Inquiry Centre
Curriculum
It was a very important week in the Inquiry Centre as we prepared for the Year Two Sleepover! There were many sleepy but happy faces as Saturday morning rolled around! From pasta photo frames to fun with the parachute, from board games to outside games and of course, our movie in the hall whilst all cosy in our sleeping bags - it was certainly an amazing experience for the students filled with lots of laughs. We were so proud of their respect, enthusiasm, resilience and bravery as they participated in this key event within our Camps and Outdoor Education Program. There are plenty of photos on the School Instagram to capture the memories from this special time together.
Before the excitement of the sleepover, we had a week filled with learning. In Reading, students explored a range of picture story books to analyse the visual elements that illustrators include. We learnt key words such as line, colour, shadow, patterns, angles and mood to guide our discussions and we recorded our thinking using a T-chart to share what we saw and thought/felt about certain images. We will be continuing to expand on our understanding of visual literacy this week.
In Writing, students had the opportunity to experiment with writing different types of texts as they moved through the writing process. At the beginning of the week, they set a clear writing goal for themselves and kept this at the forefront throughout our sessions. In addition to this, students opted into ‘Writers Workshops’ which allowed them to learn new skills or build on something connected to their goals. Some of our workshops were around elements of VCOP (Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers, Punctuation), handwriting and spelling. Students were highly engaged and loved the opportunity to use their voice and choice regarding what they wrote and which workshops they attended.
Throughout Maths this week, students used their problem solving and reasoning skills to complete sorting activities about fractions and time. In teams, they needed to find different ways to sort and order cards using their mathematical reasoning. They were surprised to find how many different ways they might sort their cards! Later in the week, we revisited the importance of the equals sign as a way of showing that something is balanced on both sides and the same as the other side. Students completed a think board which will be uploaded to Seesaw highlighting their understanding of the connection between addition and subtraction and other operations.
In Wellbeing, as part of our Respectful Relationships program, we brainstormed ways that we can show respect in different settings. After lengthy discussions of what respect looks like at home, school and in the community, students created their own flipbooks depicting some of these ways to show this school value.
We hope that our Year Twos had a very relaxing weekend after the sleepover and are looking forward to another wonderful week ahead.
Miss Glen, Mrs Martin, Miss Molloy, Mrs Seadon, Mrs Tang, Mrs Danes & Mrs Moroney
Student Voice
What was your favourite part of the sleepover?
- Arya A - "My favourite part of the sleepover was watching the movie.
- Gabriel RS - "I liked the ice-cream because it's yummy."
- Isla K - "I liked the giant parachute!"
- Harper C - "I also loved the movie."
- Ashley T - "I liked making pasta photo frames."
Reminders
- Hats: please make sure your child has a labelled hat at school
- World Of Maths Incursion - 22nd November
- Home Talk is on Seesaw - we would love to hear voice or written comments with ideas for news articles!
Pupil of the Week
1/2DT: Ishaan T -
For thinking like a mathematician and clearly explaining your thinking when mentally solving problems. It was impressive to see you apply your knowledge of doubling and halving to discover interesting balanced equations. Excellent work, Ishaan!
1/2G: Alex J -
For demonstrating love of learning and perseverance when reading. It is fantastic to see you using your codes and self-correction strategies to read for meaning. Keep it up, Alex!
1/2K: Anisha S -
For demonstrating curiosity and teamwork when describing your groups in Maths. You explained the similarities and differences between each group. Amazing job Anisha!
1/2M: Neve M -
For your perseverance in using reasoning in Maths this week. You worked hard to show your understanding by explaining how two equations were balanced. Well done Neve!
1/2SS: Liam W -
For displaying responsibility and bravery at the Grade 2 sleepover. You participated in all activities with a positive attitude and showed independence throughout the experience. Well done Liam!