Term 2

Class Learning Updates

Please see this page for updates on the latest learning that has been happening in our Year 1 classrooms!

Weeks 10 and 11

Literacy

Phonics

Throughout the term, students have been engaging in daily phonics practice. The students have been doing activities such as:

Reading books- By reading daily, students can connect sounds (phonemes) with letters (graphemes).
Buddy reading- Students can read a book with a partner to practice decoding words.
Phonics games- Students are having fun reading words while playing games such as the "Roll and Read Racetrack" game.
Writing words on whiteboards- Students are learning to apply the sound-letter relationships through spelling (encoding).

It has been great to see students stay engaged and motivated in their learning.

Reading

Daily, when reading books aloud to the class, teachers highlight interesting vocabulary words. Teachers define the words to help students understand what they mean. Then, students orally use the word in a sentence to show their understanding and draw a picture to visualise the word.

For example, one picture book we read aloud was "How to Find an Elephant" by Kate Banks. One word we highlighted from the book was the word "adventurous". To deepen students' understanding of the word "adventurous", we had them share a time they were adventurous and draw a picture. It was wonderful to see students talk about and use the new word.

We found that this process helps students remember the vocabulary because they are engaging in multiple ways- through reading, writing, speaking and drawing.

Writing

During the final couple weeks of term, we have continued to write procedural texts. Procedural texts are step-by-step instructions that tell people how to do something. Some procedural texts we wrote include:

How to Draw a Robot
How to Make a Paper Airplane

For example, students followed a video tutorial on how to draw a robot. Then, they wrote their own procedures for how to draw a robot. The students included a title, materials list and clear steps. They did an amazing job writing instructions that are easy to follow.

As part of the writing process, students wrote a rough draft of their instructions. Then, they revised and edited their work using a checklist. After editing their work, the students created a final copy.

Numeracy

Capacity & Mass

Students have been learning about capacity and mass through hands-on activities. For example, they can use their hands to heft different classroom items such as glue sticks, crayons and coloured pencils. Students can compare them to identify which object feels heavier or lighter.

Also, students have learned to measure the weight of objects using informal units. They have used balancing scales and compared weights of classroom objects by using unifix blocks as non-standard units. The students have been doing a good job recording their results.

Partioning

The students have been learning about how two parts can be combined to make a whole. To explore the part-part-whole concepts, they have played a ten-frame game. To play, students roll a dice and find different combinations to make 10. They really enjoyed seeing the many ways numbers can be made and broken apart.

Weeks 8 and 9

Literacy

Phonics

During phonics, students have been participating in letter formation practice because it improves their handwriting skills. The students have been doing an amazing job with spacing and aligning the letter on the page. Throughout the year, students will continue to build their understanding about the shape and sound of each letter.

Reading

In Reading, students have been buddy reading where they pair up to practice reading strategies. Every day, students read decodable books together and focus on reading goals. For example, one reading strategy we practiced in Week 9 is reading at a "just right" pace (not too fast and not too slow). Students have built an understanding that reading at a good pace helps them comprehend the text and makes it easier for their buddy to follow along.

A buddy reading session looks like:

Taking turn to read the decodable book.
Listening carefully to their buddy read the book.
Using good reading posture (sitting elbow to elbow and knee to knee) while reading.

During buddy reading, students have been doing an amazing job following the routine and being responsible.

Writing

In Writing, students have been learning about procedural texts. They have learned that procedural texts give instructions. Students have been learning how to write clear and organised procedures using the following sequence words:

First

Then

Last

The students have engaged in a variety of activities. One of the classes favourite activities was writing about how to make fairy bread. First, the students got to make (and eat) the fairy bread. Then, they thought of the order of steps needed to make the fairy bread before writing the simple instructions.

Another popular activity was how to make a playdough monster. First, the students got to make a playdough monster. Then, they got to brainstorm the order of steps needed to make the monster before writing their sentences.

Students can plan, write and share their ideas with the class. We are all proud of their ability to organise their thoughts in order, use sequencing words and write simple instructions.

Numeracy

Fluency

Students have been learning to write numbers correctly. They are working towards writing numbers in the correct way on mini whiteboards. The students have been practicing starting in the right place and forming each digit properly.

Number - Addition and Subtraction

Students have been learning to solve addition and subtraction problems. A smart strategy we have introduced is using the "count on" strategy to solve addition problems. The students have learned that counting on means starting with the bigger number in an addition problem and then counting up. For example, 6 + 3, start at 6 then count 7, 8, 9. The answer is 9! The students used the strategy to avoid having to start at 1 every time.

