Year 2 News
From Sally, Year 2 teacher
Just like that we are in Week 8!
This term is flying by!
Reading
This term, our Reading lessons have evolved so that they focus largely on phonics. We have been revising common sounds, including the tricky schwa sound in both the first and second syllables of words. Students have also explored how suffixes can change the meaning of a word, such as turning a noun into an adjective (for example, “joy” into “joyful”). Alongside this, we have been building transcription skills through sentence dictation and continuing to strengthen our fluency by reading with partners. During your nightly reading sessions, encourage your child to read aloud with you or a sibling, taking turns each page. Listen for the the shwa! This is also a great opportunity to listen out for different suffixes in words you come across in books or everyday conversations.
Writing
In Writing, we have been experimenting with a range of exciting “seeds” to inspire our ideas. Using interesting titles to spark creativity, students have been challenged to write and complete narratives within a set time. We have also focused on embedding our recently acquired figurative language skills to help paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. One way our children could practice these skills at home is to invite them to create a “quick write” story using a funny or intriguing title you come up with together. You could also encourage them to add similes, metaphors, or personification when describing everyday things around the house.
Numeracy
Over the past two weeks, our Numeracy lessons have focused on two key areas. In the first week, students explored how to collect, interpret, and display data using bar graphs. They enjoyed surveying their classmates and turning their results into colourful graphs. In the following week, our focus shifted to recognising and describing patterns. Students practised creating their own increasing and decreasing patterns and used their knowledge of operations and skip counting to extend these sequences.
Ask your child to collect some data at home (for example, tallying favourite fruits, sports, or family games) and turn it into a bar graph. You can also challenge them to continue number patterns in the car by skip counting together.
Humanities
The last couple of weeks in Humanities have seen students using familiar search tools such as Brittanica Schools and Kiddle to researchsome of Australia’s most significant landmarks such as Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, and the Daintree Rainforest. We have researched their unique features, climate, location, and discovered the many reasons people choose to visit them. Students have also collected “fun facts” to share in their work. Using their notetaking skills, they are recording their research and designing informative brochures to showcase their knowledge. Families can look forward to hearing about all of this learning come to life when students present their work at our whole cohort Travel Expo. Explore an Australian landmark together online or in a book and share what you find most interesting. Encourage your child to practise note-taking by writing down three key facts to add to their growing knowledge.