During Weeks 6 and 7 in Reading, students practised recalling factual information, identifying facts and opinions, recognising text features such as titles, diagrams and facts, and presenting their learning using full sentences and a clear speaking voice. In Week 7, students began a new unit on procedural texts. Through hands-on experiences such as using a playground slide, playing games, making bracelets, planting seeds and making fairy bread, students practised listening carefully and following steps in the correct order. They also explored action verbs and time-order words such as first, next, then and last. 

In Writing, students completed their farm animal fact files by drafting, publishing and presenting their work to the class. They wrote factual sentences, created labelled diagrams and carefully published their final pieces. In Week 7, students were introduced to procedural writing and began learning how to write clear instructions using action verbs and time-order words. Students also started using their Writer’s Notebooks to collect ideas and experiences that will support future writing. 

This fortnight, students have been learning about the days of the week. After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, students created caterpillars and practised putting the days of the week in the order. We talked about how the days follow a repeating pattern and explored the ideas of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Students also learned about time by discussing daily routines and sorting activities into those that take a short time and those that take a long time. During games such as Simon Says, students thought about how long different actions take to complete.

In Counting and Place Value, students have been exploring teen numbers by matching numerals to collections of objects. They are learning that numbers can be shown in different ways, including objects, pictures, words and numerals.

Students have also been practising the concepts of one more, one less, before and after. Through hands-on activities and games, they are building confidence in recognising, ordering and comparing numbers.

This week in Personal and Social Learning, our focus has been on learning how to use the Conversation Station to solve problems with others in a positive and respectful way.

Throughout the week, students have participated in role-play activities where they acted out different scenarios that may occur in the classroom or playground. Using the Conversation Station, students practised the language and steps needed to communicate their feelings, listen to others, and work together to find solutions.

Students learned how to:

• Express their thoughts and feelings respectfully.

• Listen carefully to the perspectives of others.

• Use calm and appropriate language when discussing problems.

• Work together to find fair solutions.

• Build positive relationships with their peers.

The purpose of this learning is to help students develop important social skills that support positive interactions both inside and outside the classroom. By using the Conversation Station, students are learning that problems can be solved calmly through communication, helping to create a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment for everyone.

In Directed Discovery, students have been learning how to set goals and work towards achieving them. They chose a goal, created a simple plan and worked on it step by step throughout the week.

Working in groups, students used a planning sheet to write their goal and draw the four steps needed to achieve it. For example, one group planned to build a city building. Their steps included making the foundation, adding windows, adding a door and decorating the outside.

It was wonderful to see students working together, staying focused on their goals and completing one step at a time.

In Literacy, students explored nonfiction texts and learnt facts about farm animals, including cows and sheep. During reading sessions, students identified text features such as titles, diagrams, labels and facts. They also discussed the difference between facts and opinions and shared information they learnt from mentor texts. Students enjoyed creating diagrams, matching labels and sharing facts about animals’ appearance, diet and habitats.

In Writing, students focused on asking questions, building vocabulary and writing simple factual sentences. They explored the 5 W’s and How to ask questions about farm animals and used new vocabulary during classroom activities. Students practised identifying letters, words and sentences before working together to write factual sentences. By the end of the fortnight, students independently wrote factual sentences about cows and sheep, drew matching pictures and labelled diagrams.

In Phonics, students learnt new Level 2 sounds including /c/, /k/, “ck,” and “e,” as well as the sight words “me” and “as.” Students practised recognising, reading and using these sounds and words during reading and writing activities. They enjoyed building words and reading simple sentences using their new phonics knowledge.

This fortnight, Foundation students continued learning how to partition numbers to 5 and 10 into three parts. Using double-sided counters, students explored different ways to make the same total. They learned that the parts do not have to be equal, but together they always make the whole number.

Students also took part in a weekly Counting Collections activity. Working with a partner, they counted collections of items such as buttons or bottle tops. Before counting, students estimated how many items were in the collection. They then worked together to choose a counting strategy and recorded their thinking on a recording sheet.

Through these activities, students are learning how to organise objects into groups to make counting easier, more accurate and efficient.

This fortnight in Personal and Social Learning, students explored the ideas of fair and unfair play. Through discussions and play activities, students sorted different situations into “fair” and “unfair” categories and explained their thinking. Students are developing their understanding of how their actions can affect others during play.

Students also talked about gentle play and rough play and have been using this language during everyday play with their peers.

We revisited the “Stop, Walk, Talk” strategy, which helps students solve problems independently and respectfully. This supports students to build confidence, communication skills and independence in social situations.

Students also practised calming strategies to help manage big feelings, including rainbow breathing and hand squeezing. It has been wonderful to see students beginning to use these strategies and new vocabulary in their everyday interactions.

In Directed Discovery, students have been learning how to ask questions to help deepen their understanding of different topics. Working collaboratively in small groups, students thought of 2–3 questions together that they were curious to explore.

Students then used photographs to help them discover possible answers to their questions. By observing images, students practised connecting what they could see with what they already knew.

For example, in the animal group, one student asked, “What do tigers eat?” As the group viewed and discussed different photographs of tigers, students were able to identify clues in the images that helped them discover what tigers eat and how they survive in the wild.

Rather than being given information, students were actively involved in exploring, wondering and making discoveries together.

Over the past two weeks, students explored the world of texts by learning the difference between fiction and non-fiction, as well as living and non-living things. Using  farm-themed books, they sorted texts to understand whether a text is for enjoyment or to give information. They also made real-world connections through topics like farms and ANZAC Day, while learning about features such as titles, diagrams and facts versus opinions. Hands-on activities, group work and discussions helped deepen their understanding and bring reading to life.

In phonics, students focused on Level 2 sounds: /m/, /d/, /g/, and /o/. Through regular reading and writing practice, they are learning to recognise and use these sounds in words, building confidence as early readers.

In writing, students explored their environment by drawing and labelling living and non-living things, responding to different types of texts and writing simple factual sentences. With a focus on farm life, they wrote about chickens, including their appearance, diet, habitat and purpose. Students also enjoyed creative tasks like drawing farms, helping to build both confidence and enjoyment in writing.

In Personal and Social Learning, students explored what it means to be fair and what counts as violence. They learned that fairness involves treating others kindly, equally, and with respect, while violence includes actions that can hurt others physically or emotionally.

Students shared their ideas and took part in role-play activities to act out different situations and identify fair and unfair behaviour. These activities helped them better understand how their actions affect others and how to make positive, respectful choices.

In our recent directed discovery sessions, students have been learning how to generate and share their own ideas with confidence. To support this, we explored the books Not a Stick and Not a Box, which encourage imaginative thinking and creativity.

In Not a Stick, the character uses their imagination to transform a simple stick into many different objects, such as a sword, a fishing rod and even a paintbrush. This inspired students to think beyond the obvious and consider all the possibilities an everyday object can represent.

Working in small groups, students collaborated to come up with their own creative ideas. It has been wonderful to see their willingness to participate. Over time, they are becoming more confident in expressing their thoughts and sharing their ideas with one another.