Year One News

Over the past few weeks, the Year One students have been busy learning new Maths concepts and practising the skills. They have been learning about money, how to recognise and order Australian currency according to its value. The students have been solving addition and subtraction equations to 20 and practised using different strategies. In addition, students solve equations using friends of ten (pairs of numbers that total to ten i.e. 3+7, 2+8), doubling, and near-doubling. In subtraction, they have been counting back, counting up and using their friends of ten (10-7=3, 10-2=8). They have begun to learn about 2D and 3D shapes, to name them and recognise their features. 

Next week, the students will begin our next topic, place value, and begin flexible learning groups. The students will be grouped according to what they know and what they need to be taught next. They will be taught by one of the Year One teachers, and this is a good opportunity for them to work with students from the other grades. This is also great preparation for the changes to come in Year Two. They will also continue to learn about shape and transformation with their classroom teacher. 

We would like to encourage everyone, when given the opportunity, to practise some of these concepts and skills. Here are some ways to do this:

• play I Spy and name 3D shapes in the home environment;
• let your child pay for the food at the shops;
• ask your child to make two-digit numbers using LEGO (building towers of tens and ones);
• solve addition and subtraction equations to 20 in the car.