Applied - Giving and Following Directions

Students have been learning to give and follow directions. One exciting activity we did with the students is to practice giving and following directions with Bee-Bots! A Bee-Bot is a small, bee-shaped robot that students can program by pressing arrow buttons. The students orally said the directions and pressed the arrow buttons on the bee-bot. For example, directions include:

Move forward
Move backward

The students were keen to give directions to help the Bee-Bot go from Point A to B on the grid.

Excursion - Aquarium

Our Year 1 classes went on an excursion to the aquarium. As soon as we walked in, it felt like we were under the ocean. The lights were dim and all around us there were glass tanks filled with fish, sea turtles, stingrays and sharks.

We saw penguins that swam under the water. One of the highlights was the tunnel where fish swam above our heads. Students also got to touch seastars. They felt bumpy and slimy, but interesting!

Our guides told us facts about the animals such as their appearance, diet and habitat. It was fun spending the day with our peers, eating lunch together and learning new things.

Weeks 6 and 7

Literacy

Phonics

In phonics, students have been learning to segment and blend sounds to read words in their decodable books. Students have been doing a fantastic job tracking the words with their finger, sounding out unfamiliar words and answering literal questions about what they read. They are strengthening their decoding and comprehension skills every day.

Reading

In Week 6, students continued to find important information in nonfiction texts. Once they found the information, they worked in small groups and practiced how to say it in their own words. Therefore, these lessons helped students develop the ability to share what they learned to others.

In Week 7, students learned to research and recall facts about animals. They gathered information about their chosen animal's appearance, habitat and diet. Then, students used the research to create their own mini books which used clues and descriptive language to help readers guess which animal they were describing. Students did a great job finding information, organising their ideas and expressing what they learned in their own words.

Writing

In Week 6, students used the research they collected about their chosen animal to create a fact file. They used a graphic organiser to create a labelled diagram of the animal and write interesting facts about its appearance, habitat and diet. These lessons helped students organise their ideas and write factual sentences.

In Week 7, students used a checklist to help them edit their first draft. They checked for capital letters, punctuation, finger spacing and neat handwriting. Once they finished editing, they published a final copy of their fact file. Students did an amazing job with writing, editing and presenting their fact files.

Numeracy

Number- Pattern Sequences

In Week 6, students have learned to skip count by 2s and 5s up to 120. They used number lines and number charts to colour every 2nd and 5th number. Then, they read the highlighted numbers aloud.

In Week 7, students continued exploring skip counting and patterns. They used Australian play money to create and continue number patterns. For example, students practiced making specific amounts (e.g. 25 cents, 40 cents, 1$) using 5-cent coins and 10-cent coins. Once they created the amounts, they practiced skip counting aloud by 5s and 10s. Well done Year 1s on practicing counting coins in small amounts.

Applied- Number Patterns

In Week 7, students learned how to give and follow directions using directional language (e.g. left, right). In one activity, students went on a bear hunt. In another activty, students viewed a photo of a footpath which was blocked by animals. They had to find a way around the animals. Students did a great job giving clear directions from Point A to Point B using positional and directional words.

CBL

In Week 6, students worked in small groups to create informative posters about their chosen animals. In groups, they decided on the important facts and images to include. Each group worked collaboratively to organise their information under the correct headings. Students demonstrated the school value of teamwork by sharing resources and taking turns to create their informative posters.

In Week 7, students learned that animals live in habitats where their needs are met. They could explain where their chosen animal lives and what it needs to survive (e.g. food, water, shelter and space). In small groups, students used a planning sheet to design and create a diorama of their animal's habitat. Their dioramas include resources such as food to represent how the habitat supports the animal's needs. The diorama activity helped connect students' research in a fun way.

Weeks 4 and 5

Literacy

Phonics

Students are demonstrating growing confidence during daily phonics practice. For example, during one exercise, students are given a spoken word by the teacher and they must write it on their whiteboards. It is amazing to see students applying their letter-sound knowledge accurately to write words.

Additionally, students are building recognition of sight words. Each week, they are introduced to two new sight words and are making progress in reading and using them in context. For example, students are referring to the word wall to support them in using sight words correctly in sentences during writing tasks.

Reading

In reading, students are learning to summarise while exploring nonfiction texts about animals. Summarising is an essential skill to develop because it helps students comprehend the information that they read or hear.

First, students chose an Australian animal that interested them. The list of Australian animals that students could choose from included:

Platypus
Koala
Kangaroo
Echidna
Quokka

Then, students used iPads to listen to Epic books and read fact files to gather information about their animals appearance, diet and habitat. By listening to the Epic books on the iPad and reading fact files, they could summarise information about their animal. Students could record the information using simple sentences.

Writing

In writing, students are learning to use their research from nonfiction texts to write sentences. They used the facts they gathered from the Epic books and fact files to write sentences about their animal's appearance, diet and habitat.

