Term 3

This fortnight, we have been strengthening key skills that support both reading comprehension and effective writing. In reading, we are developing strategies to unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues from the text and illustrations. Students were encouraged to justify their thinking before confirming their predictions with a children’s dictionary. We are also extending comprehension by comparing characters across texts various text that we read throughout the term. Rather than focusing on physical descriptions, we examined deeper qualities such as kindness, determination, or selfishness and how these traits influence the story. In writing, our focus has been on revising and editing. We are learning to reread with purpose, checking punctuation, ensuring sentences flow logically, maintaining consistent tense, and strengthening ideas by expanding simple sentences into more complex ones. Editing further refines this process, with attention to accurate spelling, correct capitalisation, and appropriate use of punctuation. To complement the writing process, we are also explored how illustrations can enhance meaning. Using our Writer’s Notebooks, we sketch key scenes such as the problem or setting to reinforce the connection between words and visuals. Through these combined practices, we are not only producing clearer and more polished narratives but also developed critical and creative thinking needed to become confident, capable communicators. We finally published our narratives as proud authors and illustrators.

In Year 2 we have been busy learning all about fractions! We explored halves, quarters and eighths by folding paper to see how the parts are connected. We compared fractions using pictures, models and measurements, and we even used clocks to see how halves and quarters are used in time, like “half past” or “quarter to.” We enjoyed discovering how fractions can be shown in many different ways and connect to our everyday routines.
We have also been learning about additive patterns by adding or removing the same amount using numbers and objects. We looked for patterns in real life and practised finding the missing elements, which helped us see that patterns have a rule and are all around us in our environment. 

For Personal and Social learning our Year 2 students have been focusing on how to have a positive attitude, even when things feel tricky. We’ve been learning that our words, thoughts, and actions can make a big difference to how we feel and how others feel too. We have also talked about showing care for others by asking, “Are you OK?” in kind and friendly ways, and how important it is to notice when someone might need support. Another focus has been learning to bounce back from setbacks, by practising strategies like staying calm, trying again, and not giving up when something doesn’t go our way. These lessons are helping us to grow in confidence, show kindness to others, and build resilience so our classroom and playground are positive and supportive places for everyone. 

Over the past two weeks we have been busy working on our CBL challenge. We brought our plans to life by using iMovie, Scratch Jr or Book Creator to share our narratives, and had so much fun communicating our ideas with others. Along the way we also learned about the importance of staying safe online and communicating positively.

In Literacy this fortnight, we have been enjoying our Author Study reading texts written by Aaron Blabey and Dr Seuss to learn about their writing styles and how they engage readers. 

In Reading, we have been making personal connections to the stories by thinking about important words. For example, when we read the word special, we shared times when we have felt special too. While making personal connections to specific vocab words in the text, it has also helped us understand the meaning of these words better.

 
We have also been practising making predictions and asking questions before and during reading to help us understand the text more deeply. 

In Writing, we have been working like real authors to plan and create our own narratives. We have been adding extra details to make our stories more interesting and have started rereading our work so we can make changes to improve it. 

In Numeracy this fortnight, we continued learning about fractions  and 2D shapes through hands-on, real-life learning experiences. 

In our Number Unit, we focused on understanding halves, quarters, and eighths by dividing shapes into equal parts and connecting this to everyday examples like pizza slices and folded paper. We learnt how repeated halving creates smaller fractions and we were able to explain how many parts make a whole using drawings and physical models. We also compared fractions, using pictures to decide which were bigger or smaller, and explained our thinking in simple sentences. 

In our Space Unit, we explored 2D shapes by recognising them in different positions, rotated, flipped, or moved and discovered that a shape's features stay the same even when its position changes. We used plastic shapes and digital tools to explore transformations, and identified real-world shapes in photos of familiar places. Through these activities, we learnt new vocabulary like "rotate," "slide," and "quarter turn," and shared our learning on Showbie. It’s been a busy and exciting time in Numeracy, with lots of opportunities to connect maths to the world around us!

In CBL we have been exploring two important aspects of digital technology: staying safe online and using technology creatively to share our ideas.

We talked about online safety where we discussed the importance of keeping our personal information private, using technology mainly for schoolwork (with some limited play), and recognising the possible dangers of being online. These discussions will help us build good habits and make careful, thoughtful choices when using digital tools.

We also explored how we can use digital technology to communicate our narratives in creative ways. We planned our ideas and began creating part of a narrative using one of three apps; iMovie, Scratch Jr, or Book Creator. We worked through our own challenges with the support of a planning template. In the following lesson, we were able to choose the app that best suited us to bring our story to life.

We are excited to continue using digital systems safely and positively  to communicate our ideas. 

Over the past few weeks, our Year 2 students have been diving into some fantastic learning across reading and writing. In Reading, we explored Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey, where students practised making predictions and explored how characters feel and why. 

