Learning Space News
Foundation
Literacy Through Language Experiences
Students have been participating in lots of amazing language experiences. Each week there is a focus on one letter with a fun, engaging, language provoking activity that helps them deepen their understanding of the alphabet, letter names and sounds. By the end of this term all students will be exposed to the sounds of the 26 letters of the alphabet.
Below are some examples of the experiences that students have participated in so far this year.
T for Taco Tuesday
N for Nature Art
D for Dangling Doughnuts
M - Monster Marshmallows
Author Study - Aaron Blabey
Students have been enjoying reading books written by the author, Aaron Blabey. They have read and compared all the ‘Pig the Pug’ books, choosing their favourite ones and making predictions about what mischief Pig might get up to in the different stories. Students have compared Pig’s character traits to those of Kevin and they have made various arts and craft pieces to share their learning in a creative way.
Foundation Library
Each week, students borrow a book from the Foundation Library. They have the opportunity to browse and then select a book of interest.
This is what some students had to say about sharing their book at home with their family:
"I love Peppa Pig and Carrot books! - Meiyi
"I love reading with mum and dad!" - Zaynder
"I love dog books!" - Maryana
"I love reading my book with mum!" - Marcus
Students have learnt how a library is organised based on the author's last name. They know how to put the books back and to take care of them by making sure the ‘book spine’ is facing out.
City of Greater Dandenong ‘Reading Buddies Library Project’
Each Monday, a group of students enjoy a variety of engaging picture storybooks, shared by Danielle and Judy from the Greater Dandenong Libraries' Family Literacy Project.
Year 5 Buddies
At ARPS, we have a buddy program where each Foundation student is paired up with a year 5 student (buddy). They meet once a fortnight, where they get to know each other through a variety of games and activities. Foundation students love this time of the week and it is great to see the smiles on their faces and hear their laughter when they all get together. The program is designed to create a special friendship between Foundation students and their buddy and help the younger students feel safe, supported and connected. The older buddies act as a mentor to the Foundation students, showing care, kindness and leadership. It has been great to see these friendships grow this year!
Star of the Week
Each Monday we celebrate a ‘Star of the Week’. This is an award recognising the achievements of a student who has stood out for a range of reasons. These may include kindness, empathy, being a good friend, listening attentively, working hard, etc. Once they receive this award the student has the privilege of sitting on the special ‘Star of the Week’ chair and having their photo on our special ‘Star of the Week’ display. It is a great way to celebrate the achievement of our students.
Inquiry
Students have been learning about the four seasons by exploring how the weather changes throughout the year in Australia. They have been discussing what happens in each season and how it affects what we wear and do. For example, students enjoyed learning about winter and talking about how they need to wear warm clothes like jackets and beanies to keep warm. As part of their learning, students created colourful paper flowers to represent spring. These are now proudly on display near the ramp leading to the Foundation Learning Space.
Maths
Students have been building their knowledge of numbers to 20. Through hands-on activities, they have developed a sense of number where they can recognise and order numbers and count forwards and backwards from various starting points. They have been identifying numbers before and after, as well as identifying missing numbers. Students have explored 2D shapes and how to define shapes using their attributes. They have been on shape hunts to locate common shapes within the environments and have created images out of shapes such as a robot and a monster. They have described where objects are located using language, such as next to, under and behind and they have learnt about the days of the week and activities that they complete during certain times and parts of a day.
