Rise and Shine

Grade 1 Community News

Hello Grade 1 Families,

 

We are now coming to the end of Term 3, and we are super excited to show you the brilliant learning our Grade 1s have been doing over the last few weeks, as well as some upcoming exciting events!

 

 

InitiaLit

In Week 7, we have been learning some new tricky words; thought, kind and find. We have also been looking at the suffixes ‘ey’ says /ē/ and ‘y’ says /ē/ at the end of a word.

 

Here are our newest tricky words.

 

 

For more practice, ask your child to sing you some of our InitiaLit songs! 

They can also change out some of the words or come up with their own actions.

 

 

 

Maths                        

In Weeks 7 and 8, Grade 1 students will be building their number skills by practising skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Skip counting helps students recognise number patterns and sets a strong foundation for multiplication. We’ll be using number lines, hands-on materials, and songs to make learning fun and engaging.

Grade 1 children have also been able to identify arrays using rows and columns. By arranging objects into equal groups, they will begin to understand how repeated addition works, for example, 3 rows of 5 equals 15. This is an important step toward building early multiplication skills.

 

In week 8, we return to measurement by comparing the area of 2D shapes. Students will estimate and then measure the area using informal units such as blocks or counters. They’ll compare which shapes take up more or less space and begin to explain how they know.

 

You can support this learning at home by skip counting together during daily routines (like steps or board games!) or looking around the house for objects that could form arrays or be used to compare areas.

 

 

Knowledge Building

This fortnight, Grade 1 students have been diving into the magical world of fairy tales! Our unit has focused on building important literacy skills through classic stories full of wonder, mystery, and fun. So far, we’ve explored Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin. 

We’ve been learning how to retell stories using story champs gestures to help build understanding of the beginning, middle and end, which helps build comprehension and storytelling confidence. We’ve also been discussing characters, identifying the setting of each story and how it creates a magical atmosphere.

 

Another focus has been recognising magical elements, such as enchanted sleep, spinning straw into gold, and mysterious spells. Grade 1 students have been excited to point out these special moments that make fairy tales so magical. We’ve also looked at how problems are solved in these stories and what the solution teaches us.

Next, we’ll continue exploring more fairy tales and even begin giving personal reviews!!

 

 

Storybook 

We have been reading the book "The Pencil" by Allan Ahlberg. Students have been practicing retelling the story in their own words to their peers (you can ask them to retell it at home, too!) 

Here are three new vocabulary words we have learnt through the book. 

For each of the words, we have come up with actions to help us remember them. We have been using these vocabulary words in our writing to help develop our ideas!

 

 

Respectful Relationships 

We have been learning about the Yellow Zone. The Yellow Zone is when your body feels extra busy. You might feel frustrated, annoyed, silly or super excited. Your body may move fast, and it can be harder to concentrate or join in activities.

 

We discussed why it’s important to learn about the Yellow Zone, as it helps us to self-regulate. Students practised:

 

  • Identifying what their body might feel like the Yellow Zone

 

  • Recognising what they can do to move back to the Green Zone.

 

  • Describing how they feel when in the Yellow Zone

 

We unpacked what our bodies feel like in the Yellow Zone, and why they might feel busy. Together, we then brainstormed some strategies to move into the Green Zone!

 

Here are some strategies that you can practise at home to go back to the Green Zone! 

 

 

Story Champs

In Weeks 7 and 8, we practiced retelling "Brynn's Melted Mess” and "Michelle's Miserable Teeth.”

We begin by identifying the characters, setting, problem, action, feeling, solution, and ending feeling.

Next, we buddy up and verbally retell the story while incorporating the actions and gestures. Finally, we write the story together, then students draft their copy into their books!

 

Challenge your child to re-tell the stories from above with matching actions!

 

 

Fairy Tale Fiasco Incursion

As a part of our Fairy Tale Knowledge building unit, we began our unit with a visit to Fairy Tale Land. We had the opportunity to enter Princess Sparkles' Dream and become different characters and join parts of the story! Grade 1s were able to practice their magic through dance and acting. We can’t wait to use these skills in our Fairy Tale unit!

 

 

 

Please scan the QR code to view the Tricky Words video at 4:49 (pause the video) to practice all the tricky words we have learnt up until now. A little practice each day can make a big difference! 

 

 

Upcoming Events in Grade 1:

 

  • Parent Open Day - Thursday 18th of September, 8.55 am - 9.55 am
  • End of Term 3 - Friday 19th September - School finishes at 2.30 pm

 

 

 

PLC 1