Learning Space News
Year 1/2
English
This term started with an exciting Athol Road Animals incursion. Five of our school animals were brought into the learning space, giving students the opportunity to experience each of the different animals, observe them closely, gently touch them and learn lots of fascinating facts about them.
Students have been learning about the structure and features of information texts in both reading and writing. They explored how authors organise information in non-fiction texts using titles, introductions, headings, diagrams, photographs, maps and labels.
Students then became authors themselves! They used their new knowledge to create information pages about animals, carefully organising facts and adding text features to help their readers. Some students even went a step further and created their own non-fiction books, complete with front covers, contents pages and glossaries!
Students have also been having lots of fun learning how to write procedures! They have been learning how to explain how to make or do something by putting steps in the correct order and using words, such as first, next, then and finally. To bring their learning to life, students have been making pizzas, fruit skewers, slime and bubble wands.
These hands-on activities have given students lots of opportunities to practise different words to describe what they are doing. Students have also been learning to use action words, such as cut, mix, pour, add and stir when writing their instructions. It has been wonderful to see students building their confidence and enjoying using English to share their ideas and explain how things are made!
It has been wonderful to see students enthusiastically combining their reading, writing and new animal knowledge. We certainly have some budding authors in the making!
Building Our Maths Fluency on Number Bots and Times Tables Rockstars!
Students have been working hard to build their mathematical understanding and fluency! They have been using 'Number Bots' to strengthen their understanding of addition and subtraction, which provide opportunities to practise their skills, solve problems and become more confident mathematicians. Some students have been using 'Times Tables Rock Stars' to build fluency and confidence with their multiplication facts. They have been challenging themselves to recall their facts quickly and accurately, while working towards their individual maths goals. One day each week is dedicated to working towards students' personal Maths goals. This gives every student the opportunity to focus on the skills they are currently developing and celebrate their progress.
There is a visual Maths fluency chart in the learning space, which helps each student see their progress and track how quickly they can recall their multiplication facts. They are encouraged to celebrate improvements and recognise that regular practice helps them become faster and more confident. There have already seen some amazing results, with some students able to recall their 2, 5 and 10x times tables facts in under 2 seconds!
The teachers are so proud of the effort, determination, and enthusiasm students are showing as they continue to grow their mathematical skills and confidence. Keep up the fantastic work, mathematicians!
Inquiry - Exploring Australia Through Inquiry
Students have been exploring Australia as part of an exciting Inquiry unit! The term kicked off with an immersion day, where each learning space was transformed into a different state of Australia. Students travelled from state to state, taking part in a range of fun, hands-on activities that helped them discover what makes each part of Australia unique.
The day was filled with creativity, movement and exploration! Students created nature-inspired artwork, practised their AFL skills, made colourful paper-chain jellyfish, and participated in a variety of activities connected to the different states and their environments. It was a wonderful way to spark curiosity and get students excited about the learning ahead.
Following this day, students began learning more about significant places across Australia and why these places are important. Students explored landmarks, natural environments and special places across the states, building their knowledge of Australia's diverse landscapes, history and culture.
Students were then placed into groups and became experts on one Australian state — Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia or Western Australia. Each group has been researching significant places within their state and working collaboratively to create an informative and creative poster project. Students developed their research, communication, teamwork and presentation skills as they share their learning with one another.
Digital Literacy - Bee-Bots, Spheros and Algorithms
Students have been exploring Digital Literacy through the unit Follow That Algorithm! They have learnt that an algorithm is a set of clear, step-by-step instructions and discovered why instructions need to be in the correct order. They began by creating algorithms for familiar everyday tasks before using directional language and arrows to design their own.
Students then put their learning into action using Bee-Bots and Spheros. Working collaboratively, they took on roles, such as programmer, operator and debugger to plan instructions, program their robots and test whether their algorithms worked. When things didn’t quite go to plan, students learnt how to debug by identifying the problem, changing their instructions and trying again.
Students also enjoyed using their creativity and problem solving skills to design and build mazes for the Spheros and Bee-Bots. They followed the engineering design process to plan, create, test and improve their designs, adding features such as corners, obstacles and tunnels. It has been wonderful to see students working together, persevering through challenges and discovering that mistakes are an important part of learning and improving!
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Students have been learning about respectful relationships, boundaries and consent through our Rights, Respect and Relationships (RRRR) program and Consent Education lessons.
As part of RRRR Topics 7 and 8, students have been learning about:
Gender Norms and Stereotypes – understanding that boys and girls can enjoy different activities, have different interests and express themselves in different ways. Students have explored how we can avoid making assumptions about what someone can or cannot do because of their gender.
Positive Gender Relationships – learning how to treat everyone fairly and respectfully, regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl. Students have discussed kindness, inclusion, fairness and working together.
Through the consent education lessons, students have also been learning about understanding boundaries, consent and respect. They have explored what a boundary is, how to communicate when they are comfortable or uncomfortable, and why it is important to listen to and respect other people's boundaries.
These lessons support our students to develop the skills and language they need to make safe choices, communicate respectfully, understand personal boundaries and build positive relationships with others.