Welcome to our Year 1 / 2,

Woodpecker Class page 

Class Teacher: Miss V Bowman

Support Staff: Miss K Fairbrother, Mrs K Tyrrell, Mrs L Clarke, Miss A Wesson, Mrs L Unwin, Miss K Mistry, Mrs T Haghighat

PE Days: Tuesday and Friday 

In Woodpecker Class we love to learn. Every week we enjoy learning new skills in a wide variety of subjects across the curriculum and enjoy implementing these skills in fun and engaging activities.

Please click on the link below for all the information on what we are learning about this half-term. 

This Week (19th May 2025 - 23rd May 2025)

Year 1

This week in Year 1 we have had a very exciting dance workshop from the Loughborough College dance students. We really enjoyed it and asked them to come back again!

In Maths we have started to learn about position and direction, using left and right, forwards and backwards.

In English we have started writing our own versions of Farmer Duck.

We have continued to learn to play quietly and gently on the recorder and we have nearly perfected the note B!

Year 2

In year 2 we have been learning about time.  We've started with some revision from last year so have been learning about o'clock and half past the hour.  We have been making times on clocks, reading clocks and drawing hands the right size and in the right place.  Please practise telling the time on analogue clocks as often as possible at home to reinforce this.  We do not learn digital clocks at this stage because they need to understand what the times mean first.

In English, we have been planning to write persuasive adverts for our healthy wraps.  We have used some of our features from last half term i.e. rhetorical questions and imperatives (command sentences) alongside boastful language and pattern of three which means 3 good describing words.

In Geography, we have been using maps to find which continent some countries are in, which oceans are biggest and smallest and which continents the equator passes through.  We looked at where Wembury was on a map also.

In Science, we had a workshop with Anna from LEAF education. She taught us about the importance of soil! We discussed the different types of soil, and which is best for growing plants, we talked about the micro-organisms in soil which help to break down dead matter and the importance of worms! The children planted a seed, and they looked for worms by encouraging them to come to the top using the 'worm dance'! 

(12th May 2025 - 16th May 2025)

Year 1

This week in Year 1 has been very exciting. We finished off our DT unit on carrots by making our carrot cakes. The children worked really hard to grate, zest and mix the ingredients, following the recipe carefully. Then of course we got to taste them!

In Maths we have started to lean about quarters of shapes and quantities. We have been saying sentences to remind us that 'a quarter is one of four equal parts.'

In Art we are making sculptures of birds. We have tried to add texture to our sculptures and add parts on to show movement in our birds. 

Year 2

This week we have been continuing our work on fractions and expanding our understanding by now looking at equivalent fractions.  We understand we can use the same bar models to find ¼ and 2/4 and ¾ and that 2/4 is equivalent to 1/2.

In English, we have written and published our letters.  We are so impressed by the children's imaginative ideas, use of the persuasive sentences and the tremendous effort this week to produce work they are proud of.  The effort in handwriting when publishing has been brilliant.

In DT, we have recapped the 5 main food groups and talked a healthy, balanced diet or meal.  The children tasted some food combinations to decide what they'd like to include in their healthy wraps.  The children then drew and labelled their designs.  Next week we shall make them

In PE, the children have been practising their athletic skills, including hurdle jumping then in the hall they have been developing their hockey skills.

(6th May 2025 - 9th May 2025)

Year 1

In year one this week we have been learning about halves in Maths. We have found halves of shapes and numbers, and we have all really enjoyed this! 

In English we have been reading, acting out and writing sentences about our new storybook Farmer Duck. 

In DT we have designed our own carrot cakes, after learning about the ingredients that we will need to make them next week. 

Year 2

This week in English we have begun developing characters in preparation for writing our own persuasive letters next week.  We have decided on things that might get used too much so they're feeling tired, overworked or exhausted, or we have chosen things that are not used anymore that are feeling lonely, neglected and sad.  The children decided on things like teddies, bikes, toys and scooters.

In Maths we have been finding out what a third is and finding thirds of amounts using bar models to help us.  We have also been finding what the whole would be if we know the fraction.  Again, we used bar models to help us see this clearly.

 

In Geography, we have been looking at the importance of looking after the environment at the coast.  We looked at examples of things that can be washed up on the beach from living things, things that used to be alive and things that were never alive.  We then made posters to tell people how to look after the environment when visiting Wembury beach.

The children had an assembly this week to help them understand VE day and why it is celebrated.  The children made some rice crispy cakes for the tea party in the garden; Mrs Hardy had some lovely cake stands to display them on!

This week (28th April 2025 - 2nd May 2025)

Year 1

In our Maths lessons this week we have been learning to divide! We have been grouping and sharing to divide by 2, 5 and 10. 

In English we have written our own stories about a character who lives on a farm. We planned our stories and worked hard to make them as exciting as we could. 

In Art we have been learning how to draw birds. We have practised some ways of making effects using a pencil such as hatching and scribbling.

In Design and Technology we have been taking part in a Taste education lesson where we have been tasting carrots that have been prepared in different ways. Some of us tried new things!

Year 2

This week year 2 have been reading 'The Day the Crayons Quit' in English and have been exploring the kinds of sentences the crayons have used to persuade 'Duncan' that he hasn't been using them properly.  We have looked at commands, warnings, exaggeration and questions.  The children have been exploring how the characters are feeling and why they are feeling that way.

In maths, we have been exploring halves and quarters in fractions.  We have identified half of shapes and amounts.  We are understanding that when we write a fraction this tells us how many equal parts there are e.g. ¼ means there are 4 equal parts.

In Geography, we have been exploring rock pools in Wembury and finding out which kinds of creatures might live there and how they are adapted to live in such difficult environments.  We made food chains of creatures that are found in rock pools and around rock pools.

In PSHE, we are beginning to explore personal safety and thought about how we can keep ourselves safe by understanding our feelings when we are in unsafe situations.