Term 1 

LITERACY

In Reading, our focus has been on making text-to-self connections and identifying the characters and setting in stories. We have explored these skills through texts such as Go Go and the Silver Shoes and Beware the Deep Dark Forest. Students have been practising how to think about their own experiences and link them to events in the story to deepen their understanding.

In Writing, we have begun brainstorming and organising our ideas using a story map to plan our narrative writing. Students are learning how to clearly identify their characters, setting, problem, and solution before they begin drafting.

In Phonics, we have been starting with our whole-class focus before working in our phonics groups where we play phonics game and read a decodable reader to practice applying our phonics skills. 

NUMERACY

In Numeracy, our Grade 2 students have been building strong number skills through fun, hands-on learning. We have been learning how to partition numbers and connect numbers to their written form, helping children understand what numbers really mean. 

Students have also been using the part–part–whole strategy to find missing parts of numbers and explore different ways the same number can be shown, such as using pictures, materials, and number sentences. These activities support flexible thinking and help students grow in confidence when working with numbers. 

CBL

Over the past few weeks in CBL, our Grade 2 students have been exploring the concepts of right and wrong, and good and bad choices. They have been discussing how people show different behaviours, sorting examples of acceptable and unacceptable actions, and reflecting on how their choices affect others.

Students have also been learning about the communities they belong to — including our class community and their own personal communities. We have focused on the values that help our school work well together, such as respect, kindness, and inclusion. As part of this, students are recognising and celebrating our differences, and comparing celebrations and events in our class community with those in their own families and communities.

Personal & Social

In Personal and Social, we focused our learning on the catastrophe scale. 

This involved discussing how we might feel throughout a range of different challenging situations at school, at home, or in the community. Through that exploration, students talked about the differences in each of those problems, how we might feel and how we can manage them.

Students then worked in small groups to read and organise a range of problems according to their complexity and place them on the catastrophy scale.

LITERACY

In Literacy, we did a lot of work to set up strong learning routines and expectations. We talked about how to choose ‘good fit’ books, set up our class library and personal book boxes and explored ways to become more independent readers. We read a range of picture story books and practised retelling events in order and making predictions about what might happen next. 

In writing, we unpacked what good writing looks like and discussed the expectations for book work. We were also learning about having a growth mindset and trying our best, even when things felt challenging. We did whole class phonics sessions to get back into the literacy routine and build confidence with sounds and spelling patterns. 

We were learning how to be responsible for our learning by staying organised, focused, and giving our best effort. Throughout our literacy sessions, we showed our school values of Achievement and Respect by working cooperatively, encouraging others, and helping to create a positive learning environment where everyone feels confident to succeed. 

NUMERACY

In Numeracy,  we have used our time to establish positive work habits by setting up expectations around number fluency tasks and whole class learning experiences. In these lessons we have focused on having a growth mindset to overcome challenges and tricky questions. 

We have also begun revision of our whole number knowledge through the use of manipulatives such as MAB blocks and place value charts. This hands on approach to the representations of numbers allows students to explore the different ways we can make two, three and four digit numbers. 

With a particular focus on the school value of teamwork, we have looked to engage students in partner and small group tasks that allow them to solve problems and develop their confidence by working with their peers. This has also allowed us to learn the value of taking turns, sharing our ideas and answers with our partners, and learning together.

PERSONAL & SOCIAL

A positive school community is built on shared values that guide how we learn and work together. Respect, Achievement, Responsibility and Teamwork are at the heart of everything we do.

Respect means listening, valuing differences and treating others with kindness. Achievement is about trying our best, setting goals and celebrating progress, not just results.

Responsibility involves making positive choices and taking ownership of our actions, learning and shared spaces. Teamwork reminds us that we are stronger together, working collaboratively to support and learn from one another.

During the first two weeks, we are revising what each of these values looks like in our classroom and in the broader school community.  We have also discussed our 'safe people' and can identify strategies to use when we feel upset.

Our learning also extended to how we can stay safe on internet. We discussed what matters to us such as our personal details that we must avoid putting on the internet to avoid identity theft.

CBL

This term in Year 2, we have been engaged in Challenge Based Learning (CBL) as we explore what it means to be part of a positive and ethical school community. Through rich discussions, stories and collaborative activities, we have been thinking deeply about how our choices impact others.

Over the past week we have explored what makes a strong school community, we have discussed real-life scenarios and practised problem-solving together. We have reflected on how our words and actions can make a positive difference and improve our school. 

Our learning has focused on understanding ethical decisions — recognising the difference between right and wrong, fair and unfair, and how our actions help create a safe and respectful environment for everyone. We have been using language such as kind, fair, responsible and respectful to describe behaviours we notice in ourself and others.