Year 2 Bulletin
Wellbeing
Learning Experience Overview
We decided to link our Wellbeing lesson into the National Simultaneous Storytime telling, which was celebrated today. The selected text was ‘The Truck Cat’ written by Deborah Frenkel, and illustrated by Danny Snell.
This is, in essence, a story about belonging, love and connection. But it is also a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.
The important ideas around relationships, loneliness and resilience, are touched on, throughout. All these themes are explored through the adventures of Tinka the cat, his human, Yacoub, and their B-double tri-axle truck.
Learning Intention
To make a self-text connection with the text, exploring the themes of identity, belonging, home, migration, connection and resilience.
Whole
To begin with, we came together to break down the meaning of our Learning Intention.
We asked the students to think about what the themes meant, and to consider how those themes resonated with them, and their life experiences.
We then watched the story, read by Sally Rippon, the Australian Children’s Laureate.
Our discussion afterwards, included some questions:
- What did you think the story was about?
- Is home about finding where you live or is it finding your people?
- What relationships were important?
- How does this connect with you?
- Can you think of a time when something similar happened to you?
- Have you ever felt any of those big emotions?
- What language did Tinka and Yacoub speak?
- Was it the same when Yacoub and Mari were together?
Small
We used growth mindset posters hung around the room, generated from themes in the story, to highlight different aspects. The students were asked to find the poster with the ideas that they could best relate to and think about why this was so.
Students then created their own posters, using their own words, explaining how the theme of that poster connected with them, and in what way.
Whole
We came together again, to check in on how people were representing their thoughts and ideas.
To continue the learning at home, from this experience:
Read the book at home,The Truck Cat
- As you read together, bring their attention to how the writer has used different techniques. Ask them what a writer does in their writing, to show that feelings have changed or a new theme has been explored
- Discuss what the illustrations say, that the text does not.
- Encourage your child to look for the message or the main idea within stories.
- Read every day, to expose your children to new ideas, different styles of writing, and different perspectives on the world
- When you are reading together, notice new ways with words and explicit vocabulary which is used to heighten the reader’s mental image of what is happening in the text.
- If you find an author that appeals to your child, look for books in a series.
- Most of all, enjoy your time, reading together!
Jocelyn and Steph
Year 2 Team