Year 1 have had such a joyful and laughter-filled week diving into the wonderfully funny story The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson. The children were immediately hooked by the quirky characters and the playful language, and it wasn’t long before the classroom was filled with giggles as we explored some truly terrific adjectives. Words like gruesome, horrendous, and hideous became firm favourites, and the children loved experimenting with them to describe the unusual animals in ever more imaginative ways.

As the week went on, we began to notice the rhythm and pattern of the text, paying close attention to its clever use of rhyme and speech. The children really enjoyed spotting rhyming words and joining in with repeated phrases, building both confidence and expression in their reading. We also explored how speech is used to bring characters to life, thinking carefully about how voices might sound and what the characters might say. Inspired by this, the children took on the exciting challenge of inventing their own “sixth ugly” character to join the group. Their creativity truly shone as they dreamed up wonderfully odd additions, from warty toads to baboons with purple bottoms, each with their own delightfully dreadful features. They used their new vocabulary confidently, crafting descriptive phrases that were both humorous and vivid, and many even began to experiment with rhyme and playful language in their own writing.

In maths, the children have been building confidence with numbers as they explored counting and ordering from 50 to 100. They enjoyed working together to sequence numbers correctly and challenged themselves to spot patterns within the number system, showing great determination and pride as their understanding grew.

Our art lessons have taken inspiration from Africa, where the children explored weaving techniques to create their own vibrant pieces. This was a wonderfully hands-on activity that not only encouraged creativity but also supported the development of fine motor skills, as the children carefully threaded and wove their materials with increasing control.

We finished the week on a high with Friday’s exciting colour run, which was met with huge enthusiasm and lots of laughter. It was wonderful to see the children embracing the occasion with such joy and energy, making it a truly memorable end to another fantastic week in Year 1.