Grade 2 has worked so hard this first term and I am very proud of them. They have learned new routines, risen to some challenges in their learning and have begun asking very interesting questions. I am looking forward to our continuing learning journey and acquiring new understandings and skills.<\/p>\n
This past week has focused a lot on our summative assessment. The students have collaborated on designing and building homes for families who live in particular places around the world. Not only did they have to use their social skills, they needed to use their research skills to find out the types of homes suited for their environment. It was a challenging task, especially for our English language learners! As you will see when looking at the photos I think you’ll agree they did a fantastic job!<\/p>\n
Grade 2 will finish up this unit after the holiday when they will complete their writing linked to their home and present their homes to each other, commenting on why they chose certain materials and how they met their family’s needs.<\/p>\n
Our reading has been focusing on reading for meaning and I have included further information for you to help support your child’s reading at home.<\/p>\n
Our shape and space unit in maths has also been a lot of fun. We have identified the composite shapes which can be used to make a whole shape. This will lead into partitioning of shapes which eventually leads to using fractions.<\/p>\n
Even as an adult reader, there are times when I am reading a story and I get lost and am not sure what has happened. Fortunately, when this happens, I have strategies I use to help me understand the story. The same thing happens when children read. However, with children they often keep reading and do not realise they lost comprehension until the end of the story. They are too concerned with reading accurately, and forget to take the time to think about what they are reading. How can we help them gain comprehension? We can teach them the comprehension strategy: check for understanding<\/strong> because good readers stop frequently to check for understanding or to ask who and what.<\/p>\n How can you help your child with this strategy at home?<\/p>\n 1. When reading to your child, stop periodically and say, \u201cLet\u2019s see if we remember what I just read. Think about who the story was about and what happened.\u201d Do this 3 or 4 times throughout the story.<\/p>\n 2. When reading to your child, stop and have them practice checking for understanding by saying, \u201cI heard you say\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Ask your child the following questions: \u2022 Who did you just read about? \u2022 What just happened? \u2022 Was your brain talking to you while you read? \u2022 Do you understand what was read? \u2022 What do you do if you don\u2019t remember?<\/p>\n Thank you for your continued support at home and I wish you a lovely holiday!<\/p>\n Please see some recent photos in these folders:<\/p>\n