New Adventure Playground

 Adventure Playground

The new children's adventure playground, built this year, has been a real hit with the children. They absolutely love this swing in particular and will head straight for it, and queue up, to be able to use it at lunchtime and during golden time.

Sometimes taking your turn fairly by not queue jumping, and spending a fair amount of time on the swing, are issues that need to be dealt with by senior students looking after the swing.

Picture Prompts - writing

 Picture Prompts - Motivating to Write and stimulating thinking

A good way of getting children to write is by using picture (usually photo) prompts. Big pictures are best and they can be electronic or in paper form, as long as the children are able to look at them closely from the place from where they are writing.

Children can be guided to describe the setting or a character in the setting by using looks like, feels like, smells like and sounds like, or they can use the scene to begin a story using who, what where and when.

 The children may have to be encouraged to choose a prompt as procrastination in making a choice is common.

 Room 6 children have chosen their prompts in this picture and are now orgainising their books and other writing equipment.

Some children are very happy and motivated writers - others may need support and encouragement to write.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

In Religious Education in Term Two we have been learning about the Holy Spirit. In particular we have looked at the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The children have learned that the fruits are not apples and oranges, but just as real fruit nourishes our bodies so The Fruits of the Spirit nourish our minds and souls. They help us to become better people.

The children have discussed the people around them who show some, or all, of the Fruits, such as kindness, generosity, peace, self control etc. We have talked about how these people can inspire us to use the Fruits to become better human beings. 

We played a board game that helped children remember the names of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.


Some children got enthusiastically into the game.

 Some of the dice throwing was very dramatic.







Other children took the calm relaxed approach to playing the game.

Lucille enjoyed playing the game and naming people she thought showed the Fruits of the Spirit in her life.

 Some children preferred to play the game alone at their desks.

 The children learned also to cooperate and follow the rules together as a team.

The game showed how performing acts in the game, as in real life, that showed evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit, is a positive and rewarding thing in our daily and religious lives.

Maths in Room 6

Maths in Room 6

Maths in Room 6 is done for usually one hour every day, bright and early in the morning during the first block, before morning tea.

In Room 6 have a rotation system in place where children are grouped according to their current needs and abilities and then go through a range of activities and exercises during the one hour of maths. These exercises and activities are to support the teaching and learning of maths knowledge and number strategies by Mr Bach.

The first stage of the rotation is learning on the mat with Mr. Bach where we practice our basic facts a little and then learn a new number strategy, or talk about one we are still learning. 

At present we are learning strategies to help us with addition and subtraction.

We use materials and the interactive whiteboard to help us learn.

 Children will then work independently in the next stage of the rotation to practise the strategy that they are learning by doing book work. Worksheets will often have the strategy explained on them, and when we are lucky Miss James is often around to assist. 

 Children in the same group will often help each other with their learning, especially when the strategy seems hard to understand the first time.

 Another stage in the rotations is practising basic facts on the computers through particular websites, especially Tutpup and Studyladder. Studyladder can also help children with their strategies.
i-Pads are also used to practice basic facts.

 Veronica concentrates hard on her book work.

 Lucille tries to practise the new strategy that she has just learned.

 Malia and her classmate use play money to help them with their maths learning.

 Naina and Veronica are practising adding strategies that use tidy tens or splitting numbers by using place value (the chainsaw strategy).

Ria shows clearly how she has used one strategy to work out the addition problems.












This term we have also been learning about statistics and how the basic statistical investigation works. Find a problem - Do a survey - Record your answers in a tally chart - Put your data into a graph - Talk about what information the graph is telling us.
Children are at various stages in being able to follow this process.

Children's Writing

Children's Writing - Room 6

The children have been learning to improve their story writing by planning their writing first and then adding interesting character and setting descriptions.

Angelina has done a great x-chart plan for her character description that includes what the character looks like, sounds like, smells like and feels like (or makes us feel). She has then written a few clear sentences from her plan about her pirate character.

Willem described his character Edward using his plan on the previous page.

