In Phonics, we continued developing our knowledge of vowel and consonant sounds and how they can be represented in different ways. We explored the long a sound as in angel, long e as in evil, y as in happy and fly, long i as in tiger, and oas in gecko. We also learnt about plurals and practised reading and spelling the high-frequency words why, only, said, would, undo and know. We applied these new sounds and words when reading our decodable readers.

In Reading, we have been learning how to understand characters more deeply by exploring their inside and outside traits. We looked at characters’ appearance, actions, words, thoughts and feelings and used clues from the text and pictures to support our ideas. We also compared characters to identify how they are similar and different. We practised making inferences by using clues to work out how characters might be feeling and why they behave in certain ways. We also made text-to-self connections, thinking about our own experiences and connecting them to the characters and events in our books.

In Writing, we have been learning how to create our own narratives. We explored how to use descriptive language, verbs and adverbs to describe characters, their actions, looks and feelings, helping our readers picture the story. We also learnt about past and present tense, pronouns and dialogue and how authors use these features to make their writing clear and interesting. We planned our stories by developing characters, settings, problems and solutions, then organised events into a clear beginning, middle and end. We then drafted, revised, edited and published our own narratives. We focused on creating sizzling starts to hook our readers, developing an interesting problem and finishing with a solution. We were very proud to see our ideas turn into finished stories and cannot wait to become even better writers in the upcoming weeks.

In Mathematics, we learnt how to share collections equally into two groups and find halves. We used counters and Unifix blocks to create equal groups, making sure each group had the same amount. This helped us understand how numbers and collections can be shared fairly into two equal parts.

We also learnt how to arrange equal groups into arrays. We used Unifix blocks and counters to create rows and columns, making sure each row had the same number of objects. We practised identifying how many groups there were and used skip counting to find the total number of objects. This helped us see how collections can be organised in different ways and built our understanding of equal groups, arrays and multiplication. 

In Challenge Based Learning, we have been exploring how families, entertainment and technology have changed over time.

We compared families from the past with families today and learnt that, although families may look different, they have always cared for and supported one another. We explored how family life and responsibilities have changed and discovered that families today can look many different ways.

We also investigated how entertainment has changed over time. We explored examples including shadow puppet shows, radio, silent films, television, cinema, video games and digital entertainment. We discovered that technology has changed the way we entertain ourselves, while some activities, such as reading books, playing board games and playing outside, have remained popular.

To put our learning of history of technology into action, we have started designing a technology project based on a chosen year. We are using what we have learnt about technology and changes over time to plan and draw our own designs. We can't wait to see our ideas come to life!

This week, we celebrated Bullying No Way Week by learning how small acts of kindness can make a big difference. We created 'Say No to Bullying' bracelets and read The Invisible Boy to explore respectful ways to interact with others and understand how different situations can affect our emotions. We created a Small Acts of Kindness water drop collage as a reminder that even small acts can have a big impact on others.

In RRRR, we learnt how and when to seek help. We explored different scenarios and discussed ways we can support a friend who has a problem. We practised strategies that we can use when faced with real-life problems at school and beyond.

In Week 7, we celebrated Book Week with a fun dress-up day! We came to school dressed as our favourite book characters and enjoyed seeing the amazing costumes during the Grade 1 Parade. After the parade, we put our writing skills into practice by writing a recount about our favourite costume. We shared what we saw, explained why we liked it and used our recount writing skills to retell the special day.

In Phonics, we started level 7 sounds and learned the 'a_e' sound (bake, cake), 'e_e' sound (athlete, compete), 'i_e' sound (slide, ride, smile) and the 'o_e' sound (rope, hope, rose). We also practised reading and spelling our sight words: use, also, ago and could.

In literacy, We have been learning to read poems with expression, rhythm and beat. We listened to poems, clapped and drummed along to the rhythm, and practised reading aloud using pauses and expression. We also made text-to-self connections by thinking about times we have experienced similar feelings or situations in poems.

We have been learning to write our own rhyming poems. We brainstormed topics and created rhyming word banks in our Writer’s Notebooks. We then used rhyming word pairs to create sentences and build our own AABB poems. We checked that our sentences made sense, our rhyming words were at the end of each correct line and we used capital letters and full stops correctly. We proudly published two of our own rhyming poems!

On Fridays, we are continuing to focus on developing our reading comprehension skills by answering questions about texts we read. We practised looking back at the text and pictures for clues and using our understanding to explain our answers. We answer literal, inferential, evaluative, text-to-self connection and vocabulary questions.

In Mathematics, we have been learning about repeating patterns and how patterns follow a rule. We created patterns using shapes, colours and  objects. We practised identifying and extending patterns such as AB, AAB, AABB and ABC. We learned to look carefully at what repeats so we can predict what comes next.

We also explored skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's. We used 100 and 120 charts, unifix cubes, base 10 blocks, counters and number lines to help us see and build number patterns. We enjoyed playing counting games and colouring number patterns on our charts.

