Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to Term 2!

Science

This term in Science we are looking at Chemical Changes and how materials are used and changed to make different things. This is a very hands-on unit which should be very fun, and a little bit messy!

Geography and History

As the 2016 Olympics have now started we are currently investigating the history of the Olympics and studying the various countries that are competing. We have also been learning about the continents and the oceans. These lessons have facilitated many interesting conversations and questions. Many of which, have made it onto our Wonder Wall. This term we will also be focusing on researching and answering our many questions through some Inquiry Learning. NAIDOC Last Thursday we participated in the NAIDOC incursion. We learnt about the eco-system, what a totem is and how it is important to treat others kindly. The students also learnt a dance and had some time to look at interesting Aboriginal artefacts. In class we read a Dreamtime Story and completed a comprehension activity, and then we drew a picture.

Literacy

This term we are focusing on writing narratives during our Big Write time. Just like last term, students will take home Talk Home work with the topic provided. It is important you take time to talk to discuss the characters, setting, problem and solution with your child. This will ensure that they have had adequate time to expand on their ideas before writing. Also, if a student can talk out a story then they can write it! Oral language is a very important part of writing. You do not need to write the story down in full, however if you or your child want to take some notes to help jog their memory please do so. We have been completing story planners in class before our Big Write, which help to keep our ideas on track. If you would like to use one with your child you can find a free template here http://www.firstgradebuddies.com/2013/03/workshop-wednesday-reading-organizers.html

Numeracy

This term in Numeracy we are focusing on fractions, division and times tables. The students in Room 25 are fantastic mathematicians and I am always pleased to see their enthusiasm during math lessons. We are also focusing on learning the Bar Model to represent and solve word problems. If you would like to practice these at home or simply have a look at what they entail you can find them in the link below. http://www.mathplayground.com/wordproblems.html

ICT

We now have two working computers in Room 25 as well as 5 Ipads. ICT is an important part of student education and provides plenty of fun and engaging ways to learn content. In year two students should be able to turn on a computer, log on, open a webpage and save to a file. It would be very beneficial if these activities could be practiced at home if a computer is available.

Miss Mills

Hello Everyone,

Well, we are now at the tail end of Term 2 and what a term it has been! Over the last few weeks, the students in Room 25 have participated in the W.A Day Design a Door competition and presented their science experiment to the class. Thank you to the parents who helped ensure the Science Superstars experiments were a success. It is encouraging to see the amount of enthusiasm and knowledge that was acquired over this period. Hopefully, we are helping to foster talented scientists of the future…looks like they are needed now more than ever!

Science
Congratulations to Trent who will be representing Yr 2 on Thursday at the whole school assembly. Trent is presenting his science experiment on light pollution, which was fascinating. Trent’s use of technology and his confident speaking manner were huge assets to his presentation. We are all so proud of him. Another honourable mention should also go to Samara Bailye who was our runner up. Samara’s project was about the eye. We learnt how to find our blind spot and how our eye interprets pictures. Well done, Samara.

This term in Science, we have been learning about Earth and Space sciences. In particular we have been learning about the Water Cycle, Earth’s resources and the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. The students designed and created posters on how to ‘Reuse, Recycle and Reduce’ which you can see on the classroom window.

W.A Day Design a Door Competition.
Each classroom was given the task to create a door display with the theme of Western Australia. As we were already learning about ‘The Dreaming’ in History, we chose The Kimberley which has some of the world’s oldest rock paintings. I was extremely proud of the class. Small group were given part of the door to complete and they did so efficiently and without any issues. Well done, Room 25.

Regards
Miss Mills

Term 2 powerpoint 2016 from Shirley Mills

Hello Everyone,

Term 2 is already flying past us and we have been very busy over the last few weeks. I am very impressed with the way so many students are trying hard to improve the neatness of their writing and their general work presentation. We also have a lot of students who are working hard towards their goals set in Term 1. By the end of Term 2 we should be able to set new goals to focus on. 

Science

This term in science we are learning about Natural Resources. This is a very important topic as it relates to the importance of sustainability. So far we have investigated the water cycle and will be learning how water gets from the sky to our taps. The students were very surprised to find out that not everyone in the world is lucky enough to have running water and clean water!

History

At the end of Term 1 we commemorated Anzac Day which integrates perfectly with our Term 2 history topic of investigating the significance time and person in our past. Before ANZAC day students in Room 25 worked in pairs and read about The Red Poppy and ANAZC day. They then summarised the information and made their own red poppies. I was very pleased with the maturity and collaborative skills exhibited during this time. The work is on display in Room 25 for all to see. Please come and take a look at it when you have time. It is very interesting!  

Numeracy

During our numeracy block which is typically held between recess and lunch we have been focusing on column addition and subtraction. During this time we have been working on our ‘Self-Talk’. ‘Self-Talk’ is a process where the students talk out loud as the go through the steps of adding and subtracting with regrouping and borrowing. This strategy enables students to remember complex processes and has been very successful so far. 

Regards

Miss Mills

WGPS SCIENCE SUPERSTARS

In an endeavour to lift the profile of Science across the school and get students enthused about all things 'sciency', we have a whole school fun competition in mind. Participation and enthusiasm is our key objective here. 

