The Teesdale Times

Junior School Learning

News from Foundation 

Foundation Numeracy - Mass

Last week students were learning about  the ‘mass’ of an object.  Students used balance scales to measure objects from around the classroom and outside to see which object was heavier or lighter.  Students had to use the idea of ‘hefting’ first to see if they could feel the difference between the heavy/light objects.  Once they had hefted the two objects, they would use the balance scales to see if their prediction was correct.

 

Foundation Literacy - Reading at home everyday 

Evidence based research tells us that all children learn at different rates and that repetition and practice is key to mastering a new skill. When reading the Sunshine Books with your child we’d encourage you to go through each of the sounds and words found on the inside cover of the book first. This will reinforce the sound learning happening at school and help to tune students in to the process of reading.  Please record the title of each book your child reads on the corresponding date in their diary. 

Tips for reading at home

  1. Look at the whole word from left to right.
  2. Remind your child to use the sound a letter makes, rather than its name.  
  3. Encourage your child to sound the words out rather than guess or try to use the pictures.
  4. Assist your child to track their finger under the word and say each letter sound as they go.
  5. Once your child has blended the sounds together and says the word – prompt them to read it again fluently.
  6. Lifting the print off a page is the first thing- but checking it makes sense is the complete package. Have a quick chat about the word. Make sure your child understands the meaning of the word within the context of the sentence.
  7. There are some words in these books where sounding out the letters does not help, such as: I, my, the.  Your child is being taught these words at school. You may need to tell your child how to say these words if they are unsure.

Additional Reading Resources for Home Reading - Decodable Readers Australia 

Decodable Readers Australia offers digital decodable readers as a downloadable application on apple devices. Each level provides 20 book titles that can be enjoyed by listening to the professional audio or read aloud with the support of tapping and hearing the word if required. If this is something you’d like to explore further we’d suggest downloading Level 1 initially and further levels as your child becomes fluent with the first 20 books.

Year 1 and 2

Sam:

In reading we have been learning to improve our vocabulary.

In writing we have been learning how to write expositions.

In maths we have been learning how to use place value to solve addition equations.

 

 

Paige:

In reading we have been learning about unfamiliar words.

In writing we have been learning to write persuasively.

In maths we have been learning to improve our skip counting.

 

 

 

Ivy:

In reading we have been looking at words from ‘The Big Bed’ book.

In writing we have been learning how to persuade the reader.

In maths we have been learning about addition strategies.