At the end of their first term of learning...

Here are some writing samples of children who started in February this year and were all pre- writers.  Haven’t they done well!

Writing in Room 1

Here we are, busy retelling a story and doing our self-assessment!
A classroom full of actively engaged 5 year olds, being able to talk about their learning and their next steps!

This week - week 7!

This week we have two assistant teachers in Room 1.  It is their task to welcome everyone, get the date board ready and then take on a teaching role.  Well done Ryker and Sophia!

After that our maths time start.  It is great to see the children challenging themselves and others with new maths problems!

We have had an unexpected special visitor - Mr Weta.  We studied the weta and then learned to write a report.  A report needed to have facts and should have verbs like: is, has, can, lives.  Here is some of our work and the material we used for our study. 

Studying our native flora and fauna fits well with our current study about our past.  Children are learning that while there once was an abundance of species, nowadays we have to protect these to ensure our national treasures - our taonga - do not become extinct!.

After writing time, our reading time starts.  Today we learned about characters and settings of a story.  We listened to a Maori myth and then, after some discussion worked hard to produce some excellent work. Tu meke!

Our past...

We have been learning about the past, especially the area where our school is. Therefor we visited  the Te Waotu Playcentre, which is the first, age old Te Waotu Native School.  We visited the Barnett Bush, which is a remnant of bush that existed before the great Taupo eruption in AD 186. Children in Room 1 have been very busy writing about their history!

We have been listening to Maori myths and legends and found out how Maori women first learned to weave: from observing! We learned to weave a kete!

Welcome to week 6!

Welcome to week 6.

 We are very busy with learning basic literacy ‘knowledge and skills’.  During the last 18 months we have been working very closely with a team of professionals to lift the writing level at Te Waotu School.  We do this by accelerating teaching and learning of literacy skills and knowledge.  Teachers are very explicit about what they teach, so students know what they are learning, how they learn it and what it looks like.  Students check their learning according to their learning goals.

Since using this method I have observed great results in the junior room. 

I need YOUR help as well! Some of the basics at the moment are learning all letters and their SOUNDS (not their name) and learning all Butterfly words quickly.  After that children go on different word lists and learn blends and word families. 

You will have found an alphabet chart in their homework book and also a bundle of Butterfly word cards. The cards can be used to play a daily SNAP game. The sounds on the letter chart have to be rehearsed daily. There is also a copy of the Butterfly chart in children's homework books. Children need to be able to say the sounds fast.  It would be great if you could do this daily with your child.  It only takes a few minutes, and it greatly accelerates the speed of their first reading and writing ability. 

Children in Room 1 love to keep track of their own progress on the learning wall!

Here is Jude's achievement!

Jude's mum said: "Wow, go Jude! I'll have to come in and look at some of his writing this week sometime. He has been spending a lot of time on those butterfly words, he can be quite persistent!  Thanks for the certificate!"

Please contact me at school if you need more information.  Kia ora, Gertie

Self assessment!

Some of this week's writing

Feedback...

Children in Room One are learning to give each other feedback about their writing. Here is Oscar helping Jayden.

Self assessment in writing

We are getting very good at articulating our learning and we are only 5!!!

Writing time...

This is what we are learning at the moment!

Early writing

Have a look at a writing sample from Oscar. He has been at school for only one term!
Well done Oscar. You work so hard on listening for sounds in words. You are learning to use finger spaces!
Here is Oscar's planning and his story...

"I went to Poppa's. 

I caught heaps of fish.

I went into the waves."

Our autumn walk work...

Writer's Circle...

We are looking at our stories and then decide where we are on the writing continuum in Room 1. Lots of rich discussion and honest decisions being made. Next steps are also set accordingly. Great work Room 1.

Writing time in Room 1...

Independent  (more or less ;)) writing time in our classroom. Here we are...

Guess what these kids are learning for writing...

 We are learning to make a longer sentence by connecting two short ones.

The connector is "and"!

Pirate work

Pirate writing by Oscar and Ben. Oscar is learning to find words by himself on the word chart.
Ben is learning to stretch words, listen for sounds and write them down.

We also made real pirate maps.