Platypus Classroom

Literacy

In literacy this fortnight, students have been mapping the narrative structure of texts and identifying patterns in narrative structure such as the use of repetition to create an effect and figurative language, such as similes and personfication, to help readers build a mental model of the text. They have made text comparisons between the text Leila and the Blue Fox and the short film Migrants. Close reading and supported discussions using quality texts enables our students to identify themes, narrative structures and language features, which students can then experiment with in their own writing.

Maths

Wow! This past fortnight has seen great improvement in our students' confidence in calculating and recalling their 3 times tables. Well done to all students! Next fortnight's focus will be on our six times tables.  Parent Tip: Ask your child 3-5 times table facts a night. Remember to give them an appropriate wait time (3-5 seconds) to solve it in their head.

During our explicit teaching component this fortnight, students have been learning about angles and time. 

Stage 2 students have been classifying angles using a right angle to identify acute and obtuse angles. They have also been learning how to tell time to the minute on an analog. They have made tremendous progress in this skill since the beginning of the week. Great job to Stage 2 students! 

Stage 3 students have been developing their skills in measuring angles with a protractor. This is a skill not for the faint of heart! Students are using their understanding of adjacent angles that total 90 degrees or 180 degrees to help them measure one angle and then calculate the other angle.  During our lessons on time, students have been calculating elapsed time and fractions of time. This is a practical skill that enables students to plan and calculate daily events.