Magnify

Term 4 Week 2

Magnify Around the Classrooms

#magnifysandhurst

Foundation

he Preps have been learning the sounds /sh/ and the double letters /ff/ saying /f/, /ss/ saying /s/ and /ll/ saying /l/.  As usual, they are revising previously learnt sounds (this week some are /w/ and /ck/), and they are regularly revising previously learnt tricky words.  In writing, the Preps are learning about writing a Report.  They have been writing a factual report about Black Cockatoos.  Their new writing focus will be centred around writing a procedure with emphasis on the steps involved in a procedure and the need to write the steps in order. Grade Preps are reading the text, “Click, Clack, Moo - Cows That Type” by Mem Fox.  This book will be the focus of rich discussion for the next fortnight.  They will learn the new vocabulary, impatient, furious, demand whilst listening to this story. 

Gr 1

Grade Ones have been revising their knowledge of contractions by reading and writing words with contractions.  Grade Ones are learning to read and spell words with the letter 'c' saying /s/ and the letter g saying /j/.  We call these the soft sounds of 'c' and 'g' and the children are learning that they make these sounds if each letter is followed by the letters 'e,' (cent, gentle) 'i,' (city, giant) or 'y' (cyclone, gypsy). Grade Ones have also been learning about adverbs and adjectives and are learning to expand sentences using an adverb or an adjective. Grade Ones are listening to poetry and noting the repetition in different poems.  Their focus tricky words are always, animals and open.  Grade Ones' story book is "Dingo" and they are looking at Dingo Facts as part of their book study. 

Gr 2

Some Grade Twos have been revising the spelling lessons taught this year.  They are also revising the spelling of some of their tricky words, such as February, different, favourite and interesting. Our reading focus has been on Finding the Main Idea and Summarising a text.  Grade Twos have been studying their first piece of poetry by reading the poem, "Hist!" By CJ Dennis.  Originally published in his 1921 children's book "A Book for Kids," the spooky, rhythmic poem follows a group of children walking through the dark woods ("Possum Park") at night, being frightened by normal forest sounds and animals—like a mopoke owl and a cat.  The lessons have focused on using rhyme and rhythm correctly to read the poem as well as answering questions about the poem and making connections.  This text has quite a bit of old-fashioned language in it so there has been a lot of interesting discussion around what the words mean and what the text is about. 

Foundation

Grade Preps have been working on the unit of Number.  They have been learning about ordinal numbers and locating their positions on a number track. Children have been identifying ordinal positions in a sequence. The Grade Prep children will also use tens frames to make ten, count ten on a number frame and use number frames to make tens and ones.

Gr 1 

Grade Ones are still focusing on Sharing and Grouping in mathematics.  They have completed problems that involve making groups of a given number and have identified the number of groups needed for equal sharing.  They have been using skip counting and arrays to assist them with their working out.

Gr 2

Grade Twos are completing their unit of work on Fractions with an assessment this week. They will begin work on their new topic of Data once their assessment is completed.  Their first lessons will be Observing to inform data collection planning and Repeating data collection to improve results.

Gr 3 and 4

The book: My name is Walter 

In Literacy: Students will continue reading the book My Name Is Walter. They will explore how authors use language, form and structure to create meaning and impact. Students will develop their reading comprehension by recognising text structures and language features while monitoring their understanding. They will identify descriptive and figurative language and explore how it influences meaning. Students will also learn and use new vocabulary encountered in the text, expand their sentences by adding details about who, when, why and how, and write compound and complex sentences using the conjunctions ‘because’, ‘but’ and ‘so’.

In Maths: Students are learning to solve multiplication word problems using bar models. We are learning to solve equal group worded problems involving multiplication, using arrays. We are learning to solve ‘equal group’ word problems involving division, using arrays.  Students are recognising angles as a measurement of a turn, identifying right angles, comparing turns and angles to right angles and drawing right angles.  Students are making models from cubes, identifying combinations of 3D shapes and designing and creating 3D shapes. 

In Science: Students will be introduced to geologists, scientists who study rocks, soils and minerals. They will explore the role geologists play in understanding natural resources and where they can be found. Students will learn that soil is the loose covering over most of the Earth’s land and is formed from different components over a long period of time. They will explore the main components of soil, including rock particles, organic matter, water and air. Students will investigate the properties of soil, including its texture, colour and structure. They will learn how soil texture can be described as sand, silt, clay or loam, and how soil colour comes from three main pigments: black, red and white. Students will also explore soil structure by examining the size and shape of soil clumps, known as peds, which can be described as blocky, columnar, massive, single-grain or platy.

Gr 5 and 6

In Maths, the Grade 5 students have been learning about measurement, and this week have moved onto learning about location & transformation. 

The Grade 6 students have been learning about data investigation and completed an assessment at the end of last week. This week, we have moved onto learning about fractions, decimals & percentages.

In English,  the Grade 5 students have this week started their new class novel called ‘The Last Bear’ by Hannah Gold.  

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold is a heartfelt and captivating middle-grade novel set in the remote Arctic, following the journey of 11-year-old April Wood. 

 April's father, a climatologist, is stationed on Bear Island for six months to monitor the effects of climate change. Feeling lonely and neglected by her work-absorbed father, April explores the island and discovers a starving polar bear, the last one remaining on the island. The bear, which she names Bear, is struggling due to the lack of ice and food caused by global warming. 

 Determined to save Bear, April forms a deep bond with the animal and takes it upon herself to find a way to help him. She devises a daring plan to guide Bear to safety, embarking on an adventurous and perilous journey across the Arctic landscape to take him back to Svalbard. Along the way, April learns about the importance of friendship, the impact of human actions on the environment, and the power of hope and determination.

The story highlights the urgency of environmental conservation and the emotional connection between humans and animals, emphasizing themes of courage, resilience, and the importance of protecting our planet. 

During this unit, students will be writing a persuasive letter. 

In Grade 6, we have continued our book called  ‘Nevermoor’: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend follows the story of Morrigan Crow, a young, unloved daughter of state Chancellor, Corvus Crow, of Great Wolfacre, living in a place called Jackalfax in the Wintersea Republic. Morrigan was born on Eventide, considered a cursed day. Because of this, she’s blamed for every unfortunate event in her town and is destined to die, like all cursed children, on her twelfth birthday. When Eventide unexpectedly arrives a year early, Morrigan is dramatically rescued by a mysterious man named Jupiter North, who takes her to the magical city of Nevermoor. 

In Nevermoor, Morrigan discovers a world filled with wondrous creatures, eccentric citizens, and magical customs. She's offered a chance to compete for a spot in the prestigious Wundrous Society, which promises her protection, a family and a sense of belonging which she longs for. However, to gain entry, Morrigan must face a series of four gruelling trials, all while concealing that she doesn't possess a visible "knack" (a unique talent or magical ability), which is required of all candidates. As she navigates the trials, she learns more about her mysterious powers and the danger she still faces. This whimsical fantasy tale combines adventure, friendship, and self-discovery as Morrigan explores the magic of Nevermoor and fights for a chance to escape her cursed fate.   

During this unit, students will be writing a narrative story that has a fantasy genre, and students have started writing this narrative this week. 

In Science, The Grade 5’s are studying ‘Natural Disasters’, and the Grade 6’s have continued their topic all about 'Electrical circuits'.

During humanities,  the Grade 5’s have started their new unit called ‘The Search for Resources’ and the Grade 6’s have continued their topic all about ‘Federation’.