Yr2 Curriculum Update – 07/09/18
Working together to achieve success for every child
Greetings! – It’s our 2nd edition!
We write a regular newsletter keeping you up-to-date and informed about your child’s learning. This will provide you with a good understanding of happenings in Year 2 and how you can support these learning experiences.
Let’s Inquire – How The World Works
This week, the students started their learning journeys, inquiring into the central idea, ‘Forces affect the objects around us’
Transdisciplinary Learning – It’s all connected!
Personal inquiry time has provided students with plentiful learning opportunities to question, explore and wonder, supporting their curiosity of how scientists investigate and measure. Consequently, students have started to use their skills of observation to note how forces impact and connect to one another. Literacy non-fiction texts and collaborative-play based activities have both served as mediums through which students can develop their science skills and collect evidence to support their investigations.
2018/19 is about open, visual, creative mathematics at KJS. In fact, our whole-school focus in recent weeks has been to enrich student learning by inviting them into this exciting world of problem-solving. A diverse range of learning activities, ranging from shape and space to sorting and counting, have increased students mathematical understanding, confidence, enjoyment, problem-solving skills, and promoted creative and imaginative approaches to Maths.
This week, the students started their learning journeys, inquiring into the Maths central idea, ‘Mathematicians use vocabulary and tools to observe, record and measure.’
Chinese
In the Chinese classrooms, our focus continues to be on the concept of wellbeing; what it is, and what we can do to promote our own and other’s wellbeing within the classroom.
In the current unit of “Who We Are”, the Year 2 children are inquiring into how their choices affect how they can become a successful learning community. Connections to learning are made using songs, rhymes and stories in Chinese. Other communication skills have also been introduced such as greeting each other appropriately and introducing themselves in Chinese.
Scholastic at KJS 2018-19
Scholastics Asia will once again offering students the opportunity to order books from catalogues. Flyers will be distributed to all classrooms and book order forms must be returned to the library. Please note the deadlines and book delivery times below. Orders after these deadlines will not be processed.
Flyers to classrooms 12th September 2018
School order deadline 19th September 2018
Book delivery time 19th October 2018
Intrinsic Motivation in Year 2
The most powerful and long-term process to support success in each child is to enable them to love learning and be intrinsically to be the best they can be. How you can help at home to support your child’s wellbeing and develop intrinsic motivation?
Suggestions for supporting learning at home
- Praise and give feedback on your child’s effort and take time to look at what they have shown you. Rather than saying “Great reading, what a clever boy!” Try “ Great effort, I noticed how you used expression / re read words/ used the punctuation” (The “What to praise” section is helpful reading here)
- Rather than, “I love your picture, it is beautiful, you are so talented!” try, “I can see how you used your colour there / tell me about your picture / I can see how you have focused on detail”
- Rather than stickers and rewards at home for expected behaviours just expect the behaviour and look for alternative connections! We should not reward children for doing the expected.
- Talk with your child sharing experiences of what motivates you in your job or why you do what you do as a parent (you certainly don’t get paid for it, nor do you get stickers or certificates!)
- Encourage your child that learning from mistakes grows their brain, try things that are hard and celebrate mistake making as a learning opportunity.
Tuesday 11th September
Year 2 Parent Charter Meeting (3.30pm-4pm)
Friday 14th September
KJS Lantern Festival & PTA AGM
Wednesday 19th September
Scholastic Order Deadline
Monday 24th September
Staff Continuous Professional Development Day (no school for students)
Tuesday 25th September
Mid-Autumn Festival (no school for students)
We hope that the pictures we add to our curriculum update each week will help you to make connections to the information shared above and to give you an insight into our week in Year 2
Please remember if you have questions or concerns, contact your child’s teacher. We welcome feedback and look forward to working with you all to achieve success for every child.
Kindest regards,
The Year 2 Team