Children plan and write over two days, usually, and then re-read their work checking it against the rubric or success criteria to see if they have everything they need.

Children's Concept/ Topic Writing

This term the concept at St Mary's School is communities. Room six have been discussing and thinking about the roles and responsibilities people have in the different communities that they belong to. They have also been looking at the word interdependence - where everybody in a community depends on everybody else to perform their role so that the community runs smoothly. We then started looking at how ant communities work through interdependence. The children did some explanation writing to explain how one particular kind of ants works with another insect, the aphid, in a community. The relationship of the ant and aphid is said to be one of 'symbiosis'. In the ant and aphid community the ants and aphids show interdependence.
Some of the children's writing is shown published below:

Ants and Aphids by Alex

IN THE FOREST ARE ANTS AND APHIDS . ANTS CRAWL AROUND LOOKING FOR  FOOD.  DO YOU THINK ANTS EAT APHIDS NO, APHIDS HELP ANTS AND ANTS HELP APHIDS . BEACAUSE APHIDS MAKE HONEY DUE FOR THE ANTS TO KEEP GOING. APHIDS EAT  FLOWERS. NEXT WHEN ALL THE APHIDS EAT THE FLOWERS  THE ANTS TAKE THE APHIDS TO ANOTHER FLOWER . When the aphids are eating the flower the ant goes and finds some food when they suddenly find  lady bug  eggs. Next a giant ladybug  comes but the ant scares it off with its jaws.

Ants and Aphids by Kim

Ants protect aphids so aphids  will give them honeydew. I also learnt that aphids got the honeydew from the leaf. If the plant is dead the ants will move them to another Plant. One of the words I learnt is symbiosis.  Ants give aphids these kind of medicine so they won’t get some kinds of diseases. They lick the aphids and that’s how they make aphids stay alive. When a ladybird comes it will try to harm the aphids. If it does the ant will hurt it back and eat its egg for a treat . If the aphid all die ants will all die because ants cannot  get any honeydew. Ants let aphids go to there colony for winter.

Ants and Aphids by Ria

Ants and aphids are partners, they work together. Ladybugs like to eat aphids so ants look after aphids and protect them, this is called symbiosis. Aphids suck juice from plants, and ants take honeydew from the aphids. When aphids get diseases ants put saliva on their bodied to protect them. 

Ants and Aphids by Naina

Ants are very small, they look after aphids, they are like there sheep. Aphids suck roses crisanthanems and when the ants scrape the aphids backs the ants get sweet juice called honeydew. The ants also help the aphids from a disease called fungus. When a large predator like a ladybug comes an ant would bite with it’s manibles and the ladybug flies away. Ants form a big community in India, there are red ants, they walk in a line they bite and it is really scratches and stings. I am really interested in ants. I don’t really like bugs but ants are ok. The biggest ant is the queen ant. Ants can’t live without aphids and aphids can’t live without ants. To ants we are giants ant’s think we are there enemies and we are wanting to kill them. Ants have antennas and on the end of the antennas they have noses. 

Ants and Aphids by Misty

Ants and Aphids work together as a team. Ants protect aphids by keeping predators away by nipping  them with their jaws. Their jaws are really big .Aphids make honeydew for ants. Ants make sure that aphids are clean. Ants lick them and always protect them from anything. Do you think that ants will kill them? Not at all.

 Life Education

On Friday last week room 6 were lucky enough to have a second learning session with Bernie and Harold the Giraffe in the Life Education truck.

Children learned about the functions and locations of some of the organs in the human body and got to play doctors for the day. Bernie also talked to us about how to treat others around us and how to avoid and protect ourselves against bullying behaviour.

 The children had great fun identifying the organs in the human body and placing them on 'Suzie' in the right place and position. Everyone was keen to be chosen to play doctor. Only those on their absolute best behaviour got chosen, although as usual some children did miss out.

 Doctor Naina and Doctor Tyler try to work out what an organ is and where it goes on Suzie. If the doctors couldn't work it out then they asked the audience to put their hands up to answer.








Angelina is keen to be chosen as a doctor.

