Foundation Unit

After a few busy weeks focused around assessments for reports, the Foundation students were happy to settle back into our normal daily routine. 

In Reading, we have been practising making connections. Students have been jotting down their connections during independent reading on a post-it note, as they learn to think more in depth about the content of their levelled texts and what it reminds them of. 

In Writing, we have been sharing our opinions and using the word ‘because’ to explain the reason behind our thinking. Students have also explored using similes in their writing and produced some really imaginative texts. We are also practising using lower case letters throughout our writing, unless it’s the beginning of a sentence, or a name. 

Now that the Foundation students have been introduced to all of the letters and sounds, as well as the most common digraphs and trigraphs, we have been exploring blends. Students have been picking this up quickly, especially blends such as ‘st’, ‘sk’, ‘nd’ and ‘nk’. When reading at home with your child, ask them if they can spot any blends in their words so they can impress you with their new knowledge! Students have also been practising their digraphs, trigraphs and handwriting through regular dictation sessions. 

In Maths, we are working on the concept of ‘part-part-whole’. Students have been exploring different ways to make numbers up to 10 through the use of a variety of worded problems that have been based on real life situations. We have been encouraging the students to prove their thinking with a drawing as well as a matching number sentence and/or equation. There has also been a focus on neat book work and which strategies are the most efficient when recording (for example, simple and neat dots, rather than detailed drawings). Students are also encouraged to show us more than one way of solving the maths problem. 

In other news, our bean shoots are well and truly growing for our Inquiry topic of ‘Living Things’. Students have enjoyed detailing the growth of their plants in their inquiry books and discussing why some plants are growing more than others. 

Foundation Teachers

Libby Cannon (PLC), Courtney Lawrence (PCL)/Juliet Smith, Bree Smith (PBS)