Year 1 Update – Wk 13
Peng Chau Thank you so much to the parents who came and helped with our trip to Peng Chau today. We were very lucky to have such a fine day. The children enjoyed the pastry that they made during U.O.I rotations on Thursday with Miss Chung. Look out for the postcard in your mailbox over the next couple of days! If you have not been to Peng Chau with your family, this is a fantastic day trip.
How We Organise Ourselves During U.O.I rotations the children have been finding out the roles and responsibilities that people have in a community. We started off by looking at the B.H.S community. In groups the children chose a person that they would like to find out more about. They completed a K.W.L graphic organiser, which is a what I KNOW, what I WANT to know and what I have LEARNT. Children then invited their chosen person to come to lunch in the classroom to answer questions about their roles and responsibilities.
Reading Assessments During our guided reading sessions with the children we have noticed that many of our children have made some progress with their reading. Over the next couple of weeks we hope to assess the children in our classes to determine if they are able to borrow books for home reading from a different colour.
A Little Background
A group of 8 colleagues got together and decided we wanted to promote something which was, Local, Life Long, Love of HK, and including Learning, our 4L’s. We decided to support Bring Me A Book Hong Kong through a facebook campaign and launched last week.
Hong Kong children score lowest among 43 first world countries in confidence, interest and motivation to read.
Let’s change this!
The campaign is simple
- Take the 10 Minute Reading Challenge
- This is simply reading to your child or children, take a picture or video and post it on the Facebook page and then share with your friends
- The facebook link is HERE.
- Make a Promise
- This is simply selecting options to make a promise, click HERE.
- With the good start from the 10 Minutes Reading Challenge, why not join us to make a step forward?
- Let’s make a promise to yourself about reading, do it and make the change together.
- These are:
- Read books at least three times a week myself.
- Share a photo of a book that you/ we have read to this page and share it to my friends.
- Read books with my kid/ kids at least three times a week
- Donate a book to Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (BMABHK)
- Be a volunteer to Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (MBABHK)
- Make a donation to Bring Me a Book
- We have sent up a JustGiving Page to support Bring Me a Book which advocating literacy in Hong Kong, if you wish to make a small donation please click HERE.
We are always promoting reading and the love of reading and hope that this project is something simple that you could join. Thanks to Mr Webster for telling us about it.
Central Idea: Within a community that are different roles and responsibilities
This week copies of the pledge that your child made about being more responsible have been sent home in their home school diary. Please continue to send in evidence of your child working on their pledge. Class monitors have been appointed in each of the classrooms, children will be responsible for roles such as emptying the recycle bins, sending messages, or switching off lights and air conditioners when they are not needed. These roles will be rotated amongst the children throughout the year.
Next week the children will continue to work on their student led inquiry. In groups children have chosen a person who works in the community who they would like to find out more about. Their questions focus on the roles and responsibilities of the person. The children will also be reflecting on our trip to Peng Chau.
How the World Works (our year long unit of inquiry)
Central Idea: The Earth’s changes affect the activity of living things
Next week Mr Thompson will be working with the children in Year One. The children will be learning about the concept of light and how it travels. This session will be practical with the children making connection between light and the cycle of night and day.
In English this week our focus has been non-fiction texts. We have been looking at the features of non-fiction books such as contents pages, types of words used, photographs and labels.
Next week our non-fiction focus will continue as the children have a go at writing their own non-fiction booklets. The children will be encouraged to choose a topic that they are an ‘expert’ in reinforcing the idea that non-fiction texts are written to help people to learn.
Phonics
Next week we will begin our unit three phonemes, these are:
V, W, Y, Z, J, N, K, E
Camera Words: all, is, me, no, they, said
At school, as part of our language rotations all the children read to an adult at least once a week, usually twice.
Golden Book
1F- Harlan Davies
1L- Marco Ishak
1W- Serene Fung
Congratulations to our Golden Book winners on Monday 14th November 2016
Non-fiction books You will notice that your child has started to bring home two books from the Learning Centre. One fiction and one non-fiction. Please remember that these books are for you to share with your child. Here are some of the reasons why it is important for children to read both fiction and non-fiction.
More Informational Text in Older Grades & College
The big reason kids need to practice reading nonfiction (informational) text is that as they progress in school and life, most of the required reading will be informational.
Builds Background Knowledge
Learning about a variety of information helps children build background knowledge which in turn will give them a greater foundation for all other reading. The more from which a child can compare and relate, the better he or she will comprehend any text.
Improves Vocabulary
Another reason to read nonfiction is the specialised vocabulary to which children are exposed. The more words a child knows, the better reader and writer he or she will be.
Basic Strategies
Keep in mind that reading nonfiction (expository) texts is unique and can be challenging for kids. Help them better comprehend with two basic strategies.
1. Text features can help you comprehend (title, subtitle, captions, bold print.)
2. You don’t have to read cover to cover.
3. Determining importance (read this article to help you teach this to your kids.)
Recommended Nonfiction Books (Newly Published)
National Geographic Kids Get Outside Guide: All Things Adventure, Exploration, and Fun!
Fun activities for kids to do in the backyard, on a road trip, in a park, and more. Filled with amazing photography and designed in a kid-friendly colourful layout, this book is awesome. We LOVE it!
Children’s Activity Atlas
Colourful illustrated maps with flag, animal and landmark stickers, postcards, and a passport book make this a great interactive for geography enthusiasts.
Snakeopedia (Discovery Channel)
Gorgeous photos fill Snakeopedia. While we might say yuck, this is a terrific snake book filled with amazing photography and fascinating facts about the 12 snake families, the features of different snakes, which are dangerous, and other snaky stuff.
Time for Kids Robots
First of all, I LOVE Time for Kids — and I bet your kids do, too. (Because of their TFK’s classroom newsletters.) Robots is such a cool book. First because of the topic. We all are curious about robots and how soon we can get one in our homes, right? And second because of the way TFK presents the material in an easy-to-read, enticing format. Learn about robots used in factories and hospitals, robot toys, robot kits, flying robots and more! STEM is the future, this is a great book for your STEM kiddos.
Time for Kids Book of When: 801 Facts Kids want to Know
So when was the Internet invented (and who invented it)? When was popcorn invented? A fun coffee table book for the whole family!
The Book of Why: Amazing Sports and Science
Especially for sports and science-minded kids.
If an Egg Hatches . . . and Other Animal Predictions by Blake A. Hoena
I like this book for two reasons. First, the fantastic colour photographs. Second, the questions that get the reader to engage fully with the text before they flip the page to read the answer. For example: “Every animal in nature is important. Imagine if there weren’t any predators like wolves. What would happen to the populations of elk and deer?”
Show Me Dogs My First Picture Encyclopedia by Megan Cooley Peterson
Do your kids love animals? This book, and others like it in this well-designed series will entice your kids to devour facts all about the animal they love — like dogs!
Weird Zone: Sports
Learn all about the strangest sports in the world. Underwater bike racing?
Happy reading!
