Grade two

Wow, it is hard to believe that we are already at the end of Term 1! We have spent a lot of time getting to know the students’ strengths and weaknesses so that we can support and encourage them with their individual learning goals. They are now well and truly aware of the expectations of Grade Two and have already established some great friendships. It has been a productive and successful term and we are looking forward to further growth and development from our students throughout the year.

English

In English, we have been focusing on poetry and personal recounts. During our Reader’s Workshops, students were exposed to a variety of mentor texts and explored the structure and language features of sensory, acrostic, alliteration and repetitive poems, along with personal recounts. During our Writer’s Workshops, the students worked through the writing process to produce a poem from each of the four styles, focusing on stanzas, descriptive language and emotive language. They also produced a number of personal recounts which included text features such as orientation, time connectives and text specific language. 

Mathematics

In Mathematics students have explored simple addition and subtraction equations using a number of different strategies. We also introduced time, focusing on naming and ordering the months and seasons and using a calendar to identify specific and important dates. Students have also had the opportunity to learn more about location through the use of ‘Google Maps’ and a map of our school grounds. They used positional and directional language to describe positions on a map and to give and receive directions from one point to another. Exploring mental computation strategies is an ongoing concept during our Mathematics sessions. Every week we focus on different strategies to ensure a thorough understanding of basic number facts and operations.

Integrated

During our integrated sessions we have been exploring ‘Community’. We commenced the unit by showing the students a map of Narre Warren. This provoked essential questions and inspired further investigation of how we could improve our Oatlands Community. The students worked through the design process to create a prototype of a structure/object/resource that would improve our school community. The Grade Two teachers collaborated with the Digital Technology teachers to create a digital portfolio for the students to document the process. The final products were so creative and we were all really proud of the effort that the students put into their work. Throughout the term we have also covered International Women’s Day and Harmony Week and have implemented a number of Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships and Cyber Safety activities.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our families for their ongoing support and to wish everyone a Happy Easter. We hope you all have a safe and restful holiday.

The Grade Two Team