Year 2 News 

Reading

This fortnight in Year 2, students have been developing their reading skills through both fiction and non-fiction texts. They are learning to read at a steady, fluent pace, which helps them understand and enjoy what they are reading. A big focus has been on reading with expression, using character voices and tone when reading dialogue in fiction, and keeping their voice clear and interesting when reading facts in non-fiction. 

Students are paying close attention to punctuation, stopping at full stops, pausing at commas, and using their voices to reflect question marks and exclamation marks. They are also learning how to recognise key features of non-fiction texts, such as headings, captions, diagrams, and glossaries. After reading, students answer comprehension questions to show their understanding, recall key details, and locate important information. These reading experiences are helping them become confident, expressive, and thoughtful readers.

‘In reading we have been learning about fluency. We have been changing our voices and the pace we read.’ Georgia 2A

Writing

This fortnight in Year 2, the students have been writing recounts based on an event they took part in. A recount is a retelling of an event in the order it happened, and they have been busy practising how to organise their ideas using time connectives, descriptive language, and personal reflections. Students focused their writing on things like the reptile incursion and their excursion to the Melbourne Museum. They worked on answering the questions: Who was there? What happened? When and where did it take place? and How did it make you feel? 

It has been great to see their independent writing using paragraphs, important details, adjectives and also good use of punctuation to create structure.

The students have also started looking at features of a narrative and what needs to be included. Using a prompt of their choice, they are developing their main characters for their story.

‘I liked writing about the crocodile at the reptile incursion because it is my favorite animal. I got to pet it which was fun.’ - Armani 2C

‘I like writing about the snake because I got to hold it during the incursion.’ - Nisa, 2C

‘I liked creating Lion Bob, the character in my story and describing him.’ - Nawaab, 2C

‘We have been looking at characters. I liked making my own character for my story using the picture.’ - Lucy, 2C

Maths

This fortnight in Year 2, the students have continued to develop their knowledge and skills when dealing with place value. They have been diving deep into the world of place value – a fundamental concept in mathematics that helps us understand the value of each digit in a number. Through hands-on activities, games, and collaborative learning, students have been exploring how numbers are made up of ones, tens, hundreds, and beyond. They have been building numbers using blocks, breaking them apart, and learning how to read, write, and compare them with confidence.

Furthermore, they have also been practicing their addition skills with numbers up to 4 digits and exchanging. The students have revised different addition strategies and applied their knowledge to choose the best one to solve the problem. 

‘I enjoyed doing vertical addition in maths. It made adding numbers easier.’ - Guntas, 2C

‘We have looked at doubles, near doubles and adding 4 digit numbers together. It was challenging as I had hard problems to solve.’ - Armani, 2C

Inquiry

This fortnight in Year 2, the students have been thinking about what happens to their bodies as they get older, how they change, how they develop likes and dislikes, and how human needs and responsibilities change as they get older. Students learned about the simple stages of human growth, starting as babies, then toddlers, children, teenagers, and finally adults. They talked about the physical changes in each stage, like growing taller and getting stronger, as well as how emotions and interests can change too. 

They also discussed how their own likes and dislikes are developing and how their responsibilities, like helping at home or making good choices, grow as they get older. Through stories, discussions, and activities, the students gained a better understanding of what it means to grow up and how they can take on new roles and responsibilities along the way.

‘As we grow we have more things to do than when we are younger. That’s why your younger brother and sister has less chores than you.’ Georgia 2A

Social and Emotional Learning

This fortnight in Year 2, the students have been exploring the importance of being fair to everyone, whether they are a boy or a girl. They talked about how everyone should have the same chance to play, share, and join in, no matter who they are. The students learned about making good choices, including taking turns, listening to others, and solving small problems calmly. 

Students also discussed what it means to be a good friend and showing our school values of kindness which includes, being kind, including others, and using kind words. Through stories, games, and class discussions, the students learned how to play well together and treat each other with respect and fairness every day.

‘If there’s a boy playing alone you could say do you want to play. It doesn’t matter if they are a boy or girl.’ Jamari 2A

Special Event

This fortnight in Year 2, the students have begun swimming lessons and they are having a fantastic time in the water! They are learning important skills such as floating, kicking, and putting their faces in the water with confidence. 

As these two weeks of practise go by, the students will strive to become independent swimmers, developing their coordination, strength, and water safety awareness. Swimming is not only helping them grow physically, but it's also building their confidence and teamwork. Most of all, the students are really enjoying themselves and having lots of fun while learning these valuable life skills.

‘For swimming we did extra windmill arms, bubble and breathing arms. We also did games.’ Zoe 2A

‘In swimming I learned how to do a backstroke and other cool things. I also learned how to swim with no board.’ Indy 2A

‘At swimming we’ve been learning backstroke and front stroke. We’ve been learning for a long time. It’s been really fun, we’ve also played games.’ Lucas 2A

‘We’re learning about doing backstrokes and my group has Raff, Hunter and Indy in it. We are in lane 2. We have so much fun!’ Hudson 2A