August 27th, 2017

Dear Parents,

Can you believe that we have already completed our first week at school? P2 has had an amazing week, and I can't wait to watch all of the learning that is going to take place this year. In this blog, I would like to inform you of what we have done/learnt each week. This is a great platform to do just that! :)

Literacy
We have been setting up our Daily Five routines this week. Students are working on their 'Read to Self' stamina. Stamina means how long one can do an activity without distraction (needing to go to the bathroom, moving places, loosing concentration). Although some students have higher stamina than others, we are working as a class to build stamina together. Currently P2 is able to read for 6 minutes. As the students read, I was able to conduct some reading tests on our new students. I will be working with all students next week to create reading goals.

Not only were we able to get straight into reading, we were able to do a little bit of writing. Students will be working on their stamina, to ensure that they can write for a long period of time. In writing, we have been looking at nouns, and realising that they are necessary in creating a sentence. Next week we will be learning about different strategies to spelling unfamiliar words, as well as looking at how to use a range of writing symbols.

Math
During the first six weeks of school, we will be revising our place value knowledge, as well as extending it. To begin each math lesson, we have been doing warmups that promote mental math strategies. I showed the students a series of dots for 3-5 seconds, and the students then have to count in their head how many dots they saw. This will help students begin counting in their heads, moving away from using their fingers or equipment. After each warm up, we then took a focus. We have specifically been looking at comparing numbers, +10/-10, and +100/-100.  A strategy that I found useful was using a place value board to answer equations under 1000. Some students were able to find patterns and use mental math strategies, whilst others used the place value board.

Example of our warmup

A great resource that has helped the students make connections

Unit
On Friday, the students were introduced to their brand new unit 'How signs and symbols express messages'. This is going to be a unit that will really make the students think in depth about the signs and symbols that surround them in their everyday life. Students will even have to create their own signs and symbol that express who that are. Although we just started this unit, we were able to go on a hunt around the school to see if we could find any signs or symbols. We were able to find quite a few, and students began recognising them on their own.

Signs - literally has a language of their own. A toilet meant for ladies may have a sign with a girl on it over the door.

Symbols -  a heart is a symbol for love, or a rainbow may symbolise luck.

I hop you have all had a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing the children tomorrow.