Prep

Reading

This term, in Reading, the prep students engaged in an author study on two different authors, Eric Carle and Pamela Allen. Throughout the author study students learnt about the author’s themselves and also looked at the different characters, illustration, words and themes that were found throughout their texts. Students also learnt a variety of comprehension strategies that good readers use while reading. These included, making predictions, retelling events and making both text to self and text to text connections. Throughout the term students continued to work on identifying all the letters and sounds of the alphabet, practiced finding and using their high frequency words and continued to practice beginning reading behaviours. 

Writing 

This term, in Writing, the prep students began using a Writer’s Notebook for the first time. A Writer’s Notebook is a special book where students get the opportunity to write something of their choice. They chose to write in a variety of different formats including, lists, letters, poems, recounts, procedures, facts, opinions or anything else they were interested in. The preps also started learning about persuasive writing. They learnt to identify and share their opinion and also learnt about how an opinion is different from a fact. During the term they also learnt about writing to socialise. They learnt about why we write to socialise and explored the different features found in letters, invitations and cards.  Throughout the term students also continued their daily handwriting practice where they worked on beginning writing behaviours, such as, correct letter formation and writing simple sentences that make sense and include a capital letter, spaces and a full stop.

Speaking and Listening

This term, in Speaking and Listening, the prep students continued to explore the Investigation Stations where they learnt to use appropriate interaction and communication skills to engage with others in a variety of different environments. They also learnt to retell events and experiences to others by including who, what, when and where in their retell. Throughout the term students also continued working towards identifying and producing rhyming word, blending and segmenting consonant-vowel-consonant words (c-a-t) and finding the initial, middle and final sounds in a word.

Numeracy

This term in Maths, students began the term by learning about Mass. The students learnt what heavy and light means and were given lots of opportunities to estimate, measure, compare and order objects based on their weight. They also learnt about Sharing. The students learnt about the concept of equal groups and practised how to share out a collection of objects so that each group was given the same amount. They also used action stories and counting strategies to help solve problems that involved comparing, combining and separating different collections. This term students also continued to practise counting up to and back from 20, counting by ones from various starting points and continued learning to identify, write and match numerals, collections and number words. 

Inquiry

This term, in Inquiry, the prep students were immersed in the topic ‘Dreamtime’. Dreamtime stories help to describe the creation and cultural history of the Aboriginal people. Sharing and celebrating personal histories allowed us to connect with others and reflect on who we are. Throughout this term there was also a strong focus on social and emotional development. During these lessons the prep students engaged in a range of activities that helped them to better understand, manage and express who they are and what they were feeling. They also learnt how to interact with others in a positive manner which will allow them to form long lasting and meaningful relationships with their peers and teachers. 

ART

In Term 4 Art, Prep students returned to face-to-face learning in the classrooms. To begin with, students revised colour theory, lines and demonstrated their knowledge of primary colours, secondary colours and which primary colours made secondary colours. They created artworks using their knowledge of lines which included curvy, wavy, straight and curly. Students also revised and practised their skills in identifying and creating patterns in Art. Grade Preps were introduced to the element of Form which included understanding and exploring positive and negative space and two dimensional and three dimensional art. Students learned to recognise that positive space is what is in focus in the picture and the background is the negative space. They also learned that a two dimensional image is usually flat like a simple drawing and that a three dimensional art piece has depth and can be made with various mediums for example; clay. Congratulations on your best efforts in Art this year Grade Prep! All the best for Grade 1 Art next year! 

MUSIC

In Term 4 Music, Prep students returned to face-to-face learning in the classrooms. To begin with, students revised their understanding of dynamics (loud and soft), tempo (fast and slow) and pitch (high and low). They also continued to explore beat and rhythm, learning that the beat is the pulse of the song and the rhythm is the pattern played over the beat. Students recited nursery rhymes and clapped the syllables to the lyrics which formed the rhythms in the song.  Grade Preps were introduced to rhythmic notation by using stick symbols to represent crochets and quavers. They learned that one stick represented one sound which is a crochet and used the Kodaly method of saying ‘ta’. Two sticks joined together represented two quavers which students used the Kodaly method of saying ‘ti ti’. Students began to observe that music has silence which is identified as rests and it is represented with its own symbol. As students explored identifying rhythms and stick notation, they began to gain the foundation of composing their own rhythmic patterns using crochets (ta), quavers (ti ti).  Congratulations on your best efforts in Music this year Grade Prep! All the best for Grade 1 next year! 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

That is a wrap! I am so proud of everything you have achieved this year! We looked at how to play with others. From there, we looked at kicking a ball and catching!  Then we finished off the term with Bike Ed. So much done and done well!  

Rest up and we will see you next year! 

SCIENCE

Throughout the term 4 Chemical Science unit students have explored and investigated a range of different materials and objects. They have played games and carried out many activities to support them with learning to identify the physical features of various different materials. Students have identified and sorted a variety of materials and objects based on one or more of their properties, such as smooth, shiny, stretchy or rough and have experimented to find appropriate materials for certain purposes. Students have carried out experiments to investigate the effects of water and sun on different materials so they can decide which material would be best for a rainy day and a sunny day. 

Well done Prep students on a wonderful year of Science.  I look forward to seeing you all next year!