Classroom Gallery

Year One/Two Newsletter TERM 4, WEEK 3

In the last couple of weeks, Year 1 and 2 students have enjoyed a variety of learning experiences. We’ve been busy in our classrooms, working hard and learning new skills every day. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to and some ideas for practising our learning at home.

Religion

In Religion, we are learning about God’s beautiful creation. We’re exploring how everything around us—the plants, animals, oceans, and stars—shows us the wonder and goodness of the world. Through stories and discussions, we’re learning to appreciate and care for our surroundings, understanding that each part of creation has its unique value and purpose.

Maths

In Maths, we’ve been diving into fractions! We’re learning to understand what halves and quarters mean (and eighths if we are in Year 2) and how to split things up equally. This helps us make connections with real-world examples, like sharing food or dividing up play spaces, for example. You can practise fractions with us at home by cutting fruits into halves, quarters, and eighths, cooking with us, cutting up a sandwich, or sharing snacks evenly with my brothers and sisters. It’s a fun way to bring maths to life!

Have a look at this story called Wombat’s Picnic:

Fractions - Halves, quarters, eighths

At the beginning of most of our maths lessons we do some number warm-ups. It is really important that we learn about the place value of numbers and counting by ones, tens, hundreds etc. Place value helps children:

Count larger numbers accurately: Students learn to break down numbers into ones, tens, hundreds, and so on.
Add and subtract more easily: Understanding place value gives students strategies to handle calculations with bigger numbers.
Develop a strong math foundation: Place value is key for learning multiplication, division, and even fractions later on.

Here are some examples of our ‘partner place value counting’ by tens and hundreds:

English

We’re becoming creative storytellers in English as we work on writing narratives. Our focus is on starting stories with a sizzling start that grabs the reader’s attention. Whether it’s with a surprising question, an exciting event, or a vivid description, we’re learning to make readers eager to know more. Alongside writing, we’re also improving our reading fluency and expression. By practising reading aloud with expression, we’re learning to bring stories to life, making them enjoyable for both the reader and the listener!

Bibi Bibi and Shimmy Shimmy by Archie King.

Many, many moons ago, a monstrous boulder rolled from a dinosaur nest. It rolled down the mountains of England and catapulted across the seas to Australia. It sailed across a sea of war. Bibi Bibi was the head of the dinosaurs in Australia and he screamed,

“I declare WAR, a war on the dinosaurs of England!”

Shimmy, Shimmy was the leader of the English dinosaurs. Bibi Bibi started fighting Shimmy Shimmy and his crew.

Both sides shot canons at each other. Bibi and his army wore bibs and Shimmy and his army did a little ‘shimmy-shimmy’ dance! Honestly, neither side really knew what they were fighting for!

Suddenly a ferocious volcano erupted and landed in the water in the middle of the battlefield. All the lava cooled and became a new island of peace because it blocked all the dinosaurs from fighting. The island was called ‘Bibi-Shimmy’ - the dinosaur dancing island.

Science and Digital Technologies:

Mrs Hoy: Science and Technology this term sees One/Two investigating how sound is produced using a variety of different materials. We will build an understanding of how sound moves through inquiry and developing a shared understanding with peers. As we explore a range of materials and the sounds they produce, we will connect our understanding of sound vibrations with the discovery that these vibrations can be altered through manipulating materials and the interaction between materials. We will consider the use of sounds in music and story-telling to share ideas. Towards the end of the unit, we will use our scientific understanding of sound production to design and produce instruments of altering pitch to achieve a purpose in communicating. Here are some photos of us drawing a soundscape from listening to our environment and then creating a small performance that follows the soundscape.

Technology time with Mrs. Flanagan has helped us improve our computer skills. We’re now able to create a Google Doc, design a Google slideshow, and even send an email to our teacher and friends! These digital skills are helping us become confident, independent learners, and we’re excited to keep developing them as the year goes on.

All students are working towards their goals and trying their best in class. We’re excited to keep learning, exploring, and growing every day!

Have a great week everyone.

Love from Year 1/2 and their teachers. 🙂

Absent: Oscar, Levi, Shane.