Monthly Archives: September 2019
Welcome to Year 2
Posted by year2
It has been an exciting and busy first few weeks as we have adjusted back to the routines of school life. During these first few weeks it has been a pleasure to get to know the students and we look forward to working together this year to support each child to be the best they can be.
This is the first of several Y2 blogs which will align with the beginning of new units of inquiry throughout the year.
Please also click on this link to access the key slides from the Year 2 Parent Information event from earlier this year.
Unit of Inquiry
Who We Are – Characters Strengths. (Aug and then ongoing throughout the year)
This year long inquiry will have students focus on Character Strengths and how they can be used to help them GROW. DISCOVER. DREAM. During term 1, Y2 children will identify strengths within themselves and build a language for talking about strengths using the Visible Wellbeing structure of SEE HEAR FEEL. The Children will be encouraged to identify Character Strengths that they instinctively use as well as develop others. Students will be asked to identify strengths that may best be used in a range of social and learning situations.
Where We Are in Place and Time – Understanding place and time enables people to reflect on identity. (Sept – Oct)
This Unit of Inquiry is an exciting opportunity for your child to explore their identity through the lens of their personal history. This will be a time of learning whereby the students will share about past events, special people and places that have shaped the flourishing children they are now! There may be occasions during this unit when your child’s teacher will ask you to support with home activities, i.e. birthday timelines, family trees, artifacts of special events. Be on the lookout for requests for help with activities.
Please click on the link to the Year 2 Programme of Enquiry.
Numbers – Counting and Place Value
Throughout this term we will be practicing counting numbers forwards and backwards starting from any point. We will do this through singing, dancing, reading, writing and making numbers! We will also spend time learning the number facts to 10. Children will focus on making numbers to demonstrate the value of each digit, i.e. that the 2 in 25 actually represents 2 groups of 20. They will use a range of engaging materials like foam 10s frame, popsticks, and numicon.
Data Handling
The children will have many opportunities to collect information that is relevant to them and represent it in a range of ways, i.e. tally marks, pictographs, bar graphs. This will provide opportunities for them to interpret and analyze information. They will be challenged to develop methods of representing the information where one image would represent a value more than 1, i.e. * = 2 votes.
Language
Over the next few weeks the Y2 teacher will be taking the time to learn about your child’s reading and writing attitudes and abilities. Students will be able to share about how they see themselves as readers and writers and their capabilities in these areas. Learning will give the children the opportunity to build decoding and comprehension strategies, focus on writing conventions and develop mastery in reading and writing sight words.
Home Readers will start coming home from Thursday 29th August. Each Monday and Thursday students will be expected to return the 3 home readers they have been reading at home with yourselves. On these days they will come home with new readers. The books brought home are at a level that your child should be able to mostly read independently. More information about what you can do at home to support your child’s reading will be updated to you with these parent blogs.
Below is parent information about supporting your child with the ‘Check for Understanding’ strategy:
Check for Understanding – Monitor comprehension
Even as an adult reader, there are times when I am reading a story and I get lost and am not sure what has happened. Fortunately, when this happens, I have strategies I use to help me understand the story. The same thing happens when children read. However, with children they often keep reading and do not realize they lost comprehension until the end of the story. They are too concerned with reading accurately, and forget to take the time to think about what they are reading. How can we help them gain comprehension? We can teach them the comprehension strategy: check for understanding because good readers stop frequently to check for understanding or to ask who and what.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
1. When reading to your child, stop periodically and say, “Let’s see if we remember what I just read. Think about who the story was about and what happened.” Do this 3 or 4 times throughout the story.
2. When reading to your child, stop and have them practice checking for understanding by saying, “I heard you say…”
3. Ask your child the following questions:
- Who did you just read about?
- What just happened?
- Was your brain talking to you while you read?
- Do you understand what was read?
- What do you do if you don’t remember?
Thank you for your continued support at home.
Ideas and strategies are taken from: The CAFE Book, written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser
Save these Dates:
Y2 Assemblies
Tues 22 Oct – NON
Tues 29 Oct – KGM
Wed 30 Oct – CCN
Thurs 31 Oct – CCG
Celebration of Learning
Friday 17th January
Kidsfest
Tuesday 18th February
