Take a look at some of our fantastic learning that we have been doing.
In our Celebration topic we learnt about Remembrance. We used a clip about a rabbit hiding during the war to write about what happened. Take a look at our fabulous writing.
This week we have been learning about Meerkats in anticipation about writing our own Christmas adventures based on Meerkat Christmas by Emily Gravett.
In Phonics we have been learning the ow and ou sounds. Our focus words are: now, how, brown, down, town, out, about, mouth, around, sound
The high frequency words we have been working on are play, way, say, may, away, been, need, keep, feet, snow, grow, window, know
In Maths this week we have been working on counting on from any given number to 50, counting in 10s and counting back from a given number to 20. Can you show your grown-up how you can count to 50?
We use White Rose Maths to teach maths. If you would like to find out more please visit their website here: Advice for parents
This week we have been writing adventures about Ned the hedgehog based on the story 'It was a Cold Dark Night'.
In Phonics we have been learning to add er and est suffixes. Example words are grander, grandest, fresher, freshest, quicker, quickest
The high frequency words we have been working on are more, horse, gone, live, would, school, soon, food, room
In Maths this week we have been working on subtracting within 20. We have used crossing out, the part-whole model and number lines to do this. How could you work out:
7 - 8 = 9 - 5 = 6 - 2 =
This week we have been learning to retell the story of 'It was a Cold Dark Night'
In Phonics we have been learning the oo and oa sounds. Our focus words are book, took, foot, wood, good, boat, coat, road, coach, goal
The high frequency words we have been working on are they, their, said, was and were
In Maths this week we have been working on number bonds within 10 using numicon, number lines and the part-whole model
This week we have started our new topic on celebrations. We have written list of the things we celebrate with our friends and families and have started to find out why we celebrate some events. We have investigated Bonfire Night by writing firework poems and doing oil pastel pictures. In PE we have started gymnastics and have learnt the words tuck, star and straight.
Phonics - ea grapheme making different sounds
Focus words - sea, dream, meat, each, read, head, bread, meant, instead
High frequency words - down, now, look, looked, asked, could, saw, all
In maths we have been recalling number bonds within 10. How many number bonds of 10 can you write down in number sentences?
This week the Hornbeams are working on their author skills and writing their own version of Little Red Riding Hood. If you would like to share the story at home the BBC have an animation we have been using: Little Red Riding Hood. In RE we have been learning about the Jewish festival of Sukkot and in PSHE we have been talking about what makes a good friend.
Phonics - we have been looking at the grapheme ee and adding suffixes ing and ed to verbs where no change is needed to the root word.
Focus Words - see, tree, green, meet, week, hunting, hunted, hunter, buzzing, buzzed, buzzer, jumping, jumped
High Frequency Words - see, day, very, have, when, out, about, people
Maths - we have been finding out about the + and = symbols and learning to write simple number sentences. At parents evening some parents asked about maths teaching. We use White Rose Maths and they record useful videos to help parents understand how maths is currently taught. Here is the first video in the series 'Has maths changed?' - it is a useful starting point to help your child: White Rose Maths - Has maths changed?
This week the Hornbeams have been fantastic artists. They have been learning all about different lines which are useful when drawing. They have also been investigating different drawing tools including chalk, oil pastels and graphite. Their new art gallery has brightened up the cloakroom! They have also been learning about the part whole model in maths and locating verbs in the books we have been sharing. See if they can find any verbs in the next story you share!
Phonics - we have been looking at the graphemes u_e (Cool Blue), u_e (U-Hoo) and ar
Focus Words - June, rule, rude, use, tube, tune, car, start, park, arm, garden
High Frequency Words - made, make, came, like, time, by, my, too, don't
Maths - we have been looking at the part-whole model and introducing the idea that a number is made up of other number parts. You can find out more about this here:BBC - Part Whole Model
This week the Hornbeams the have found out what the police do. They researched by reading facts then thought of some questions to ask a police officer. They were very lucky to then have a visit from PCSO Haynes. She came and shared a story called PC Ben and gifted the Hornbeams a story about him. They enjoyed finding out about the police drones, what PCSO Haynes keeps in her pockets and what to do if we get lost. After she left the Hornbeams wowed us by writing some brilliant thank you letters.
Phonics - we have been looking at the split digraphs e_e, i_e and o_e
Alphablocks have some episodes about this: Alphablocks
Focus Words - these, theme, complete, five, ride, like, time, side, home, those, woke, hope, hole
High Frequency Words - this, that, then, them
Maths - we been ordering objects and numbers as well as starting to understand numbers in the context of a number line.
