Year 1

What a term it’s been in Year 1! We’ve been digging deep—literally and figuratively—into our Knowledge Building Unit: The History of the Earth. We started with a bang (not from a volcano, thankfully) by learning all about the layers of the Earth, followed by an exciting journey through minerals and the three types of rock: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Our mini-geologists even participated in a rock sorting activity where they observed size, shape, colour and texture—no diamonds were found, but the excitement was just as real!

We’re gearing up for our Melbourne Museum excursion where we’ll be on the lookout for all the amazing minerals, rocks and fossils we’ve been learning about. Dinosaurs, you’d better watch out—we’re coming for your bones!

In writing, our brains have time-travelled back to Ancient Mesopotamia. Students have been busy planning, drafting and publishing their very own information reports with subheadings like Farming, The Land Between Two Rivers, Kings and Queens, and Gods, Goddesses and Temples. Each report comes complete with labelled pictures. The hard work, sentence building and retention of information from our previous unit are really paying off—we’ve got some budding historians in the making!

Over in maths, we’ve been tackling the symbols of +, − and = like absolute pros. Our number detectives have been using bar models, number bonds and number lines to solve addition and subtraction problems and many have discovered just how satisfying it is when the numbers just make sense and balance on both sides. We also got moving with our learning in location lessons, using obstacle courses to explore left, right and directional language. Some of us gave the Preps quite the challenge with our twisty-turny instructions!

Play-Based Learning has been buzzing with creativity and problem solving. We’ve built zoos from planks, crafted amazing playdough scenes, designed homes for Australian animals, and created artwork using vase templates and Aboriginal symbols. Dollhouses and loose parts have also been getting a serious workout as our imaginations ran wild.

The effort, energy, and enthusiasm in 1C this term has been next level. Every day, your children amaze me with their curiosity, kindness and courage to try something new. I’m one very proud teacher! Wishing you all a warm, wonderful and rock-solid school holiday. Thank you, as always, for your continued support—you’re all part of our classroom’s success story!

Our day at the Melbourne Museum