Curriculum in the Junior Classes

Reading

Each week night your child will come home with a reading book that they have been introduced to during the days reading lesson.

This book should be read to you so that your child can practise their reading skills.  Your child will also come home with a list of important “sight” words that they need to instantly recognise.

Most importantly your child should enjoy reading.  Reading is a great chance for you and your child to spend special time together. Make reading:

• quiet and relaxing
• a time to sit close to your child
• 10–15 minutes without interruption, away from the TV
• an enjoyable, interesting and special time
• a time to praise your child for making an effort.

TIP: Help your child to link stories to their own life. Remind them about what they have done when a similar thing happens in the story

Writing

Writing lessons take place every day at school.  These include creative writing, spelling and handwriting. 

Help your child write an alphabet letter, go letter hunting in your house or in a book to find that letter.

• Let your child see you writing – you can use your first language.
• Encourage them to write shopping lists or make birthday cards.
• Water and a paintbrush on a dry path and a stick on sand are fun ways to write letters and words.

TIP: Don’t worry if your child’s letters or words are sometimes backwards or misspelt at this age. The important thing is that they have fun writing at home and are making an effort.

Mathematics

All students get approximately 60 minutes of mathematics per day.  Your child will spend around 80% of the year focusing on developing their number knowledge and strategies for solving problems.  The remaining 20% of the time will be spent on geometry, statistics and measurement.

• Find numbers around your home and neighbourhood – clocks, letterboxes, speed signs
• Count forwards and backwards (microwave, clocks, fingers and toes, letterboxes, action rhymes, signs)
• Make patterns when counting "clap 1,  stamp 2, clap 3, stamp 4, clap 5…"
• Do sums using objects or in their head eg 2 + 3, 4 +1, 5 + 4, 6 + 2.

Make up number stories – "you have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. There are 4 of them".