Prep / 1 Mainstream

Aussie Wildlife Incursion

Last week we were lucky to have Aussie Wildlife Displays visit our school for us to learn more interesting facts about Australian animals. Students shared their knowledge with presenter and wildlife expert, Holly, and had the opportunity to learn more as well as touch or hold some incredible animals. Students (and staff) loved the session to get up close to a crocodile, black cockatoo, squirrel glider possum, wombat, lizards and snakes!

We had so many great photos from the day, that it was impossible to show them all, but do get in touch with your classroom teacher if you wish to have a look at your child’s picture patting/holding one of our creature visitors.

This will certainly be a special school event we will all remember!

Maths:

Last week, students put their sharing (division) and groups of (multiplication) to the test with some assessments to show their growth and understanding. Students also had a go at being mathematician problem solvers by facing tricky problems. They challenged themselves to sit in that uncomfortable feeling when unsure how to tackle a new problem, then tried different strategies to have a go. It was a challenge but also a positive experience to realise that it’s okay to not be sure where to start straight away. From now until the end of the year, we will be revisiting place value knowledge practice, activating previously learnt knowledge to have our ideas and tools ready to go ahead of next year.

Writing:

Last week we took our narrative writing to the next level by retelling part of a story, then planning and drafting our own endings! Students loved the opportunity to take a story in their own direction and share their creativity with each other.

This week, students will take this even further, with the chance to plan an entire story based on only one picture prompt. They create a few different plans, then work their way through drafting and editing a story from their collection of plans. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Reading:

In fluency pairs, we have continued reading out loud to a partner and receiving feedback. This gives students the chance to notice how reading words accurately impacts their own and their partners' understanding of the text. A listening partner can assist their reading partner to read a word accurately by saying:

“That word is _____”
“What’s that word?”
“Good. Can you read that sentence again, please?”

We continue to practice paragraph shrinking in our classrooms to assist with reading comprehension. Paragraph shrinking helps build student understanding of the text and therefore improves fluency. Students are asked to “shrink” either a very short page or paragraph of the text by identifying who the text is mostly about and what the most thing is that has happened. Students then say the main idea in a sentence that is 10 words or less.

In our phonics groups over the past two weeks we have been focusing on the following sounds:

Rylee/ Anastasia and Jess have been:

Reviewing our most recent consonant digraphs: /sh/, /ch/, /tch/, /th/
Learning /ph/ as in graph and /wh/ as in which

Matt was reviewing:

/oy/ as in boy and /oi/ as in oink
/a_e/ as in chase and /a/ as in apron

Steph was learning rules for suffixes:

/ing/ as in jumping or dropping
/er/ as in painter
/ed/ as in marked
/s/ as in turtles

What’s to come in the next two weeks:

Maths: We will be revisiting place value.
Writing: We are continuing to develop our narrative creating skills with a focus on planning.
Thank you for continuing to support your children to take home readers and practise at home.
If your year 1 child brings home a fast fact sheet to revise, have a look at the sheet with them. You can practise any of the number sentences they haven't finished or ones that they might have miscalculated.
This term, we need to be wearing hats when we go outside for recess and lunch time. Please ensure your child comes to school with a broad brimmed hat to wear! Both classes have a space in the room for students to bring their hats and leave them at school so they don’t get forgotten.

Warmly,

Anastasia, Jess and Rylee