Curriculum News
English
Reading and Viewing
We will continue to use the two programs started in Foundation. Little Learners Love Literacy Program, which has a focus on explicit instruction in Phonic Knowledge, as well as Heggerty, which aims to improve the students' phonological awareness. This is the ability to rhyme, identify syllables and manipulate sounds in words. The students will be increasing their phonics knowledge, as well as learning new spelling rules around these sounds. Our Reading program will still consist of whole class and small group work, however the format of this may change, depending on the needs of the classes.
We will be requiring parent helpers to assist with our Literacy program, and we will ask for expressions of interest when we are ready to start.
Writing
In line with MACS’ (Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools) Vision for Instruction we have made a change to the Writing Program. As a result all students will be developing their writing through picture story books. The books this term are “A Year on Our Farm” (information) “Ask Aunty”( information) and some of the Aesop’s Fables (imaginative). We will continue our work on handwriting with a strong focus on correct letter formation. Our spelling overview will be devised from the Little Learners Love Literacy program.
Speaking and Listening
The students will complete activities that focus on listening and speaking throughout all curriculum areas. This may be taking turns, listening to others, asking questions and speaking in front of their peers. We will be continuing with the Take Home Toy that students will keep for a week as well as the Mystery Box. Further instructions for these will be sent home in a few weeks, when these programs begin. Just a reminder that the Take Home Toy will be sent with a scrapbook to document the adventures of the toy for the week, while the Mystery Box will be sent home empty for the students to fill with one item that is special to them and they will be required to write clues regarding this toy, to share with the class.
Mathematics
The Year Ones will be focussing this term on data collection and representation, and building on their knowledge of place value and grouping numbers. They will then move on to the concepts of addition and subtraction, focussing on separating and comparing numbers.
Religion
This term in Religion the students will explore the themes of Church and the Community. They will explain ways people can belong to God’s Family. They will also interpret the significance of family meals and gatherings in relation to the traditions of the Church and reflect on the importance of belonging to family and church. The students will also learn about the significance of Lent and Easter, exploring the biblical Easter story and reflecting on the importance of these events in our faith.
Science: Matter
Students explore how everyday objects are made of materials that have observable properties. They learn that everyday materials can be physically changed or combined with other materials in a variety of ways for particular purposes. The children will also learn that different materials can be combined to form a new product e.g such as jelly.
Humanities
This term we will learn about our local places, how we look after them and our connections to local community places. To support our learning in the classroom you can point out local places you visit in our community and talk about why they are important to your family. In the second half of the term we will be learning about how places change over time. This will include weather and how it changes places, First Nations ways of understanding and caring for Country and how to care for changing places.
Wellbeing
In the first weeks of the year we have been discussing class expectations and norms. We have also spent time making sure all students understand the ‘Show me 5’ rules which is a school expectation. Students are also learning about ways to recognise, name and describe their emotional responses using the ‘Zones of Regulation’.