Magnify
St Mary's School Mooroopna
Term 2 Week 2
Magnify Around the Classrooms
#magnifysandhurst
Foundation
The Preps have been revising the following sounds: s,m,t,a,p, i. They have learnt the grapheme that makes the /i/ sound and are reading and listening to words that start with the /f/ and /r/ sounds. Prep children are learning how to tap out the sounds in words to hear them and they are learning how to stretch out a word to hear the individual sounds and record them.
Gr 1
Grade Ones have been learning about homophones and vowel digraphs that make the long vowel sound – grow, show, toast, loaf, soap, slow. They have learnt that the spelling choice for the long /o/ sound at the end of word is usually ‘ow’. When they hear the long /o/ sound in the middle of a word, it is often ‘oa’. They have been listening to the storybook, ‘The Pencil,’ by Allan Ahlberg. Grade ones have been learning the following tricky words: who, many, any, love, over, says. They have also completed a cumulative review of the first term of spelling.
Gr 2
Grade Twos have just finished their work on the storybook, “The Stone Lion,” by Margaret Wild. They completed a story map retelling what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story. Children were able to identify the main characters, the setting and the problem in the story. Children can explain the meaning of the following vocab: generous, stumble and pace. Our next story book focus will be on the text, “Collecting Colour,” by Kylie Dunstan. In spelling, the children have been learning how to add the suffix –ing to a word and have learnt the doubling rule that applies to some words. Children have also been revising vowel digraphs for long vowel sounds eg. /ay/, /ai/, /oa/, /ow/.
Foundation
In Mathematics, Grade Prep children have been learning how to partition numbers to ten into three parts. They have been using play doh to make a given number (ie. If the teacher says ‘5’ they put out five pieces of play doh). Preps are also practising subitising numbers to 5 and are playing number games to practice counting and identifying numbers.
Gr 1
In their Mathematics Unit of Addition and Subtraction, Grade Ones have been learning that quantities can be combined and separated to form new quantities. They have been labelling parts of a discrete bar model, learning to write number bonds to ten and are learning to partition numbers to 20 into 2 and 3 parts. They are also learning how to identify parts of numbers to 20 by subitising.
Gr 2
In Mathematics, the Grade Two children have had a pre-test to find out what they already know about addition and subtraction before beginning a new unit of work on Addition and Subtraction. Lessons so far have revised the use of tens frames and number lines to build to ten. Children have practised solving some addition and subtraction problems using these tools to assist them.
Gr 3 and 4
In Literacy, students are reading the book Uncle Xbox. It is Indigenous, and the book is a First Nations story written by Nukunu author Dr. Jared Thomas. The story centres on a young Aboriginal boy in South Australia navigating family, culture, and life, often featuring themes of connecting to Country and family. Uncle Xbox follows 12-year-old Dusty, who struggles when his stepdad moves out and takes his Xbox. The book highlights contemporary Aboriginal life, including the nurturing role of uncles, the importance of connecting to culture, and spending time on Country. Students are working on sentence structure and expansion– who, what, where, when and why.
In Mathematics, students are learning to adding and subtracting number to 100, multiplication and division facts of multiplies up to 12.
In Science, students are learning about Living and Non-Living Things, explain that biology is the study of living things and understand what biologists do. Also, characteristis of living things can be placed on a continuum and that living things are made of cells.
Gr 5 and 6
In Mathematics, the Grade 5 and 6s are working on Perimeter, Area and Time and will soon complete an assessment to track their progress.
In Literacy, the Grade 5 students are reading a novel called “Black Cockatoo”, and our Grade 6 students are reading a story titled “Us Mob Ulawarru”. Both stories are told from the perspectives of young Indigenous children and explore themes of navigating culture, families, their connection to Country, experiences of cultural divide and how they stand up for and protect their communities with strength.
In Science, this term is all about Earth Sciences. The Grade 6s are looking at our solar system and how the Earth’s movement creates the patterns of day, night and seasons that we experience each year, and the Grade 5s are channelling their inner astronaut and exploring space travel.
In Humanities, the Grade 5s are taking a step back in time to understand Australia in the 1800s, whilst the Grade 6 students are exploring and investigating the European empires between the 18th and 20th centuries and their global consequences.