Year 2

In English Innovation, students are continuing to explore the world of fairytales, building their understanding of traditional story elements such as characters, setting and plot. They have been developing their writing skills by creating their own original fairytales, using imaginative ideas and descriptive language. As a class, students are also collaborating to write a fractured fairytale script, reimagining familiar stories with creative twists. This will lead to a group performance, providing students with the opportunity to bring their ideas to life while building confidence, teamwork and communication skills.

In Mathematics Innovation, students will have the opportunity to participate in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematics Olympiad (APSMO) Maths Explorer as a collaborative group. They will focus on applying the skills and strategies to solve challenging worded problems and explore how effective collaboration can enhance learning. As students review and discuss solutions, they will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding through the sharing of ideas to learn from others’ perspectives. They will also undertake an exploration into problems and authentic investigations relating to the perimeter and area of a variety of two-dimensional shapes.

In STEAM, students will be given further opportunities to engage with the worlds of engineering and science. Learners will begin the term by diving into the world of forces and aerospace engineering. Gravity will be the focus as students cooperate to produce a model able to protect an egg from a 5m fall. Up next will be an exploration into the science of ecology, with students exploring the different biomes present in the world, before taking a closer look at Glen Waverley Primary School’s own unique environment, creating a ‘model ecosystem’ of the school. Finally, learners will experiment with TinkerCAD and 3D modelling tools.

In Robotics, students are continuing to develop their understanding of the Sphero robots at Glen Waverley Primary School, using the Sphero EDU app to connect and control their robots while focusing on calibrating the ‘aim’ to ensure accurate movement and direction. They are building on their coding skills by using simple directional commands to guide their Sphero around a robotics mat and will soon begin working with Dash robots - interactive devices that can be programmed to move, change light colours, produce sounds, and navigate obstacle courses. Robotics Innovation provides a collaborative learning environment where students work together to solve problems, helping to build important skills for future learning.

In Music Innovation, students will be exploring the world of rhythm and instruments. They will do this through a range of engaging games, movement activities and hands on learning experiences. These activities will develop students understanding of steady beat, rhythm patterns and basic music notation. Students will be using instruments such as the xylophone, glockenspiel, drums and percussion instruments. Throughout the term, students will practise reading and performing simple rhythms using a steady beat while working up to playing as an ensemble. At the end of the term students will have the opportunity to create and perform their own short rhythms and songs using either body percussion or instruments. Sharing their musical ideas with the class builds their confidence when performing for small groups and encourages their creativity through music.