Year 1

Reading: 

This term in Reading, students read and explored a range of non-fiction texts. Students learnt about the different text structures and features of information reports, explanations, procedures and persuasive texts. They explored the purpose and use of text features such as headings & subheadings, contents page, glossary and pictures/diagrams. Students learnt to apply a range of comprehension strategies in order to understand the texts better. These included activating prior knowledge and predicting, making connections, visualising, and retelling. Students were able to use these strategies to determine the meaning of new and unfamiliar vocabulary.

In the last couple of weeks students focused on poetry, where they investigated the purpose and use of shape and free verse poems. Students used the text features to assist them with reading and understanding the different poems.

Students have continued to work on strategies to read and process texts such as, fluency, word solving strategies and the phonological awareness skills of blending, segmenting and manipulating the sounds in words.

Writing: 

This term the grade 1 students’ main focus for writing was information reports. Students worked closely with the teacher to deconstruct and reconstruct various reports about animals. After exploring the structure of an information report students were able to use their knowledge to write their own information reports, focusing on different animals. Students completed their final information reports while working remotely from home and showed a great understanding of the structure and information required to complete an information report. In the last few weeks of term students spent time looking at poetry. Students gained an understanding that poems do not need to rhyme and that they are a way of expressing feelings and emotions. 

Maths: 

This term the grade 1 students focused on Length, where students were required to use an informal unit to measure objects in the classroom.

Following Length, Addition and Subtraction was the main focus for the term as this is a pivotal part to all other areas of mathematics. The students learned to use a number of different strategies such as; count all, count on, and known facts, to solve simple addition and subtraction problems and scenarios.

The last few weeks of Term 1, we focused on different 2D shapes, including the number of sides and corners of each shape. Children also learnt about Transformation of shapes, where students investigated the changes of one step slides and flips on 2D shapes.

Furthermore, counting was an ongoing focus throughout the term, with students working on individual counting goals which they are practising with a ‘maths mate’, using materials.

Inquiry:

In Inquiry learning this term, we explored the unit ‘Lean on Me’, where students focused on building an expanded emotional vocabulary to aide self-expression and to nurture a growing sense of empathy. Students were able to recognise how these skills are vital in nurturing and building positive relationships as active members of our school community and strategies needed in positive conflict resolution. Through drama games and artful experiences students were encouraged to connect and use the new skills to build new relationships with classmates and in turn making the learning deeply personal and relevant to students' lives within the Melton West PS community. 

Additionally, students successfully used the ‘see, think, wonder’ and ‘hexagonal thinking’ visible thinking routine with art objects as they practised vital inquiry skills of being curious and more curious and active participants in their learning throughout the unit.

ART

The Year 1s have had a fabulous second term diving deeper into projects in the art room. We began the term with directed drawing, identifying and naming different types of lines. From there we moved into contour line drawing, creating self-portraits using expressive lines and shapes. The Year 1s worked well together in making group murals that explored how the art elements, colour and line, can work together in an artwork. We have also created pictures using our bodies as examples of different lines and shapes.

The Year 1s had a lot of fun working through the process of making their own ‘scratch art’, practicing colour blocking, layering tempera paint and using a variety of tools to score pictures. During online learning, the students were introduced to contemporary artists Yayoi Kusama and Raku Inoue. It was brilliant to see the unique inspiration students gained from the artists in developing their own artworks. Our closing activity for the term will be to watercolour paint our ‘exquisite corpse’ drawings, influenced by surrealist artists such as André Breton and Yves Tanguy. It has been exciting to observe the students’ creativity, enthusiasm and willingness to grow in Art! Thank you for all of your impressive efforts this term Year 1s. I look forward to more learning and creating in Semester 2!

LOTE- CHINESE

Thank you for another fantastic term! In term two, the grade ones and twos learnt basic language skills in Chinese Mandarin, including listening and speaking, recognising sounds and pronunciation. They learned about some Chinese festivals such as the Tomb Sweeping Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. They also learnt Chinese words and phrases about clothing and action words. The students engaged in actions games, songs, books, arts and crafts throughout the term. Some students also participated in some optional remote learning tasks.

PE

Thank you to the grade 1-2 year levels for another great term in Physical Education! We were able to become experts at using our skipping rope and skipping to rhythm and kicking the soccer ball towards targets using the inside of our foot. We were lucky enough to be able to go back over our throwing and catching from last term and was great to finish off with our running techniques from our take of position. We were also able to practice some athletics events at home when we moved to remote learning! Great work this term grade 1&2 😊

SCIENCE

Over the course of term 2, the Grade 1’s having been looking closely at the features in the landscape, both on land and in the sky for our Earth and Space Science unit.

Students have spent time outside observing the changes taking place in our school environment due to natural events, such as seasons changing. Students have been learning to identify natural and man-made features and investigating the natural and man-made objects which feature on our landscapes.  Students have enjoyed learning about the eight phases of the moon and about the suns changing position in the sky.  Students have participated in whole-class activities and individual tasks. During remote learning, students had the opportunity to practice identifying features on the landscape and identifying natural and man-made features in their yard.  Well done on a great term grade 1’s!