Year Two

Dear Year Two Families, 

We have been having a busy and exciting time in Year Two as we have begun new topics in all areas of the curriculum 

Inquiry 

This was a very exciting week for Year Two! Students had their first provocation day for the year.  The first unit of inquiry this year is ‘How we express ourselves’ with the central idea for exploration being ‘People express important events through celebrations and traditions’ In line with our central idea, Year Two families and teachers were encouraged to bring in an artefact from their culture to display for a gallery walk.  With such a culturally rich year level there was no shortage of artefacts to spark discussion. Students were asked what the items made them think about, what questions they had and what they recognized.  We are looking forward to exploring the many forms of expression within our varied cultures as the unit progresses. 

Writing 

In writing students are learning how to write a procedural text. The focus for this text is “How to make a friend in six easy steps” Students brainstormed all the ways that they could make a friend such as ‘smile, help others when they are hurt, tell a funny joke, tell a fun fact and include people’ Students then used the basis of their discussion to draft and  finalise their very own procedural text, a step by step guide on how to make a friend.  Students have also explored poetry as part of their writing this week. This week students focused on free verse poems, poems that do not rhyme, about something they love with a focus on what they think and how they feel. Students picked something special to them and wrote a free verse poem about it.

Spelling

Students have been busy working through their oxford word lists. Students have been provided with individualised words based on their own needs and spend time throughout the week working through their spelling menu activities to practice these words. 

Reading

In reading we have been focusing on the comprehension strategy of predicting. Students use clues from the book and their prior knowledge and experience to make a ‘smart guess’ about what will happen in the book or what the book is about.  Students have begun readers theatre this week! Students work together in small groups to break up a provided text into individual characters to then perform the text to the class. The students have lots of fun during this session building their skills of collaboration and expression.

Maths 

In maths this week there has been a strong focus on data. Students spent time discussing ways in which we can collect data and how we can display and interpret that data. The students collected data on the different hair colours within each class and then represented this information in both a pictograph and in a column graph form.   Students have also worked to interpret data, they have been provided with graphs and answered questions based on the information provided such as ‘What was the most common hair colour?’

Reminders

• Students are expected to bring their iPad to every day fully charged, as well as a water bottle.

• We are a sunsmart school so students need to wear there hats in Term One and Four

• Doors open at 8:20am and classes start at 8:30am. Any students arriving after 8:40am will require a late pass from the office. Dismissal is at 2:50pm.

• If your child is absent, please ensure the reason is entered onto XUNO. 

• Homework will be given each Monday and must be returned on Fridays.

• Take home readers will be changed each Monday.