Prep News
English
Reading - Prep students will learn about the expectations for reading lessons during the first 4 weeks. During this time, students will discuss and learn how good readers choose and care for books to help build and strengthen a motivation and passion for reading. Students will collaboratively develop a classroom library based on their interests and categorise books into sections. Students will learn about the expectations of take-home reading and what to expect during our reading blocks, engaging in shared reading, read aloud, conferencing and buddy reading. Throughout the first term, students will focus on previewing texts and making predictions about what they think will happen in books.
Writing - During the first twenty days of writing, students will engage in
language and shared writing experiences, developing their oral language and understanding that writing is a method to communicate a message. They will begin a ‘Sounds Write’ program focusing on matching sounds to letters and forming 3 letter CVC words. Students will explore what good writers do and learn about the structure of our writing lessons, writing expectations and the writing process through think, talk, sketch and write. Students will also learn about our writing centre and the different materials available, which they can use after completing literacy tasks and during developmental play.
Once the first twenty days are completed and the Prep students are familiar with the writing routine and expectations, we will engage in a retell/recount unit of work. During this unit, students will learn how to share a recount of an experience or story they have been read.
Mathematics
In Numeracy, prep students will be engaged in the 100 days of school routine. This will include keeping track of each school day until students have been at school for 100 days. Some ways of tracking the days
include, using a 100 chart, counting icy pole sticks, marking a blank 100s frame, marking a calendar and counting unifix blocks.
Students will explore what good mathematicians do, understand the structure of the numeracy lesson and explore the materials on the maths trolley and how to use them to help them learn. Throughout the term, students will learn about pattern, shape and counting. With pattern, students will explore how to sort objects by different elements such as shape, colour or size, as well as learn how to make, copy, continue and explain which part of the pattern is repeated. With shape, students will identify simple shapes and sort them. With counting, students will learn how to count each object once, know that numbers are said in a particular order and practice counting forwards and backwards to and from 20.
Inquiry
I am so excited to welcome the Prep students! My name is Sarah Barnes and I will be teaching the students Inquiry. The students will have Inquiry 3 times a week for 1 hour each session.
To begin Inquiry, the students will be learning how to form positive relations through developing a growth mindset, recognising and nurturing our character strengths and understanding how we can best develop our bodies and minds. The students will investigate these understandings by addressing key questions to determine how our mindset affects our thinking and actions and how our personal successes and failures strengthen who we are.
Throughout the second half of the term the students will be learning and investigating how we keep our bodies clean. The students will share their daily hygiene routines and share how our routines and health needs may be different to someone else’s.
- Ms Sarah Barnes
Science
Welcome to all our Prep students! I am looking forward to seeing all the Preps in our weekly Science session. This term Prep students will be focusing on the Biological Science strand. Students will be looking at the needs of humans and animals and identifying that both humans and animals need food, water, shelter and sleep to survive. Students will learn about what plants need in order to survive and will have opportunity to observe growing their own seed. Students will learn about their five senses – see, smell, hea
r, taste, touch – and will use them to explore familiar objects. Throughout the term, students will be involved in many interesting activities, along with some hands-on experiments, which will provide them with a great introduction to Biological Science. This is an exciting term in Prep Science! - Mrs Natasha Devine
LOTE - Chinese
Welcome to all our Prep students! I am looking forward to seeing all the Preps in our weekly Chinese session. This term children will start with simple greetings, such as hello, thank you and goodbye. After this, Preps will also learn how to count numbers from 1 to 10 with both spoken and hand gestures. Then they will learn the days of the week. Meanwhile, the students will be able to identify the difference between Chinese and English. They can use images to show their understanding of characters related to the topic studied. Throughout the term, students will be involved in many interesting activities, along with some hands-on activities, singing and dancing, which will provide them with a great introduction to Chinese. This is an exciting term in Prep Chinese! - Ms Joey Wang
Art
Welcome to Art in 2022! In Art this term, the
Preps are learning to use various drawing materials, scissors and glue, with a focus on safety, care and technique. In addition, Prep students will work with several types of painting methods. In doing so, we will begin to explore our big question for the Semester, ‘What is ART?’. Through considering this question, students will broaden their understanding of how they might experiment and create as artists, informed by the diverse ways in which artists create in the wider world.
Collaboration and documentation of our progress, through means such as mind maps and photography, will deepen our learning. The Preps will make artworks about themselves, investigating how they can use colour and line to express feelings and imagination. I am so excited to start making with the Prep students! - Ms Caitlin Cummane
Music
Welcome to Term 1, Music, 2022! In Music, Grade Preps are learning about the routines and expectations in our classroom environment. This includes using instruments safely and showing positive behaviours. The topic for this term is Sound. Students will get to explore making sounds with their voices and percussion instruments. They will learn the difference between speaking and singing including understanding pitch (high and low). Students will learn about tempo (fast and slow) and dynamics (loud and soft) when exploring with their voices and instruments. Grade Preps will be exposed to many songs including nursery rhymes to support their knowledge of sound. Looking forward to working with Melton West Primary School Grade Preps 2022! - Mrs Jess Pfister