Level 6

Welcome to Term 1. We have spent our first week back at HEPS exploring our SWPBS and our Start Up program. Students have revisited the school values as well as look at themselves as learners, their strengths and superpowers, what makes our classrooms tick and how they can be positive role models for others. 

Reading

This term, we explore our Reading model, what motivates students read and the importance of reading, enabling students to choose good fit books when reading independently and we start to investigate reading comprehension strategies including activating prior knowledge, making connections, questions, inferring, visualising and summarising. Students will expand on their comprehension skills and their understanding of the main idea, the importance of visualising and making connections.  The students will participate in Guided Reading sessions, focussed reading lessons where they use their own instructional texts and given texts to consolidate their understanding of these skills. The activities will be differentiated to ensure every student is learning at their ability level.

Students will experience a range of texts including good-fit books that are self-selected from the library and guided reading books and novels that are studied in small groups with the teacher and/or conferencing. 

Weekly focus:

Week 1: Start Up program

Week 2: Reader's model

Week 3: Main Idea

Week 4: Main Idea

Week 5: Visualising 

Week 6: Visualising

Week 7: Making Connections

Week 8: Making Connections

Week 9: Making Connections

Week 10: Revision

Writing

We use the 6 Plus One Traits of Writing program which covers the traits of voice, conventions, sentence fluency, ideas, organisation and word choice, with the plus one being a presentation. Modelling to students on how to use these traits will be done to grow students’ writing skills. 

This term we are focussing on a writing unit centered around our Inquiry unit called ‘Ethics and Emotions’ with a focus on Narrative and Information report writing. Information Report Writing is writing about facts and information that is organised, cohesive and inforative in nature. Narrative Writing involves students writing fictional stories usually about a main character in a setting who encounters a problem or engages in an interesting, significant or entertaining experience. A major focus will be aorund character development, complications, twists and strong language use and vocubulary choice. Discussing with your child topics of interest in these two areas will significantly help your child to develop focussed pieces of writing based around their interests. Teachers will incorporate the six plus one writing traits into these forms of writing. 

Weekly focus:

Week 1: Start Up program  

Week 2: Narrative 

Week 3: Narrative 

Week 4: Narrative

Week 5: Narrative

Week 6: Information Report 

Week 7: Information Report 

Week 8: Information Report

Week 9: Information Report

Week 10: Revision

Spelling and Grammar

We are using the Jolly Phonics Spelling and Grammar program to strengthen students’ abilities with spelling patterns and rules, along with revisiting basic and introducing advanced grammar concepts. They will have the opportunity to learn, experiment, practice and use a variety of language structures to enhance their spelling strategies, writing and communication skills.

Week 1: Start Up program

Week 2: Numeral Prefixes for 1 and Homophone Mix-Ups

Week 3: Numeral Prefixes for 2 and Simple, Continuous and Perfect Tenses

Week 4: Numeral Prefixes for 3 and Definite and Indefinite Articles

Week 5: Numeral Prefixes for 4, 5, 6 and Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Week 6: Numeral Prefixes for 7, 8, 9 and Parts of Speech

Week 7: Numeral Prefixes for 10 and Direct and Indirect Objects

Week 8: <ei> and <eigh> for /ai/ and Indirect Objects and Sentence Walls

Week 9: <ei> and <ie> for/ee/ and Linking Verbs: ‘To Be’

Week 10: Revision 

Numeracy

In Term 1, we will be revising our knowledge of number and algebra by looking at unit sequences focused on place value and the types of numbers (prime, composite, square, triangular and negative, decimals and the four operations and order of operations (BODMAS). We will also be looking at prisms, pyramids and angles. 

Through planning and implementation of our lessons, an integral part will be on the four maths proficiencies; understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning, with explicit teaching, real-life application and hands on activities helpling to deliver our maths program.

As we move through the term, we continually assess the students’ work and develop lessons that meet the individual needs. The weekly focus below can change depending on how the students are grasping these mathematical concepts.

Weekly focus:

Week 1: Start Up program 

Week 2: Number and Algebra - types of numbers

Week 3: Number and Algebra - types of numbers

Week 4: Number and Algebra - decimals

Week 5: Number and Algebra - decimals

Week 6: The Four Operations

Week 7: The Four Operations

Week 8: Shape - prisms, pyramids and angles

Week 9: Shape - prisms, pyramids and angles

Week 10: Revision

Inquiry

Throughout Inquiry in Term 1, students will be undertaking a unit of work called ‘Ethics and Emotions - Impact of Identity’. Students will explore who they are and what they value, how this prepares them for physical and emotional changes that may happen and how the media and our peers can influence this. Students will explore how to cope with pressures and strengthen their self-worth and well-being.

Key Questions to share at home:

• What does it mean to be honest? 
• How am I influenced by others?
• What can you say when you don’t want to do something that someone is pressuring you to do?

Homework

Homework for this term, the students will continue to choose activities from the Term 1 Level 6 Homework grids. They will be expected to complete a minimum of 3 activities per week, which will be handed in each Friday to their classroom teacher. Students will continue to read on a nightly basis and record their reading in their school diary/journal.