The Grade One students have had a fantastic Term 2, full of exciting learning and new discoveries! In Reading, we’ve been learning many new letter-sound combinations to support our decoding skills. We also enjoyed reading a range of engaging mentor texts, including Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros and Sloth Who Came to Stay, which inspired us to create some wonderful pieces of writing. In Maths, we explored new concepts such as adding coins and notes together and used our subtraction skills to work out change. Our Inquiry unit, Raw to Ready, was a highlight this term. We explored how food goes from its raw form to being ready to eat and even designed new packaging for food products. This was a great opportunity to work collaboratively and creatively as a team. We are so proud of all the students and their efforts this term!
This term in Grade One we have been learning about gender norms and stereotypes. This is to ensure students are allowed to be themselves and don’t feel pressured or shamed because their interests don’t match up with traditional gender roles. For example, students have listened to stories about girls being told they can’t play soccer and boys being told they can’t do ballet. Students have then practised how to call out and stand up to these limiting stereotypes. Students have reflected that people should be free to follow their dreams and passions no matter what gender they are. Throughout Cyber Safety lessons, we have engaged in the topics of responsibility and integrity. Students have learnt the impact our words can have on other people in online spaces.
As part of our Inquiry unit Raw to Ready, Grade 1 students have been exploring where food comes from and the journey it takes from the farm to the shops. To bring this learning to life, we went on an exciting excursion to The Tiny Chef! The students had a fantastic time getting hands-on in the kitchen. They made their own pizzas, baked delicious cupcakes, and enjoyed tasty milkshakes. This interactive experience gave them a fun and practical insight into food preparation and the effort involved in turning raw ingredients into ready-to-eat treats. It was a day filled with smiles, laughter and wonderful memories made together.
In Grade One, students have been exploring numbers up to 120 through hands on activities. They've used materials, such as blocks, number lines, and charts, to recognise, represent, and order numbers. Students have counted collections of objects and sorted them, describing the quantities using tens and ones. We used a number line to work out the sequence of numbers. We thought about what number would sit in the middle of our number line. We talked about whether numbers were more or less than numbers that were already placed on the number line. The Grade Ones have built a strong understanding of numbers. This week we have started our new data unit and we have been busy sorting playground equipment into categories and collecting data about each grade’s favourite type of equipment. Then on Friday, we all designed a new playground for our school using the data we collected.
In Grade One, we explored the significance of ANZAC Day and why it is an important day of remembrance in Australia. We read a story called This Old Thing, which helped us understand how objects can hold memories and connect us to people and events from the past. After listening to the story, the students used illustrations to retell the main events. They also reflected on something old and special in their own families, something that holds special meaning. The students wrote about these treasured items and explained why they are special. Their thoughtful responses showed a growing understanding and appreciation of their own family. One student from each class then talked about the story and our learning at our whole school assembly.
In Grade 1, we have been exploring patterns in many exciting ways! We have been identifying and creating repeated patterns and recording our work. We have also explored growing patterns, using our skip counting skills to show how our patterns increase. To extend our learning, we worked in pairs to design a garden pattern, incorporating different types of patterns into our creations. It has been wonderful to see students recognise and apply patterns in creative and mathematical ways!
In Grade 1, students have been working hard every day on their literacy learning intentions. In reading we have been learning some new sounds, such as the /ai/ sound and the /ea/ sound and learning how to sound out longer words when reading.
We have also read some fantastic mentor texts to help us identify nouns, verbs and adjectives and to practise making connections and inferences while reading. Students have been learning how to write complete sentences by using nouns, verbs and adjectives, and always making sure they have capital letters at the start and full stops at the end of each sentence.
It has been great to see so many students filling out their home readers and practising their reading goals at home.
On Thursday 20th March, our school celebrated Harmony Day, learning about each other’s cultures and the importance of respecting each others’ differences. It was so fun!
This week, Grade 1 students have been exploring their personal strengths. They drew a self portrait and wrote all the attributes that they consider to be their personal strengths. They also set personal goals for what attributes they would like to strengthen.
In Grade 1 students have been learning about emotions through engaging activities and discussions. During our Respectful Relationship and Zones of Regulation lessons, students have learnt to identify and name a variety of emotions. Students have explored situations that might cause them to feel a particular emotion. They showed different emotions through facial expressions and body language and we guessed what they were. Students have also developed an understanding of the Zones of Regulation and emotions we may feel in each zone.
In Grade 1, we have had a fantastic start to the year. Together, we have established our classroom and outside expectations to create a positive and supportive learning environment. We have also set up our Routines for Success in Reading, Writing, and Maths. Students have shared their ideas about what good learners do and have had opportunities to demonstrate these skills in their daily activities. They have also learnt a lot about one another through learning through play, maths activities, turn and talk discussions and getting to know you activities. These experiences have helped build strong connections and a sense of belonging in our classroom.
Grade 1 Learning News 2024
