Science / German / PE
Science
In Science, learning through experience is at the core of teaching with students encouraged to interact, describe and share learning. A significant focus is to provide opportunities for students to learn through discovery – participating in purposefully designed activities. Learning has been designed to spark curiosity and provide students with skills to develop questioning by communicating and sharing observations and ideas.
Students are given opportunities to collaborate within a group situation in order to build the skills to value the contribution of others, as well as be confident to share their own ideas and opinions. They are encouraged to try new ways of learning by undertaking a range of investigations by recording and sharing observations and findings. In Term 2, students were involved in a variety of guided experiments and inquiry tasks based around movement (physical science) to build on prior knowledge and to make connections to their lives.
This semester, we will continue our guided experiments beginning with chemical sciences. This will involve examining the properties of materials and how they are used. Science Week will be held in Week 5 this term with special activities in the gym. This year’s theme is ‘Deep Blue: innovation for the future of our oceans’.
In Term 4, we are exploring earth and space sciences where students are encouraged to inquire into the world around them and beyond. We will start the term by looking into weather patterns. This will then be leading into an inquiry into our local environment and how weather affects everyday life.
Richard Barwa
richard.barwa911@schools.sa.edu.au
German
We concluded first semester with a special celebration and distribution of Schultüten to all of our Reception students. These traditional German gifts are given to children in German on their first day of school. We share this tradition at LNPS and our Fisher Year 6/7 students proudly created these and were excited to finally be able to give them to our 2020 Receptions.
In our weekly German lessons, Reception students use language in context through familiar routines, games, songs and repetition. They exchange greetings and information making connections between English and German. Students interact with peers through action-related talk and play and in routine exchanges such as opening and closing lessons, naming the day of the week and responding to the class roll. They play simple games to reinforce vocabulary knowing that repetition builds confidence. Question and response plays a big part in developing dialogue between both teacher and student as well as between peers. Each lesson provides opportunities for students to listen and respond. They also participate in guided activities such as songs, rhymes and games to reinforce vocabulary using simple repetitive language. Oral interaction continues to play a large part in every lesson. Encouraging everyone to have a go and to participate to progress.
Students have shown they can respond to greetings and roll call in German, count to ten and state their age, identify colours and are beginning to recognise different words to express how they are feeling.
This semester we will further develop our understanding of German as another language, continuing to look at the world and recognise where we are and that other languages are spoken in different places.
The upper primary students in Fisher will continue to connect with our Reception students as Frau Mudge includes some peer teaching and cross-age learning where we can work together and share learning experiences.
In Term 4, our students will meet two puppets, characters visiting from Germany, Felix (a frog) and Franzi (a duck) - they will be introduced through video adventures and activities; a resource developed by the Goethe Institut for Language learning in the early years.
Ask your child to share with you something they have learned or tell you what they can say in German. See what they can teach you!
(Frau) Libby Edwards
elizabeth.edwards559@schools.sa.edu.au
PE
This semester, children will continue to practise and perform fundamental movement skills to solve movement challenges. Children will be given opportunities to describe how they feel during and after physical activity, and continue to develop teamwork, problem solving and sportsmanship. Children will inquire into net and target base games using a game based approach developing children's locomotor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness and object placement and control. Children will participate in ball control activities using a variety of ball types and sizes to challenge their skills and decision making. These skills will be transferred in various modified net games such as badminton, tennis, netball and volleyball. They will reflect on new skills introduced using technical vocabulary and will be given opportunities to articulate strategies to be successful. Early Term 4 we are hopeful that children will once again begin preparing for Sports Day which is now scheduled to be held on Thursday 5th November. Children will participate in popular tabloid events, ensuring children can feel confident, successful and participate with enthusiasm on the day. Sports Day supports children to build confidence, foster communication between peers and learn important social skills like turn taking, sharing and encouragement in a safe, supportive environment. Play leaders have created a lunchtime club for receptions, giving children opportunities to participate in game based activities like obstacle course relays and parachute fun on the oval or in the gym. This has been extremely successful and will continue for the remainder of the year.
Premier's Be Active Challenge
Children at LNPS have been busy keeping physically active in this uncertain time, participating in school events such as Virtual Cross Country and resuming after school sport whether it be competitive, social or for leisure. Congratulations to all the students who have returned their PBAC booklets to school. Don’t worry if you haven’t because there is still time.
The challenge is to participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on at least 5 days of the week for at least 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of daily recorded physical activity children will receive a medal. Simply record your progress on the booklet provided, sign and return your registration form to the front office. The Challenge finishes on the 27th September 2020, so there is still time.
Students are reminded to wear suitable clothing and footwear to all PE lessons to ensure their full participation.
Our Reception PE lessons are Tuesday M6, and Thursday R7 and R8.
Amy Byrnes (Early Years PE teacher)
Amy.Byrnes464@schools.sa.edu.au
