Learning and Teaching 

Speaking and Listening

A solid foundation in oral language helps children become successful readers, strong communicators, as well as increasing their confidence and overall sense of well-being. Oral Language forms an important part of all learning areas. Speaking and listening in the classroom serve both social and educative purposes. That is, speaking and listening are central to forming relationships and acting as cognitive tools for learning.

A key strategy that is used across our Learning Communities to develop our children’s speaking and listening skills is the strategy of Language Experience. This involves the children taking part in a shared experience. The teacher and the students have a discussion about the experience and are provided with opportunities to hear and use new vocabulary and phrases. The teacher connects the experience to reading and writing through the writing down and reading back of the children’s sentences.

Earlier this week, the Year 1 and 2 community took part in a shared experience of making bread. This was linked to the learning the community has had about healthy eating. Each class went through the process of measuring ingredients, mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, seeing the dough rise, and cooking the bread. The teachers were explicit in the vocabulary they used and the children read the procedure as well as wrote about the experience. 

Here are some of the responses from the Year 1 and 2 Community:

Yesterday the 1/2s made bread in the hall. We made white bread and multigrain bread because we are trying to be healthy in Inquiry. We put flour, yeast for it to rise and water and salt. Secondly, we had a turn mixing the dough. The teachers covered it up to rise overnight. Today we’re eating it. I’ll put ham, cheese and cucumbers. By Megan. 

Yesterday we made bread! Miss Reaney did all sorts of stuff I didn’t expect. Like putting water in and it had to rise for about 5 hours! The ingredients were plain flour, instant yeast, cool water, salt, seeds and oats. One of the types of bread that we made was white bread, and the other was multigrain bread. By Theo. 

Yesterday we made bread. The ingredients were seeds, salt, water, yeast and flour. Today in my bread I will put butter and vegemite. Yesterday we put the bread in the fridge and we left it to rest overnight. It was fun and it’s going to be delicious. By Alexander F.

On Monday we made bread. We put flour, then we put water and then yeast. We kneaded the dough. It was fun! By Evie.

On Monday, 1/2s went to the hall. We made bread. The 1/2s made white bread and multigrain bread too. It was so much fun. We put seeds in the multigrain bread. There are no seeds in white bread. Multigrain is better than white bread. By Liam.

Deborah Courtney

Director of Learning and Teaching