We then moved on to The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, focusing on making connections to our own lives, identifying how the setting changes throughout the story, and how colours and illustrations can affect the mood of a text. In Writing, students have been working through the prewriting and drafting stages of the writing process. Using their Writer’s Notebooks, they’ve collected vocabulary, described characters, and planned settings. Inspired by themes in The Lorax, they began drafting their own narratives using planning tools like story maps and exciting sentence starters. We've also had a strong focus on oral language, encouraging students to respond in full sentences, ask thoughtful questions, and explore new vocabulary. In addition, students participated in bullying prevention lessons using resources from the Bullying No Way! program, learning about kindness, respectful behaviours, and strategies like "Stop, Walk, Talk." It’s been a busy and productive fortnight filled with creativity, reflection, and thoughtful discussion!

In Numeracy, we have been excited learning about Fractions and 2-Dimensional Shapes. We can recognise different shapes based on their features. For example, a square has 4 vertices and 4 sides. We also learnt that shapes could have parallel sides. To make our learning more meaningful, we explored shapes around us in the environment by identifying and grouping shapes based on the features they share, which helped us see how shapes appear in real life.

Alongside learning about shapes, we also learnt about fractions. We know that a fraction is part of a whole. We can recognise halves, quarters and eighths. 

We can find fractions of collections and divide shapes to show different equal parts of a whole.  

These hands-on activities helped us understand fractions in a concrete way and see how they connect to the world around us.

Over the past two weeks we have been learning about how to stay focused in class by practising strategies to ignore distractions. We talked about what helps us concentrate and tried using these strategies during our work time. We have also been learning about having a growth mindset, which means keeping a positive attitude and reminding ourselves that mistakes help us learn. It has been great to practise these skills and see how they help us do our best at school. This fortnight we also took part in a lifesaving incursion, where we learnt important tips about water safety and how to keep safe at the beach and pool.

 It has been a busy fortnight full of learning new skills to help us at school and in our everyday lives. 

This fortnight ,in week 4 we explored Scratch Jr App that was in line with our Big Idea System. We learnt to use the App to create a simple animated story, and we are hoping to turn it into a short movie using  I -Movie. We explored how to create animations in Scratch Jr, and add voice notes, music, and text using iMovie. We also learnt how to use Book Creator to create our own digital book with text, pictures, and record our voice. We continued our learning in week 5 by learning what command and instructions are, and how they join to make algorithms and patterns in coding. We explored with Beebot by understanding the signs on and how to instruct the Beebot to carry out our commands. 

In Literacy we started learning about Poetry. We focused on planning, drafting, and publishing a quatrain poem that follows an AABB or ABAB rhyme scheme. We chose our own topics and brainstormed rhyming words to help us create our poems. While writing, we made sure to focus on using correct punctuation and spelling, applying what we’ve learnt during our writing fluency lessons to spell words accurately.

In Reading, we explored books by popular authors like Dr. Seuss and Aaron Blabey, who are known for writing fun and engaging stories filled with rhyming words. These texts helped us understand how rhyme makes writing more enjoyable to read.

We also practised reading like good readers by using our phonics knowledge to decode tricky or unfamiliar words. This helped make our reading sound fluent and accurate. To support both our writing and reading, we focused on monitoring and rereading to help us decode words correctly and make sure what we read made sense.

In Numeracy, we have been exploring number and data. Throughout weeks 1 to 3, we have been learning how to double and halve numbers, and how these strategies link to multiplication and division. We used hands-on materials, matching cards and number stories to help us explain our thinking and solve everyday problems. 

We also practised using the language of “multiplied by 2” and “divided by 2” and wrote matching number sentences. We then looked at repeated addition on number lines to help us understand how multiplication works, and we used our knowledge of doubling and halving to solve worded problems. In our applied learning, we have been focusing on data. 

We learned how to collect and sort data into categories and present it using tables, tallies and column graphs. We even used digital technology to create our own graphs with labels and titles. Finally, we compared different types of graphs and used maths language to explain what we noticed.

The last three weeks in Personal and Social, we have been focusing on help-seeking and understanding how it plays an important role in managing disruptive behaviour. Our goal has been to support students in recognising when they need help, how to ask for it appropriately, and how to be a supportive classmate.

One of the activities we explored was The Life Raft Game. In this task, students imagined themselves stranded on a life raft and had to work together to solve problems and make decisions. This scenario encouraged students to practise asking for help, listening to others, and making thoughtful choices as a team.

Another highlight was our teamwork challenge: The Knot Game. Students formed a circle, reached across to hold hands with two different classmates, and then had to untangle themselves without letting go. This required clear communication, patience, and collaboration. It was a fun and engaging way to reinforce the message that helping each other and working together can solve even the trickiest problems.

Through these activities, students have begun to build their confidence in asking for help and supporting their peers, skills that are essential for both learning and life.

In CBL, we have been exploring all the amazing ways people can communicate! In Week 1, we learnt about how people can share messages without using technology. We wrote letters, used signs and symbols, and even tried out sign language and core boards. It showed us that communication doesn’t always need a screen and that everyone can be included in different ways.

In Week 2, we started learning how people communicate with technology. We had so much fun rotating through different stations like Showbie, WebEx, Scratch Jr, Bee-Bots, and Minecraft Education. We got to experiment, create, and play while learning how technology helps us connect with others.

Now in Week 3, we are learning about digital systems and what hardware and software do. It’s been interesting to discover how the tools we use every day actually work! We’re loving learning through hands-on activities, problem solving, and trying new things as a team!