Whats on in Year 1
Life In Year 1
The saying time flies when you are having fun is certainly the case for our incredible group of Year 1 learners! It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of term 3 and are quickly approaching our final term together. This group of children demonstrate a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge each and every day. They are a supportive and kind group of children who simply love everything about school life (which as their teacher makes my life a dream)!
Religion
During this term the children have been exploring life in the time of Jesus. We have been learning about aspects of Jewish daily life at the time of Jesus. Clothing, houses, school life, occupations and families all were very different to what we are accustomed to today. The children have posed thought provoking questions, wondering about how people lived during these times.
English
In English the students participate in a series of daily activities from the InitiaLit program, which provides learning opportunities that vary between explicit direct instruction and small group English rotations. In recent weeks we have been busy learning about adverbs, contractions and suffixes and transferring these learnt concepts into our reading and writing.
Recently we have been learning about persuasive writing and using persuasive devices to convenience our readers of our point of view. The children were grateful to have this knowledge as we approached one sunny Friday morning, only to discover that our classroom chairs had decided to quit! The Year 1 students received a letter from the chairs, explaining that they were overworked, under appreciated and had grown tired of not being pushed in or cared for! The Year 1 children decided they would respond, each writing a persuasive letter convincing the chairs to return! We are happy to report that order has returned to our classroom, thanks to the persuasive writing skills of the Year 1 children!
History
This term in History we have been learning about something very close to our hearts… our families! We have been investigating the differences in family structures and roles today and how these have changed or remained the same over time. Mrs Christine Greig has led the History unit this term and the children have been very fortunate as she has shared her extensive knowledge and passion of local history. The Year 1 students took great pride in researching and creating their own family trees. The children presented these projects to their peers reflecting on the important people in their lives.
Upon reflection of their family tree projects they wrote what they loved about their individual families, which was very special.
I love being in my family because…
- they love me just as I am! Kingi
- my brothers and sisters play with me in our garden. Mason
- they love me so very much and make me feel special every day. Harper
- they help me with everything and they make really yummy food! William
- work really hard to look after me and love me every day. Maeve
- they teach me about our family in Poland and take us on amazing adventures. Alex.
Performing and Creative Arts
This term along with the rest of the school Year 1 have been very busy preparing for our upcoming production of Mary Poppins. The children have loved their weekly dance classes with Miss Erika, where they have been explicitly taught choreography, musicality and dance appreciation. The Year 1 children look forward to sharing their kite flying dance moves with the school community as we all take to the stage in a few weeks time!
In our weekly visual arts lessons we have been creating mixed medium pieces this term, our highlight being a piece called “the long and winding road’ by artist Mathew Wong. The children have used their developing knowledge of warm and cool colours to create these beautiful landscapes.
Science
During our science unit this term we have learnt about space, the students enjoyed learning about planets, stars, the International Space Station and satellites. This week we heard from astronauts about what daily life is like in space. The children were wondering about how they wash their hair, what they eat and how they exercise without gravity. After listening to the astronauts on the International Space Station the students wrote convincing responses explaining why they would or would not like to live in space.
I would not like to live in space because…
- I would miss my animals on earth! Finnley
- I would miss my family, not be able to play football or ride my motorbike. Byron
I would like to live in space because…
- I would be able to do flips and jumps easily with no gravity! James
- I would like to be a scientist, study moon rocks and be the first female on the moon. Sydney
The Year 1 students look forward to their final term of learning together.
Wishing the St Mary’s school community a happy and safe holiday.
Mrs Jessie White
Teacher 1 Blue