Happy New Year.
Hope you have all had a lovely break, enjoyed each others company and most of all relaxed.
Our holidays are coming to an end and on Monday we will be back to our adventure of learning.
We will kick off with our second Theme: ‘My Favourite Things‘ which will be broken down in 4 sub topics: Toys (Ġugarelli), Animals (Annimali), Colours (Kuluri), Fruit/Food (frott/ikel).
We have some new items to introduce during this term as well.
- We will be using our copybooks to practice proper formation of letters and numbers within the lines.
- We will be starting our spelling games and dettatura. Each week the children will have a set of words (both in Literacy 1 – English, as well as Literacy 2 – Malti). These words will be found throughout the children’s work all along the week. This will help them to learn the words, use them as much as possible not only as a word on its own but also as part of a simple sentence or part of a short story. This way the children will be surrounded by the ‘words to learn’ and not have these words standing on their own.
- Green copybooks (English) will be used for the spelling games. On Mondays (starting 2nd week), the children will bring home a copybook (labeled ‘S’) with a set of words. They are encouraged to write them again in the columns next to the words written in class and practice them during the week. Proper formation apart from proper spelling is very important. On Thursdays then the children will be asked to write these words on another green copybook (marked ‘SG’). This will be corrected and sent home for you to view, sign and praise the children on their achievements. ‘S’ copybook will need to be returned on Mondays, ‘SG’ copybook will need to be returned on Thursdays. We will put labels for you to remember when the copybooks need to be returned. 🙂
- Blue copybooks (Malti) will be used for dettatura. It is a similar procedure as for Spelling Games, only the days are different so as not to mix the children. ‘S’ blue copybook will be used on Tuesday and ‘D’ blue copybook will be used on Fridays. It is very important that the proper copybook is sent to class on the proper day.
- We will be kicking off with our graded readers scheme. From this term the books the children will be bringing home will be to their level of reading and therefore the children now need to read to you not the other way round. It does not mean that you do not help your child with his/her reading especially at the beginning when it is still so new to them. From this year we are also introducing some Maltese graded readers to encourage the children to read more in Maltese from a young age. They might need more help with their Maltese reading than their English reading. Readers will be exchanged every Wednesday in their yellow folders.
- We have also improved on our class booklets as well as homework booklets. We have incorporated all ‘subject concepts’ in one booklet under the mini topic. Therefore the booklets will be exchanged every 3 weeks. For homework the children will be bringing home only one book but they will have more than one page to tackle so check pages written on the first page of the booklet to know what pages the children have to do and please refrain from filling it all up at one go. This will also help on the children’s weight in their bags as well as leaving one or more of the homework booklets at home. Homework will be given on Friday (unless outing day or no school day) and collected Monday latest Tuesday. Each homework booklet needs to be returned in its blue folder. Please make sure the folder is clearly marked with your child’s name. Only pencil is allowed to write with and pencil or crayons to colour with. Pens or gem markers are not allowed.
- Do not forget that in their bag it is also very important for the children to have their reference book (with the revision sheets carried out in December filed inside as well), their letter flashcards ( Eng. & Malti), the vocabulary flashcards, the number flashcards. It is very frustrating for the children to be told to go and get their things from their bags and they do not find them to work with. As you can imagine I do not have any extras in class to accommodate all those who do not return their things from home.