Foundation News
Unit of Inquiry Three- How We Express Ourselves
On Monday 7th September, our students took part in an exciting dance incursion connected to our Unit of Inquiry, ‘How We Express Ourselves’, held by The Nikki Visaj Movement. With an Indigenous focus, students explored ways of expressing their appreciation and connection to the land on which we learn and play, recognising the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Peoples. Through movement, students explored the natural elements of fire, water, earth and air, using their bodies to represent the movement, energy and qualities of each element. The experience encouraged students to express themselves creatively, build confidence and develop a deeper appreciation for the land and the world around them. It was wonderful to see our students embrace the experience with enthusiasm, creativity and a willingness to give something new a go!
Our Foundation students have been doing a fantastic job with their Phonics Plus learning! We've been continuing with a range of digraphs (2 letters making a sound), a key stage in their journey to becoming more confident readers and writers. The students have been learning to read and spell words that use digraphs ‘ch’, ‘sh’ and ‘ng’, as in chat, fish and song. The students have also been really engaged in writing their dictation sentences.
As a part of our text study for Reading, we used the mentor text, ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson, to practise retelling the story, to learn how to use exclamation marks appropriately and to compare common and proper nouns. To wrap up our text study, students formed groups to rehearse and perform a role play of ‘The Gruffalo’. Students used masks and put on special voices to make their characters come to life. This supported their communication and social skills, as they had to work together to ensure their retell was performed in the correct order. It was great to see the students being risk-takers, by stepping out of their comfort zone and being brave enough to perform in front of their classmates.
Foundation students have also been focusing on narrative writing, looking at story elements, such as the setting, characters, problem and solution. We discussed how each of these elements align with either the beginning, middle or end of a story. By using ‘Alpert and Friends’ by LaNesha Tabb as our inspiration, students had to plan their own story. They were asked to have Alpert as their main character and a create new character of their choice, decide on a problem and then find a solution. This involved planning each step through illustrations and writing a supporting sentence. Following this, students had guidance to revise and edit their work, before publishing a final copy. Students have also focused on using capital letters at the beginning of sentences and for proper nouns, as well full stops, question marks or exclamation marks at the end of sentences. This activity not only helped them better understand the books they read, but also how to write their own stories. This aligned perfectly with our current Unit of Inquiry, ‘How We Express Ourselves’, as students used their imagination to express their own thoughts and ideas.
In Numeracy lessons, students developed their understanding of addition and subtraction through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Students explored simple addition and subtraction problems, including worded problems, and practised using a range of strategies to solve them, such as counting on, counting back, using materials and representing numbers in different ways. Through a variety of interactive games and practical activities, students strengthened their ability to model, solve and explain addition and subtraction situations, building their confidence and mathematical thinking.
