Year 1 has been diving deep into the world of numbers this week as we explore one more, addition, and subtraction. Using the White Rose approach, the children have been moving beyond just finding the answer and are instead focusing on understanding the "why" behind the maths.

Key areas of our learning include:

Using Manipulatives: We have been using physical resources like ten-frames, counters, and part-whole models. This hands-on approach helps the children visualize how numbers can be combined or separated.

Sentence Stems: To build mathematical vocabulary, we have been using specific phrases to explain our thinking, such as:

"First there were 5, then 1 more was added. Now there are 6."

"The parts are 3 and 2. The whole is 5."

One More and One Less: The children are becoming experts at identifying the number that comes immediately before or after a given value, strengthening their understanding of the number line.

It is wonderful to hear the classroom filled with such high-quality mathematical discussion. The children are not just "doing" maths; they are becoming mathematicians by proving their ideas and explaining their methods.