Literacy and Numeracy

Numeracy

Letters and Numbers is the Australian spin off from the UK TV show Countdown. The Australian show premiered in 2010 and ran successfully for 2 years. The show comprises of two main games; Letters and Numbers. I'll leave it to Denholm to talk about the Letters game, as he has the love of the letters, but as a numbers super fan here's over to me for the Numbers Game!

In the Numbers Game, contestants are given 6 numbers for calculating with and 1 target number. The goal is to use some or all of the 6 numbers and the four basic operations to get as close to the target as possible. Numbers can only be used as many times as they appear.

Sample Game:

A Possible Solution: 100 x 8 = 800, 4 x 25 = 100, 800 - 100=700, 700 + 3=703

Not a Solution: 4 + 3=7, 7 x 100=700, 700 + 3=703. Can’t use the 3 twice

Playing the Game:

The easiest way to learn the game (and be entertained at the same time) is by watching the show. Letters and Numbers has just returned to SBS in a new format 'Celebrity Letters and Numbers' and is currently airing on Saturdays at 7:30pm. Though re-runs of the show (or its hilarious UK equivalent '8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown') can be watched on YouTube or SBS on Demand. Great family fun!

You can play the game anytime at THIS website. You can click to see the solutions too which is great while you're still honing your skills. 

I've included some puzzles just below too. 

Wishing you lots of numerical fun ahead!

Joke: What geometric figure is like a lost parrot? A poly-gon

Puzzle: My digits they make up a pair,

Whose sum and difference is a square,

When multiplied they reach a score,

And when pronounced they rhyme with door.

What number am I?

Solution to last puzzle:  

There are 3 ways: 37 and 38, 24 25 and 26, and 13 14 15 16 and 17

Literacy

A very happy return to school for our community.

Last issue in Literacy we promoted strategies for reading at home for pleasure. These strategies included making use of the school Library website, viewing shows using the educational website ClickView, and ensuring reading has a high profile in the home. These strategies remain important tools to use throughout your child’s schooling and establishing them as a routine is the best way to ensure consistent growth in the relevant reading skills. Now, we will discuss strategies to practice and improve writing at home. 

Journal Writing

Journaling is an excellent strategy that, when used properly, can improve both writing skills and general health and wellbeing. The key to effective journaling is establishing it as a routine – perhaps something to add to before going to bed. Even writing one sentence a night will mean practice of thousands of extra words each year. 

Accurate Re-writing

Students are using internet-level informal punctuation and grammar more and more. Encourage your child to write things out using full sentences and appropriate punctuation – a shopping list, a text message, an email – and make them rewrite it. Going a bit further, consider encouraging your child to write morning pages. Though it can be a useful tool for aspiring writers, starting each day by writing even a few sentences where you set goals, use as a brain dump, or get focused for the day ahead. 

Finally, for a bit of fun, consider engaging with the Letters game from Letters and Numbers (Countdown in the UK). In this game, rearrange a random set of letters to create the longest word possible. Play an online version of the game here – great for friendly competition among families! 

NAPLAN

The 2021 NAPLAN data has arrived and provided the school leadership team with the opportunity to reflect on our successes and look forward to future improvements. 

From a Literacy perspective, Year 7 data indicates a strong cohort with a well-rounded understanding of both reading and writing. At Year 9, our students have shown significant achievement in reading at a word and sentence level, with skills like understanding whole texts and complex vocabulary areas to focus on in the future. With regard to Year 9 writing, students are creative, with imaginative ideas married to a solid foundation in overall paragraph structure; areas to strengthen include punctuation and individual sentence structure.