Grade 1 Fortnightly Snapshot - Term 3 Week 1 and 2
July 2021
Grade 1 News
Welcome to Term 3! We hope you and your family had a wonderful break. Our students returned to school looking relaxed and refreshed and ready for an exciting term of learning.
During the holiday period, new classroom furniture was delivered to all Grade 1 classrooms. This included new student chairs and tables. Students were very excited to return to school with brand new furniture and they have been doing a fantastic job looking after it.
It was great to see so many parents attend the recent Parent-Teacher Conferences to discuss their child’s progress and future learning goals.
We would like to thank you all for your support during this current lockdown. It is much appreciated. Our students have transitioned very well into home learning at such short notice and we have been very pleased with the effort they have been putting into all learning tasks. We look forward to seeing all our students back in the classroom soon.
We invite you to read about what is happening in Grade One and encourage you to chat with your child about what they are learning.
English
Reading
In reading sessions, students have revisited making text predictions. They have focused specifically on how to make predictions before, during and after reading a text. This week students have been introduced to the three main purposes of an author’s writing which is to persuade, inform or entertain. They have also been learning about the purpose of fiction and non-fiction texts. Students have practised summarising fiction texts using the five finger retell.
Writing
During writing sessions, students have been focusing on action verbs. After listening to the story ‘Goodnight Mice!’ students were required to identify the action verbs in a number of sentences taken from the story. Students were then given an illustration from this text and asked to use an action verb in a sentence. This week in writing, students have been learning how to use nouns adjectives and verbs in a sentence.
Word Work
Students are continuing to revise the codes they learnt in Prep as well as adding new codes to their classroom working pack each week. Below is a PDF of the first 60 codes if you would like to continue revising these at home. If you click on 'present' and then click the code it will play the sound/s each one makes. A link to a video of the codes being said is also included below for students to revise.
During word study sessions, students have been revising the reading and spelling rules learnt so far this year.
This week, students have been introduced to Rule 25 – We use ‘ck’ after ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’ or ‘u’. Students are doing a great job remembering this rule and applying it during word study sessions.
Students have boot camped the following rules so far this year:
Rule #1 - q doesn't go anywhere without u.
Rule #6 - y replaces i at the end of an English word.
Rule #2 - c makes its second sound /s/ when followed by e, i or y.
Rule # 3 - g usually makes its second /j/ when followed by e, i or y.
Rule # 26 - Capital Letters
Rule #7 - Silent final e (SFE).
Rule #18 - oi or oy/ai or ay
Rule #17 - FSZL Gang
Rule #25 - ck after a, e, i, o, u
Below you will find the codes for your own use at home.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, students have been learning to count by 5s and 2s to 100 through games and hands on materials. They particularly enjoyed skip counting to find out how many fingers and eyes were in their class. This week in Mathematics, students have learnt how to create and describe number patterns formed by skip counting as well as patterns with shapes and objects. They really enjoyed designing their own jumper with patterns.
Unit of Inquiry
Inquiry
This term, we have commenced our inquiry into ‘How We Organise Ourselves’. You will find information below about this new unit of inquiry.
Central Idea
Processes are followed to meet needs.
Lines of Inquiry
*How natural resources change
*How food is produced
*The role of processes.
Concepts
*Change
*Function
Related Concepts
*Processes
We started our new unit of inquiry with a pre-assessment. Students were required to draw a picture of the food in their lunch box and annotate where they think the food comes from. They explored the concept of change through a variety of science experiments such as adding food colouring to milk. Students also explained two things in their life that have changed. Students have been learning to identify the difference between natural and processed foods. They were required to sort a variety of pictures under the headings ‘natural’ or ‘processed’ and then create a class definition to demonstrate their understanding of these words.
This week, Students have been learning to identify items made from natural resources such as sheep, fruit and wood. They had fun looking for items around their home. Students learnt about the steps involved in milk production and had to put a variety of steps and pictures in the correct order. They also discovered what comes from milk and how it goes through a process to change into something else.
Well-Being
In well-being sessions, we have been learning about ethics and what we consider to be right or wrong. Students listened to the read aloud of ‘The Giving Tree’. After viewing this, they were required to explain whether it was right or wrong for the boy to take everything the tree had and give nothing in return.
Reminders
2nd August - BPS Junior Olympics
18th August - Grade 1 Chesterfield Farm Excursion.
23rd - 27th August - Book Week.
17th September - Last day of Term 3 and Fun Lunch. Early finish 2:30pm.
Grade 1 Team
Michelle Flood 1A
Nicole King 1B
Zoe Picton/Jewel Jackson 1C
Tessa Woodgate 1D (Learning Leader)
Amy Chadwick HU