Year 1 News
LITERACY
At the start of the term, students will focus on revising literacy routines and expectations within their new class. After our start-up program, they will participate in a 60-minute phonics lesson each day, designed to strengthen their reading and writing skills.
Grade 1 students will further develop their reading comprehension through an author study of texts by Julia Donaldson. As they explore her works, students will focus on building their understanding of sentence structure, including how sentences are formed, punctuated and expanded. Through examining patterns, rhyme and repetition in her stories, they will learn how authors construct clear and engaging sentences and apply these skills in their own writing.
Grade 1 students will also explore nonfiction texts to understand the structures and features of this genre, with a particular focus on texts about habitats. This learning will support students in writing their own information reports on the topic.
MATHEMATICS
At the start of the term, students engaged in a variety of mathematics activities to build their confidence and encourage mathematical risk-taking. They applied their prior knowledge to problem-solving tasks across different areas, including number and algebra, as well as measurement and geometry.
Following this, students began their first focus topics for the term: Place Value and Duration. In Place Value, they are developing their understanding of ten as a countable unit, enabling them to use groups of ten to count more efficiently and strengthen their overall number sense with two-digit numbers. Place Value will continue until the end of term. In Duration, students are developing their understanding of the months of the year in sequence, along with the concept of ordinal numbers. Throughout this unit, the Grade 1 students have been learning how to use calendars effectively. They are practising how to read calendars and use them to identify and keep track of important dates and events.
Students will also undertake shorter units on 2D Shapes and Data. During the 2D Shapes unit, they will identify familiar shapes in their environment and explore real-life objects that represent these shapes. They will also compare shapes by recognising their similarities and differences. During their Data unit, students will be learning about using tally marks to record data whilst observing events.
SCIENCE
Welcome back to Science for Term 1. In Science this term, students will be focusing on Biological Science. The topic we will be covering is called ‘The Basic Needs of Plants and Animals’. Students will be learning that plants and animals have basic needs, including air, water, food and shelter; the places where they live meet those needs. Throughout this term, students will:
identify the basic needs for a specific animal and show how the places they live meet these needs
conduct an experiment to explore how different amounts of water affect plant growth
make a predictions and record observations of a science experiment
learn that the four basic needs of all animals are the same, but how they are met for different animals in different environments can vary
learn that there are professions that research the needs of animals
examine how different environments meet the basic needs of plants
compare outcomes to predictions
explore how plants and animals have their basic needs met in natural and artificial environments
learn how people support basic needs in places like zoos and aquariums and represent their understanding through diagrams and written responses.
LOTE-AUSLAN
Greetings, Food/Breakfast, Transport, Shops, Outside the House, Vegetables, Handshapes #3, Size, Shape and Revision (of term content).
The students will continue learning new signs for the above topics, through the videos, with fun stories, poems/songs and games. We will practise combining signs in ‘phrases’ to build Auslan communication.
Repetition and practice impro. Welcome to Grade 1 Auslan, 2026! During Term 1,we will learn about: – Revision Alphabet recall and develop Auslan language skills. The lessons will frequently include revision of past learning as we cover the new learning. The students are encouraged to participate in activities, practising lesson content and to share their learning with their peers and the teacher.
Our focus will be on both expressive Auslan (signing to others) and receptive Auslan (reading back/understanding others’ signing). These are important skills which coordinate in the learning and usage of the Auslan language.
At this level the students are encouraged to develop their confidence in using Auslan signs and understanding the visual nature of Auslan communication.
The AES wrist bands will assist students in the correct usage of their preferred/dominant hand when signing.
ART
Welcome to Year 1 Art! This term, students will be settling into the art room and learning routines and expectations, including how to care for materials, use tools safely and show positive learning behaviours.
We will begin the term with students learning to use pattern, shape and colour to create an artwork that shows who they are, encouraging creativity and self-expression.
Our main focus for Term 1 is Colour Theory. Students will revise the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and learn how to mix them to create secondary colours (orange, green and purple). They will explore a range of materials, including paint and learn about warm and cool colours through hands-on art activities.
We are looking forward to seeing the creativity and wonderful artworks created by our Year 1 students this term!
P.E
Welcome back to Physical Education for Term 1! This term, our Grade 1 students are continuing to build their basic movement and balancing skills, developing confidence and control in a range of activities. Students will be practising throwing and catching both individually and with a partner, focusing on accuracy and coordination. They will also engage in a variety of ball handling activities, including passing, bouncing, and maintaining control while moving with a ball. In addition to this, students will be introduced to basic soccer skills through game-based activities that encourage participation, teamwork, and fair play. We look forward to watching our Grade 1 students grow in confidence and skill throughout the term.