Year -1/2 Unit

The Year 1/2s have been in busy-bee mode and are learning lots about ‘forces’ used to make things move. Last week, we had our ‘Toy Science’ incursion to investigate the forces and materials used to operate a range of toys. The students loved exploring the different categories of toys and experimenting at each station to observe whether the toys and equipment used either a push, pull or a gravity force, or a combination. Each collection of toys were grouped according to their materials and these also showed students how toys have changed over time, but have all been designed for a similar purpose and require the use of a force to be able to function effectively. 

Last Tuesday, the Year 1/2s braved the outdoor elements and walked to the Woodend Children’s Park to explore the playground equipment to conduct research on the forces in playground design. Students were asked to collect data on playground equipment materials, parts and forces in preparation for their upcoming Inquiry Playground Design Project. Thank you to those students and families who have kindly collected and brought in recyclable materials for the Playground Design Projects. If you have any more materials (wood, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, string, straws, recyclable cutlery or crockery) at home that you could donate to the Year 1/2s, it would be much appreciated. We are really looking forward to creating and building our playground designs that showcase our learning on a range of forces that can be used to make things move. 

Over the past few weeks, it has been wonderful to see students present their Show & Tell that have focused on sharing describing ‘How a Toy Works’. We have encouraged students to continue to practise their presentation at home. This allows students to ensure they can express their ideas clearly and use appropriate body language, eye contact and voice volume when speaking to an audience. This week students will be bringing in an example of ‘The Most Amazing Thing That Belongs To Me’ and convincing the audience why it is the most amazing thing. This will be a part of our exploration of persuasive texts in Reading and Writing that we are commencing. 

In Maths, the Year 1/2s have continued to practise a range of strategies used to solve addition problems through partner games and open-ended problems using money. We have been learning about part-part whole relationships and the Bridge to 10 strategy. While finishing off some assessments, this week we are commencing our unit on Subtraction. 

Next week we are looking forward to another big week of learning and continuing to work on our Playground Design Projects. We are hoping to make arrangements towards the end of term for parents and families to visit our classrooms to view a Playground Design Exhibit, so keep an eye out for Year 1/2 information on Compass. 

Year 1/2 Teachers

Debbie Thompsopn (12T)/Greer Arnold, Lyndsay Adamson (12A), 

Zoe Sutherland (12S)/Juliet Smith, Emma Beaumont (12B)/Greer Arnold, 

Katherine Richardson (12R)