Year Two

Dear Year Two Families,

What an amazing week it has been in Year Two. As you know we have just ended our first Unit of Inquiry and are now moving on to our second under the Transdisciplinary theme 'How the World Works' with our Central Idea being 'Natural Disasters contribute to changes in our local and global communities'.

We also ended the week with special activities related to Harmony Day! It was fabulous to see the differing cultures within our grade 2's. The grade 2's had a wonderful day!- A big thank-you to parents who dressed their child with 'cultural attire,' or with some 'orange,' colours for the day. The theme was "Everyone Belongs,' and the multicultural diversity was celebrated and

appreciated in each class at Saltwater College!

Reading:

Before, during and after Reading, students learned the importance of 'comprehension strategies.' They became engaged in a variety of activities to develop their reading, like; prediction, visualising, decoding strategies,

word study and vocabulary building. njoyment of reading and selecting, 'just right books,' was a key focus throughout the term. The grade two's also chose a 'class novel,' that was read (by the teacher) to their respective grade within the week. As students immersed in the imaginative and adventurous worlds of text, being read to became beneficial in many ways. Primarily, listening to stories read promoted connection, wellbeing, stamina and overall enjoyment of books! We will continue these class novels in term 2!

In Writing, we have started to conclude our unit on Procedural texts. Students have enjoyed actively participating in multiple procedures over the term and would then write a procedural text based on what they have experienced. This included a title, goal/aim, materials, method/steps and a concluding picture. Students have been given the opportunity to follow the writers' process by conferencing and publishing their work. Students have thoroughly enjoyed procedural writing this term.

Maths:

In Mathematics, students have enjoyed learning about place value, number lines, skip counting, 2D/3D shapes and symmetry. Throughout the term, students worked on recognising, modelling and representing numbers. Investigating number sequences from 0 and any given number.

One of the most enjoyable activities was when students constructed a giant number line to represent and compare the life spans of certain living creatures. Such a 'hands-on activity,' motivated and engaged students to explore numbers and relate this to 'real world examples.' One student even commented; ‘I wish I was a parrot as they live to 100, so 99 years more than a ‘Queen Bee!’ And another remarked, “ They also live longer than most humans!” Some very curious mathematicians, indeed!

Inquiry:

As mentioned previously students participated in some provocation sessions as a turning in for our new Unit of Inquiry.

Students have created wonderings and will start to explore these with students then talking action as part of the inquiry cycle.

As part of this unit we have three lines of

inquiry:

An inquiry into natural disasters.
An inquiry into the causes of natural disasters.
An inquiry into how communities prepare and respond to natural disasters.

Students have currently focused on our first line of inquiry 'An inquiry into natural disasters' by researching information about earthquakes, floods, droughts and volcanic eruptions.

Reminders:

Absences: If your child is away, parents/carers need to log this on XUNO to minimise any unexplained absences.

Hats: Please ensure your child brings a wide, brimmed hat to school. These are required for Term One and Term Four.
iPads: They need to be bought to school each day as these are a vital tool used for learning in the classroom. Remember to make sure these are fully charged.
Classroom doors open at 8:20am for continuous entry to begin our lessons sharply at 8:30am. If your child arrives after 8.40am please ensure they collect a late pass from the office.
Homework: Students are expected to complete their homework each week. Thursday holiday homework will be sent home.
Swimming: In Term 2 Weeks two and three, the Year 2 swimming program will be running. Please check Xuno for the permission form. If your child is not attending swimming, each day they will be split into another class/year level.