Curriculum Overviews
Term 2
Prep/1/2
Teachers
Anna Plackett aplackett@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Lucy O’Dea lodea@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Urania Rivas urivas@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Rachael Mandarano rmandarano@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Religious Education
In Religious Education students will learn scripture from the Bible, such as Noah’s Ark and various parables. They will participate in daily prayers, weekly liturgies and whole school mass giving them the chance to become more familiar with Catholic traditions. Students will learn about the sacrament of Reconciliation as they explore what this means to the Catholic faith and compare it to other religions and beliefs.
Student Wellbeing
During Term Two students will participate in various Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) lessons that focus on strategies students can use to reduce stress, such as belly breathing, brain breaks and de escalation activities. Students will develop a class “focus plan” to help them prepare themselves to be ready to learn in the classroom. They will be learning how to be present, centred and grounded in the classroom.
English
In reading and viewing students are engaging in a variety of teacher focus groups, including phonics, reading strategies and comprehension skills. Students will participate in shared reading, guided reading and independent reading activities. Students will be exposed to a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts and will learn to identify and categorise the features of both text types.
Students will participate in writing focus groups to learn how to structure information reports and procedural texts. They are learning to reread and edit their writing, using word lists and dictionaries to improve the meaning and structure of a written text. Students will be strengthening their awareness of correct letter formation and identification.
Students will engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening strategies. They will learn to contribute ideas, add information and ask questions. Children will practise taking turns and recognising the contributions of others in discussions. They will explore different ways of expressing emotions, including verbal, visual, body language and facial expressions.
Maths
In Number and Algebra students will extend their ability to recognise, model, read, write and order numbers. Students will locate missing numbers on a number line and investigate number patterns formed by skip counting by twos, fives and tens starting from zero.
In Measurement and Geometry students will learn to order events, explain their duration, and match days of the week and months of the year to familiar events. Students will learn to tell the time using o’clock and the half-hour. Students will identify simple shapes in their environment and sort shapes by their common features.
In Statistics and Probability students will learn to express and sort events that ‘will happen’, ‘might happen’ and ‘will not happen’. Students will collect data and classify outcomes to create a variety of data displays.
Inquiry - Prep/1
As inquirers, students will consider change through the lens of Science, Geography and History. They will consider how their community has changed over time, how the seasons and the weather change, and how living things change in order to survive. Students will participate in an Inquisitive Kids Weather incursion to deepen their understanding and extend their learning about Change.
Inquiry - Grade 1/2
During our Inquiry unit “Stimulating Science” students will consider changes that we experience in our lives through the lenses of biology, earth and space science, chemistry, and physics. They will make predictions and scientific observations throughout the unit. Students will show what they have learnt by identifying 'science' in their classroom and record their understanding of each branch of science.
Technologies
Design technology
As users of technology, students will identify the features of an iPad and Laptops. Students will be given the time to develop skills to search and use apps, such as a Quick Response (QR) scanner and Popplet. Students will practice the skills for using a keyboard and touchpad. Students will use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and solutions including how to care for their environment.
Digital Technology
Students will develop their design algorithms as a sequence of steps for carrying out instructions, for example becoming expert at using and uploading pictures to Seesaw. They will use their problem-solving skills and coding skills to accurately move Beebots (small robotic devices) from a starting point to an end point. Students will design solutions to simple problems using a sequence of steps and decisions. They will create and organise ideas and information using information systems and share these in safe online environments, such as SeeSaw and Google Classroom.
Library
Library will occur on Monday’s for Prep/1’s and Wednesdays for 1/2 ‘s - library bag needs to be brought in those days. Students borrow and return appropriate books from the library on a weekly basis. They are encouraged to select texts of interest, for research and at their level.
Specialists
Health and Physical Education (Thursday) with Mrs Rachel McLeary
This term students will be participated in games and physical activities with and without equipment while cooperating with others. They will developed their hand eye coordination by practicing different ways to kick, throw and catch using a variety of balls. Students will also develop their understanding of minor games emphasising the need for rules and safety.
