Week 9

In Week 9, students listened to the book Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall. 

In one lesson, students practiced tracking how a character's feelings change from the beginning to the end of the story. They created a timeline in their books and drew Jabari's face at different moments. The students could add feeling words underneath such as happy, nervous and excited.

In another lesson, students learned to explain their thinking about a character's emotions. For example, they described how Jabari was feeling at a point in the story and explained why using details.

Week 10

In Week 10, students listened to the Procedure Text on How to Make Sock Puppet.

In one lesson, students learned to identify and explain the features of a procedural text using How to Brush Your Teeth as an example. They named elements such:

• Title

• Materials

• Steps

• Pictures

Students then practiced sequencing by arranging the steps in order.

In another lesson, students learned to identify sequencing words in a procedural text using How to Make a Pancake as an example. They read the steps and sorted sequencing words such as first, next, then and last to better understand how procedures are organised.

Week 9

In Week 9, students learned to draft their narratives. They began by planning the character, setting and the beginning, middle and end of their story using a graphic organiser. After drafting, the students used a writing checklist to edit and improve their work. Lastly, they published their finished pieces.

Week 10

In Week 10, students learned to write a procedure. They began by writing their heading and listing the materials or ingredients. Then, the students planned their procedure by drawing 4 pictures to show each step. Next, they wrote their 4 procedural steps. Last, they used the writing checklist to edit their work before publishing their final piece.

This work is part of our multigenre unit. Therefore, whatever students wrote about in their narrative became the focus of their procedure. For example, if their narrative included a character like a cat, their Week 10 procedure explained how to feed a cat. So students can see how different text types can be connected.

Week 9

In week 9, students learned to read numbers and represent them using materials. In their activities, they showed 2-digit numbers using Unifix cubes, building tens and ones. Through the hands-on activities, students could identify the tens and ones in a number.

Week 10

In week 10, students learned to subtract using Australian coins to purchase items. For example, in one activity, they chose a toy they liked from the Kmart catalogue and cut and pasted the picture in their books. Then, the students subtracted the amount spent from their starting amount of $10 using a number line to show their work. It was lovely to see how they could explain their thinking and describe how they worked out the solution.

Students finalised their posters by drawing messages that remind others to be mindful of how much water they use. They did an awesome job working collaboratively to make their posters. The following week, the students presented their posters to the class.

We have been learning that our words and actions can affect others feelings. We listened to the story Words Are Not for Hurting By Elizabeth Verdick and discussed the importance of using kind words.

To help us understand this idea, students drew a smiley face on a piece of paper to represent a person's feelings. Then we pretended the paper heard unkind words and we scrunched it up. When the students unfolded the paper, they noticed that it did not look the same as before. It was wrinkled!

We discussed how this is just like a persons feelings. For example, if we say sorry after saying someone unkind it can leave "wrinkles" that are hard to remove.

To close the activity, students wrote kind words on their wrinkled paper. They thought about what they might say to a friend if they had hurt their feelings and wanted to fix things with them.

Week 7

Last week, we read Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten by Bob Graham. Students practiced retelling the most important parts of a story by touching the page, looking closely at the pictures and explaining what happened. Also, they identified the beginning, middle and end of the story using details from the text and illustrations to sequence the main events. 

Additionally, students learned to identify the main characters in the story. Together, we discussed the characters appearance, feelings throughout the story and the actions they took. For example, students could explain that Rose is a girl who feels nervous about asking Mr Wintergarten for her ball back, but she shows bravery by asking politely. As a result, she gets her ball returned.

Students also learned to discuss how colours in illustrations can show feelings in a story. Together, we discussed how bright and dark colours can make the scene feel happy or scary. For example, students noticed the contrast between Rose's house and Mr Wintergarten's house. They identified that Rose's house felt warm and inviting due to the bright colours, while Mr Wintergarten's house seemed creepy and uninviting due to the dark brown and grey tones.

Week 8

This week, we watched two short animated films, Pip and Piper. Students applied the reading strategy to empathise and understand the feelings of others. They shared how the characters felt, identified their emotions and made connections to the characters' experiences.

Week 7

These past couple weeks, students engaged in the full writing cycle process which includes brainstorming, planning, editing and publishing.

First, students brainstormed a list of topics to write about. After brainstorming these ideas, they selected one and used a graphic organiser to plan their story. The students planned the character, setting and arranged the story line into beginning, middle and end.

Week 8

This week, students edited their drafts using a writing checklist. For example, they checked whether their sentences began with capital letters. After editing, the students published their stories. They did a great job copying their drafts onto a new piece of paper using their best handwriting.

Week 7

In CBL, students learned how people can make dirty water clean. They watched a video to understand how filters can remove dirt and help make water safer. 

Also, students explored how water is used and sometimes wasted around the school. They visited different areas including the toilets, taps and classrooms to observe water use. Together, we discussed places where water may be wasted, such as the playground where taps are sometimes played with.

Week 8

This week, students brainstormed actions for reducing water waste and discussed why these choices are important. Then they used a design plan to plan posters that encourage others to save water at school. These ideas included taking only a few sips at the tap and not playing with the tap buttons.

Then, using teamwork, students created their posters by drawing messages that will remind others to be mindful of how much water they used. It was great to see students working collaboratively to make their posters colourful and easy for others to understand.

Week 5

In Week 5, the students listened to the story Let's Get a Pup! We focused on two reading strategies- questioning and making predictions.

First, students looked at a poster of a dog with a title "I'm a lover, not a fighter." They recorded their "I wonder" questions, such as "I wonder why they want us to adopt a dog?"

