Year 1/2 News

We have reached the halfway point of Term 3, and what a wonderful few weeks it has been! It has been fantastic to see the children continue to grow in confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning. Students have settled into their routines and have been working hard, supporting one another and making great progress across their learning.

As we reach the middle of the term, it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the learning and growth we have seen so far, while looking forward to the exciting learning still to come.

Below is a snapshot of what we have been working on together in the classroom.

🌱 Wellbeing

Student wellbeing continues to be an important part of life in 1/2 – The Reef. Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about how to ask for help from the right person.

Students have explored different situations where they may need help and discussed who they can go to depending on the situation. We have been learning that it is okay to ask for help and that choosing a trusted and appropriate person can help us feel safe, supported and understood.

Students have practised identifying trusted adults at school and thinking about who they could talk to when they are worried, upset, confused or need support. It has been wonderful to see students becoming more confident in speaking up, communicating their needs and understanding that asking for help is a positive and important skill.

📚 Learning

Literacy

In Literacy, students have been learning the /eer/ and /ear/ sounds and exploring how these sounds can appear in different words. We have also been learning about morphology and how words can change when we add suffixes. Students have practised dropping the final “e” and changing it to “i” before adding “-es” or “-ed”, such as in words like “carry” → “carried” and “try” → “tries”.

In Writing, students have been exploring different forms of poetry, including acrostic poems, haiku and shape poems. They have been developing their creativity and experimenting with words, sounds and different ways to express their ideas.

During our reading lessons, we have also been learning how to make meaningful connections with characters and events in stories. Rather than simply saying “me too” when something reminds them of their own experience, students are learning to use their experiences to help them understand how a character might be feeling or thinking. This has helped students develop deeper empathy and make stronger connections with the stories we read.

🔢 Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have been exploring fractions, measurements, and additions with money through a range of hands-on and practical learning activities.

Students have been learning about measurement, focusing on length, mass, and capacity. Through practical activities, they have been comparing, measuring, and describing different objects and quantities using appropriate mathematical language.

Our learning has also focused on fractions, where students have been learning to recognise and create halves, quarters, and eighths. Using hands-on materials and everyday objects, students have developed their understanding that fractions represent equal parts of a whole and have practised identifying and comparing different fractions.

More recently, students have been exploring money and practising addition with different amounts. These learning experiences have helped students develop practical mathematical skills that can be used in everyday life, such as measuring objects, sharing quantities, and working out the total cost when shopping.

 🌏 Inquiry

Last week, we were very excited to begin our STEM incursion, where students explored how we can make a positive difference to our environment through the three important actions: reduce, reuse and recycle. Students discussed why it is important to reduce the amount of waste we produce, how we can reuse everyday items instead of throwing them away, and how recycling can help give materials a new purpose.

Students also learned about the different types of rubbish we put in our bins and explored which items belong in different bins. Through engaging and hands-on activities, they practised sorting rubbish and developed a better understanding of how making small choices can help protect our environment.

This week, students have taken their learning even further by becoming young engineers and problem-solvers! They have been working together to design and build a smart robotic bin called Larry. Larry is designed to help sort rubbish by identifying different types of waste and placing them into the correct bin. Students have been exploring how technology, coding and engineering can be used to solve real-world environmental problems.