Welcome to the Rowans!
Our Class Teacher is Miss Mabb.
Our Teaching Assistant is Mrs Sanchez.
We support the Rowans to become collaborative, independent and resilient learners. We look forward to seeing the Rowans confidence and love of learning grow as they journey through Key Stage 1.
In the Rowans, we:
- Listen to and follow instructions.
- Are kind to each other.
- Try our best.
- Listen to others and be respectful.
- Put our hands up if we want to say something.
To see what we are learning about this half term, please see the Curriculum Overview.
Our PE lessons are on Wednesday and Friday, so have your PE kit in school on those days.
Please come back regularly to see what we have been up to!
Class Rules
Summer Song 2023/24 - Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap!
The Rowans' summer song this year is Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap! A fun, catchy song all about staying safe in the summer sun. The Rowans have had a fantastic year and are very excited to share their wonderful singing.
Class Song 2022/23 - Oh I Do Love to Be Beside the Seaside
The Rowans have been learning a summer-themed song in Music: Oh I Do Love to Be Beside the Seaside. We created a music video to go with their song as a lovely end of year send off.
Summer 2 2024
DT - Sewing Hand Puppets
The Rowans had been looking forward to this topic all year - sewing their own hand puppets! Although a bit tricky at first, they all quickly picked up sewing and were very focused, being careful with the needles and checking for tangles. When they had sewn the two pieces of felt together, we got to raid the scrap fabric boxes to finish their amazing creations.
Sports Day Practise with the Willows
In preparation for Sports Day, the Rowans and the Willows joined forces to practise their races in their houses. Despite the rainy weather preventing us from practising outside, they still had great fun in the hall - there was fantastic sportsmanship shown by all! Year 1 were especially excited to spend some time with their classmates for next year.
Shepreth Wildlife Park
The Rowans were very excited to Shepreth Wildlife Park! They saw lots of different animals such as maned wolves, alpacas, prairie dogs, coatis - and the much awaited red pandas. They also braved the nocturnal enclosure to watch the fruit bats flying over their heads and learnt a little bit about sonar.
The Rowans also attended the 'Who eats who?' workshop which tied in well with our current Science unit All About Animals. They consolidated carbivores, herbivores and omnivores - even getting to see the skill of a herbivore and carnivore to compare the difference! They also consolidated food chains - learning about producers and consumers.
They were very well behaved, respectful of others and trying their best to use a quiet voice when watching the animals.
Well done, Rowans!
English - Creepy Crawlies Fact Files
The Rowans worked together to choose 6 key questions and then researched a chosen creepy crawly. They then used what they had learnt to answer their questions in their own creepy crawly fact files.
Science - Parts of the Body
In the lovely weather we had this week, we decided to complete our Science activity outside. The Rowans were working together to consolidate parts of the body - cutting and sticking the labels in the correct places. We were lucky enough to have a Year 3 come and help us out too!
Summer 1 2024
Science - Plants
The Rowans worked together on their final group task of our Plants topic this year - categorising plants into their different groups:
- Wild Plants
- Garden Plants
- Fruit Plants
- Vegetable Plants
- Evergreen Trees
- Deciduous Trees
The apple tree was the trickiest as it could be classed as both a deciduous tree and a fruit plant!
Maths - Mathopoly!
The Rowans worked in teams to play Mathopoly to consolidate their addition and subtraction within 20. They remembered to use their number bonds to help them, and checked their answers using their beadstrings.
English - Our Favourite Books
The Rowans brought in their favourite books to share with the class. They then completed a 'My Favourite Book' poster to share what their book is called, why they like it and to draw the front cover of it. There were lots of wonderful stories to discuss!
Art - Drip Paintings
Inspired by abstract artist Jackson Pollock, the Rowans had a great time creating their own drip paintings. They mixed watercolours and flicked their paintbrushes to create their paintings - they were very excited when they realised that their paintings looked like fireworks!
Spring 2
Science
In this half term's Science topic - Young Gardeners, the Rowans have been exploring what plants need to grow. They have made their own newspaper pots and planted daffodil bulbs to take home and grow. They have also planted a variety of herbs, and we are currently doing an experiment to see how different amounts of light and water affect plant growth.
Design and Technology - Habitat Boxes
In DT this half term, the Rowans have been consolidating their skills of cutting and joining using a variety of materials to make habitat boxes. They based these on the Amazon rainforest - making sure to use lots of lush green for the vegetation and vibrant colours for the flowers. They also made sure to include the Amazon river!
Maths
In Maths, the Rowans have been exploring patterns and strategies when counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. For today's Counting in 10s lesson, the Rowans matched the multiples of 10 to the correct array, multiplication number sentence, and number of tens.
Music
In Music - led by our Music Specialist, Mr Street - the Rowans have been learning how to play a song on the keyboard. They have been taking it in turns to play and to sing along with the tune. I think we have some budding musicians in our midst!