This week the Hornbeams have been learning how to be scientists. They have been investigating their senses and recording what they have found out. They learnt the word observe and went on a senses walk to observe as scientists, they did brilliantly. In English, they have been continuing their work on Little Red Riding Hood – you could ask them to tell you the story! They are also looking forward to singing some Harvest songs next week. If you would like your own Harvest celebration, ask them to sing Big Red Combine Harvester.
Phonics - we have been looking at how to change a word to a plural. If you would like to follow this up at home you can take a look at the BBC BBC - single and plural words
Focus Words - made, came, same, take, safe
Common Exception Words - are, ask, our, house, says, they
Maths - we have been working on comparing numbers using the language of greatest and least. If you would like to follow this up at home take a look here:Compare and order numbers within 20
This week the Hornbeams have been starting to use the story of Little Red Riding Hood in English. They have used amazing adjectives to describe what she had in her basket and wrote brilliant descriptions of the wolf creeping, scuttling and tiptoeing after Little Red Riding Hood. In science we they have learnt that they have 5 senses. Thank you to everyone who is reading with their child at home, this has a big impact on their progress and it is much appreciated. Please can all Hornbeams have a waterproof coat in school every day as we are hardy and will be outside even if it is wet!
In Phonics we have been looking at words that have ai, ay and oy in.
Focus Words - day, play, say, way, stay, boy, toy, enjoy, annoy
Common Exception Words - the, of, said, here, there, you, school
In Maths they have been working on 1 more and 1 less - you could sing 10 green bottles, 5 specked frogs or 10 in a bed to help consolidate this.
Wow what a warm welcome Hornbeam Class have given Mrs Cresswell and Mrs Scott as the new Year 1 team. We have been amazed at how they have been showing our school values of respect and positivity whilst getting to know new routines and getting stuck in with their learning. We are looking forward to a fantastic year ahead and to celebrating everything they achieve this year. Thank you for your patience with us whilst we get reading books to the children, your support with hearing them read every day is much appreciated.
In phonics this week we have been looking at the words with ss ff ll nk and ck in.
Focus Words - bank, think, honk, sunk, buzz, puff, full, back
Common Exception Words - be, he, we, she, go, no, so, to, today, I, by, my
In Maths we have been warming up our maths brains by remembering what a successful Mathematician does to count. Click on this link Twinkl Go and enter the code TS2089 to have a go at some games to work on these skills.
Ask your child about ‘Grandma Fantastic’ to find out what words we have been learning in English.
All of the children should be very proud of their outstanding performances in The Magical Christmas Box. It was wonderful to see all of the children from Oak, Hornbeam and Beech working together and supporting each other. The children all worked hard to learn songs, their lines and roles over the term. The songs and singing were lively and full of enthusiasm. As well as making sure that we learnt about Christmas traditions, their origins and the story of the first Christmas, the play gave us lots of opportunities for fun and laughter together.
Friday 11th November 2022
On Friday we commemorated Remembrance Day at the War Memorial with the whole school. We were very proud of how respectful the children were. We discussed the significance of poppies and the different events that will be happening on Sunday both locally and nationally to mark this significant occasion. This week we have also been learning to retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Perhaps you could ask your child to tell it with you this weekend? We have been learning the 'ee' phoneme in phonics and have now moved onto the 'ur' phoneme. We have been learning to spell the high frequency words 'have' (noting the 'e' is a silent ghost), 'going', 'see' and 'just'. The children enjoyed making flashcards with different media, including pipe cleaners, wool and plasticene. Please could you ensure that reading records are in school daily. We are now aiming to take in the Monster Phonics reading books on a Thursday and give out new books on a Friday each week so please do also ensure books are returned so we are able to issue new books. Thank you.
Friday 4th November 2022
We have had a busy and exciting first week back. On Monday we had a visit from a witch! The children wrote some super lists for what could be in her potion. In phonics we have been learning Brown Owl's /ow/ phoneme and practising our blending and segmenting. Next up it's /ee/. In maths we have been learning to sort 2-D shapes in different ways, such as by colour, shape and whether the shape has straight or curved sides. On Friday, we have immersed ourselves in the past, heading back to the time of the Gunpowder Plot. Through storytelling and drama, we explored the story and then we became detectives, looking at different pieces of evidence to see what they could tell us about what happened. We have also discussed ways to keep ourselves and others safe on bonfire night. We hope you have a super weekend!
