Prep

Literacy 

We have been learning all about writing the letters M and S, and in addition, the students are learning the beginning sounds of /m/ and /s/. The students have been using mirrors to see the correct formation of their mouths when the different sounds are made and feel where the sound is made. The /m/ is a nasal sound when you block your nose; you cannot make the /m/ sound, and the /s/ sound is a fricative consonant sound, and a hissing sound is made. Sammy Seal and Maggie Mouse have assisted the students in identifying these beginning sound in common words such as milk, moon, man, sun, seal and spot. We have been practising writing the shapes that form the 'm' and 's' letters in handwriting. I am so impressed with the beautiful formation of these letters, the students' focus and engagement are evident in their writing books.  

Maths 

In Maths, we have been counting forwards and backwards between one to twenty and knowing the numbers that come before and after a number. Each day we have a 'number of the day', and the students use a variety of concrete materials and drawings to make collections of objects to represent the manyness of that number. In addition, the students have been writing the names and numerals for numbers from 1 to 12. On Wednesday, we went on a number walk to count different objects around the school. As a warm-up, we often play Number Antlers. The students are given a number below 10 and they need to show that number using their fingers. 

Inquiry 

Exploring the different properties of materials has been our focus in Inquiry. The students chose one party decoration to explore using their senses. Using WOW words the students describe the properties of their material. On Tuesday the students started to plan the design of their party hat, using a variety of materials and writing the properties of the decorations used. Finally, the students were able to recreate their patterns and designs on a real party hat.