a famed artist and architect who lived in Ramsgate during the 1800s. The children were captivated as we examined some of the beautiful local buildings he designed. They eagerly pointed out the differences between these grand structures and our own school and homes. This naturally led us into a fascinating conversation about gothic architecture and the gothic revival, a period during which Pugin left a remarkable mark on history.

What a wonderful, history-filled week we have had! Each lesson has provided our children with invaluable insights into the past, and the connections they made between history and their own lives have been truly inspiring. We can't wait to see how their newfound knowledge continues to unfold in future lessons. Thank you once again for all your support in making our learning so rich and engaging!

Home Learning

This week, we've explored some intriguing historical topics, and we’d like to continue this journey at home! Your task is to discover more about Ramsgate or someone famous who hails from our lovely town.

For instance, you might want to investigate Ramsgate Lighthouse and its significance or maybe learn about a notable local figure and their contributions. We’re really curious to know about the impact these places or people have had over the years.

Feel free to get creative with how you present your findings. You might draw pictures, take photos of yourself there or create a poster. We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Happy researching!

Additional Information

PE is on a Tuesday afternoon please can children wear a plain white t-shirt, or our new Chilton PE t-shirts, black or navy bottoms and a plain black or blue sweatshirt.

Read at 3! This is where we would love to invite you into our classrooms and read with your child for the full 15 minutes. This will happen every Friday there after this term.

Please ensure children have wellies and waterproof clothing to enjoy our outside learning whatever the weather 😊

Key dates 

8th October –2.45pm Year 1 Harvest assembly (in school hall with families invited to watch)

17th October – Final day of term

If you would like to contact us, please feel free to email, alternatively we are available to catch at the end of the day or the start of the day by the door.

Team Ocean - Eloise.hall@chiltonprimary.co.uk

Team Sky - Poppy.winchcombe@chiltonprimary.co.uk and Elaine.howard@chiltonprimary.co.uk ( On a Monday)

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Miss Hall, Mrs Winchcombe and Mrs Howard