Connect: Year 1

Over the last fortnight students have had opportunities to focus on what makes themselves a good friend. It has been wonderful to see how students have grown in confidence when discussing what makes them special! As we near the end of the term and approach new grades it is the perfect time to remind your child of the positives that they bring to their friendships, whether these be new or old.

Jennifer Kelly, Michelle Hammill, Shanae French and Fiona Torrington

Key dates 

Reminders 

• Hats are required for Term 4
• Students can log into Reading Eggs and Math Seeds at home. These are great resource for them to practice phonics and explore maths. 

The Next Fortnight of Learning

Literacy

Mentor texts are continued to used to create structured literacy responses where writing skills such as capital letters, punctuation and sentence structure is a focus. 

Students have been practicing combining a number of their writing skills to create pieces in their writers notebooks. Drawing on a range of picture, written and real life prompts students have been encouraged to respond creatively in their writing. This is also a great opportunity for students to practice getting out of the 'learning pit' when an idea takes time to develop.

During phonics we are revisiting graphemes taught throughout the year to solidify their knowledge. The current focus is how to make words plural using 's' and 'es'. Next weeks focus consists of 'ed'. Students are applying their phonics knowledge to read decodable texts and answer a range of questions related to sounds, comprehension and predictions. 

Maths

Multiplicative thinking has remained the focus this week. Practical situations have been explored to allow students to have further opportunities to experience the language used when communicating mathematically. Students have also practiced representing their mental picture on paper in a way that is 'quick, neat and organised'. This has allowed richer conversation and a better understanding of each others thinking in a way that is clear and easier to follow. 

Inquiry

The focus for our inquiry unit this term is Light and sounds. Students will explore sources of light and sound. They will make connections between sound and vibration, as well as light sources and shadows. Listening walks have been a favourite of the year ones lately, giving students the chance to enjoy the lovely weather while taking notes on the many sounds of the school. 

Wellbeing

Our Term 4 topic for Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships is Problem solving. Throughout the term students will practice conflict resolution strategies. They will identify cooperative behaviour in a range of group activities. Practice individual and group decision making and solve simple interpersonal problems. These skills are beneficial for developing and maintaining friendships.