Next, students practiced making predictions. Before reading Let's Get a Pup!, they viewed the cover and title and shared what they thought the story might be about. The students learned to ask questions and predict what might happen next.

Week 6

In Week 6, the students listened to the book Give Bees a Chance. Prior to reading, they practiced the strategy of asking questions to help them think about the story and what they might learn. Each student wrote a question on a sticky note. For example, "I wonder how bees make honey?" and "I wonder if there is a King bee?" After listening to the story, they reflected to see if their questions had been answered.

Additionally, students revisited the book Give Bees a Chance to practice the reading strategy of making inferences. They looked at a few pages from the story and used clues from the text and pictures, along with what they already know, to make inferences about what was happening. The students learned that good readers dont just read the words on the page, but think and use their knowledge to understand the story better.

Week 5

In Week 5, students learned to describe icy poles using their 5 senses. They explained what they look like, smell like, feel like, taste like and sound like. Students shared wonderful descriptions of icy poles such as cold, sweet, juicy, crunchy and melting.

The next day, we worked together to brainstorm reasons why we should have an Icy Pole Day. Using a mind map, students brainstormed lots of great ideas. For example, cooling down on a hot day.

Week 6

In Week 6, students used their mind maps from last week to write a persuasive letter to Mrs. Bechman. Their aim was to convince her to have an Icy Pole Day! 

The students drafted, edited and revised their letters, making sure to include an opinion, reasons and a closing statement. Finally, they published their letters to share their ideas.

Great news! The students persuasive writing worked- Mrs. Bechman was convinced by the letters our students wrote! So we will be having an Icy Pole Day next week! We are so excited to celebrate.

2D Shapes

This week, students revisited 2D shapes. They reviewed the 2D shapes features such as:

• Sides (straight lines)

• Vertices (corners)

• Shape name (circle, square, triangle, rectangle)

• Special features (e.g. a square has all sides equal vs a rectangle has opposite sides equal).

They had fun sharing what they noticed about how 2D shapes are similar and different.

Skip Counting & Multiplication

Students explored arrays and skip counting by 2s and 5s.

They created arrays using counters, arranging them in rows and columns. Students then used skip counting by 2s or 5s to quickly find the total number of objects in each array.

This activity helped students learn that skip counting is a fast and fun way to count.

Week 5

Last week, the students explored all the ways people use water every day. We watched a video and discussed why water is so important in our lives. Together, students brainstormed many ways people use water- like washing the dishes, taking a shower, washing clothes and even swimming! After our discussion, they drew pictures showing 3 ways people use water. 

Week 6

This week, students learned about how animals and plants need water to live. We watched a video and discussed the many ways animals use water- for drinking, bathing and cooling off. Then, the students drew pictures of 2 animals and showed how each one uses water in its own way.

We also explored that plants need water to stay alive and healthy. Together, we viewed images of a wilted plant and a healthy plant and shared what we noticed. The students learned how water travels up the stem to help the leaves grow.

Week 3

Last week, students listened to the story Daisy Eat Your Peas by Kes Gray. We learned about making text-to-self, text-to-text and text-to-world connections so we can understand the story better.

After reading, the students had fun making text-to-self connections. Just like Daisy, who did not want to eat the peas on her plate, they shared their own stories about a time when they did not want to eat something at home. It was great to see students making personal connections to the story.

Week 4

This week, students listened to the story I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. They practiced the reading skill of visualising where they used their imaginations to picture what is happening in the story as they listen.

Students listened carefully without looking at the illustrations and imagined the characters, setting and events. Afterwards, we discussed what we imagined. Then, the students drew a scene from the book that they visualised. It was fantastic to see how student's imagination brought the story to life in unique ways.

Our Year 1 scientists have been exploring the properties of water. We have been learning that water can be a solid, liquid and gas.

For one of our activities, students got an ice cube with a toy inside. They watched closely as the ice sat in the warm classroom. The students were very patient. Slowly, the solid ice turned into water, and the hidden toy was free.

The students were amazed to see the change happen in front of their eyes. We discussed how heat makes ice melt and how water can change from a solid to a liquid.

Week 1

This term, we have been learning about opinions, persuasive language and how authors write for a purpose and audience.

We listened to the book Why I Love Summer by Michael Wagner. Then, we had a whole class discussion about what the author was trying to tell us (that summer is special and fun). We looked closely at the reasons the author used to help us agree. Then, students shared their opinions and gave reasons why they love summer.

In another lesson, we reread the book. This time, we focused on finding opinions in the text. Students successfully explained what the kids in the story thought and felt about summer. For example, they loved that there was no bedtime and they could stay up late.

In a following lesson, we practiced finding facts in a text. We looked at different sentences and asked, "Can this be proven true?" This helped students understand the difference between a fact (true for everyone) and an opinion (what someone thinks and feels). 

Students are strengthening their reading skills as they learn how authors use words to share ideas, persuade others and explain what they love.

Week 1

This term, the Year 1 students have been busy learning about persuasive writing. They have been learning to share their opinions and try to convince others.

In one of the first lessons, students shared their opinions about summer. They practiced giving a reason why they like it. From going to the beach to playing on scooters, the students had many good ideas to share.

Next, we discussed whether we should have play breaks during the day. The students gave opinions and explained why play is important. For example, one student wrote a sentence like, "We should play outside because we get fresh air and energy."

We also had a discussion about our favourite fruits. Students chose fruits like oranges, strawberries and apples, and gave reasons for their choices.

Last, we explored the topic of the best pet. Whether it was a dog, cat or bunny, students gave opinions and explained what makes that pet the best in their eyes.