Learning and Teaching Update
'We aim to provide a school environment where ‘Every person can flourish and be known’ This means that our teaching program identifies the unique needs of each individual student, and delivers a learning program designed to grow them into the best person that they can be'.
Expanding your child’s vocabulary
What reading experts say
Reading and talking with children plays an important role in developing their vocabulary. Typically, more words are used in written language than in spoken language. The more you read to children, the larger vocabulary they will develop. Research has shown children learn new words by:
Hearing a word over and over.
Hearing words spoken by the important people in their lives: Mum, Dad, siblings, grandparents.
Hearing words in a meaningful context – during conversation at dinner, in the car, while playing and while reading.
"Rephrase and extend your child's words, ask a clarifying question (tell me more about the man you saw), model more complex vocabulary or sentence structure (yes, I see the tall skyscraper you built with lots of windows), and ask open-ended questions," says Susan Hall and Louisa Moats of Straight Talk About Reading.
Word of the Day in Level 5/6 Doyle/Portia/Newbound/Harisiou
As part of our new daily routine, students in Level 5/6 are being exposed to one new word to begin their day. After hearing the word, the students think about the word and decide which group they belong to:
Group 1 - I have heard this word before and can explain the meaning to a friend
Group 2 - I have heard this word before but am unsure of the meaning
Group 3 - I have never heard of this word before
Teachers then display the dictionary meaning and students work in pairs to create sentences in context using the words. The aim of this routine is to move all students into Group 1, thereby expanding their vocabulary.
Student Work!
On Halloween, the creepiest day of the year, the streets were filled with a plethora of little children devouring their candy because they adored it. By Eauan (5/6Do/Po)
In the salty ocean, beneath the clean ocean waves, there was a plethora of goldfish swimming away from the great white shark. By Eauan (5/6Do/Po)
On the lake, which was very still, there was a plethora of slimy fish. By Ella-Ivy (5/6Ne)
An echo filled the school, which would become a land of chaos, as a plethora of kids ran into the open gates. By Ella-Ivy (5/6Ne)
In a chaotic school, which had echoes of children talking, there was a plethora of plastic wrappings left on the outstretched hallway. By Kayla (5/6Ha)
As the rain was blowing softly by the wind, I picked an orchid hidden beneath the depths of the bushes. I inhaled to discover the scent of this floret; it smelled like petrichor. By Kayla (5/6Ha)
The proof is in the pudding with these fantastic complex sentences that our students have been creating with the latest Words of the Day! If you have any questions or would like any ideas to help you at home, please do not hesitate to contact us at school or via email: adoyle@sanoblepark.catholic.edu.au
Ashlee Doyle
Level 5/6 Strategic Pedagogy Educational Leader