Prep News 

Reading

In Reading this term, the Prep students will be starting an author study on Mem Fox. Throughout the author study, students will learn about the author herself and also look at the different characters, illustrations, words and themes that are found throughout her texts. We will be exploring texts such as Possum Magic, Hattie and the Fox, and the Magic Hat. Students will be using the pictures and title to make predictions about the text, activating their prior knowledge about the theme of the text, retelling and sequencing the events in the story and critiquing what they do or don not like about each text. 

Students will continue to learn high-frequency and CVC words, knowing these words by sight enables students to confidently read texts and then use other strategies (like looking at the picture or using the initial sound) to read more challenging words. The students will also be practicing their knowledge of high frequency words in read-alouds, independent reading, games, focus groups and sending the words home.

Writing 

In Writing, the Prep students will continue their work on writing about a recount of an experience that has happened, utilising the elements of who, what, when, and where. The students will also learn how to write a narrative, with a focus on retelling narratives that they have been exposed to during Reading. They will then use these skills to develop and write their own narratives, including a beginning, middle and end by following the steps of the writing process: generating an idea, drawing it, then using the elements of the 4ws to write their recount.

Students will be learning about Procedural texts- what they are, and what they are used for. Students will be exposed to different kinds of procedural texts such as recipes, instructions, and directions. Students will then develop and write their own procedural texts using the vital elements. 

Mathematics

In Maths, Students will be learning the concept od Addition means combining two or more groups of objects or numbers. They will be representing number and addition using concrete materials such as counters, teddies and unifix to and drawing pictures to show their understanding. Students will learn the concept of part-part-whole, means numbers can be broken apart and put back together in different ways to make addition easier. The students will be introduced to the concept of ‘Mass’, the idea that things are heavier or lighter than others. They will compare and order a variety of objects by their mass through lifting and the use of balance scales.

Inquiry

The title of this term's inquiry unit is called ‘My special Place’ and the learning area covered is Geography. Through creative and critical thinking, the students will discover that people care for places that are important to them. Through questioning and exploring the students will answer the following key questions: What makes a place special? And how can we look after our classroom/bedroom/home? The students will explore places that are special to them, and we will discuss how we can take care of those places and why we should take care of them.

SEL

The Prep students will continue learning about the concepts in the Resilience, Rights, Respectful, Relationships program(RRRR) They will continue learning about the Zones of Regulation- what they are how they can help them, at school and tools/strategies they can use when they are in any of these 4 zones to assist self regulation of their emotions. The Prep students will also be introduced to the concept of ‘Positive Gender relations’. They will learn concepts such as fair and friendly play, sharing play spaces, what are clothes for, and keeping my body safe. 

Science

Welcome to term 4 Science, where the Grade Prep students will focus on the Chemical Science strand, learning that objects are made of materials that have observable properties.

Students will investigate and explore different materials and objects and learn to group them based on their physical features, such as big or small, hard or soft. Through observations and hands-on activities, students will learn to describe the properties of materials such as shiny, fluffy, rough or smooth and identify why some materials are better suited for certain objects, such as soft and fluffy materials are suited to cushions, and hard and strong materials are suited for building.  Students will participate in hands-on scientific experiments by investigating the effects of water on certain materials and through exploring which materials are better suited for sunny and wet days and the reasons for that.

Music

Welcome to Term 4, Music, 2024! In Music, Grade Preps will continue to focus on composition and writing their own rhythmic patterns using the Kodaly counting system, ‘ta’, ‘ti ti’ and ‘za’. ‘Ta’ represents a crotchet beat, ‘ti ti’ represents double quavers and ‘za’ is a silent rest which counts for one beat. Students will continue counting a 4:4 beat and use stick notation as symbols to write rhythmic patterns. Grade preps will begin to focus on writing with pitch using notes from the C major scale (all the white keys on the piano). They will look at mainly the first three notes C, D, E and become familiar with how they sound. From there, students will compose short pieces using these notes and challenge themselves by extending further into the C major scale. Grade Preps will explore writing melodies with simple rhythms such as four crotchets to begin with (4:4 beat) and gradually incorporate quavers and rests into their compositions. Students will have opportunities to work with more complex rhythms such as ‘ti ka ti ka’ which is a semi-quaver. Visual and audio representations will be used to support students in their learning. Grade Preps will learn to critique music based on musical elements and express why they like certain types of music including genres. Students will continue to be exposed to a variety of songs including nursery rhymes, indigenous music, pop and classical music to support their knowledge of beat and rhythm. Looking forward to working with our Preps in Music this Term for 2024! 

Art

Welcome to Art for Term 4. This term, the Preps will be using and exploring the element of texture in their artworks. They will combine this element with the other elements we have covered throughout the year. They will also make mixed media artworks using a combination of different materials. Their work will focus on using and refining a range of skills that have been covered in previous terms. Indigenous Art will also be incorporated into some sessions. Lots of experimentation, discussion and play will take place as we explore wonderful creative possibilities. We have a very exciting time ahead, in our final term in Prep Art.

P.E

During this term the grade prep students will be learning about throwing, catching, and kicking as they look to continue to develop their fundamental motor skills. Students will be developing throwing and catching skills using different objects and working on correct technique when throwing underarm and catching with two hands. In conjunction with this, students will be learning how to kick a ball, how to strike it with their foot and begin to develop accuracy when completing this skill. While we complete all this learning, we will also be continuing to play class games to help students follow rules, listen to instructions, and begin to problem-solve to achieve success in games. It has been a fantastic year so far for the grade prep students and I expect nothing less in term 4. I am Looking forward to a wonderful term ahead in physical education.   

LOTE - Auslan

Welcome to Grade Prep Auslan, Term 4! The focus this term is on the following topics: People, Sports, Mealtimes, Time, Occupations, Seasons, Handshapes #2, Storytelling and Celebrations. In the final lesson we will see interviews with Deaf people discussing their deafness, family, early life (Deaf Culture) etc and we also will revisit games and lessons that the students will enjoy learning throughout the term. Other core elements of Auslan, such as Constructed Action (mime) and Depicting Signs representing people, animals and vehicles), Handshapes, Fingerspelling and Facial Expression, will be taught and modelled, showing how they are essential parts of Auslan communication.

This final term for the year will build on previous skills and extend student communication

in Auslan. Learning a language requires immersion, repetition, sequential learning

where topics build on each other to expand the learner’s knowledge, confidence, and

comfort with the new language. With young Primary School students, fun activities practising new learning is a priority, as their interest in the Auslan language develops. Songs and poems support the activities and learning. 

On the 26th of November, students will participate and engage in a check in visit and will be given an opportunity for each class to meet and interact with a Deaf person. The team attending on the day will be an Australian Education Services Team Leader, Deaf team member, and an Interpreter. The Deaf team member will begin by presenting to the children about their life as a Deaf person, followed by signing with the students, and some question time. This will provide students with a first-hand interaction with a Deaf person and give them a look at Deaf culture. Sessions on the day will run for 30 minutes. It will also be a good opportunity to provide support for students and staff.