30th September 2022
This week we have been... creating some fabulous Christmas cards! It does seem a little early to be getting Christmassy but we have had great fun being creative. Children have now brought their cards home so there is plenty of time for orders to be prepared. In phonics we have been learning the /ng/ and /oo/ phonemes. The children really enjoyed making their own flashcards for /oo/ words and have brought these home to share with you. In maths, we have been continuing to develop our understanding of 3-D shapes. Children played a game in pairs where they took turns to guess the shape that was behind their backs. This got them thinking more about the properties of shape while reinforcing the correct names. Perhaps you could play this game at home. We had some more super 'show and tells' this week. Well done to Eme, Ivy, Matthew and Mia who all spoke confidently to the class.
23rd September 2022
This week we have been learning/going over the 'ch', 'sh' and 'th' sounds in phonics. 'Th' can make two sounds depending on where we place our tongue. If we stick our tongue out between our teeth and force air through our teeth, we make a th sound (as in 'thin'). If we stick our tongue out between our teeth and make a sound, feeling our tongue vibrate, we make a th(v) sound (as in 'them'). This can sometimes be hard for children to distinguish; you could help your child with their learning by pointing out some words which have the th(v) sound in them in conversation. In maths we have been learning to sort (you could support this at home by asking your child to help with sorting the washing, for example). We have also begun to learn the names of some common 3-D shapes, including cube, cuboid and cylinder (to support this learning you could ask your child if they can spot any 3-D shapes around your home). We have also been discussing why rules are important; we decided that they help to keep us safe and happy. The children should have each brought home a copy of our class rules to share with you. We are hoping that reading diaries will be with us soon and we will get them to you as soon as we can.
16th September 2022
We have had a lovely week in Hornbeam. We have got straight into our phonics lessons; this week we have been learning/revising the phonemes y, z, zz and qu. We have also been practising the alphabet. To reinforce learning, please go over the alphabet at home (there are a number of good songs for this on YouTube which there are links to on our website). We have started our science topic 'Our Bodies'. The children identified different features of their faces and drew some super self-portraits. On Thursday, we had our first 'official' show and tell. Well done to Beau (who showed the class her ice hockey gear), Maddie (who shared a detailed drawing of a crown that she had done at home) and Daisy (who showed some precious stones). We enjoyed seeing lots of you at our 'meet the teacher' event. If you were not able to make it, you should have received our curriculum letter and other information today. We have also sent out some homework today. There are a number of options for children to choose from - please submit one homework by Friday each week. Children should also have received a reading book and a sharing book this week. These will be changed weekly but please ensure book bags are in school every day.
September 2022
Welcome to Hornbeam Class! We have been delighted with how well the children have settled back into school. We are looking forward to continuing to get to know them over the coming weeks.
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ARCHIVE 2021-2022
A Visit From Some British Owls!
Well done to all of the children in Hornbeam who have all tried incredibly hard over the last two weeks with their phonics 'game'. We are very proud of everyone!
On Friday, we had a particularly exciting day in Hornbeam. The children had been told that we were expecting some very special visitors... Then Albert spotted a picture of an owl on the wall in the classroom. Could it be a clue? It was! Lu from the British Owl Project came to visit us with two of her owls: a Barn Owl and a Tawny Owl. The children were very excited and asked some super questions. We all learnt a lot! Did you know there are five species of owl in Britain? The Barn Owl, the Tawny Owl, the Little Owl, the Short-eared Owl and the Long-eared Owl. We also learnt that Barn Owls have incredible hearing and are completely silent when they fly. All the children were given a Barn Owl pellet to dissect. We found all sorts of bones and skulls from a variety of small mammals including mice, voles and shrews. What an exciting way to spend a day!
Hornbeam Class wrote some collaborative poetry based on Beegu's emotions. We think the children did a great job of capturing Beegu's emotions!
Yellow
Very sad
Very sad and lonely
She is very cold
Very lost
Sad
Cold
No friends
Lost and sad
Extremely lost
Extremely sad
She is lost
She is sad and lonely
Beegu is so sad
No friends.
Lost
Lonely
Asleep
Cosy
Happy
Cuddly and happy
Box
Relieved and happy
Warm and cosy
Cuddly
Snuggly
Sad
She is lonely
She is sad and wants friends
She is lost
Looking for mummy
We have had a busy start to the term! In English we have been learning to retell the tale of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. We made our own story maps and enjoyed using actions to tell the story. We are now busy making our own story books to share with some of the other classes. In Design and Technology, we have been making moving pictures. We have explored different mechanisms including sliders, levers and wheels and we have designed and created our own moving pictures to show part of the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
In maths, we have been learning to recognise 2-D and 3-D shapes. We enjoyed using geo-boards to make 2-D shapes, and cocktail sticks and sweets to make 3-D shapes! Can you recognise the shapes we have made?
Christmas is coming!
