Grade 1B have enjoyed a wide range of activities to investigate ‘Place’ in HASS this term. Students discussed places that are special to them, and the memories and traditions attached to those places that makes them special.

We read the story of the Rainbow Serpent to investigate how the land was created from the perspective of some of Australia’s Indigenous People.

We looked at old maps to discuss their features then discovered they were old maps of Somerset. This led to investigating how our local place ‘Somerset’ has changed over time and will continue to change into the future.

In Science, students have been learning about materials and their properties. They have learned to distinguish between natural and man-made materials. Students have learned that material properties influence how they are used. They discussed that to build a bridge like the new Somerset bridge they should use strong, hard, weather resistant materials.

Students have also reflected on and inquired into how the local Tommeginer Aboriginal tribe would have used natural materials to meet their daily needs.

We extended this learning further by exploring maps, keys, compass directions and other direction language in Mathematics. Students then drew maps of their bedrooms and used directional language to discuss their room.