This week, the children in Year 1 started a new focus story: The Bog Baby.
Through this book they learnt some debating skills. The children were asked whether they thought the decision in the book was right or wrong and wrote down their reasons on a post-it note. After this, they stuck them to the correct side and discussed each one. They wrote their sentences in their books and then used them to have a real debate. A key word during these sessions was 'because'. The children were excited to learn a new way to remember how to spell the word, Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants.
Following on from the debate, the children were given the chance to make their own bog babies. They had fun using different materials to make arms and legs and designing a home for it. After this, we discussed, as a class, which steps we followed to make them. We used time openers such as: first, then, next, lastly. Finally, the children wrote their own set of instructions. If you get the chance, why don't you try making your own bog baby?
By Demi Dale
Year 1 Lions Class Teacher
