Upper Primary

Upper Primary Learning

Welcome

Welcome to week 5!  It’s hard to believe that we are already half way through the term.  PDJ have recently returned from camp where they had an amazing time at Phillip Island. Some of the activities the students participated in were archery, the giant swing and Phillip Island Wildlife Park, with A Maze 'N Things being one of the highlights.

English

Over the past couple of weeks the students have been focussing on Phonics and Word Knowledge as part of the Reading and Viewing curriculum. Phonics and Word Knowledge looks at the relationship between letters and sounds and translating this information to reading through repeated opportunities to engage with texts. Students have been exposed to multiple learning activities to build on their knowledge of letter/sounds relationships and expand their bank of sight words.  Some of these activities include:

  • Sound discrimination – environmental sounds
  • Exploring rhyme and rhythm
  • Listening and recalling objects with the same sound
  • Sound lotto
  • Blending sounds to make words (eg/ h/at, hat)
  • Reading and spelling high frequency words

Classes have been busy working on procedural writing pieces over the past few weeks. During the planning phase students have used graphic organisers to record materials, and sequence steps involved. After the initial draft was complete students moved to the editing phase.  They read over their work to correct spelling and punctuation, checked that the procedure made sense.  Students then published their writing pieces. The following procedure was written by the students in PMB.

 

How to make popcorn

Written by PMB

Materials:

pot, stove top, corn, oil

Steps:

  1. Put the oil in the pot
  2. Put the corn kernels in the pot
  3. Turn on the heat and wait until popping to stop.

Enjoy your popcorn!

 

This week classes completed a procedural common assessment task.  The task provided the students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they had learnt throughout the unit on procedural writing and will be used by teachers to inform further curriculum planning. All classes have now completed work on procedural texts and will focus on descriptive writing in the coming weeks.  

Mathematics

The students have now completed their unit of work on Money. Over the past few weeks classes have been focussing on the value of money and the process of exchanging money for goods. Grades have practiced purchasing items in various role play situations and students involved in the consumer skills elective have had the opportunity to apply this knowledge in authentic learning situations while out in the community. 

 

Classes have been learning to sort coins according to attributes, recognise the value of a coin (and that this is not related to physical size), use efficient strategies to count and make collections of coins and or notes.

 

Students have continued to be engaged by Shape activities. They have enjoyed making shape monsters using a variety of different shapes as well as well a hunting for hidden shapes in pictures.  Constructing shapes from a variety of materials has challenged students to consider the number of materials required to make the correct number of side and corners for 2D shapes, and edges, corners and faces for 3D shapes. 

 

In the coming weeks classes will be focussing on Multiplication and Division and Length

Social Competencies

Upper Primary have been learning about how to be a good team player! We’ve been playing teamwork games that require us to listen to each other, communicate, take it in turns and follow the rules. Some of us are also writing a book as a class!

 

We’ve written the story and are currently illustrating the pages. We’re having lots of fun and it’s been a joy to see the students problem solve and encourage each other.

 

Integrated Unit

This fortnight students in PCS, PKO and PSP have been continuing to "Spot the Difference" in Science. They first looked at the features of uncooked spaghetti and made 3D towers. Following this, they investigated cooked spaghetti and explored how it feels, smells and looks. PCS used cooked spaghetti to make pictures of Sam the Spaghetti Man.

 

Max and Michael from PSP made the following observations: The uncooked spaghetti was solid and easy to break. When the spaghetti was cooked, it was wet and squishy and when you tried to pull it, it was hard to break.

 

PKO also made jelly. They watched eagerly to see what happened as the hot water was added to the jelly crystals.

 

PMB visited the MILE room in the Discovery Centre and used the popcorn machine. Students watched the corn kernels change into the popcorn. They particularly enjoyed eating the end result.

 

PJF looked at the properties of cooked and uncooked pasta as well. They also watched to see what happened when an icy pole is left out of the fridge.   

 

PDJ also popped Corn Kernels. After which they discussed the physical and chemical changes that occurred during the process.

 

PJT did an experiment where they added milk, dishwashing liquid and food dye together. They looked at the chemical changes as the fat in the milk gradually broke down.

Focus on Fun

Help your child make connections with letter names and sounds.  A quick game of eye-spy when on a long drive will help them to practice and apply this knowledge.

 

 

Chris Norman - Upper Primary Team Leader

Kirsten Coulter - Teaching and Learning Coordinator