Foundation News
Reading
In Reading, the Foundation cohort has been elevating their decoding skills as they segmented and blended four-sound words, using the pattern consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant. Students have also challenged themselves to blend consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant words and pointed them out as they read books in the library. The Foundation students have also begun learning about retelling and focusing on the main parts of a story. They engaged in class readings such as, ‘The Bird and The Whale’, as well as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Students read with a partner and discussed the key ideas from the text, then summarised it in their reading books!
“I talked to my partner about the bird and the whale” - Annabelle FA
“The whale said ‘Come swim with me!’ to the bird but it couldn’t swim” - Musa FB
Writing
This fortnight, the Foundation students have been working hard in improving their word building and spelling skills. Students practised how to build simple sentences composing three to four consonant-vowel-consonant words. The Foundation cohort explored a variety of fun images to choose from and write a simple sentence about. Some of the image prompts they selected included a dog in a house, a boy playing hopscotch, and a man freezing outside during winter. The Foundation students are certainly building their confidence in writing simple sentences!
“The dog was playing” - Syed FA
“The dog was going home” - Royan FB
“I never give up on my writing” - Brooklyn FA
Maths
In Maths, the Foundation students have been continuing their learning about place value, with a growing focus on comparing numbers. They have been identifying numbers that are less than, greater than, or equal to one another and have enjoyed using the ‘Greater Gator’ to help them remember which way the crocodile mouth should face. Students also deepened their understanding of place value charts, confidently working with tens and ones using MAB blocks. The Foundation cohort has been demonstrating where each block goes and how place value helps them understand the size of numbers.
“10, 20, 30, 40, 50 , 60 …” - Syed FA
“I liked counting by 5s” - Archie FA
Inquiry
This fortnight in Inquiry, the Foundation students explored the question: Where does our food come from? They learned about the journey food takes from farms to supermarkets and identified which foods come from animals or plants. Students watched videos, such as the Supermarket Tour and Learn About Wheat With George the Farmer. The Foundation cohort discussed foods made from wheat, and drew and labelled items from their own lunchboxes. They also compared what their families eat at home and explored foods from different cultures.
“Flowers are plants” - Japman FA
“Plants need water” - Hiro FB
“I always have fruit in my lunchbox” - Syed FA
Auslan
In Auslan, the Foundation cohort continues to learn new fun signs! Students have been learning about deaf culture, and why it is important that we maintain eye contact when communicating using Auslan. The Foundation students have been building their understanding of how Auslan can be different, such as when clapping, they wave their hands in the air instead. Students have also been learning how to sign how they feel. The Foundation cohort learned a wide range of emotions such as, “I feel happy” and “I feel proud”!
“I had fun describing the animals” - Annabelle FA
“I remember how to sign horse” - Zade FB
“This is how you sign silly” - Musa FB
Social and Emotional Learning
In SEL, the Foundation students explored how to manage their emotions and show kindness to others. They shared and discussed coping strategies they use to feel calm or cheer themselves up when feeling stressed, tired, or frustrated. Students shared strategies such as star breathing, talking to a friend, or holding a stuffed animal for comfort. The Foundation cohort also practised speaking kindly, learning how to use polite words and a gentle tone in everyday situations. Through role play and drawing activities, they developed skills to handle tricky social situations and build positive relationships with their peers.
“We learned about what we liked and about our feelings” - Brooklyn FA
“If someone bullies you, you can tell your parents” - Paul FA
Special Event - Performing Arts Dance Incursion
The Foundation students had a blast at their Performing Arts dance incursion! Students learned the special dance number, the number 8, and applied it as they worked on exciting moves and routine. The Foundation cohort also had a chance to showcase their individual free dance and unique moves. Students wrapped off their dance session by dancing to different types of animals, such as a giraffe and a bear.
“We go like this when we hear the word ‘top’!” - Julia FC
“5, 6, 7, 8!” - Brooklyn FA
“I can do the robot dance” - Aydin FB
