Literacy

Who is coming to visit OLSC in Term 3?

Term 3 is an exciting time at OLSC for book lovers! We always look forward to Book Week and the arrival of the Book Fair midway through the term - I am sure some students are already thinking about the costume they are going to wear for the annual book parade. Just before the excitement of Book Week, we have an amazing Australian author visiting us to speak with all students about the books she has written and the way she comes up with her story ideas. Andrea Rowe, author of books like Jetty Jumping and Castle Crashing, is delighted to be joining us at OLSC on Monday, 17th August.

What have we been learning in our Literacy lessons at OLSC?

Prep - Over the last few weeks, the Prep students have been learning about ways to share their opinions about the books they are reading as a class. Through reading 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!' and 'The Pigeon Wants a Puppy' by Mo Willems, and 'This Rock Is Mine!' by Kaye Umansky, the children have verbalised their ideas and described the way the stories made them feel. They have also written persuasive sentences about the animals they want as pets. 

Year 1/2s - The 1/2 students have also focused on how to persuade others by giving reasons for their opinions. By reading 'The Day the Crayons Quit' and 'The Day the Crayons Came Home' by Drew Daywalt (and a variety of other persuasive picture books), the students have learned about the process of letter writing and how to explain their opinions through the written word. Parents of our 1/2s might have received a letter trying to convince them that their family MUST have a new pet crocodile! The children have engaged in class conversations about their favourite ice-cream flavours, which colour they like the best and even their favourite season.

Year 3s - After completing their class novel, 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl, the Year 3 students have begun comparing the events and characters within the book to the movie and the musical versions of the story. By viewing different scenes from the two shows, the students have had the opportunity to share the differences they notice and then carefully write their observations onto a Venn diagram. Today, they all watched the movie together to finish the unit at the conclusion of the term.

Year 4s - In connection with their shared novel (The Wild Robot), our Year 4 students have been watching videos and reading news articles about real-world jobs that robots are taking over from humans. The children were encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions about a range of topics, including 'Robot teachers take over classrooms around the world.' To conclude this term, our Year 4 students have enjoyed listening to the book 'Dear Broccoli' by Jo Dabrowski. After reading, they had the opportunity to write a persuasive letter to the food they dislike the most and then to write a reply from the food back to themselves. 

Year 5s - The Year 5 students have continued learning about natural disasters that impact parts of Australia. By reading further books from Jackie French's disaster series, the children have researched cyclones and droughts and the after-effects felt by humans, animals and the land. The book 'Cyclone' in particular, told the story of Cyclone Tracy, a devastating tropical storm that hit Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974, leaving thousands homeless and families heartbroken.

Year 6s - The Year 6 students have finally completed reading 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman. Throughout the term, alongside the novel, our senior students have been researching the country of Poland by accessing informative articles and websites and then taking notes about its physical features, the people and culture, and its flora and fauna. Using their notes, they have focused on constructing an information report including an introduction, body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph

Imagination Creation Writing Competition

Is your child a passionate writer and aged between 5 and 15 years? The local Wyndham library is holding a writing competition and is accepting submissions from now until the 15th July. Please see below for relevant information and a weblink for submitting poems or stories.

https://wyndhamcitylibraries.submittable.com/submit

https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/libraries/kids/imagination-creation-writing-competition

Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge is well underway, and the students at OLSC have hit the ground running with their reading. So far, we have read 3021 books, and 49 students have already completed the Challenge.

The Challenge finishes in September, so there is plenty of time for everyone to join in and reach their target. Keep up the wonderful effort with reading for fun! 71 days left.

Kristina Morrissey

kmorrissey@olscwyn.catholic.edu.au

Literacy Leader