Year 2 Curriculum Newsletter

Dear Grade 2 Parents,

We hope you had a wonderful Easter break and are as enthusiastic as we are about the upcoming term! We're looking forward to another term filled with exciting learning opportunities, exploration, and building on our knowledge together.

Reading

In reading, we'll continue enriching our vocabulary, emphasizing the use of articles (a, an, the) and descriptive adjectives. Analogies will be introduced to enhance comprehension, and students will practice determining the importance of main ideas and details in texts. Making text-to-world connections, visualising story elements, and drawing inferences from textual clues are also key skills we'll be learning.

Writing

In our writing sessions, we're focusing on the persuasive genre. Grade 2 students will craft engaging book reports to entice others to read their favourite books. Additionally, we'll host oral debates where students articulate their viewpoints on various subjects. This not only promotes critical thinking but also hones their communication skills.

Mathematics 

In mathematics, students will persist in mastering analogue time-telling. We kindly ask for your support in reinforcing this skill at home. Our focus also extends to fluent counting, particularly emphasizing counting by 1s, 10s, and 100s up to 1000 from diverse starting points, as well as by 3s up to 30 and 4s up to 40. Further topics on our agenda include number and place value, mass, length, data and graphing, location & transformation, and additive concepts, including basic money calculations.

Inquiry

Our inquiry theme for this term is "Water Works." Students will delve into the significance of water as a vital natural resource, exploring its various uses, origins, and responsible consumption. As a culminating activity, students will have the chance to participate in the Western Water competition, showcasing their understanding of water conservation.

We encourage you to discuss your child's learning experiences and support their practice at home. Your active involvement is invaluable to their academic progress. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in your child's educational journey. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.

Warm regards, 

Grade 2 Teachers

Visual Arts

This term students in Year 2 will continue to explore new materials and techniques to create works of art. They will use a range of materials such as acrylic and watercolour paint, markers, yarn and PVA glue as well as paper and cardboard. They will study the work of famous artists as they follow their ideas and styles when creating their own art. Students will learn more about colour, using the colour wheel to make skilful choices about complimentary colours. Students will be working along with a community artist as they create their own original canvas art for our upcoming Art Show. They will work towards being courageous artists who give new techniques a go and they will work safely in the art room. I look forward to exciting times this term in the Visual Arts room.

Japanese

This term in Japanese, the Grade 2 students are applying their prior knowledge of numbers to various activities through the Unit “When is your Birthday?”. They will participate in games and sing songs to learn numbers and say the months of the year. The students will complete a booklet to encourage their reading and writing of Japanese characters. They will also build their speaking and listening skills through making sentences stating their age and when their birthday is. 

Students will also learn about cultural events in Japan such as Ohanami and  Children’s Day

Performing Arts

In Term Two in Performing Arts, Grade Two students will explore the concept of pitch in music, learning about high and low sounding notes and where they sit on a musical scale. Using xylophones and Boomwhakers, they will learn to follow basic music and play simple songs. They will also compose their own short songs to play and share with their peers.

Physical Education

In Grade 2 PE classes, students continue to build on their fundamental movement skills through fun and interactive activities. They engage in more structured games and sports, learning basic rules and teamwork. Students also explore concepts like spatial awareness and develop social skills through cooperative play.