Junior School Curriculum

English

The English program in Prep to Year 2 is a high priority area, knowing that the skills and concepts developed during classroom and home learning underpin learning across the whole curriculum. It aims to develop the students’ ability to speak, listen, read and write with enjoyment, purpose and confidence.

During the daily literacy sessions the children practice and develop their skills by participating in a diversity of activities including shared writing and reading, word study, print walk, oral presentations, quiet reading, story writing, journals and discussions. They study writing forms including personal recounts, information reports, narratives and literature retells.

Mathematics

In the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) Mathematics is ‘viewed as a vehicle to support inquiry, providing a global language through which we make sense of the world around us. It is intended that students become competent users of the language of mathematics and can begin to use it as a way of thinking, as opposed to seeing it as a series of facts and equations to be memorised.’ (PYP Mathematics Scope and Sequence, p1, IBO 2009)

The Mathematics program is integrated through the curriculum and allows students to learn through play, exploration, games, cooperative activities and discussion. Students become actively involved in Mathematics using concrete materials and technology, to develop simple problem-solving strategies in a supportive learning environment.

St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar provides a comprehensive and sequential Mathematics program, which ensures that students at all levels work towards developing:

• knowledge of number facts and how numbers work
• an understanding of patterns in counting and ordering numbers
• the ability to communicate in clear and precise mathematical language
• the ability to conduct investigations using Mathematics
• logic and reasoning
• problem-solving skills
• measuring and estimating skills.

At St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar, students are encouraged to develop confidence as mathematicians and problem solvers. A solid foundation and enthusiasm for Mathematics are fostered throughout Junior School.

English

In Year 3 and 4 students build on their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills across the curriculum. A strong component of the programs offered is encouraging the children to organise their thoughts and ideas, both orally and in a written format, as well as making presentations in a confident manner. Learning to be critical thinkers and listeners is an important focus of this stage.

Students become more independent users of language as they discover the power of reading and writing to convey meaning. They use a wide range of reading materials and are able to gather information using a variety of research skills. Students continue to develop strategies for spelling and vocabulary building. They extend their knowledge of writing in a variety of genres and apply the skills of planning, editing and reviewing their work. Joined cursive handwriting is introduced at this level.

Mathematics

In the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) Mathematics is ‘viewed as a vehicle to support inquiry, providing a global language through which we make sense of the world around us. It is intended that students become competent users of the language of mathematics and can begin to use it as a way of thinking, as opposed to seeing it as a series of facts and equations to be memorised.’ (PYP Mathematics Scope and Sequence, p1, IBO 2009)

The Year 3 – 4 Mathematics program addresses the areas of understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning and they are an integral part of mathematics content across the three content strands:

• Number and Algebra,
• Measurement and Geometry, and
• Statistics and Probability.

The students are taught mathematical concepts in meaningful contexts and their understanding is enriched through hands-on activities, using and exploring concrete materials and involvement in games.

The focus is to develop confidence and extend skills and understandings of all concepts including:

• place value of whole numbers up to 100,000
• decimals
• fractions
• the four processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• measure, estimate, order and compare length
• read time
• recognise angles
• measure volume, capacity and temperature.

Students are encouraged to explore three-dimensional shapes, patterns, directional language and to use maps, graphs and tables. They investigate methods of collecting, sorting, organising and presenting data. Students further develop their range of prediction and problem-solving skills during cooperative group sessions. Open-ended questions are used to allow children to explore concepts at their own level.

English

In Year 5 and 6 students extend their abilities and interest in Language through integrated activities. These provide an authentic purpose for the skills and processes necessary for good communication, both oral and written. Students are encouraged to take an active role in evaluating their strengths, acting on feedback and celebrating their successes.

Students learn to read and interpret a variety of more complex texts and develop an understanding of both literal and inferential meaning. They are encouraged to expand their vocabulary through the use of the dictionary, thesaurus and word building activities. Students apply time management and research skills to produce their own writing in a range of genres. Spelling is further extended to incorporate strategies that develop an understanding of word origin and word meaning. Speaking and listening skills are integral components of the program and students are encouraged to vary these skills for a range of audiences and purposes.

Mathematics

Students in Year 5 and 6 consolidate their knowledge of numbers and mathematical concepts. Students are encouraged to become confident learners through inquiry and active participants through challenging and engaging experiences across the three content strands:

• Number and Algebra,
• Measurement and Geometry,
• Statistics and Probability.

The focus is to develop confidence and extend skills and understanding of all concepts including:

• applying the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to whole numbers, fractions and decimals
• estimating, measuring and comparing, and organising and recording their data in graphs, tables, reports and models
• continuing to develop problem-solving skills through cooperative group work centred around meaningful and challenging activities
• further exploring the concepts of volume and scale and the measurement of length, area, mass, temperature, time, capacity, volume and angles
• developing the students’ understanding of plain figures, nets and scales
• extending student knowledge of chance and data to random samples and encouraging students to represent, report and interpret data in order to draw conclusions.