Well done and congratulations to all students and staff involved in the Winter Concert! The students sang so well and were quite engaged with the rest of the concert. The students also looked amazing in their outfits! I hope you enjoyed the singing and playing at this Winter Concert.
On Monday morning we visited Grade 5 where we were introduced to simple machines and how they can solve a problem. Grade 5 students showed us games and a Rube Goldberg type machine which used a variety of forces to move objects. It was a great experience for us as we will be learning about simple machines in a future unit of inquiry.
We have begun tuning in to our new unit of inquiry: Where we are in place and time. Grade 2 have done a book look of a wonderful book called ‘If You Lived Here’. Please find a copy below if you’d like to explore this book with your child. From this book we discussed where the house might be located, what materials were used to build the house and why the house is designed in a certain way. Today the students gathered in their small groups to create a poster using a picture from the book. Together they analysed the picture and wrote their ideas of location, materials, shapes and weather/temperature.
In maths, we completed our 3D posters and will present them to Grade 1 next week. We continue examining the properties of 3D shapes and how 2D shapes are related.
During guided reading, we focus on comparing and contrasting (ie ‘Friends Around the World’), making Inferences and drawing conclusions, cause and effect (Alastair’s Night – the cat can’t sleep so what happens?), problem and solution (Taddy the Tadpole – how does Taddy solve being bullied?) and expanding vocabulary. We also practise developing our fluency by reading aloud within our groups or one-to-one. We have been fortunate to have Grade 10 students come to our class to support our emerging English readers.
Our writing has been focused on making words using a set of vowels and consonants and finding rhyming sets. We also practised our handwriting on the letter ‘l’. We have been trying to remember that English words begin either at the top or middle of a letter, never at the bottom, which has been an important point in developing legible handwriting style in Grade 2.
Next week, we will attend the rehearsal of the Secondary Winter Concert on Thursday.
For our UOI, students will meet in their small groups to begin exploring biomes around the world where their house will be located, from their they will be able to research the types of houses and their designs built in those locations. We will also explore the ways houses meets our wants and needs.
We will be continue working with 3D shapes and their properties next week and then move on to finding symmetry in 2D shapes, as well as, seeing how shapes might tesselate.
In literacy, we will make words using sets of vowels and consonants, practise our handwriting, read in our guided reading groups and begin answering research questions.
On Monday, 9th December we will have a Fun Run/ Walk Challenge at school organised by the PE Department. This will take place first thing in the morning and students need to wear their House colour t-shirt. Students can just wear their House colour, there is no need to purchase a special shirt for the day.
Please see photos here.