We have wasted no time in Year 1 in improving our maths skills at the start of the new year. The children have been working on addition using one and two digit numbers. We have been remembering our number bonds and how these can help us with our work. Working in small groups, we set up a couple of addition activities. Some children played the Sweet Shop Subtraction game, while other groups worked with a number of maths card to help solve a series of sums. Each activity was concluded by asking the children to complete a good number sentence. An example of this might be: “Four add three equals seven.”

Year 2 have had a wonderful time working with Time Table – our new maths robot. We have been paying various Space Maths games to help us get to grips with our two, five and ten times table. Time Table is able to tell us what multiples we need to be focusing on. He is proving to be a very useful class learning resource!

Other work around Year 2 has looked at sequencing events and writing instructions. We took the simple task of making a cup of tea, and then thought about the process as to what is involved. We observed a cup of tea being made in class, and then commented upon the different steps that were required. We soon learnt that we all make cups of tea in very different ways!

Each class member then wrote out their preferred way to make a cup of tea in the correct sequence. We also concentrated on adding connectives to our work, as well as our current literacy focus of bossy verbs.

All of this maths and literacy work has been broken up with some wonderful rehearsals for the annual Michael Faraday Christmas Concert. Year 2 are sounding good with their rendition of Jingle Bell Rock!

Our maths work in Year 3 has been looking at different weights and measures. We have been learning about how 1kg, half a kg and a quarter kg are all related. We set the challenge of asking the pupils to estimate how much rice they think would make the different amounts. We started off with a 1kg, and then we were able to get an idea as to how much was needed for a half and a quarter. Each group had three attempts to try and estimate the correct level.

We found that as we became familiar with the amount required, our estimates became more accurate. The exercise also helped Year 3 to make the connection between each amount, and how halves and quarters can be useful measures during our work. You can watch a video of this work being carried out above.

Our maths work in Year 3 has been looking at different weights and measures. We have been learning about how 1kg, half a kg and a quarter kg are all related. We set the challenge of asking the pupils to estimate how much rice they think would make the different amounts. We started off with a 1kg, and then we were able to get an idea as to how much was needed for a half and a quarter. Each group had three attempts to try and estimate the correct level.

We found that as we became familiar with the amount required, our estimates became more accurate. The exercise also helped Year 3 to make the connection between each amount, and how halves and quarters can be useful measures during our work. You can watch a video of this work being carried out above.

Year 1 have been having great fun reading The Little Red Hen, our current class book. We have been seeing how connectives are used to help tell the story, and then using these in our own written work. The children have also been thinking about the themes in the book, and how the Little Red Hen can’t manage to find any friends to help her with her tasks. One of these is baking break, which she has to carry out all on her own. We decided in Year 1 that we will learn from this exercise, and bake our own class bread, but working collectively with our friends. You can watch a short video of this above.

Our science work in Year 1 has been concerned with different types of materials. We have held some very practical sessions, encouraging the children to feel a selection of varying materials, and then to describe how they feel to touch. We have been thinking out the difference between soft and hard, or how some materials may be transparent, whilst others are opaque.

Finally our maths work in Year 1 has been all about exploring basic data handling. We asked the pupils to devise a simple survey to find out what the favourite food is in Year 1. We then used a tally system to keep track of our results. The data was then presented in a bar chart.

This has been a really busy period in the Michael Faraday Reception classes with many activities taking place ahead of half term. We greatly enjoyed our visit to Peckham Cinema as part of the National Film Week for Schools. Reception watched a screening of Yogi Bear. We enjoyed the experience so much that we have created a special Yogi display back in our classroom. We have also used the opportunity of the cinema trip to focus upon our literacy work. Descriptions of the cinema and the film have been written next to some photographs that we took.

Our maths work in Reception has been all about helping the children with their number recognition. A number of different games and resources have been used, based around the targets and abilities of each class member.

Transport has also been a major theme in the Michael Faraday Reception. We have asked the children to think about how they travel to school, and then to share their experiences with the rest of the Reception children.