As part of our Inquiry unit (Through Generations) the students in 2A had the opportunity to bring in an item used by a family member in the past and present it at our classroom museum. They describe what the item was, who it was used by and what it was used for. It was amazing to see all the different items and watch the students enthusiastically share and ask questions about things they have never seen or heard of before.
For Inquiry, Grade 2B we have been talking about our families and our special places we have with them. Students have brought in an item from the past to share with our class in our classroom museum. They discussed how it was used and who used it. They will also be interviewing a member of their family from an older generation for homework to present later on in the term.
Grade 2C set up a classroom generational museum in which students brought in and displayed an object from an older family member.
Examples included dolls, toys, jelly moulds, music records, walkmans, books, passports and phones.
Students presented their item to the class, including what the object what, how it was used, when it was used, and answered questions from their peers about the item.
In 2A we have been busy exploring volume and capacity through a range of activities. As part of this exploration the students designed objects that would form part of a ‘Land of Cubes’. They then estimated how many cubes it would take to create their objects before building and measuring the exact volume. After measuring, they compared their objects to that of other groups and ranked them from largest to smallest.
In 2B, we’ve been practicing skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s from different starting points and finding missing numbers in number patterns. We have been focusing on naming 3D objects and naming their features including faces/curved surfaces, edges and vertices. The students really enjoyed making 3D objects with sticks and blu tac.
In Grade 2, students were very excited to attend the Foundation-Grade 2 school disco! Students and teachers had the opportunity to showcase their dance moves and loud singing voice. We are very proud of our students for demonstrating the school values of Respect, Responsibility and Learning, especially when learning new dance moves.
The Grade 2s expressed that this was the best day they’ve had!
On Thursday 12th of October the Grade 2 students went on their Day Camp to Animal Land in Diggers Rest. At Animal Land, students hand milked a cow, made butter in a churn, had a hand led pony ride, played on the adventure playground, met the chooks, hand fed the ducks and were taken on a tractor ride to visit the pigs, alpacas, sheep, cows, goats, horses and geese.
Students had the opportunity to visit the nursery and hold baby animals, as well as participate in a number of team building activities throughout the day, practising our school values of Responsibility, Respect and Learning.Upon our arrival to school, students had an extended stay which included watching the movie ‘Secret Life of Pets’, having popcorn, juice and an icy pole. We are so proud of our Grade 2 students and are glad they had a fantastic time!
In 2A we have been expanding our mathematical knowledge through lots of hands-on activities. We have been using balance scales to compare the mass of different classroom objects and determine if they are heavier, lighter or about the same. We have also been exploring Australian money; looking at the features, ordering based on value and making equivalent collections.
In 2B, we have been learning and exploring Australian money. We have spoken about the features of coins and dollars, ordered these amounts and added collections together. Students loved learning about money!
In 2C, we have been learning about Australian money. We have successfully explored the 6 coins and 5 notes within our dollar currency. Students ordered collections of coins from least value to the most valuable and counted various collections. We also played a board game where we rolled the dice, landed on a space and counted the collection. They had so much fun!
In Grade Two, we have been learning about water safety and how to be responsible with our belongings during the swimming program. Students have discussed how to move safety around the pool and actively listen to their swimming instructor whilst practising swimming skills Eg. kicking, going under the water, floating etc. Students have found the water calming and it was a nice environment change.
To celebrate Education Week (Active Learners: Move, Make, Motivate) 2A have been incorporating extra movement breaks into our day using short clips such as Cosmic Kids Yoga and Freeze Dance to keep our bodies and minds active. We also spent some time outdoors making observational sketches of plant life around our school ground.
In 2B we have been comparing our similarities and differences in opinions and interests. Students have used the tool ‘think pair share’ when discussing their interests with their partner. We spoke about the importance of respecting other’s interests and opinions, regardless of if we agree or not.
In 2C we have been enjoying various learning experiences, some outdoors. For example, for Inquiry this week we ventured outdoors, observed, and illustrated our school plants, while quietly enjoying the nature around us. It was great to breathe the fresh air!