 Harold came out to talk to us at the end and to remind us of all the learning we had been doing. Harold tried to convince Bernie he had been behaving and not watching too much 'Sponge Bob Squarepants. Bernie wasn't too sure if she could believe him.









The children creep forward to get a better look at Harold.

 Bernie and Harold are amazed by all the stars on the ceiling of the truck.

Willem is lucky enough to get up close to Harold and meet him. He pats Harold and gives him a hug. Because they have been so well behaved during learning at Life Education, Harold agrees that everyone can come and greet him personally and give him a pat or a hug.

Reading in Room 6

 Reading in Room 6 

Children are told from the first day that after improving self management the most important thing they can do to help learning in all areas is to READ.

Children are encouraged to read whenever they have a spare moment during the day. Room 6 have silent reading time for 5-15 minutes straight after lunch. Mr Bach always has a chapter book (usually Roald Dahl at the beginning of the year) that he is reading to the class. He also uses Big Books to read to the class and to use during group work.

 During instructional reading time the children work in their groups and go through different activites on a rotational basis. Children read with Mr Bach on the mat at least every second day and discuss different word decoding or comprehension strategies. We also look at different words to build the children's vocabulary. On some days children are expected to demonstrate independence and either read their stories to a buddy or read silently at their desks, or on the mat.

 During other parts of the rotations children will complete worksheets, do an activity or play a literacy game on the i-Pads, read from a CD-ROM  or do a literacy activity online using the computer.

 Room 6 children seem to enjoy reading to their buddies. In this way we cooperate and help each other with our learning.

 Room 6 also now has two Mac laptop computers to go with our 6 computer workstation.

 There are plenty of areas around the room to work during reading. We make use of all our space.

 Children are sometimes allowed the privilege of completing worksheets on the mat rather than at their desks.

  

 On some days children will read their stories in their heads. As children become more able readers the best and most relaxed way for them to read is silently in their heads, as this allows the children to process information without having to consider pronunciation, or worry about unknown words.

Room 6 also has 45 minutes of library time each week. Our library TIME is Tuesday from 11:45-12:30. Mrs O'Leary has a fantastic library set up for us and is always doing exciting things. Children are encouraged to take a challenging book out each week, to take home, or to read during silent reading time.

Check out Mrs O'Leary's 'cool' promotional idea.

Writing Time in Room 6

Writing Time in Room 6  

Most writing in Room 6 takes place over two days. The children are learning that writing is a process that takes time and careful thought. 

Writing begins on the first day with a whole class lesson on the mat, where the rules and structures of writing and the techniques of various genres (types) of writing are discussed and modelled. On the mat we also talk about vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and the importance of writing in clear sentences so the reader can understand our writing.

Children are taught that the key to learning in writing is self management - children managing their own behaviour during writing time and taking responsibility for their own learning.

After the lesson on the mat children return to their desks to begin planning their writing, and then writing the first sentences of their piece of writing.
Mr Bach and Miss James circulate among the children helping them with their plan and writing clear sentences from their plan. Children may also need reminding of today's particular learning intention.


On the first day children continue writing until the end of the session being constantly encouraged to read back over their work for sense and clear sentences with capital letters and fullstops. Mr Bach and Miss James continue to give assistance throughout. Some children are beginning to type up their writing on the computer and these will be shown in later blog posts.

On the second day the children finish their piece of writing, read over it for sense, capital letters and fullstops and anything else that the writing should have.

The children follow this by self assessing against the solo rubric on the interactive whiteboard, for whichever type of writing they have been doing. This self assessment allows them to see how they could improve their writing this time or next, and it also increases self management.





Children strive to become 'Relational' writers who structure and link their ideas, use punctuation and check their work rather than 'Multistructural' writers who are able to just write several ideas and give their book to the teacher.

 Our children look mighty proud that they are using the writing process of plan - write - check and self assess. They are using the solo rubric to check their own writing and finding what to do next to get better at their writing.

Koby






Angelina







Veronica

Patrick

Ryan

Josh

Naina

Mele

Vincent

Joseph