Level 1: Connect

Hello Level 1 families,

Welcome back to an exciting new term in Grade 1! We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break. It has been wonderful to see how well the students have settled back into school routines, showing positive attitudes and a readiness to learn.

Reminders

Timetable Term 2

Literacy 

We enjoyed making ANZAC biscuits in Week 1 - and enjoyed eating them even more!

Over the coming fortnight, students will explore the mentor texts Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo and Wendy by Gus Gordon. Through these engaging stories, we will focus on building important reading and writing skills.

We are learning to:

• Locate key facts in a text
• Scan a text to find specific information quickly
• Use correct punctuation in our writing
• Add nouns and adjectives to make our writing more detailed and interesting

Students will practice looking closely at both words and illustrations to gather information, supporting their understanding of the stories. They will also apply their learning in their own writing by using descriptive language and accurate punctuation. These skills will help students become more confident readers and writers across a range of texts. 

Core Literacy

Our daily Core Literacy lessons include many English components including handwriting, dictation, card deck, making words with letters and their sounds, reading words and texts and comprehension. 

It is also a time when we incorporate the student text book, Spelling Mastery, twice a week into our lessons to revise sounds, letter names, spelling rules and the reading and spelling of words.

Here's what we will be focusing on at the beginning of Term 2:

Week 2: Heart Words - today, world, because

                   Morphology - open syllables

Week 3: Heart Words - around, round, said

                   Morphology - prefix - un

Mathematics

Over the next two weeks, our Grade 1 students will be exploring important number concepts through hands-on activities and problem-solving. We will begin by practising skip counting with collections, helping students recognise patterns when counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. This builds a strong foundation for understanding multiplication later on. Next focus area will be sharing collections equally, particularly into two groups. Through practical activities, students will develop an understanding of fair sharing and equal grouping, which introduces early division concepts.

You can support your child at home by practising skip counting during everyday activities and encouraging them to share items (like snacks or toys) evenly between family members.

Inquiry

Over the next fortnight, students will develop their understanding of maps and how we use them to explore the world around us. They will learn how to use directions and map keys to help find their way, building important navigation skills. Students will also practise locating Australia, its states, and key features on a map, helping them build their sense of place and geographical awareness.

Warm Regards, 

The Level 1 Team

Nishtha Kapoor, Lizzie Parmar, Rhiannon Harris-Tudor and Robyn Hall