We learned that skip counting follows a number rule such as +2, +5, +10. We practised finding the rule in a sequence, including when some numbers were missing. Once we worked out the rule, we used it to find the missing numbers and continued the pattern from different starting numbers.

These activities helped us recognise patterns, explain the rules we found and build our understanding of how numbers are connected. We are developing strong counting skills that will support our future learning in multiplication. 

This week in Challenge Based Learning, we explored how clothing and toys have changed over time. We compared clothing from the past with what we wear today and created a timeline to show how clothing has changed. We then used a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences.

In week 4, we also explored how toys have changed over time by ordering past and present toys. We discovered that clothing and toys change as people’s needs, materials, technology and ideas change.

In week 5, we explored how appliances such as the washing machine has changed over time. 

In personal and social, we practised calm ways to solve problems with our friends and classmates through whole-class role plays. We learned how kindness, forgiveness and positive choices can help us move forward after a problem, build strong friendships and make sure everyone feels safe, respected and included. We learned how to fill someone else's bucket by acting out kind choices and practised using respectful words. 

In RRRR, we learned how to seek help when we have a problem. Through fun role plays and different scenarios, we practised explaining what the problem is and identifying trusted adults at home and school who can help us. We are learning that asking for help is an important step when we need support. 

In Phonics, we learned the 'ar' sound (marble, park, dark) and the 'or' sound (stormy, torch, forever). We also practised reading and spelling our sight words: about, today, make and give.

We explored the suffixes -less, -er and -est, and the prefix 're-', we learnt how these word parts change the meaning of words. These activities are helping us become more confident readers, writers and spellers.

In literacy, we explored poetry and learned how to identify an author’s purpose and audience. We discussed whether poems are written to entertain, inform or persuade and explored features such as rhyme, repetition and stanzas. We practised finding rhyming words in poems and stories and developed our visualising skills by using our five senses to create pictures in our minds while listening to poems. This helped us better understand the meaning and messages in the texts we read.

We listened to nursery rhymes and poems, identified words that sound the same at the end, and practiced creating our own rhymes. We learned that poets use different rhyme patterns to make poems sound interesting and enjoyable. We explored AAAA rhyme patterns, where the words at the end of each line all rhyme with each other. We also explored AABB rhyme patterns, where the first two lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. We practised recognising these patterns and using rhyming words to help us create our own poems.

On Fridays, we focus on developing our reading comprehension skills by answering questions about texts we read. We practised looking back at the text and pictures for clues and using our understanding to explain our answers.

This week in Mathematics, we have been learning to measure the length of objects using informal units. We explored how everyday items can be used as measuring tools and discovered that choosing the same informal unit helps us measure more accurately and allows us to compare the lengths of different objects.

We used a variety of informal units, including Unifix cubes, counters, paddle pop sticks, paper clips, glue sticks, texters, hand spans and even our feet to measure objects around the classroom. Through these hands-on activities, we developed an understanding of how measurement works and why using consistent measuring units is important when finding and comparing lengths.

This week in Challenge Based Learning, we explored how communication has changed over time. We sorted different ways people communicate and discussed how people shared information, ideas and feelings in the past compared with today. We learned that long ago, messages were often sent by letters and postcards and could take days or even weeks to arrive, while today we can communicate in seconds using mobile phones, emails and video calls.

We also compared an old 1950s rotary dial phone with a modern smartphone using a Venn diagram. We identified how phones have changed over time and how they have stayed the same. We discovered that although today's phones have touchscreens, cameras and internet access, both old and new phones have the same important purpose—to help people communicate with others. 

We explored how transportation has changed over time by looking at and comparing different types of transport from the past and present. We discovered how people have travelled in different ways throughout history and discussed how new inventions and improvements have made travelling easier, faster and safer. We became history detectives and examined old and new cars and worked together to place them on a timeline in the order they were created. 

In personal and social, we have been learning about what it means to be a 'good fit friend.' We discussed the behaviours that help build safe, kind, respectful friendships and shared our ideas about how we can be caring and supportive classmates. We sorted picture cards into examples of 'good fit friend' behaviours and 'not a good fit' behaviours, helping us recognise positive choices when interacting with others.

We also explored how to choose games and activities that help us play and work well with different friends. Through class discussions and collaborative activities, we discovered that there are many ways to play together and that making thoughtful choices helps everyone feel included, valued and successful.

In RRRR, we explored how friends can help and care for one another. Through a fun, cooperative game, we worked together to support our teammates and discovered how kindness, encouragement and teamwork help us build and maintain positive friendships. We learned how to help a friend who may have a problem. Together, we discussed different scenarios and took part in role-playing activities to practice caring and respectful ways to respond. This activity helped us understand the importance of asking a trusted adult for help when needed and how we can support a friend in a safe and thoughtful way.