In Grade Two, we learnt about Anzac Day and baked Anzac biscuits. We learnt about the history and how they were baked to send to loved ones in the war. We incorporated these amazing learning experiences into reading and writing and built on our prior knowledge of Anzac Day.
Grade 2 In Grade Two, we have been learning about healthy food choices. Students have had detailed discussions and categorised healthy foods into grains, dairy, protein, fruits and vegetables. On Wednesday 5th of April, Market Fresh came to visit our Grade Two students and taught us the importance of including fruits and vegetables in our diet and how fresh produce makes its journey from the farm where it is grown, to the market, the greengrocer and then finally to our dinner plate. Students had the opportunity to taste different fruits/vegetables and they were very excited.
In 2A we have been deepening our understanding of place value by creating 2 digit numbers using concrete materials then comparing and sequencing these numbers on number lines. We have also been exploring length, using informal units of measure such as paddle pop sticks, unifix cubes and matchsticks to measure and compare different objects around the classroom.
In 2B, we have been learning about measuring length using informal units such as blocks, popsicle sticks, paperclips, counters, matchsticks etc. We have spoken about the importance of using a unit that is the same size and when measuring we ensure we do not leave gaps in between or do not overlap the units. Students have enjoyed measuring different things in the classroom and comparing their measurements with their classmates.
In 2C, we have been focusing on using informal tools to measure and our knowledge of place value. In the below learning experience, 2C used matchsticks to form their name and record how many matchsticks were needed for each letter and a total. We then used paddle pop sticks to see whether they would need more or less to complete the same task. It was lots of fun!
In 2A our inquiry topic for this term is ‘Growing Older and Wiser’. We have been exploring what makes us unique and how we have grown and changed from birth to now. The students have participated in a range of activities such as looking at their fingerprints, playing Baby Guess Who and creating timelines. These activities have allowed for discussions into how we change over time and what we are capable of at different points in our lives. We continue to examine this process by observing the growth of bean plants.
This Term our inquiry unit is ‘Growing Older and Wiser’. 2B have been discussing different milestones in our lives for example, crawling, walking, starting kinder and starting school. We also have spoken about things we are/were capable of and things we weren’t capable of as a baby/child. Students made their own timeline of their life including milestones and at what ages these occurred in our lives. We also made a timeline using photos of us as a baby/child and a drawing of our future selves.
In 2C we have been learning about change and what that has looked like in our life so far, and what it might look like in the future. We played the FUNNEST game of Guess Who. Even our parents played with us when they came into our classrooms for Open Day!
In 2A, we have been busy exploring emotions through both our Zones of Regulation and Respectful Relationships lessons. We have been learning how to identify different emotions, recognising what they feel and look like and are becoming aware of which zone we are in. The students have participated in group discussions, created visual representations and used role play to explore this topic.
In 2B, we have been revising the Zones of Regulation, strategies to manage our emotions and feelings and how a person’s body language demonstrates what emotions they may be feeling. We have created a display together and have a check in station where each student is able to move their photo to show what zone they are in.
In 2C, we are learning about Emotional Literacy in Respectful Relationships. We are also learning about the different zones and what we look like in each zone. Can you guess our emotions in these pictures? We also wrote about times we felt different emotions and there is a work sample of that below.
Grade 2A have been busy establishing our Routines for Success. We have discussed what can be expected in our lessons, how we can create a safe and respectful environment and what we will do to ensure everyone can be a learner. The students have also participated in several getting to know you activities to find out more about their classmates. Creating ‘All About Me’ paper dolls and our partner reading sessions have been two highlights this week.
Grade 2B have settled into Grade 2 well, learning about their new classmates and new routines to set themselves up for success. We have spoken about classroom expectations and having a growth mindset so every student has the best opportunity to learn. Students got to make their own bookmark they will use throughout the year, thinking about growth mindset qualities using the letters of their name.
In 2C we have set up our Routines for Success for the different curriculum areas, including Reading. We have spoken about, taken photos of and labelled what independent reading looks like, as well as the spots that we can independently read in. We have started sorting through our classroom library books into categories but we will continue this process once we borrow more from our school library, making signs for each category. Most importantly we have enjoyed learning about each other and working together.
