Term 1 

LITERACY

This fortnight, we have been developing important reading and writing skills to become confident and thoughtful learners. We are learning to look for clues such as pictures and surrounding words to work out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, and to ask questions while reading to deepen our understanding. In writing, we are using exciting sizzling starters to engage the reader and are learning to create strong problems in their stories, building tension to make them more interesting. We are also focusing on explaining how characters feel and why, helping to show deeper thinking and empathy. To improve our work, we are using editing strategies like ARMS (Add, Remove, Move, Substitute) to strengthen our ideas and CUPS (Capitalisation, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling) to check accuracy. These skills support us in becoming more confident readers, creative writers, and effective communicators.

NUMERACY

In Year 2, we have been learning a clever strategy called “Bridge to 10” to help us add 2-digit and 1-digit numbers more easily. This strategy helps us make friendly numbers (like 10, 20, 30) so that adding becomes quicker and less tricky. 

For example, if we are solving 27 + 5, we first “bridge” 27 to 30 by adding 3, then add the remaining 2 to get 32. We have been using number lines, blocks, and tens frames to help us see how numbers move and connect.

 This strategy helps us build confidence, improve our mental maths, and become flexible thinkers when solving problems. We are working hard to explain our thinking and try different strategies to see what works best for us!

CBL

Over the past fortnight in CBL, the Grade 2 students have been exploring what it means to be part of an ethical community at school. As part of our learning, we explored the values and ethics of local Indigenous communities, particularly the Woiwurrung (Woi-wurrung) people of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which we learn and play. 

We learned about the strong connection Aboriginal communities have to Country, and how caring for people, land, and community is an important responsibility that has been practiced for thousands of years. We also connected this learning to Harmony Day, discussing the importance of inclusion, respect, and celebrating diversity within our school community. 

We have begun planning for our CBL challenge by brainstorming ideas and developing an action plan for how we can make a positive contribution to our school. We have been using our school values of Responsibility, Respect, Achievement, and Teamwork to guide their thinking and help them plan actions that will support different areas of the school community. 

personal & social

This fortnight in our Personal and Social lessons we looked at the Zones of Regulation. We unpacked the yellow and blue zone and we and brainstormed helpful strategies to return to the green zone. 

We also learnt about personal space and interuptions. We talked about what interruptions look like in the classroom and how we can prevent these from occuring. 

In small groups we role played how to respond calmy and use appropriate stratgies when our personal bubble is popped or we encounter interuptions whilst trying to listen or work quietly. 

LITERACY

During week 6 and 7, in Year 2 we have been building our reading and writing skills. In writing, we have been learning more about narratives and are focusing on planning our ideas before we begin writing. Students have been using planning templates to think about the key parts of a story, such as the characters, the problem and the solution, which helps them organise their ideas and make their stories clear for the reader. During our phonics sessions, students continue to practise recognising sounds and spelling patterns, listening carefully to the sounds in words and applying the phonics knowledge they have learned to help them become more confident readers and writers. In reading, we have been learning how to compare characters in stories, using the fairy tale Cinderella as our mentor text. Students used Venn diagrams to explore how characters are similar and different, helping them think more deeply about the characters and better understand the story. 

NUMERACY

In Numeracy, we have been learning how to read, collect and represent data. We have been gathering information by asking questions and recording our results using tally charts and tables. Then we represented the data using pictographs and column graphs.

We have also been evaluating data by asking and answering questions about the information in the graphs, such as identifying the most and least popular choices and comparing quantities.

During Number Fluency, we have been focusing on addition and subtraction strategies to help us build confidence and accuracy when solving number problems and explaining our mathematical thinking.

CBL

During weeks 6 and 7, the focus in our CBL lessons has been on how our values help create an ethical school community. 

Students worked in small groups to discuss how we can show our school values in different areas of the school before creating their own posters that represent ethical choices. 

We also explored the minor and major behaviours grid to help develop our understanding of what kind of behaviours we might see at school, and how we safely manage them. 

Students also participated in role plays that involved making ethical choices in different scenarios at school and outside of school. They worked in small groups demonstrating respect for one another, and teamwork to complete the task successfully.

personal & social

In Personal and Social Learning, our Grade 2 students have been learning about the Zones of Regulation, focusing on the red and green zones. The green zone is when we feel calm, happy, focused and ready to learn, while the red zone is when we might feel very angry, frustrated, or out of control. Students have been learning to recognise when they are in these zones and to understand that all feelings are okay. We have also been exploring different strategies that can help us return to the green zone, such as taking deep breaths, having a short break, talking to a teacher, or using calming tools. These lessons help students build important skills for managing their emotions and supporting positive relationships with others in our classroom community. 

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.