Years 1/2 Classroom
1 / 2 CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
TERM 4 2009
Dear Parents,
The following includes some information about the learning experiences your child will be involved in during the term in Literacy, Numeracy and Integrated Studies.
In term 4 the 1/2 Team will focus on INFORMATION REPORTS.
Information Reports are used to present information about something, e.g. a person, a creature or a place.
An Information Report tells us about something. It tells what it is, what it looks like, where it can be found and what it can do.
Information Reports have a set structure:
|
Title |
Names the thing. |
A Lion |
|
Classification |
Tells what the thing is. |
A lion is a member of the cat family. |
|
Description |
Tells what the thing has. Tells what it looks like. |
A lion has four legs, a mane and a tail. It has sharp teeth and huge paws. |
|
Location |
Tells where the thing lives or is found. |
Lions live together in groups called prides. Most lions live in Africa. |
|
Dynamics |
Tells what the thing can do. |
A lion is a good hunter. It eats large prey such as zebras and buffalo. |
READING AND WRITING:
Students will be involved in reading or being read to, a variety of Information Reports and a focus on non-fiction material. Children are encouraged to read a variety of texts including fiction and non-fiction.
Students will be exposed to using diagrams, reading and interpreting the information given in a diagram.
Focus areas in writing will include:
- Exploring and writing Information Reports.
- Exploring and using adjectives
- Developing sentence structure - does that make sense?
How can I enhance my sentence?
- Exploring and using describing words
- Using a plan to write an Information Report.
- Following the Information Report genre to write their own Information Report about a sea creature.
- Using a diagram & labels to support their information
- Revising and editing
- Continuation of writing personal recounts
SPELLING:
Students will continue to develop an understanding of spelling strategies and use these to assist them when spelling new and known words.
The 3 main spelling strategies are:
The Sound Strategy - using your knowledge of sounds and sound patterns
The Visual Strategy - using the way a word looks, breaking words up, remembering tricky parts
The Meaning Strategy - being able to think about the meaning of a word, what we know about words
Students will continue to use the LOOK, SAY, NAME, COVER, WRITE, CHECK approach as one way to learn new words.
High Frequency Words
These are words which are used most frequently in your child's reading and writing. The spelling of these words needs to become automatic - they are "no excuse words".
Students will continue to be involved in activities to support their learning of these words at school and they will also be a focus for some children as take home spelling.
Focus areas in spelling will include:
Compound Words - A compound word is made when two words are joined to form a new word.
e.g. baseball, newspaper, eyelid
Onset & Rimes - Onset e.g. fr - French, fright
Rime: e.g. ‘ack' - sack, back, stack, haystack
Revise Word Endings: ‘ed', ‘ing' & ‘ly'
Numeracy concepts and processes will be supported by the use of concrete materials such as play money, measurement tubs/cups, unifix blocks, bundles of straws, MAB (base ten blocks) and a variety of other resources.
We will continue to explore;
Number Patterns - oral & written patterns to 2 and 3 digits, patterns by 1's, 2's, 5's 10's and 100's, ordering, odd/even, before /after
Place Value - the value given to digits in a number eg. 24 = 2 tens, 4 ones. 43 = 4 tens, 3 ones. Exploring the value of digits, expanding numbers eg. 24 = 20 + 4
Focus areas in numeracy will include:
Four Process (+, -, x, ÷) Students will continue to revise & extend their understanding and ability to apply and solve equations using the four mathematical processes.
Money - Students will recognise the role of money in our daily lives. They will order coins by value and recognise, name, match 5c, 10c, 20, 50, $1, $2 coins. They will describe and sort by design, colour, shape, and size. Students will identify coins of equivalent value and calculate simple change with coins.
Capacity - Introduce informal and formal vocabulary to measure capacity of everyday objects and compare the capacity of two or more containers using concrete materials such as sand, water or rice.
Choosing the appropriate forms of measurement related to capacity: - cups, spoons, litres,
Mass - Introduce informal and formal vocabulary to measure mass of everyday objects and compare the mass of two or more objects.
Choosing the appropriate forms of measurement related to mass: - weigh, heavier, lighter kilogram, grams.
Problem Solving - Solving problems is a part of everyday life and encouraging your child to discuss how they reached an answer helps them to understand the process they used, whether it is a mathematical problem or just deciding what to have for breakfast
Open-ended questions involve thoughtful and investigative responses. More than one correct answer is acceptable and children are encouraged to be creative when responding to open ended questions.
e.g. Discuss the different routes you could travel to school.
Chance and Data- Students will collect, classify and interpret data about school, classroom or special events in their lives. They will collect data using simple tables and tally sheets and present their data using simple pictographs and bar graphs. Students will describe and interpret the information shown in pictographs and bar graphs.
HOMEWORK
This Term Homework will consist of the following:
Home Reading: Inside the Reading Log you will find information to assist you when reading with your child. Use the questions to guide you as you listen to your child read.
Spelling: Children have a group of words to learn using the "Look, Say, Name, Cover, Write, Check" approach. The words have been selected from the High Frequency Words, Spelling Patterns and children's writing. Some groups will be given a spelling task each week rather than using the above approach.
Numeracy Task: Children will be given a task to do each week related to Money, Time & Shape.
This term our topic is Under the Sea. Students will be involved in a variety of activities to assist them to think about the creatures which inhabit the underwater world surrounding Australia and how we can protect it.
Excursion to Melbourne Aquarium (Wednesday, October 7th) Cost $20.00
The children will participate in the program: Underwater Zoo - Dragons and Other Secrets of the Sea.
This program provides students with the opportunity to experience the underwater world of Australia's southern oceans at Melbourne Aquarium. Throughout their fully guided journey students are introduced to amazing facts about aquatic animals including Grey Nurse Sharks, Clownfish, Sea Urchins, Sea Jellies and Sea Dragons. Children will explore each area of Melbourne Aquarium and interact with animals in the rock pools display.
Local Walk - Altona Coastline
Students will participate in an excursion to our local beach to explore the shore line and rock pools depending on the weather and tide.
This will give them the opportunity to discover what creatures live in the different areas of the sea shore; sand under washed up seaweed, rock pools and under the pier or on the pier pylons.
Students will learn to respect all living creatures and understand the hidden dangers associated with some, e.g. the blue-ringed octopus, (a local hazard). More information to follow later in Term 4.
1 / 2 SWIMMING - TERM 4 2009
Students will participate in our 1/2 Swimming Program at "Sweeny's Swim School" in Pier Street Altona.
The swimming program commences Thursday the 8th of October for 1/2J, 1/2C 1/2N
OR Friday the 9th of October for 1/2L, 1/2G, 1/2M
The program will run over 8 weeks with children attending one day a week.
Parent help is required supervising the children walking to and from the pool and supervising the students getting dressed before and particularly after their lesson.
1 / 2 Team 2009