Our students worked so hard this week completing the 'Deeper Blue' Science Week activities, receiving their badges and certificates of completion. Well done guys! I am so Proud of you!!

I was interviewed by ACER Teacher magazine - you can read the article below

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Dictation is used to apply the synthetic phonics learning we have just done in the lesson. The older students do multiple sentences and the younger students are doing shorter sentences focussed explicitly on what was just learnt. The next day we repeat it with a different sentence with the same phonics. 

In HASS we have been learning all about the weather. In this lesson we were planning what the three bears would need to come camping at Pia School. We checked the weather app on the iPad to see what they had to prepare for. 

In Maths the Ks and PPs have been matching numbers with their amounts. Lots of hands on and visual learning. 

Senior Room Term 3, Week 4

English

The focus for this term is providing Senior students with activities to extend their level of phonological and phonemic awareness.  Without an awareness of identifying sounds and sound patterns, students may experience difficulties with reading words and understanding or comprehending what they are reading.

With carefully planned instruction, meeting all levels of student’s needs, the morning English blocks consist of activities that challenge students.   For example:

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is critical to reading success, activities to assist vocabulary include identifying letters and their sounds using synthetic phonics (to break down words into sounds), combining syllables to match words on the whiteboard and using the strategy of Look, Cover, Write to confirm word retention.  Other word attack activities involve helping students blend words, recognise vowel sounds in words and identifying word parts/patterns within words – this activity is supported by our Thrass component during the morning English session.   Thrass has a sound recording.  Students hear the sounds and repeat them (with use of prompt card) to consolidate auditory sills.  The Thrass consonant and vowel Raps are very popular. 

Code Switching

To further enhance learning, Word Bingo is used to assist student’s encoding skills.  An oral focus is critical to sound recognition and pronunciation. When students are speaking or spelling they are asked to code switch, slow down their speech and concentrate using their prior knowledge to become competent at Standard Australian English (SAE).

Research

Research indicates that students with age appropriate skills in phonological awareness and basic reading skills make gains in acquiring and retaining phonological awareness skills.  For students with delayed reading skills this is an important teacher strategy to use every day.

Simple and Compound Sentences and Metalanguage

To begin the morning English block familiar activities of identifying verbs, adjectives and nouns assist our focus of improving the quality of writing in the senior class.  Identifying (metalanguage) nouns and language conventions are skills to assist writing development.  We have studied simple sentences and how these can be expanded into compound sentences using adjectives and adverbs and using if, so, but, and because.  This strategy provides students with critical thinking skills and a deep meaningful connection with language. Modelled and shared writing is used to develop their skills in writing.

Maths

A focus with Maths has been division.  We have used a number of activities, including using the whiteboard to connect with student needs to this skill.  With persistence, students in my class will improve their division skills and knowledge.  Often we use math activities to extend student math skills in the Home Ec room, followed by a pizza or scrambled eggs.  This is a huge incentive to perform at their best!

English Team Building

A recent development in the Senior Class has been the introduction of a reading Team Building activity encouraging class responsibility.  Students take on a role of either Code Breaker, illustrator, Investigator or Discussion Manager.  After reading a text to the class, each student has the responsibility of one of these tasks.  I was pleasantly surprised how well the senior students improved their oral skills and confidence to fulfil the responsibility of these roles.  Our first topic read was Jellyfish.  So I encourage parents and carers to ask your children about jellyfish!   They can tell you what a ‘smack’’ and  ‘bloom’ are, and what ‘bioluminescence’ means.

Vision Board

Each teacher in our school has the responsibility of making and displaying a ‘Vision Board’ the purpose of the vision Board is to display what you want to achieve throughout the day and year by visualisation.  The images on the Board provide a focus or incentive to teach in an environment that is important for both teacher and student growth.  A powerful tool in anyone’s language.

Mr. Ted, Senior Room Teacher

Smack, small cluster of Jellyfish

Bloom, larger cluster of Jellyfish

Bioluminescence, genes that help Jellyfish glow, even in the dark

Students and staff took morning tea over to the community on Friday, to surprise Pop Lenny for his 71st Birthday. Happy Birthday Pop Lenny from all at Pia Wadjarri RCS!

To Fiona & everyone at the Pia Wadjarri Community School

Tom Gorman

Chairman

Geraldton Regional Junior Rugby Union