Welcome To Term One - 2018

LITERACY

In Reading, there will be a focus on building good reading habits and good reading behaviours. We will be allowing students an opportunity to get to know themselves as a reader. Students will investigate which genres they prefer, which authors they like and what elements of a text they enjoy. Students will learn to select ‘Just Right’ texts from our Classroom Library. There will also be a strong emphasis on decoding strategies, comprehension and increasing students reading stamina. It is essential that reading is supported at home by listening to your child read on a nightly basis. Assist your child with their comprehension by talking about the main events and asking them to make predictions. The books sent home should be at a level that your child can read on their own.  All students will receive a number of books to take home in their reading satchel, but they do not have to read all of their books each night. Children will be given opportunities to change their Take Home books weekly. Your child is required to bring the books in their reading satchel to school each day as they will also be reading these books at school. Please refer to the note sent home in your child’s reading satchel for more information on strategies to support reading development at home.

In Writing, students will be producing Recounts and Retells with a focus on text structure, simple punctuation, grammar and spelling. There will be a strong emphasis on handwriting this Term. We will focus on correct pencil grips, starting points, letter formations and correct placement on the dotted thirds. Each week, students will be introduced to a new spelling rule or pattern and will be encouraged to use these independently in their writing. Each child will also be working on personalised spelling words in their homework and in the classroom.

NUMERACY

This Term students will consolidate their ability to count forwards and backwards to and from 100. We will also investigate number patterns beyond 100. Students will be introduced to ‘skip counting’ patterns and encouraged to make connections between other number patterns. Students will build their ability to solve addition problems and will be introduced to a range of problem-solving strategies. The daily Numeracy program will involve students completing open-ended maths tasks, which enables students to draw upon a variety of strategies to solve an achievable task. They will also be working in fluid groups based on their individual needs.

SHARED INQUIRY LEARNING

In our Shared Inquiry Learning, we will be investigating ‘Me, Myself and Others’. Students will investigate the following questions:

• Who am I?
• Where is my family from?
• How is family life similar and different within our classroom and around the world?
• We are all unique and special in our own way and I can identify my own strengths and achievements.
• How do I keep myself safe and healthy in the classroom?
• How can I make sure everyone in my classroom feels like they belong?

FLUID GROUPS

After our assessments are completed, students will be working with different teachers throughout the week to ensure we are targeting all students’ individual learning needs. This may be in large or small groups or working one-on-one with a teacher and encompass all areas of the curriculum.

If you have any questions or concerns at any time throughout the term, please contact your child’s teacher and continue to check your emails to be updated through our wonderful classroom e-news program.

Kind regards,

The Year 1 Team

Danielle Buttigieg (1B) buttigieg.danielle.d@edumail.vic.gov.au

Kylie Missen (1M) missen.kylie.l@edumail.vic.gov.au

Tania Brown (1Br) brown.tania.l@edumail.vic.gov.au

Robyn Law (1L) law.robyn.r@edumail.vic.gov.au