Year Prep

Term one

The Preps have had a fantastic start to the year and have really settled well into The Lakes. It has been fantastic watching the Preps make new friends and learn new things.

This term in Maths, the Prep students have been learning about numbers to 20 and 2D shapes. When we learnt about shapes we went on a shape hunt to find shapes in our environment. We also used our bodies to make shapes and discussed how many sides’ shapes have and what they look like. We have also been learning about patterns and using a range of concrete and electronic materials. With our IPADS we have been able to create different patterns, using colours, numbers and letters. We have used Apps such as ‘Pattern Shapes’ and ‘Magnetic ABC’ to create different patterns.

In Literacy we have been focusing on learning our Oxford Words and our letters of the alphabet. Each week we focus on a new letter and word. This term we also began our Language Experience Program where we learn new vocabulary linked to our letter of the week. We complete hands on activities that also link to our letter. So far in the program we have made toast (Tt), ice fossils (Ii), noodle necklaces (Nn) and paper planes (Pp). We look forward to continuing our Language Experience Program in Term 2.

Here is what some of the Preps students had to say about our Language Experience Program:

“I liked finding the fossils because you get to turn them into ice” -Xavier Kelly (Prep A)

“I loved making paper planes because we got to fly them outside”- Tanya Sharma (Prep B)

“I liked trying to break the fossil in the ice and learning about the letter of the week”- Tye Vanek (Prep C)

Term Two

Term two was a long term and the Preps have done an excellent job with their learning. The preps have continued to make new friendships and engage in new learning experiences.

In Literacy we have continued learning about our letters and letter sounds. This is assisting the students in their writing and reading as they are learning to sound out unfamiliar words. Term 2 has also allowed the preps to participate in more language experience lessons. This term we have grown grass (letter G), made dinosaur fossils (letter D), created orange paintings (letter O), made bouncy balls (letter B) and made magnets (letter M).

In Maths during term 2 the students have been developing their knowledge of place value, understanding how ten’s and one’s make up a number. The preps have been using lots of hands on materials to learn about numbers, including unifix blocks and icy pole sticks for bundling.

The Preps have had lots of exciting events this term. We began our dance rehearsals for the school production where we will be acorns. In Inquiry we have be learning about people who help us in our community; we had a visit from the CFA and the responsible pet program. We also had a visit from Kobe the guide dog in training who was kindly brought in by the Zadoroznyj family. Towards the end of term 2 we also had a dentist visit from Swati who taught us all about being a dentist and our oral health.

This term we have continued to further develop our skills using our ipads. The Preps love to use ‘eggy words’ on their ipads which is assisting them to learn their oxford words. To enhance our learning of place value in maths we have also been using the ‘bead frame’ app to show up how to represent our ten’s and one’s.

Term Three

This term has been very eventful for the Preps as we celebrated our 100 Days of Learning. To celebrate the Preps wore their crowns and had a breakfast together which was assisted by our parent helpers. We also did a fun activity with our buddies and ended the day with a disco and some cupcakes.

We also had a few visits from the Kinder children from across the road who joined us for Book Week. Our Preps took on the role of the big buddy to assist the Kinder children with their ‘Three Little Pigs’ activities, it really showed how the Preps can show our School Value of Teamwork.

We continued with our Language Experience lessons this term and made many new and exciting things which related to our letter of the week. We made x-rays (Xx), zebra masks (Zz), under water artwork (Uu), vegetable soup (Vv), kites (Kk), leaf collages (Ll), cardboard robots (Rr) and jelly (Jj). This is a great way for the students to engage in discussions with their peers about previous knowledge and experiences about the topics.

In term 3 the Preps have been learning lots of new things on their iPads, they have developed new skills which will assist them with using their iPads to scaffold their learning. They began by learning how to search and save images on the iPads. Once they had this skill they were able to use those images to present their learning in an ebook using the ‘Book Creator’ app. The Preps worked with their year 4 buddies to create a book about Olympic events and presented them to the year level.

To further celebrate the 2016 Rio Olympics the Preps held their very own ‘Mini Olympics’. The Preps learned lots about the Olympics in our Maths sessions and during Inquiry. They made their own medals and watched some of the events. To participate in the ‘Mini Olympics’ all the Preps made a country flag to carry as they walked into the ‘Opening Ceremony’. The Preps worked in their teams of different countries to participate in different events. It was lots of fun and all the Preps received a medal at the end of the day.

In Maths for term 3 the Preps have been learning about addition and how to ‘count on’. They have learnt that two numbers together makes a bigger number. We have used many concrete materials to practise using our addition strategies and have done many games to help us learn how to add. We also introduced the topic of money and learned about the motifs on our coins.

Term Four

This has been a very exciting term for the Prep students. They were very excited to go on their first excursion to Animal Land in Diggers Rest. While at the farm, they had the opportunity to milk a cow, ride a pony, feed the ducks, plant a seed and hold some baby animals in the animal nursery. The Preps had been learning all about farms and farm animals during Inquiry this term and it was a great experience for the students to extend their learning by visiting a real working farm.

In Maths, the Preps were introduced to 3D shapes. They learnt their names and about their features. To introduce the topic we went on a shape hunt around the school, looking for 3D shapes in the environment. The Preps walked around and took pictures on their ipads, as they looked for cubes, cylinders, rectangular prisms, spheres and pyramids. They continued to revise all Maths topics learnt this year, including addition, subtraction, place value, location, time and shape.

In Literacy this term, the Preps learnt their double letter phonograms to assist them in both reading and writing. They continued learn new reading and writing strategies. Their excellent farm recounts were a great example of this learning.

The Preps continued to learn new skills using their iPads in Term 4. They learnt how to use Book Creator to present work. This term they began to use Showbie. Showbie is App that allows students to submit work to their teacher and their work can be shared with the class. Some Prep students entered a video competition where they were required to make a video about what their super power was if they were a Superhero. They recorded their videos with their buddies and then submitted their work onto Showbie. The Preps did an excellent job with their videos and created some very special superheros.

Some of the Preps have shared their favourite parts of their year in Prep:

“I liked making the paper airplanes because I like airplanes and we had time to fly them outside”- Adrian I (Prep A)

“I loved making Yummy Yoghurts when we learnt about the letter Y because I love yoghurt”- Donny W (Prep B)

“My favourite thing was learning about numbers in Maths because I like knowing things about numbers”- Sienna W (Prep C)

“I loved when we went to the Farm because we got to feed the animals and sometimes pick them up, and I love animals”- Ashlee T (Prep B)

“I liked going to the Farm because it was fun and we got to see all of the baby animals, like pigs, rabbits and ducks”- Mannat (Prep C)

Well done to all our Prep students on a fantastic year! The students have shown such growth and we wish them all the best of luck in 2017!

The Prep Teachers