Music (Thursday) with Ms Belinda Nechwatal
Prep
In Term 2 Prep Foundation students will consolidate building their repertoire of known chants, songs and rhymes. They will distinguish between their speaking and singing voices. They will be introduced to the concept of Pitch; recognising high and low sounds and Tempo; describing music as fast, moderate or slow. The students will also further explore their emotions through music, discussing their responses to different pieces of music and exploring how music can sound happy, sad, scary, and exciting.
1/2
This term, Year 1/2 students will play a range of music and movement games, and explore the expressive possibilities of using their voices and instruments. They will begin to read simple graphic notation scores. They will move their bodies in response to changes in tempo.
Mandarin (Thursday) with Mr Qing Yang
In term two Prep to Year two students will be learning about animals and their habitats in Chinese. They will also explore the how to express weather and seasons in Chinese.
Recognise Chinese characters as a form of writing and Pinyin as the spelled-out sounds of spoken Chinese. We will also learn how to interact with teachers and peers in social and class activities, exchanging ideas and opinions, using correct tones.
Art (Thursday) with Ms Briony Moylan
In Term Two students will explore a visual arts unit on The Sea. Students will create three artworks focusing on animals of the sea. The three pieces include a mixed media, oil pastel and watercolour painting, a collage based on the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and the final artwork of the term will be a 3D clay sculpture of an underwater animal.
Year 3/4
Teachers
Georgina Hession ghession@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Sylvia Holroyd sholroyd@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Antonella Tsakmakis atsakmakis@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Religious Education
Reconciliation
Students will investigate the concept of free will from a Catholic perspective. Reflecting on choices made, they will evolve an understanding of what it means to be in a good relationship with others. The concept of forgiveness, and how being forgiven brings peace to self and others will be explored. Students will identify the four stages of reconciliation (admitting wrong, saying sorry, being forgiven, making peace/being reconciled) and how Christians rebuild their relationship with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Literacy
Reading: Students will use various texts to build and refine comprehension strategies with a focus on figurative language, making predictions, cause and effect and comparing and contrasting.
Writing: Students will plan, draft and publish narrative, persuasive and information texts.
Speaking & Listening: Students will listen attentively to others’ views and respond appropriately. Students will plan, rehearse and present an oral report.
Numeracy
Number and Algebra
Students will revise and extend their knowledge of addition and subtraction.
Measurement and Geometry
Shapes and using units of measurement will be investigated.
Statistics and Probability
Students will collect data to make appropriate graphs. Students will read and interpret graphs.
Inquiry
In the unit, ‘Into the Unknown’ students will explore changes in our community that has occurred over time. They will investigate the significance of celebrations and symbols in Australia. Students will research the ‘age of exploration’ and use timelines to sequence important events.
Information Communication & Technology
Students will continue to use software, including word processing programs, with growing speed and efficiency. They will use programs, such as Piktochart and Visme Creator, to develop digital solutions to present their work (data). Students will use robots to problem solve by describing and following a sequence of steps (algorithms).
Wellbeing
Students will be learning through the ‘Relationship Domain’ from the Berry Street Education Model
with a focus on strategies that build relationships. Students will also implement strategies that build wellbeing and resilience.
Visual Arts
Students will explore the work of two Australian Artists, Mirka Mora and Ken Done. After learning about the artwork of Mirka Mora students will create two artworks inspired by the artist. The first will be a detailed scratch drawing and the second a 3D clay sculpture. The final artwork for the term will be a Ken Done inspired mixed media artwork focusing on Australian icons.
Physical Education
This term students will develop their understanding of the benefits of being fit and physically active through the Cross Country unit. They will also develop their understanding of attack and defence when they play small-sided modified games within the Invasion Games unit.
Music
In term 2, students will use graphic notation to record their own compositions, producing and performing a “body percussion” score. Students will respond to music, and identify and respond to changes in musical dynamics, eg loud, soft, fast and slow. They will describe and discuss similarities and differences between music they hear, compose and perform. They will begin to plan elements of music to communicate their ideas and intentions.
