In Our Classrooms

Prep Reading Overview 

Over the past week, we have been busy exploring Stage 3 of our Little Learners Love Literacy program. We have recently been learning the phonemes and graphemes for e, qu and z. By recognising the connection between phonemes and graphemes, students are building confidence in spelling tricky words and strengthening their blending skills when reading. We have also been practising our Heart Words, helping students to recognise and read high-frequency words automatically and with confidence.

We are also getting very excited as we begin thinking about which characters we would like to dress up as for Milo’s Birthday Surprise!

Year 1 Reading Overview 

In Reading, our Year 1 students have been busy exploring the different graphemes that make the /er/ sound, including ir, ur and er. They have also been learning about the suffix -er and how it can change a verb into a noun (teach → teacher, paint → painter), as well as how it can be used to compare (fast → faster, bright → brighter). It has also been wonderful to welcome our parent helpers into the classroom. Thank you to everyone who has generously volunteered their time to support our students and learning programs. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Year 1 Curiosity Special Event

As part of our Inquiry unit, Places and Spaces, the Year 1 students participated in a special Curiosity event focused on fire safety and the important role community helpers play in keeping us safe.

Students had the opportunity to learn from a guest speaker about ways to stay safe in emergencies. They practiced important safety strategies including getting down low under smoke and “Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll.” Students were highly engaged and asked thoughtful questions throughout the session.

To continue their learning at home, students were encouraged to check for smoke alarms with their families and discuss a safe family meeting place in case of an emergency. We thank our special guest for supporting our learning and helping students build important safety knowledge.

Year 2 Reading Overview 

This week, our Year 2 students have continued strengthening their decoding and comprehension skills through the Little Learners Love Literacy program. We have been revising the /k/ and /ch/ phonemes, exploring the different spelling choices for each sound and learning when to apply them in writing. Students have also been connecting verbs to their reading and writing to build stronger word choice, clearer meaning, and more confident sentence structure.

Alongside decoding, we have been developing key comprehension strategies, including predicting, visualising, and making inferences across both visual and written texts. Students have been practising how to identify evidence, justify their thinking, and explain their inferences using clear reasons. These skills help them become thoughtful, active readers who can understand texts at a deeper level.

Year 3 Reading Overview 

This term, our Year 3 students have been developing their skills in reading and analysing information reports. They have explored a range of engaging topics, learning how to identify key facts, understand text features such as headings and diagrams, and distinguish between important and less relevant information. Through group discussions and guided activities, students have practised summarising what they have read and asking thoughtful questions to deepen their understanding. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they become more curious, critical readers who can make sense of nonfiction texts. 

Year 4 Reading Overview 

Students in Year 4 have begun Term 2 exploring imaginative narrative recounts. Throughout the unit, students are examining the author's purpose, text structure, character traits, vocabulary choices, plot arcs, and the use of dialogue to enhance storytelling.

Students are participating in a range of engaging literacy activities including independent reading, book responses, comprehension tasks, ICT-based learning, and collaborative discussions. Small, data-driven teacher groups are also supporting students to develop targeted reading comprehension and analytical skills at their individual point of need.

Year 5 Reading Overview 

Over the past fortnight, Year 5 students have been immersing themselves in the world of information texts, building the reading skills they need to become confident researchers and writers. Students have been developing their understanding of how information reports work, from the way facts are gathered and organised, through to the language choices and that make texts precise, engaging and informative.

Students have been exploring structural and language features in a range of informative texts, including compound and complex sentences, cohesive devices, appositives and classifications to learn how authors use specific features to make information reports both informative and engaging. Students have been practicing interpreting unfamiliar and technical vocabulary by using word-meaning strategies and context clues. They then analysed examples of effective information reports and examined how skilled writers embed facts within sentences and paragraphs, rather than simply listing information as dot points.

These reading experiences are laying a strong foundation for the writing students will produce as the unit continues. By reading like writers, they are developing a sharp eye for the features and craft moves that make information reports both informative and engaging.

Year 6 Reading Overview

Over the past two weeks, students explored historical fiction with a focus on understanding how authors show when and where a story is set. They built their background knowledge of early 1900s Australia and examined the language and descriptive details authors use to create a sense of time and place.

Students analysed how characters are represented in historical texts, learning to identify character traits and use these to make informed inferences about thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. They also explored how authors provide clues about a character’s life in the past through description and language choices.

In addition, students were introduced to the concept of theme, learning to distinguish between the events of a story (plot) and the deeper messages or ideas it conveys. Through class discussions and reading activities, students practised identifying themes and supporting their thinking with evidence from the text.