Year 1/2 News
ENGLISH
Reading:
In Reading this term, the Prep students will be exploring the theme of the farm through both fiction and non-fiction texts. Students will learn about different aspects of farm life, animals, and farming practices by engaging with a variety of texts. As part of this unit, they will explore the features of fiction stories set on farms, such as characters, settings, and imaginative events, as well as non-fiction texts that present information about farms and animals. Students will use the pictures and titles to make predictions about each text, activate their prior knowledge of farm life, and practise retelling and sequencing key events or facts. Furthermore, the students will begin to engage with inferring characters’ feelings using text clues and their prior knowledge, as well as making connections to texts.
Students will continue to learn high-frequency and CVC words. Knowing these words by sight enables students to confidently read texts and then use other strategies (like looking at the picture or using the initial sound) to read more challenging words. The students will also be practicing their knowledge of high frequency words in read-aloud, independent reading, games and focus groups.
Writing:
In Writing, the Prep students will continue their work on writing about a recount of an experience that has happened, utilising the elements of who, what, when and where. The students will also learn how to write a narrative, with a focus on retelling narratives that they have been exposed to during Reading. They will then use these skills to develop and write their own narratives, including a beginning, middle and end by following the steps of the writing process: generating an idea, drawing it, then using the elements of the 4ws to write their recount.
They will also be focusing on during their writing sessions, how to hold their pencil correctly, and how capital letters are used for names and the beginning of sentences, and full stops/punctuation marks signal the end of a sentence.
MATHEMATICS
In Maths, students will be learning to name, represent and order numbers from zero to at least 20 using a range of materials such as counters, number lines and digital tools. They will explore addition and subtraction in real-life situations, including simple money problems, using counting and subitising strategies with hands-on resources. Students will also learn about equal sharing and grouping, using objects and pictures to solve problems. They will follow short sequences of instructions and investigate patterns by copying, continuing and creating simple repeating patterns using colours, shapes or movements. Students will collect, sort and compare data using objects and images to answer yes/no questions related to everyday situations. They will also identify and compare measurable attributes such as length, capacity, mass and time by making direct comparisons and explaining their reasoning.
SEL
The Prep students will continue learning about the concepts in the Resilience, Rights, Respectful, Relationships program (RRRR)They will be learning about the different groups they belong to, such as their family, classroom, and friendship groups. They will explore how these groups help them feel connected and supported. Students will also practise simple skills for working and playing with others, including listening, taking turns, sharing, and helping. These skills will support their ability to collaborate respectfully with peers and understand how to be a positive member of a group.
INQUIRY
The title of this term's inquiry unit is called ‘My special Place’ and the learning area covered is Geography. Through creative and critical thinking, the students will discover that people care for places that are important to them. Through questioning and exploring the students will answer the following key questions: What makes a place special? And how can we look after our classroom/bedroom/home? The students will explore places that are special to them, and we will discuss how we can take care of those places and why we should take care of them.
SCIENCE
Welcome to Term 4 Science!
This term, our Grade 1 and 2 students will be exploring the Chemical Science strand, focusing on the idea that everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways.
Students will investigate how materials can be bent, stretched, twisted, or folded, and observe how these physical changes affect the way materials look and function. Through hands-on experiments and observations, they will explore the flexibility, strength, and texture of different materials and learn how physical changes do not create new materials but can make them more useful for certain purposes. Students will also take part in simple experiments to test and record their findings, and they will have the opportunity to create small projects that demonstrate how materials can be changed to suit different needs or tasks.
This unit is designed to build curiosity, encourage observation skills, and lay the foundation for scientific thinking through fun, practical experiences.
We’re looking forward to an exciting and explorative term of Science!
LOTE-AUSLAN
Welcome to Term 4 Auslan! During this term, Grade 1/2 students will learn about: – Junk/Take Away Food, Telling the time, Around the House – Bathroom & Laundry, On the Weekend, Opposites, Handshapes #4, Going to the Beach, Sign Languages Around the World, Party time and Revision.
These new lessons will show signs being used in a variety of social settings, and we will explain that there are many sign languages used around the world.
The Revision lesson will involve an Auslan story, using many signs that we will learn this term and present the challenge of ‘reading back’ the signs to understand the story.
The students will begin to gain confidence, through experience, in both signing, (Expressive) and understanding others’ signs (Receptive).
ART
Welcome to Art, Term 4, 2024! This term, Grade 1 and 2 will revise and consolidate their pattern skills by repeating lines and colours in their art pieces. They will also use the elements of form and texture. Students will be able to apply their maths skills and cross curricular learning to understand how the element of form is used in artworks. They will also make mixed media artworks using a combination of different materials. These artworks will focus on using and refining a range of skills, that have been covered in previous terms. Grade 1 and 2 will also explore and respond to artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Lots of experimentation and discussion will take place as we discover wonderful and creative possibilities. Looking forward to a fantastic final term of Art with Grade 1 and 2 students!
P.E
Our Year 1/2 students will be learning the skills they need to play hockey and rugby. We will start with activities that help students develop their control and teamwork before moving into small games. The main focus is on building confidence, working with others and having fun while learning the basics of these two sports. At the end of the term, students will also enjoy our House Colours Day, where they get to dress up in their colours, show their school spirit and take part in exciting activities with their peers.