Mandarin
In term two Year Three and Four students will learn to Understand that Chinese sentences have a particular word order. Interact with simple written texts in familiar contexts to contribute to class discussions. We will be learning about topics about animals and habitats as well as the five basic elements in Chinese culture.
Year 4/5/6
Teachers
Teresa Recce trecce@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Maryanne Gorman mgorman@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Frank Anania fanania@tcs.catholic.edu.au
Literacy
Reading
Students will engage with a variety of texts. They listen to, read, view, interpret and evaluate spoken, written and multimodal texts as well as texts designed to inform and entertain.
Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.
Writing
Students will learn how to write a reflective recount and narrative text using the correct structure and language features. They will be using a rubric for teacher feedback and the ‘T.A.G’ (Tell, Ask and Give) process to give peer to peer feedback to improve their writing.
Speaking and Listening
Students will communicate with peers and teachers in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. Students will listen to discussions, reflect and give feedback. Students will complete and present a report on an issue related to our Inquiry unit, using developing oral skills.
Mathematics
Number and Algebra
Students will be learning the value of numbers and applying that knowledge in everyday situations. They will explore fractions and decimals in particular how to work with numbers less than one using the four operations. Children will learn the value of different fractions and decimals and how to use a place value system to order them correctly.
Measurement and Geometry
Students will use 12 and 24 hour time systems to solve given problems, including elapsed time. They will learn to interpret and use timetables.
Statistics and Probability
Students will consolidate working with analysing and interpreting a variety of graphs. They will construct a variety of graphs to display collected or observed data.
Inquiry
In the unit ‘Museums in Motion’ students will learn about the concept of change through the lens of Australian history. They will learn about the causes and the reasons why people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia. Students will learn about the events and pioneers that have shaped our country as they work towards creating a diorama about a significant event that shaped the history of early Australia .
Religious Education
Students will explore the Christian experiences and understandings of compassion and justice. Students will consider their own and others’ experiences of compassion, justice, difference, discrimination and isolation in light of the Beatitudes and Gospel stories.
Digital Technology
In Digital Technology students will continue an online course on Cyber-bullying. They will investigate the correct protocols which need to be followed when online. Students will learn how to identify the dangers when online and identify strategies to avoid them.
They will be using a variety of ICT skills and digital devices to create work tasks on a teacher created a workflow document. Students will continue to learn the skills of coding to prepare them for programming in the future. Students will also learn about the correct ICT protocols when accessing any digital devices.
Student Wellbeing
Students will continue to develop strategies that build their wellbeing and resilience from the ‘Berry St Model’ and will learn techniques and establish routines that will support them to be ‘Ready to Learn.’
Library
Library will occur on a Friday (Gr4/5TR, Gr 5/6FA and Gr 5/6MG) All students are to have a library bag or satchel.
Students borrow and return appropriate books from the library on a weekly basis. They are encouraged to select texts of interest, for research and at their Lexile level in order to complete related quizzes. Children will participate in the Victorian Premiers Readers Challenge.
Music
THis term, Year 5/6 students will compose, notate and read their own “body percussion” and rhythm pieces. They will read and notate their own and others’ musical compositions using graphic notation. They will identify the rhythm of known songs. They will plan elements of music to communicate their ideas and intentions.
Art
The students will explore Australia’s natural landscape. They will create two artworks throughout the term, a geode using watercolour paints and black fine liners, as well as a landscape collage inspired by Melbourne artist Laura Blythman.
P.E
This term students will describe the key features and benefits of being fit and physically active through their Cross Country unit. Students will also develop their understanding of invasion games and how tactics and techniques are similar across games such as Soccer, Netball and Basketball. They will be given the chance to demonstrate ethical behaviour and fair play that aligns with the rules when participating in different activities.
Mandarin
In term two Year Five and Year Six, we will be learning about topics about animals and habitats as well as the five basic elements in Chinese culture. We will learn how to interact with teachers and peers in social and class activities, exchanging ideas and opinions, using correct tones. We are learning to obtain and process information about significant people, places and events from spoken and visual sources, and convey this information using learnt phrases and keywords.