There are only a few week's left of the Christmas term and the children are all busy with play rehearsals, decorating the classroom and of course working hard! In the coming week you will see the image of a traditional Christmas Carol displayed in our classroom window. See if you can guess which one it is.
Term Topic - Remembrance and Celebrations
This term the children have been learning about the importance of Remembrance day. They each made a moving paper poppy, using split pins, which we then made a whole class wreath. The Hornbeam poppy wreath was taken down to the village war memorial by our School Council representatives, Maud and Jacob, on September 11th. Other children watched the ceremony at the Cenotaph on the big screen in class and joined in with the two minute silence.
We are also celebrating fireworks night and learning the rhyme 'Remember, Remember the 5th of November' as well as learning about firework safety. The children have produced some fabulous firework chalk pictures.
For RE we have been learning about the Hindu Festival, Divali. They each made their own lantern and were able to take these home. They really enjoyed making these!
Christmas is of course a time for celebration and we are learning the Christmas story as well as taking part in the 'Born in the Barn' play with Year 2. Singing rehearsals are going well so far!
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Archive
Hornbeam 2019-2020
World Book Day
For World Book Day 2020, each class has been challenged to make their own book. Ours has been inspired by 'The Day the Crayons Quit' by Drew Daywalt. Read on to find out more...
Sometime during Monday lunchtime, our crayons disappeared! All that was left were some empty crayon pots... and a copy of 'The Day the Crayons Quit'. We were challenged to write our own letters to the crayons, asking them to come home. Come back soon to see some examples of our work as well as some pictures of our wonderful World Book Day costumes.
What are we learning in class at the moment?
This term, our English is based around the book 'Owl Babies'. We are making story maps and learning to retell the story. Can you tell it to someone at home?
In maths we are learning about measuring. Does your child help you in the kitchen? Involving children with cooking is not only fun for you and your child, but helps them learn important techniques they’ll need later in their life for cooking and baking, as well as supporting their measuring skills.
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Archive
World Book Day in Year 1
The children all looked fabulous dressed up as their favourite book characters. Some of whom you can see here...
MULTI-SKILLS
Year 1 have been learning 'Multi-skills' in P.E this term. This has included learning about balance, balls skills and team games. Most recently the children have been learning to play golf!
Science Week in Year 1
Hornbeam children were learning about the five Senses during Science week. We had a special guest speaker on Tuesday who told the children what it was like to live being blind from birth. Then on Friday parents were able to join us during our multi-sensory open afternoon. Great fun was had by all!
The only trouble with KS1's production of Angel Trouble was that they were all far too cute! Everyone enjoyed their fabulous singing, some stand-out acting performances and each and every child sparkled as bright as our Star of Bethlehem. Both performances were really great and were enjoyed by wonderful full audiences. Well done children!
The experience of participating in the show has been a real confidence boost for all the children, allowed them an opportunity to showcase their wonderful talents, to work together as a team, to develop their speaking and listening skills and to have great fun along the way. Drama is so supportive to many areas of our curriculum in school including reading, writing and comprehension.
A huge thank you also to our audiences for their generosity in our collections which raised a fabulous £170. This money will go towards future performance expenses including scripts, stage, sets and backdrops, costumes and performance licences.
As you will be aware the children have started rehearsals and preparation for the forthcoming Christmas play. They are very excited but for many this is accompanied with the nerves and responsibility of learning words and remembering cues and actions. We very much appreciate your support in helping your child to learn their words so that they can enjoy the experience and the pride of participating in what is bound to be a wonderful performance.
In addition we are beginning to collect costumes and props together. Although we have many costumes in school, please take note of the additional items required to complete your child's costume and ensure that these are sent into school by Monday 27th November. If you have any queries regarding casting, costumes or the play please do speak to the class teacher at the end of the day.
We are looking forward to seeing you at our performances on 5th and 6th December. Letters for ticket requests will be sent home in the week beginning 20th November.
Oxford Museum of Natural History
Hornbeam had a wonderful visit to the Museum of Natural History this week. The children really enjoyed handling some incredible fossils, including dinosaur eggs and dinosaur bones. Have a look at our 'Trips' link for more photos and information about our day.
A Visit to the Library
On Wednesday, Hornbeam Class visited the library. The children thoroughly enjoyed browsing through the books and should have brought home a book to read.
Hornbeam Class have had a fantastic trip to Harcourt Arboretum today, admiring all the autumn colours and learning about the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees. We saw some very interesting trees, including a monkey puzzle and a giant redwood (the tallest tree in the arboretum)! We also created some sculptures out of natural materials.
When you are out and about, have a look at the trees around you; can you tell if they are deciduous or evergreen?
