Curriculum News
Our Curriculum Overviews for the Term
English
Reading and Viewing
In Foundation, we will begin the term by revising the Jolly Phonic sounds we have learnt, before moving onto the next phase, which includes more complex sounds. We will continue introducing a new SMART Foundation sentence of the week, starting from Week 1. The students will be encouraged to recognise their Magic words within these sentences and use their sounds to segment and blend the word of the week.
Literacy Groups will begin formally in Week 3, after swimming, with parent helpers required from this time. If you have a current Working with Children’s Check and are available to help please fill in the Google Form (LINK) as soon as possible. We will collate a roster and email it to the parents who have volunteered. During these Literacy Groups students will participate in activities including letter identification, letter/sound knowledge and oral language activities. Please note if you are helping you may not be with your childs group, so please have this conversation with them before you start.
We will be learning about a variety of comprehension strategies that can be used to extend our understanding of the texts we read. Strategies include predicting, retelling, and making connections to our lives.
We will also be learning about the differences between imaginary and factual texts, with a focus on living things.
Writing
Our writing program will continue to be based on life experiences, with a focus on living things. We will be encouraging students to use the phonics they have learnt to attempt to spell the words they need to convey the message. They will also be learning how to correctly form each letter individually. Please keep in mind that when a student is learning to write they are encouraged to ‘have a go’ and write down what they think - the focus is not on being 100% correct but rather on students gaining confidence in their writing abilities and making connections between the sounds they hear and the letter they have learnt.
Speaking and Listening
Oral Language underpins many parts of Literacy and the students will complete activities that focus on listening and speaking during Literacy activities. We will be focusing on students hearing rhyming sounds and syllables within words. Our Magic Box and Take Home Toy, Pig the Pug, will also continue this term.
Mathematics
Number and Algebra
In Mathematics, students will continue to develop their numbers sense through counting forwards and backwards, and ordering number activities. We will explore numbers of the day, in relation to counting up to our 100 days of school, as well as identifying numbers before and after, and placing numbers on number lines. We will begin to work through the Addition and Subtraction Mental strategies, with the main focus being on subitising - the automatic recall of the amount of a collection of items up to 5. Students will also explore practical strategies to solve simple addition problems, with a focus on counting on. We will finish the term using informal ways to measure and compare mass, with a focus on the language involved i.e. heavy, heavier, light, lighter.
Inquiry/Religion
During Term 2, our Inquiry unit, “Loving the Living”, focuses on the understanding that we are responsible for caring for all living things. We will be learning about God as a creator and how we are called to care for the gifts he has given us. This will be learnt through Pope Francis' letter, Laudato Si and the actions it calls us to take. Over the course of the term, we will participate in a 5-week Rabbit Rearing program, where we will be lucky enough to have a mother rabbit and her babies here with us, to observe and care for during this time. We ask that you keep this a secret from your child, until we are ready to inform them at school, as we would like to make this a surprise for them. We will be observing and recording changes that occur to the offspring during this time. We will begin with a discussion of the definition of living things and how living things grow and change over time, using the language associated with these changes i.e adult and baby animals names and learning to use adjectives to describe living things. We will end the term learning about the significance of prayer and hold a small prayer service thanking God for his wonderful creation.
During Term Two, the students will also be discussing the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus and other significant events in the church calendar, including the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost.
Wellbeing
Our Wellbeing focus for Term 2 is Personal Strength. We will be working on learning to identify our strengths and the strengths of others and identify ways to care for others, including ways of making and keeping friends.