Grade 1 Newsletter December 2019
Wow! What a great start to the school year!!!! All the children have settled in and are coming into the class with a big smile.
We do a variety of activities throughout the week and not one day is the same.This month we have done lots of exciting things with other classes, including; grape and chestnut picking and making toothpaste. This month I have put together a few of the non-didactic activities the children have been enjoying.
Library Time.
Every Wednesday is a fun packed day for Grade 1. Apart from the didactic and maths program, the children also have an opportunity to read with Ms Christine in Grade 2 and have library time with me. This gives each child a sense of responsibility, as they have to remember their library book, as well as a sense of independence. Each child has to choose a book of their liking, find a mat or cushion and read it. This is a calm time for everybody, as the children have learnt that it is quiet time. They can read or discuss their book quietly with a friend. We will soon be teaming up with classes for buddy reading, where class 1 will benefit from an older child reading with them. These are some photos of class 5 showing class 1 how library time works.
Halloween Fun
In the month of October, we have been talking and discussing Halloween. All the children were excited about this topic and were looking forward to the party. I read a lot of books and we discussed many of the stories that we heard. The children learnt new vocabulary imagining they were a witch or a bat. We learnt the Magic E, when writing and reading and a lot of our maths were based on Magic Numbers! The children enjoyed learning the words and dancing to the skeleton song “Dem Bones.” We enjoyed an afternoon of art and making skeletons out of cotton buds, whilst creating a big mess!!!!
Project Work
We are doing an amazing project called “I am alive”. Look at what we’ve produced in just a few weeks!!!!! We made terrariums to introduce the project. We discussed living and non-living things and the children explored the garden, drawing things in their notebook. Recently we have been looking at ;
- Why animals and insects need camouflage to survive,
- What is an endangered animal and what types of animals are endangered and why?
- What extinction means?
We are now looking at how animals survive in extreme conditions, their habitat, how they catch food and the climate. This is all done through National Geographic clips, stories, walks, artwork, stories and discussion.
Plastic Awareness Week (CPR week)
Castelli International is striving to minimise its use of plastic. We have all been working hard, trying to educate the children to spread the message about how important it is to try and find “plastic-free” packaging for their snacks and when necessary, to avoid buying plastic altogether. Grade 1 have been discussing how plastic is affecting our oceans and killing thousands of sea creatures. We read stories, watched short informative videos, sang songs and took part in an assembly. Children from each class had to contribute a song, poem or a piece of work. We sang a song and showed everyone our artwork.
End of Year Show
