Year 1 News

From Joey, Year 1 Teacher

Two sides to every story

Literacy

Phonics Plus

Over the past fortnight, we have been reading and spelling both one-syllable and multisyllabic words featuring the grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) ‘oa’, ‘ow’, and ‘o_e’ for the long ‘o’ sound.

Students were also introduced to the suffixes ‘-er’ and ‘-est’, learning that ‘-er’ means "more" and ‘-est’ means "most" when making comparisons. They continued to strengthen their accuracy, fluency, and comprehension through reading passages and writing dictated sentences.

Reading

We explored the main ideas in both fiction and non-fiction texts. We discussed story events, fables, and factual content from a variety of genres while identifying the underlying messages the authors intended to convey. Students practised articulating their understanding in their own words, improving both comprehension and oral language skills.

Writing

We were introduced to persuasive writing through the powerful picture book There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom. After discussing the author’s message, students created posters and wrote persuasive letters to raise awareness about protecting animal habitats and reducing palm oil consumption. We learned the structure and language of persuasive writing using the TREE model—Topic, Reasons, Explanation, and Ending. Their writing reflected a strong commitment to caring for the environment and animals.

The following week, students consolidated their understanding of persuasive structure by writing an opinion piece after reading Two Sides to Every Story and participating in a debate on whether it’s better to live in the country or the city. They were encouraged to apply high-modality words and use the five senses to extend and elaborate on their explanations.

Numeracy

Equal Sharing

Over the past fortnight, students were introduced to the concept of division through equal sharing using storytelling activities and working with partners. They learned that equal means each group must have the same number when objects or collections are shared. A variety of classroom maths tools—including unifix blocks, counters, and base-ten blocks—were used to model and deepen their understanding of this concept.

Humanities

In Humanities, Year One students learned about the continent of Asia and its geographical features. They discovered that:

• The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, is located in Asia.
• The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world and spans both Asia and Europe.
• The Yangtze River in China is the longest river in Asia.

Students also explored major cities in Asia and learned about their cultural significance, developing a broader understanding of the world and its diversity.