Year 1 News
Reading
This fortnight, the Year 1 Cohort have been learning to retell stories in their own words, focusing on the main ideas instead of all the tiny details. Students practised identifying the character, what the character wants, the problem, solution and ending of a story and explaining the most important events. This helps them understand and remember what they have read. Students have used well-loved picture books to practise this skill, sharing their summaries with partners and as a class.
They have also been building their decoding skills through segmenting, breaking words into their individual sounds (phonemes) to help them spell and read unfamiliar words. For example: cat → /c/ /a/ /t/ ship → /sh/ /i/ /p/
Summarising helps children make sense of what they read and remember it for later, while segmenting builds strong phonics knowledge for both reading and writing. Together, these skills help students become more confident, independent readers.
“When we are summarising, you have to tell the important parts.” Mohamad 1A
“Segmenting means to stretch out the word and say the sounds. Blending means to push all the sounds together to say the word.”Sophia 1A
Writing
In Writing this fortnight, Year 1 students have been exploring informational texts, non-fiction writing that teaches the reader interesting facts about a topic. They began by reading and discussing examples of informational texts. Students learned to identify key features such as title, headings, facts, pictures with labels.
They then became researchers. Using books, fact sheets, and short videos, students gathered information on fascinating animals; the Bengal Tiger, Komodo Dragon, and Box Jellyfish. They focused on answering key questions; appearance, diet, habitat and fun facts. Using their research notes, students planned and wrote their own informational pages. They worked carefully to include all the features they had learned about, along with diagrams and labels.
In Year One, in writing this fortnight, students have been consolidating their learning about expanded noun phrases. The students were coming up with imaginative adjectives to describe pictures and turning these into detailed and creative expanded noun phrases. Expanded noun phrases add extra detail to a noun by including adjectives. They help make writing more interesting and descriptive.
“I liked learning about the tiger. Did you know the tiger’s urine smells like popcorn!” Aman 1A
“The komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world. The baby komodo dragons climb trees to get away from predators.” Hussian 1A
Maths
In Maths this fortnight, Year 1 students have been learning about sharing and grouping objects. They explored how numbers can be divided into equal groups and developed the basic and early understanding of division.
Students began by physically sharing out counters, blocks and other classroom objects between friends to see what ‘equal groups’ look like. They quickly discovered that if there are extra objects left over, the groups are not equal, and they had to problem-solve to make them fair.
They also worked on grouping objects to find out how many groups we could make with a given number. For example, we asked questions like, “If we have 12 counters, how many groups of 3 can we make?”. Students used hands-on materials, drawings, and number sentences to show their thinking.
“When there are too many in one group, it means it’s not fair.” Hanin 1A
“To make sure everyone has the same, I give everyone a counter one at a time.” Pita 1A
Inquiry
In Inquiry, Year 1 students have been learning about pets and living things. They explored the different pets owned by their classmates and discussed what their needs are such as food, water, shelter and play. Students then created a pet profile for an animal of their choice, showing how they would care for their pet. They also continued learning about living things, exploring different habitats around the world such as oceans, rainforests, jungles, and deserts. Students discussed the different animals and plants that live in each habitat and explored where their homes would be.
“Coral is a living thing at the bottom of the ocean” - Hudson 1C
“My puppy needs lots of time to play!” - Kaila-Rae 1C
Auslan
Year 1 students have revised their learning from Term 2 and are building their skills in signing and understanding the language. They revisited topics from earlier in the year, such as people, animals, numbers, and common words. Students practised signs for family members and community roles, pets, farm animals, and wild animals. They also counted in Auslan from 1 to 10 and used everyday words to create simple sentences. Through games and partner practise, they grew more confident in remembering and using these signs.
They also learned about Deaf culture, exploring how Auslan is more than just signs and is part of a rich and proud community. Students discovered that Auslan is the first language for many people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, discussed ways we can be respectful and inclusive communicators, and learned why facial expressions and body language are such important parts of the language.
“I can remember to sign my numbers to 10.” Armaan 1A“ I like signing my favourite colours gold, silver and rainbow.” Daniel 1A
Social and Emotional Learning
In Social and Emotional learning, Year 1 students explored ways to play fairly and get along. They practised fair strategies for deciding who goes first in games by playing rock-paper-scissors and discussed the emotions they feel while playing a game. Students further developed their listening skills through games such as Simon Says to learn the importance of following instructions carefully and listening to every word. Last week, another focus was learning about feelings and emotions. Students practised recognising what emotions others are feeling by observing body language and facial expressions, and learnt to respect the personal space of others.
“When someone is angry I know to give them some space” - Amani 1C
“If someone has slumped shoulders and their head down they might be feeling sad” - Hussain 1C
Special Event
Last week, Year 1 students took part in an exciting dance incursion that had everyone moving, smiling, and learning new skills. The session was led by visiting dance instructors who introduced the students to a range of fun and energetic routines.
They practised moving to the beat, using their whole bodies, and working together as a group. The routines included actions that encouraged coordination, balance and rhythm.