Students are challenged to use topic-specfic vocabulary in writing by referring to the word wall. They can select words related to their chosen Australian animal and then use them in sentences. For example, a student pulled the word 'herbivore' from the word wall and used it while writing about sloths. They wrote the sentence "Sloths eat fruit. They are herbivores." Therefore, this shows the students ability to use topic-specific vocabulary independently during writing.

Additionally, students are encouraged to use a writing checklist to check that their sentences are correctly written. The checklist is a helpful tool because it reminds them to check for finger spaces, punctuation and capital letters.

Numeracy

2D Shapes

Students are learning to recognise and describe 2D shapes using their features. They have explored common 2D shapes like circle, square, triangle and rectangle and can describe them using words like corners and sides.

During an activity, students examined a paint covered image to identify the hidden 2D shape. They did a wonderful job using shape features to justify their reasoning why they believed it was a certain 2D shape.

During another activity, students drew 2D shapes based on their description using chalk. They did an amazing job drawing shapes to include their key features.

Patterns

Students are learning to identify the part of a pattern that repeats, and use it to continue the pattern. During an activity, students viewed patterns made with 2D shapes and continued the patterns. They could explain what part of the patterns repeated again and again (the repeating unit). Students did a great job explaining and justifying their thinking by describing what part of the patterns repeated.

CBL

Students are learning to identify what animals need to survive. During an activity, they watched educational videos on the iPads about an animal of interest. Then, students recorded things their animal needs to survive. They could identify that animals need food, water, shelter and air. Students did a great job with completing an activity sheet that lists what their animal requires to survive.

Weeks 1, 2 and 3

Literacy

Phonics

As part of our daily phonics practice, the students have been engaging in a variety of fun activities. For example, the students have been absolutely loving the "Roll and Read Racetrack" activity. How the activity works is students work with a partner. They roll a dice and read a word on the racetrack. Not only is the game fun, but it helps students strengthen their decoding skills. It would be great if you even try it at home to support your child's reading development.

I can break down the word by saying the individual sounds.

I can blend the sounds together to read the whole word!

Reading

Our students have been exploring nonfiction texts on animals through our exciting unit on Information Reports. They have been learning to find interesting facts in nonficition texts. Students were keen to use nonfiction books on Epic and watch educational videos on iPads to gather information. It was great to see students demonstrating the school value of responsibility by using the iPads to find and record facts about the animals. They had success with finding factual statements, rather than personal opinions. They students were keen to share with their peers about the animals they researched and the facts they discovered.

Writing

Additionally, our students have taken the next exciting step in their learning by creating animal fact files! Each student has chosen an animal of interest and is working hard to complete their fact file. They will include details such as:

a picture of the animal
a description of its appearance
information about its habitat and diet
a fun fact

The Information Report unit is helping students organise factual information and present it in a clear way. The Year 1 team is looking forward to celebrating students fact files once they are complete.

Passion Writing

This term, our students have been enjoying Passion Writing, which occurs 2x a week. During the writing sessions, students can express themselves by writing about things they care about.

For example, during one writing session, the students wrote about an animal they loved. They were able to share why it is important to them. Students were keen to share their ideas and interests with the class.

Numeracy

Number - Addition & Subtraction

This term, our students have been developing their addition and subtraction skills.

They have been learning how to use strategies such as a number line to solve subtraction equations. For example, students read the subtraction problem, put their finger on the number line to show the starting number and then counted back the correct number of steps.

Also, they explored addition in fun ways by using a tens frame or dominos to create addition number sentences! For example, each student selected a domino, counted the dots on each side and then wrote an addition sentence to match. This activity reinforced the concept that when you add numbers, the order of the numbers does not change the sum (e.g. 4+5 is the same as 5+4).

It was awesome to see students building their confidence in solving addition and subtraction problems.

Applied - Time

Our students have been learning about time. As part of their learning, they created their own "dream day", where they planned and ordered activities based on the time of day (e.g. morning, afternoon, night). Students also described the duration or how long each activity would take to do. This activity reinforced the concept that some activities take a few minutes to complete, while others take longer like hours.

Additionally they also practiced putting the months of the year in order using a calendar as a reference. This activity reinforced the concept that the months of the year have names and always come in the same order.

CBL

Our students began exploring living things by learning about the characteristics that all living things share. Through a range of activities, they identified different Australian habitats and sorted animals according to where they live. Additionally, they investigated life cycles of animals, plants and people by matching images to the correct stages of life.

To connect learning to the world, students observed the schoolyard environment and drew the living things they discovered. Also, they explored the basic needs of plants by planting broad beans and beginning to monitor their growth. Students have built an understanding that all living things need food, water, air and shelter to survive.

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