Prep | Year 2 News

Unit of Inquiry

Sharing the Planet

Central Idea: Taking action can sustain and protect the world’s resources

Key Concepts: Perspective, Responsibility, Causation

In Week 8, we launched our new Unit of Inquiry into Sharing the Planet. The boys have analysed a variety of the world’s issues and shared their perspectives on the issues they believe are the most important issues facing the World today.

It has been exciting to hear how each boy has shared his thinking on Earth’s most urgent environmental crises and how the boys have listened respectfully to each other’s perspectives, so as to develop their thinking and empathy skills in a highly emotive unit.  The boys have engaged in a thinking routine (See, Think, Wonder) to delve a little deeper into the pictures that represented the World’s issues.

This week, after Mr. Wyatt showed all the Prep boys the rubbish that they generate each day, we have begun analysing the problem of plastic packaging, and working towards alternatives and action we can all take at school and at home.

Throughout the inquiry the boys will explore the key concepts through our lines of inquiry: the complexity of sustainability (Perspective), finite and renewable resources (Causation), and how action can take different forms (Responsibility). It is a unit that really encourages authentic action. Please be ready for your son’s innovative ideas and his ways to sustain the World’s resources at home.

English

In English, Year 2 have been learning about the different function words play in sentences.

You might be surprised with the answer if you ask your son the function of common nouns, proper nouns, pronouns, adjectives, conjunctions, and verbs. You may be even more surprised to hear how many different forms of verbs he knows! Through our InitiaLit Grammar programme, our learners are developing a sound understanding of grammar, and how sentences are formed correctly in English.

The boys are also building their spelling skills through our Initialit Programme and furthering their understanding of common spelling patterns for different phonemes in English. Spelling consolidation work is provided on Seesaw each week as a means of consolidation for our learners. Please take the time to engage with your son and his spelling home learning. (English photo 1)

In Literacy Groups, our comprehension focus in the last two weeks has been inference.

Making inferences is a strategy that involves using evidence from the text and reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. This critical thinking skill uses prior knowledge and experience to connect unknown parts of a text with known information. By teaching inference, Year 2 are able to connect more deeply with what they have read and comprehend more complex texts. You can practise inferring with your son at home by asking questions like: Prompts:

What do you know about…Using your background knowledge, what can you infer about…?

What do you think about…? How do you think that character may be feeling? What clues tell you that? How would you feel in that situation?

Mathematics

In the last few weeks, our Year 2 learners have been furthering their understanding of multiplication and division. Through this unit, the boys have been expanding the range of strategies they can use to help them solve mathematical problems. These strategies include using concrete materials to make equal groups, sharing objects, creating arrays, using repeated addition and subtraction, commutative properties and using skip counting to find totals. The boys have been applying these strategies to solve open ended problems. The next step in their learning is to justify which strategy is the best to use for a given problem. You might like to ask our Year 2 students: If there are 24 students in a class, how many different equal groups can they make?

Next term, we will begin a unit where we explore shapes, area and angles. You might like to look for shapes we see in our everyday lives while on holidays. How big is the park we are playing in? Is it bigger than the park we went to yesterday? How could we find out? What shapes do we see at the supermarket? Why do you think they used those shapes?

Music

During the Classroom Music lesson through the Collaborative Unit of Inquiry of How The World Works students have inquired into the Concepts of Causation, Function and Reflection and delved into the function of the Grand, Upright and Square Pianos here at the Preparatory School. Through the inquiry of the human voice, they have learnt how to care for this most precious of instruments. Ask your son to identify three important steps for good vocal health? They have also continued their involvement in the Strings Program and prepared for and delivered the termly strings concert in Week 8.