Prep Bulletin
A snapshot into Reading
Learning Experience Overview:
In Prep, we are exploring our Big Idea “My school is a community that has changed over time because of us”. Over the course of the term, students unpack the Big Idea and driving questions through various learning experiences in a range of curriculum areas, such as in our Reading.
Driving Questions
What is a community?
How has my school community changed over time?
How can I contribute to my school community?
Learning Experience:
Whole
Learning Intention: To use ‘what I see what I think’ to help me understand the text
As a class, we explored the book The First Hundred Years of Armadale Primary School to learn more about the history of our school. We looked closely at the cover and images inside the book to notice how different parts of the school have changed over time. Using the strategy ‘what I see what I think,’ we looked at interesting facts and historical photos, helping us to reflect on things we didn’t know about our school’s past. The book sparked interesting discussions about how much has changed and what has stayed the same.
Prompts:
What can you find?
Do you see anything on this page?
Look all the way across the page.
What does it make you think?
In this learning experience, students worked towards:
- Using reading strategies to respond to texts
- Making a connection between text to real life
Small (Reading Groups)
Our 4 small group activities explore either a letter, word and/or text focus.
Activity 1 - Armadale Old vs New
Learning Intention: To use what I already know to respond to a text
In this activity, students used the reading strategy of using what they already know from past learning experiences such as looking at past Armadillo magazines and Google Maps images to make connections. They examined pictures of the school from the past and drew what that part of the school looks like now.
Examples of students’ work:
Activity 2 - Rhyming Word Match
Learning Intention: To use onset and rime to identify words
In this activity, students used onset and rime to read words. They sorted the list of words into columns, matching them based on their rime. The task was differentiated in three ways.
Enabling: The rime was highlighted to support children with matching. The list of words include the picture to help with reading the word.
Explore: The list of words include the picture to help with reading the word but the rime is not highlighted.
Extending: There is a list of words and no pictures.
Activity 3 - Alphabet Scrapbook ‘Hh’
Learning Intention: To match the phoneme to the grapheme
In this activity, students did a cut and paste activity to create a capital ‘H’ in the shape of a hen. Then, they wrote a lowercase ‘h’. They were given a range of pictures and were required to pick the ones that start with the /h/ sound and glue them into their Alphabet Scrapbook.
Enabling: Students were given pictures and words to support them with sorting.
Explore: Students were given only pictures to sort.
Extending: Students were given only pictures to sort and were encouraged to draw some of their own.
Activity 4 - Alphabet Mat
Learning Intention: To identify the name and common sound of each letter of the alphabet
In this activity, students used an alphabet mat to match the uppercase letters. Once they matched the letters, they pushed each letter up and said the letter name. It is important that students do not sing the alphabet, but instead say the name of the letter. They said each letter name starting from ‘A’ and repeated this but starting from ‘Z’ and working backwards. They then did the same thing but said the most common sound the letter makes.
When finished, students completed another letter activity involving capital letter recognition and matching (Alphabet Pot)
Examples of students’ work:
What you can do now to continue the learning at home from this experience:
- Discuss with your child about how their school and local community have changed over time.
- Use the reading strategy ‘What I see what I think’ when reading at home. Discuss what the pictures and words make you think.
- Read rhyming books together and play rhyming games to reinforce their learning.
- Practice uppercase letter recognition when looking at things in our community such as signs and menus. Discuss the letter/s that come before and after. Discuss what sounds the letter makes.
Warm regards,
Alyssa, Ruby and Julian
Prep Team
Alyssa.Thermos@education.vic.gov.au