This competition has 3 stages:

Stage 1: Each student will research and present either a short science experiment or report on a science related concept, to our class. The students in our class will then select their top two 'Super Scientists'. 

Stage 2: The selected two students will then have to present (again) to ALL the students and teachers in Year 5. An admin representative will will then choose their year group's #1 scientist!

Stage 3: Finally, the school will celebrate our top 6 scientists by getting them to present their report or experiment to the entire school, at a giant Science assembly! There will be prizes awarded to all students who made it through each stage of the process. 

The Presentation:

·                     Can be a report or an experiment 

·                     Can be a maximum of 5 minutes in length

·                     Students can use ICT resources such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word (or similar) to support their presentation

·                     Posters and charts are also an option to assist their presentations

·                     Experiments should be simple to set up, demonstrate the outcome within the time limit, and be safe!
·                     Students will need to explain what they are demonstrating, what procedure they are following, the aim, hypothesis (prediction), materials and of course, the results. Careful consideration should be made to how something happened and why. Some of the children may even think about the real world applications of their science if it applies.

There are many websites that can help assist in finding ideas on what to present. These have been listed below.

Science Kids

CSIRO

Easy science for kids

Kidspot science experiments

Steve Spangler

Science Bob

Fizzics Education

Due Date:  All experiments/reports will be presented in Week 6.

I am looking forward to seeing all of the presentations in Week 6 and I can't wait to learn more about all things science.

The Importance of Daily Reading

Hello everyone,

As we approach the holidays I thought I would write about the importance of continuing to read every day with your child. It is important for children to read every day and to be read to regularly. It is equally important to make reading with or to your child a positive experience, which will help to foster their confidence and their love of reading.  Please remember to avoid criticising if they get something wrong, even if it seems easy to you. Some children need lots of practise and encouragement. Reading aloud to your child also improves oral language and writing skills as listening to reading stimulates their imagination and expands their vocabulary.  Below this post I have added some tips for reading with your child as well as my Top 10 favourite books to read to children. These books are rich in imaginative stories and many interesting words to add to their vocabulary.

Tips for reading with your child

·         While reading with your children talk about what is happening in the pictures

·         Point out key words in the story and explain words your children might not know

·         every now and then stop and ask:

What do you think will happen next? What makes you think that? accept their answer even if they are not quite right

·         Answer your children’s questions even if it interrupts the flow of the story

·         Encourage your children to join in with words or phrases

·         Repeated throughout the story

·         Occasionally ask some ‘why’ questions about the story, for example: Why do you think the writer put that in the story? How do you think the character is feeling? Why are they acting this way?

Top 10 Favourite Children’s Books

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – By Roald Dahl

Matilda– By Roald Dahl

The Wishing Chair  - Enid Blyton

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe -  C.S Lewis

The Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton

The Witches – Roald Dahl

Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren

Snugglepot and Cuddle Pip – May Gibbs

Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

The Secret Garden  - Frances Hodgson Burnett

So, happy holidays and happy reading!

Miss Mills

Hello everyone,

Well, it is almost the end of term one and doesn’t time fly when you are having fun! I am very happy with how the students in Room 25 have settled in to the expectations of the classroom. In week 10 there will be no homework as we will be revising concepts learnt throughout the term.

Literacy Update 

The children have settled in well to the routines of Literacy Rotations. These are held each morning from 9:00-10:30 and incorporate phonics, reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and printing. A highlight of each week is the VCOP Big Write, where the students get a chance to showcase the vocabulary and grammar and punctuation skills that they have practised throughout the week.

Science Update

 We have now planted our plants into the school garden. We have also concluded our investigation on what happens to plants if they do not get any sun. Our plants kept in the cupboard did not grow and interestingly enough the other two plants kept by the window did not either. The only plants that grew were kept in the Green House. This was an interesting development which lead onto conversations about temperature and climate. This is why we love science! Next week we are going to look over ‘Our Wonder Wall’ and see if we have enough knowledge of biological sciences to answer our questions.

 Buddy Class

Last week we helped our buddy class do some Easter cooking. Afterwards, we read our buddies a story under the trees and then played a game of Duck, Duck Goose. I was very impressed by the maturity and manners displayed by Room 25.

Well done everyone!
Kind Regards,

Miss Mills

ills

Hello everyone,

During this term we have been exploring the theme ‘In the Garden’ which links to our Term 1 Science content of Biological Sciences. We have been learning all about how living things grow, the needs of living things, identifying features of living things and their habitats.

Last week we planted our own plants and over the next few weeks we will be able to observe how they grow. We are also conducting an experiment to see what happens to a plant if it isn’t given any sunlight. We have put one plant in the sun and one in a cupboard and plan to observe and track their progress. To make the investigation a fair test we have kept the soil, the type of plant and amount of water they both get the same. This helps students to learn important science investigation skills such as; participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions, use informal measurements to collect and record observations, use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables and through discussion, compare observations with predictions.  

We love science in Room 25 and who knows, maybe one of us is the next Albert Einstien or Marie Curie!

Kind Regards,

Miss Mills

Our plants room 25 from Shirley Mills