Spring 1
English - Writing Stories
To end this half to, the Rowans have been listening to some traditional and modern Chinese tales surrounding Chinese New Year. They first read and ordered The Great Race - a traditional Chinese folk tale about the how the Jade Emperor chose the years. They then read The Runaway Wok - a modern Chinese tale about a magical wok who shared food, toys and money to all of the neighborhood for the Chinese New Year feast.
The Rowans works together in groups to write our own stories based on The Runaway Wok, but they changed key aspects of the story. Here is a video of them reading thier own stories: The Runaway Pan.
Computing - We Are Digital Artists
In Computing, the Rowans have been practising using PaintZ to create their own digital paintings. They have been exploring the different tools and brushes they can use to sketch and create texture. They have particularly enjoyed finding lots of bold, strong colours to use and some of Year 2 discovered that, by zooming in as far as they can, they can even make their own pixel art!
Science - Shadows
In Science this week, the Rowans have been learning about shadows. They have been investigating how shadows can change when they move the object and when they move the light. They had great fun making shadow puppets with their hands to observe how shadows can change.
English - 'and', 'could' and 'or'
Autumn 2 2023
English - Autumn Big Write
The Rowans were exploring the grounds to find Autumnal changes. We then discussed what changes we see and feel in nature, and also talked about some exciting events and activities that we can do during Autumn. They used this to inspire their drawing of an autumnal scene. They will use this to support their Autumn Big Write this week.
Maths
The Rowans have been exploring how numbers are made of other numbers. They were working together to investigate how many different ways they can make 10 and 20 out of 3 different numbers.
Science - Polar Animals
In Science, the Rowans have been learning about polar animals. This week, they were exploring how different polar animals have natural camouflage to help herbivores hide from predators, and carnivores sneak up on their prey.The Rowans used chalk to create their own polar landscapes. They then glued some pictures of Polar animals onto their landscapes to see them blending into their surroundings!
History
Our topic this term is the First World War. They have learnt about a significant historical figure, Walter Tull: the famous footballer who then became the first black officer in the British army. They have also learnt about the roles of animals and women in the war, and the importance of Remembrance Day.
Photography
As an addition to their Computing unit, the Rowans have revisited Photography. They worked in pairs or groups of three to take photographs of winter changes in nature. They practised framing their subject and focusing the camera before taking their photos. They particularly enjoyed taking photographs of the trees and the frost around the school grounds.
Cooking - Chocolate Pinecones
For cooking this half-term, we decided to do some winter themed Chocolate Pinecones. The Rowans mixed crushed bourbons and double cream together to make their chocolate mousse center, then used chocolate cereal to make the pinecone pines. Finally, they dusted the top with icing sugar to look like powdered snow. Great cooking, Rowans!
DT - Mini Guitars
This half term, the Rowans learned how to reuse common household recycling to make their own musical instrument. They designed and made their own tissue-box guitar, honing their skills in cutting and Use glue, sellotape and masking tape to join. They particularly enjoyed playing their guitars to each other!
Autumn 1 2023
Transition Day
On Transition Day, the Willows experienced a morning in the Rowans as Year 1s and our current Year 1s experienced the responsibility of being fantastic role models in Year 2. They enjoyed filling in their Transition Passports, using these to get to know each other and share some of their favourite lessons, foods and hobbies.
Maths
The Rowans have been learning about Place Value and practising their Number Bonds to 5 and 10. They have enjoyed using different resources to identify the tens and ones digits within two-digit numbers. They have also had great fun playing Number Bonds Match! Our sea-themed game where the Rowans need to turn over two numbers. If the two numbers add together to make 5 or 10 then they get to keep them. They need to watch out for the shark though, or it will gobble up all of their number bonds!
Science
This half term, the Rowans have been learning about the 5 senses. They have been experimenting with their sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste and have been learning to make tables and graphs to display their results.
For their smell investigation, the Rowans took part in an investigation where everyone smelled 7 different herbs - basil, coriander, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. They decided which they did and didn't like the smell of, then chose their favourite. We then created a class bar graph to show how many people chose each herb as their favourite. Everyone was very surprised at the results!
For their touch and sight investigation, the Rowans used their sight to predict what different items would feel like, then used touch to see if their predictions were correct! The favourite items were the Stretchy Noodle String and the Slime.
Geography
In Geography, the Rowans have been learning all about the countries of the United Kingdom. During our lesson discovering all about London, the Rowans used what they had learnt about iconic London landmarks to trace and paint their own London painting. There were some fantastic conversations about what the Rowans who have been to London had seen and done.
PE
In one of our PE topics this half-term, we have been focusing on poses and balances. The Rowans have learnt a variety of poses, discovering that it isn't always easy to stay balanced! They have been practising tenses their tummies when performing different poses to help them keep their balance.
