Foundation Unit

The Foundation students continue to amaze us with how much they are learning in the classroom. For the past fortnight, we have been focusing on our inquiry topic of the weather and how it impacts our daily lives. We have also explored the concepts of ‘day’ and ‘night’, introducing students to the Indigenous Australians’ interpretation of the stars and constellations. Students studied constellations such as Bun-ya (known to some as the Southern Cross) and how this is interpreted as a possum who ran away to hide from Tchingal, the emu. Students then created their own drawing of a constellation, based on Australian wildlife. More information on the constellations we explored can be found on the Museums Victoria website. (https://museumsvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/plan-your-visit/melbourne-planetarium/fact-sheets/first-peoples-of-australia-astronomy)

During our Reading lessons, we have been exploring non-fiction texts about weather and the seasons and learning to extract the key topic words from the text. The Foundation students have done an excellent job of organising their thoughts to ensure that only the most important information from the text is included in their summaries. We have also been adding new words to our vocabulary books, such as ‘thaw’, ‘flutter’, and ‘crisp’.

We are very proud of the writing our students have produced over the last two weeks as well. Students drafted a sentence or two on what occurs during Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. Some students even had a go at using our vocabulary words in their sentences. The students have become authors and illustrators by making their very own ‘Seasons’ book. 

We continue to encourage students to form their letters correctly during handwriting and dictation lessons. Students practise the correct entry and exit points of letters and experiment with sizing and formation as they write sentences. Our new ‘sky, grass, dirt’ writing books are helpful in this process, and we are very proud of the Foundation students’ persistence and resilience when using their new books.

Last week, students explored the concept of money and Australian coins. We practiced adding coins to ‘pay’ for various items in the classroom. Students were exposed first to $1 and $2 coins, then progressed to working with 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents. 

This week, we are measuring length using informal units of measurement. Before students are able to understand and use formal measurements (such as centimeters and metres), they practice the ‘rules’ of measurement. We have used unifix blocks, counters, and even our own feet to practice measuring various items around the classroom. Students have been careful to use the same unit of measurement per item measured, and have no gaps in between the items used as a measurement tool. 

A reminder that next Wednesday is our book week parade. We look forward to sharing lots of this years’ shortlisted stories with the Foundation students. 

Foundation Teachers

Libby Cannon (PLC), Bree Smith (PBS)