Literacy

InitiaLit

This term students will continue with a systematic synthetic phonics approach to literacy. Letters will be explored in the following sequence: i, f, r, o, c, d, h, e, n, g, l, k, u, b, j. Students will build their understanding of key concepts of reading such as phonological awareness, oral language and phonemic awareness as they continue to explore the different sounds and blend them together to make words. They will practice the application of phonics skills through reading words in isolation and in sentences.

Key Language used this Term

Beginning sounds, middle sounds, ending sounds, stretch, blend, letter name, letter sound

Supporting your child at home in Reading:

Read with your child every night and record this in their diary.
Discuss the story with your child to promote comprehension with questions such as “who is in the story?”, “what is happening?”, “I wonder why did the character decided to...”, “how does the character feel? What evidence did you use for your inference?”
Allow your child to stretch and blend the words in their decodable reading books.

Writing

This term, students will continue to look at letters and identify the different sounds they make to produce words. They will practice correct letter formation and spelling to construct a sentence through the InitiaLit program. Students will continue to develop strategies from our whole school approach, VOICES, when writing letters and reports.

Key Language used this Term

Capital letter, lowercase letter, full stop, sentence, idea, word, sound, noun, adjective, letter, question

Supporting your child at home in Writing:

Ensure correct writing posture and the use of correct pencil grip.
Focus on correct letter formation in Home Learning Tasks, paying attention to the size, proportion and placement of letters on the dotted thirds.
Engage in fine-motor activities to support muscle development for writing. This can include playdough (especially rolling and pinching), cutting, beading, folding paper and finger stretches.

Speaking and Listening

This term, students will continue to develop their confidence in speaking and listening. They will be encouraged to continually reflect on their learning with the feedback received, enabling them to challenge themselves. As part of the InitiaLit program, students will identify the individual sounds in words. They will stretch, blend and manipulate sounds within a word. In mathematics, students will be encouraged to explain their thinking and justify their answers.

Some tips for speaking and listening with your child at home:

Encourage your child to respond by using full sentences.
Ask your child to repeat instructions you have given them. For example, ‘tell me what you need to do first’.

Mathematics

This term in Mathematics, we will be exploring two-dimensional shapes, three dimensional objects, patterns and data representation. Students will investigate the features of shapes by describing their attributes such as sides and corners for both regular and irregular shapes. They will transfer this learning to three-dimensional objects, building their understanding of geometric reasoning and properties. Students will make real-life connections to enhance their understanding of shapes, such as sorting shapes based on their features and participating in a shape hunt around the school.

Transferring learning on shape will be applied throughout patterns where students will develop their understanding of simple sequences and repetitions in the world around them. Students explore and create patterns incorporating objects, shapes, colors, and numbers.

Lastly, students will investigate the different ways to represent and respond to data. Through describing charts, graphs, or pictures they will discuss how to present information to yes and no questions. For example, they will investigate how a bar chart can show which students prefer different fruits or animals.

Key Language used this Term

Corners, edges, sides, vertices, straight, curved, equal, same, long, short, how many, data, most, least, repeated, pattern, sequence,

Supporting your child at home in Mathematics:

Discussing with your child the different shapes and composite you see in everyday life. These may include: cereal box – rectangular prism, soccer ball – sphere or a pizza – triangle.
Ask them to describe the features of 2D shapes. How many sides? How many corners?
Ask them to describe the features of 3D objects. How many vertices? How many edges? What 2D shapes can you see in the object?
Do mini research projects for data collection. “Does the family like cats or dogs? Do you like pizza or cookies?
Ask them questions about the data, “Which is the most popular? How do you know?”

Inquiry

During Term Two, students in Prep will be responding to the inquiry question, ‘How do I respect my environment?’ They will explore environments they are connected to such as school and home and use the Science inquiry skill of observation to identify what is in each environment. All students will participate in experiments to build their understanding of cause and effect. Students will explore boundaries and respect and how they can show respect to their environments. They will participate in the Chicken Egg hatching experiment and learn about how they can show respect to create a positive environment for the chicken to hatch their chicks.

Key Language used this Term

Environment, connect, living, non-living, man-made, impact, effect, respect, boundaries

Supporting your child at home in Inquiry:

Explore your home environment and what things are found in your home and in your backyard. These can include flora, fauna and man-made objects.
Discuss with your child their daily actions that can have a positive impact on the environment.

The Resilience Project (TRP)

During Term Two, students in Prep will be delving deeper into The Resilience Project. This term we will continue looking at the three key pillars which cultivate positive emotion; Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (also referred to as GEM) while linking this in with Emotional Literacy.

We will be having many discussions or GEM chats based around these wellbeing areas which help build resilience. Students will learn about friendships and how we both make and be a good friend. We will also explore sharing and why this is an important aspect of belonging to a classroom and school.

We will learn about the school values of Integrity, Respect, Initiative and Global Empathy and how these four values are followed in the classroom and throughout the school. We will explore, discuss and demonstrate the expectations of behaviour.

Key Language used this Term

Friend, gratitude, empathy, mindfulness

Supporting your child at home with the Resilience Project

We also encourage parents and families to have GEM chats at home. For example, what has made you smile today?
Ask your child what they have been learning about in TRP learning time.
Ask them what gratitude, empathy and mindfulness are. You may be amazed at the information your child can share about The Resilience Project, through the weekly learning taking place within the classroom.

The Behaviour Matrix

The Prep classes are working together to create a Prep Behaviour Matrix, which will provide clear guidelines and expectations of how we behave within the school and classroom. We expect that all students will carry these expectations with them as they pass through the school gates each afternoon to go home. Students have been busy learning about the different school values, and expectations. They have been collaborating through discussions and demonstrations of how we follow the school expectations.

Students are exploring; classroom, walkways, playground, toilets, assembly and Specialist classes. We want all students to follow the Behaviour Matrix consistently in all areas of the school.

Students have said…

“We always take turns and share with others.”

“We walk quietly and calmly.”

“We never throw sand in the sandpit.”

“We be kind to the fish in the fish tank.”

Key Language used this Term

Friendly, choices, positive, respect, empathy

Supporting your child at home:

Have conversations around being confident and resilient and what this looks like at home, in a club and at school. Talk out loud when you are modelling these traits.
Always praise them when they have made a positive choice, such as packing away their toys, setting the dinner table, helping with dinner, completing their reading or home learning. (You may set up a rewards system).
Praise your child when they independently ‘have a go’ at something, even if the outcome was not successful. Take unsuccessful moments or moments as an opportunity to talk about how we all learn differently and to have a growth mindset.

Perceptual Motor Program (PMP)

This term, the prep students will be involved in a weekly movement-based program on Tuesdays from Week 4. This program supports children to improve their hand/eye and eye/foot coordination, balance, locomotion, eye-tracking skills and general fitness.

To support the program, we are asking for helpers that have a current working with children check. Your role will be to supervise a movement station (all instructions will be provided) and if possible, to help set up and pack away the equipment. Please speak to your class teacher if you are available to assist for one or more sessions. On days we have PMP, all students in Prep are to be collected from the Gymnasium at 3:30pm.

Glen Waverley Primary School Prep Newsletter

DREAM. BELIEVE. ACHIEVE. SUCCEED

Issue 2 · 29 Apr 2024

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