Literacy

What's Happening in Foundation?

We have been super busy this term learning all of the sounds in the alphabet and some special friends (such as th, ch, nk). Using the Read Write Inc program, students are becoming confident in their sound knowledge and using their sounds to blend together simple words; as well as attempting to write words using the sounds they know. 

The best part of being in Foundation is our incredible growth. Here are some photos of handwriting and writing. We are excited to see what happens next term!

How to choose a 'good fit' book for your child

One of the first reading lessons that children generally participate in is discussing how to pick a 'good fit' book for their reading ability. A 'good fit' book is a text that the students can confidently read independently while also understanding most of the word meanings and comprehending the text. A method that parents can use at home is written below. 

Parents explain the following to their child:

1. Choose the book you think you would like to read.

2. Open to a middle page that has quite a few words on it.

3. Begin to read the page.

4. Each time you come to a word you don’t know, hold one finger up. 

5. If you have all five fingers up before the end of the page, you may not be ready for this book just yet. 

6. A book that you have two or three fingers up is probably the one that you might like to try.

The article was adapted from the PETAA paper on Valuing Parents in the Reading Process 

Writing Competition! 

All students have the opportunity to participate in the 2023 Schools Poetry & Short Story 'Cool Writings' Writing Competition! Students are invited to enter a16 line poem OR 500 word short story that they have written at home. There is no theme! Entrants are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild and write on ANY TOPIC and in ANY STYLE. There are some great prizes on offer. Entry is FREE and all entries must be in by the closing date of 23 April 2023! For more information and to download the entry form, visit the website below. 

https://www.write4fun.net/competitions/74

Please note, entry forms still have original closing date of 26 March 2023 on them. The competition HAS BEEN EXTENDED to 23 APRIL and all entries will be accepted up to this date. 

If your child would like some support or help writing it, please ask them to come and see Mr Hoskin at lunchtime. 

Fortnightly Segments 

Book of the Fortnight 

This book report is written by Sophie from 2SB

Snow Bears

By Martin Waddell

Illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies

This picture story book is about three little bears. The three baby bears like to play tricks on their mum. They show up covered in snow looking like snow bears. They don't look like the mum's normal baby bears, but they like doing the same things.

Now the mummy bear then pretends to look for her bears. The cheeky, mischievous snow bears go on slopes, have snowball fights and have toast by the fire.

This is a wonderful book with adorable pictures. I recommend this story for anyone who likes picture story books. I would give this book a five out of five stars. 

Comprehension questions to ask at home

This fortnight’s questions are (these could relate to poetry or narrative text types):

• What was your story about? Describe the most important events as they occurred in your story. 
• How do the events in the story affect the characters? Match the events with examples of the character description. 
• Choose a part of the book that has special meaning to you. Why did you choose it? 

Writing Challenge

If your child enjoys their writing and is keen to write for enjoyment at home, below is a prompt that you could ask your child to write about. 

• The dinosaurs are back, and they’re in your street. What happens next?