Year One
Dear Year One Families,
It has been a busy and exciting time in Year One, filled with lots of learning and new experiences.
Reading
In Reading, we have been focusing on QAR (Question-Answer Relationship) strategies to help students better understand texts. The children have been practising three types of questions: Right There, where answers are found directly in the text; Think and Search, which require gathering information from different parts; and In Your Head (Author and You), where students use what they know with clues from the text. These strategies help students become more confident readers by learning how to find or infer answers.
Writing
In Writing, we have continued to focus on writing procedural texts. Students have been following the correct structure, including a title, aim, and a step-by-step method when writing. They have also been using appropriate features like action verbs and time connectives. The children have enjoyed writing instructions for simple tasks and activities, and especially enjoyed making fairy bread and then writing a procedural text about the steps.
Maths
In Mathematics, we have been exploring capacity and mass. The children have been practising hefting—lifting objects to estimate which is heavier or lighter before measuring. They have also been estimating how much containers can hold before using measuring tools. This hands-on approach helps them compare and measure mass and capacity using informal units of measurement.
Inquiry
The students have continued to learn about how toys and games have changed over time—from simple wooden and metal toys in the past to today’s plastic and electronic toys. We have talked about the materials, features, and how children’s play has evolved over time. To bring this learning to life, we went on an exciting excursion to Werribee Mansion, where the children explored old-fashioned games and toys, experiencing firsthand how children in the past played.
We also looked at an artefact box at school, that included common toys fro the past. The students really enjoyed playing with them!
Swimming
This week, some Year One classes began the swimming program. The students have thoroughly enjoyed their lessons and have should be proud of the way they have represented our school.
Reminders
-The swimming program is underway for Group 1 (classes 1A, 1B, 1E, 1F, 1J & 1K). This program will go from Monday August 11th to Friday August 22nd).
- Group 2 (classes 1C, 1D, 1G, 1H, 1I & 1L) will participate in the program from Monday August 25th to Friday September 5th.
-Students taking part in the swimming program should wear their swimwear under their school uniform (preferably sports uniform) from the start of the day. They also need to bring a clearly labelled small separate bag with a towel, slip-on shoes, underwear, a plastic bag for wet swimwear, and optional goggles and swim cap.
-Book Week starts in Week 5, with our Book Week Parade taking place on Friday, 22nd August. This year’s theme is Book an Adventure. Students can dress up as a character from a book on this day. We can’t wait to see all the creative costumes and celebrations!