In 2013, a Stage 1 class retold the Aboriginal Dreaming story of The first sunrise as a digital story on Photo Peach, using art from a school-created “big book” made by Mrs Bagnell, way back in 1994.
The first sunrise
Category Archives: Early Stage 1
Dogs, dogs, dogs
This week, Early Stage 1 and Stage students are investigating factual information about dogs.
We also discussed a few famous literary dogs, such as Clifford, Fearless and Spot.
Clifford & Phoebe at Penrith PS (2011):
Travelling Fearless at Penrith PS (Book Week 2010):
Travelling Fearless, Part 2: Farewell Fearless! (Book Week 2010):
An Easter tale (2014):
Enter the gingerbread man!
Last week, Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 investigated versions of the fairy tale, The gingerbread man. This week, we will explore some Youtube clips of gingerbread recipes, attributes of foxes, and read Kel Richards’ The lamington man, an Australian version of the classic tale.
Ginger bread man – Fairy tales in English – animated / cartoon stories for kids
Fairytale: The gingerbread man read by John Krasinski by Speakaboos
2 adopted foxes and the ‘stepmom’ dog
Ylvis – The fox (What does the fox say?) [Official music video HD]
How to make a gingerbread man: gingerbread man recipe from Cookies Cupcakes and Cardio
Play Doh gingerbread man gingerbread recipe: how to make gingerbread man
Gingerbread man cookie recipe – Laura Vitale – Laura in the kitchen, Episode 253
The three billy goats Gruff
This week, Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students will be investigating the fairy tale, The three billy goats Gruff, through a selection of versions, such as 3 billy goats Gruff by Ted Dewan (with a baseball motif), The three billy-goats Gruff Norwegian folk tale featuring woodcut illustrations by Susan Blair, and The three billy goats Gruff, from the picture book translated by Henriette Barko and illustrated by Richard Johnson.
Some useful Youtube clips include:
The three billy goats Gruff, by Henriette Barko & Richard Johnson
The three billy goats Gruff
3 billy goats Gruff song (Grumpy old troll)
Chicks ‘R’ Us
A slideshow of chick images: HERE
Class 1IW brainstormed the text to accompany a slideshow on PhotoPeach:
Chicks ‘R’ Us
Sea creatures on the IWB
K-6PR created these murals yesterday on the IWB. Their current theme is “Sea creatures”.
Stage 2 group:
Once upon a time, there was a mermaid. She was looking in her mirror to put on lipstick. A shark came to eat the fish swimming around her. The mermaid could see the shark behind her in the mirror.
The man caught a fish on his fishing rod. The man saw a dolphin jumping high. It was going up and down.
The crab is finding a pearl in the clam.
The whale is coming up out of the ocean to spray water out of his blowhole.
The seahorses were watching the shark chase the fish. They were hiding in the seaweed because they didn’t want to get eaten too.
Stage 1 group:
The whale can move through the water by swishing his tail. It is looking for krill to eat.
The shark is swimming and wants to eat the turtle. The turtle is on the beach so he can be safe. He wants to go into the water to find food but he is scared of the shark.
The dolphin wants to make friends with the clownfish.
The crabs are digging lots of holes in the sand because it is time for bed.
The mermaid is cuddling a fish because he is her friend. The sunblock on the beach belongs to the mermaid. She uses it when she comes out of the water and her magical tail has turned into legs.
Early Stage 1 group:
We can see a whale.
We can see a mermaid putting on her lipstick. She has a fish tail instead of legs.
We can see a fish with bubbles coming out of his mouth. There are five orange fish blowing bubbles.
We can see a dolphin swimming.
We can see some crabs swimming in the water. They are playing “Hide and Seek”.
We can see two fish swimming together.
The eel is chasing the fish because he wants to eat them.
The fat dolphin wants to eat the fish.
The blue fish is in a bowl.
Stage 3 group:
Once upon a time there was a shiver of sharks. The sharks wanted to attack a seal because they were hungry. This is why the seal looks so worried.
Meanwhile, a dolphin was swimming towards a catfish. He was going to teach the catfish how to jump. This was so the catfish could get away from the sharks.
The crab was planning to use his nippers to catch the seahorse’s tail. The seahorse wants to make friends with the catfish.
The sea turtle is swimming towards the shallow water where the sun is shining through. She is ready to lay her eggs in the sand.
COLLECTIVE NOUNS:
When we were writing the above story we needed a collective noun for a group of sharks. We read that it could be a school, a shoal, a pack or a shiver of sharks. Here are some more interesting collective nouns:
A cast of crabs.
A pod of dolphins.
A school or shoal of fish.
A gam of whales.
A bale of turtles.
A bob of seals.
Hicketty Picketty: preparing for Chicks R Us
This week, students in Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 will be learning the nursery rhyme Hicketty Picketty. We will also be reading Out of the egg, by Tina Matthews, which is a variation of The little red hen fairy tale.
The inclement weather last Friday gave Class 1HB another chance to brainstorm a digital story. This time they ended up with an Easter theme, which will prove useful with other classes as the term progresses:
An Easter tale
The subsequent week consolidates the learning with this digital quiz on PhotoPeach, which draws upon images and information gathered in 2011 after a unit of work based upon the annual Chicks R Us experience:
What’s in the egg?
Another picture book favourite is Clifford’s happy Easter by Norman Bridwell, which features a North American (spring season!) Easter egg hunt and the dyeing of boiled eggs.
And our PhotoPeach digital story about Clifford the Big Red Dog’s last visit to our school library:
Clifford & Phoebe at Penrith PS
Jack and Jill and friends
This week, our Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 students were investigating the nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill. The following digital slideshow dates back to 2011, and was created during the previous three-year cycle:
Jack and Jill
HooplaKidz TV present two Youtube videos about Jack and Jill. Note that, in the first one, Jack breaks a crown fit for a king, rather than his actual head.
Nursery rhymes for kids – Jack and Jill – nursery rhyme
Jack and Jill – Olive & the Rhyme Rescue Crew
We read two books on the theme of friends, Eight by Lyn Lee & Kim Gamble, about a lost toy octopus, and Brave Squish Rabbit by Katherine Battersby. Coincidentally, both picture books feature a thunderstorm. The students of Classes 2RB, 1IW and 2S then brainstormed the following digital story about friends:
We are friends!
UPDATE: I found a different slideshow about friends on Facebook, also by Year 1 students, at another school:
We are friends! by Mrs. Burnett’s First Grade class
New PhotoPeach celebrations
Here is a new PhotoPeach digital slideshow which archives some of the photos and craftwork of this year’s K-2 Chinese New Year celebrations:
Year of the Horse at Penrith PS
The inclement weather on Friday gave Class 1HB an additional lesson in the school library, so we brought out the collection of puppets and brainstormed a new digital story:
A lemur’s tale
Welcome back, it’s Year of the Horse!
Dragon parade!
The Stage 1 students are already deep into their plans for celebrating Chinese New Year. Above is a PhotoPeach slideshow of our school’s first annual dragon parade, way back in 2005. It’s always a startling start to the concept of K-2 assemblies for the newly-arrived Kindergarten students!
Year of the Horse