Ms Trish  Grade 2  (February, 2024)

Robot Design Project: Exploring Creativity and Descriptive Writing

The inventive minds of Class 2.5 embarked on an exciting and imaginative journey - a robot design project that sparked creativity and descriptive storytelling.

Our students began this journey by exploring the fascinating world of robots. We learned that these remarkable machines aren't fictional but rather exist in our world and perform important functions. The use of robots has expanded greatly in recent decades, from exploration of hazardous environments like underwater volcanoes and deep seas to assisting in factories to make tasks easier, robots have proven to be incredible allies.

Our young innovators, boundless in their curiosity, came up with a plethora of ideas for how robots could be of even greater service to us. Some students thought it would be a good idea to make robots to help with homework and other household tasks.

A challenge was given! Armed with enthusiasm and inspiration, our students set out to design their very own robots. With colourful sketches and vibrant imaginations, they brought their mechanical marvels to life. The focus wasn't solely on drawing; narratives told via detailed prose were also important.

Finally, it was time to show off these genius works to their fellow students. With pride, each student showcased their one-of-a-kind robot designs, complete with descriptive paragraphs that brought their creations to life. 

Through this engaging project, our students not only explored the world of robotics but also honed their descriptive writing skills, fostering creativity and imagination along the way. Seeing the limitless imagination and talent of our young innovators is truly inspiring.

Mr Allan  Grade 2  (March, 2024)

Exploring Hybrid Animals

Introducing children to the world of hybrid animals can ignite their imaginations and nurture their creative spirits. In a lively and engaging lesson plan designed for second graders, the concept of hybrid animals becomes a gateway to boundless creativity.

The lesson commences with an interactive discussion about familiar animals, prompting students to share their knowledge. This sets the stage for the introduction of hybrid animals—a concept where the blending of two species leads to the creation of entirely new creatures. Excitement fills the room as children ponder the possibilities of combining different animal traits.

Armed with drawing materials, the students embark on a creative journey. With a vivid array of colors, they piece together their unique hybrid animals, merging features from their favorite creatures.

The classroom buzzes with activity as young minds blend the wings of a bird with the body of a horse or the stripes of a tiger with the scales of a fish.

Presentations follow, each student proudly unveiling their imaginative creations, describing the characteristics and origins of their hybrid animals. As they share, confidence grows, and peers marvel at the diversity of these newly envisioned beings.

Through this exploration, children not only learn about hybrid animals but also hone their presentation skills and celebrate the power of imagination. This lesson fosters an environment where creativity knows no bounds, leaving a lasting impression on these budding young minds.

Mr Ryan  Grade 2 (February, 2024)

Having Fun with Opposite Adjectives: Making Written Work More Interesting.

Adjectives are a great tool to help young writers make their word more engaging to the reader. They can describe feelings about a specific thing. During this class we learnt specifically about opposite adjectives and started the adjectives journey with a catchy song!

Having visual aids and real-world examples is integral for the students to become engaged with the concept of opposite adjectives. This was included in their learning PPT with bright colourful picture examples and sentences the students could read together in order for the adjective to make sense to them.

As the students felt more familiar with the concept of opposite adjectives, we were able to play a memory game wherein the students tried to remember the place of all of the opposite adjectives. During this process the vocabulary was used many times by the students as part of the game. This helped the students to retain the opposite adjectives vocabulary in a fun way.

As part of a review process, the students worked together in pairs in order to make a beautiful opposite adjectives poster. This was a good tool in order to assess their confidence with the concept and retention of learnt vocabulary. It also has the benefit of promoting good cooperation between the students. We had a competition for the most interesting or beautiful poster. It was hard to decide but the teacher allowed the class to decide the overall winner to foster a sense of pride amongst the students. 

Mr M  Grade 2  (February, 2024)

Dolch Scavenger Hunt

2.1 took their second graders on a fun adventure that was part scavenger hunt, part language challenge. Armed with excitement and a checklist, these little explorers combed a part of the school grounds to try and complete their list. Our fun challenge for the students was to create sentences using both Dolch words and things found on their checklist. It was like a mini outdoor classroom party! This outdoor activity wasn't just about fun; it was about learning on the fly. The sentences they came up with were like little masterpieces, connecting nature and words in their own creative way. The students may not always finish on time, which is why they are encouraged to finish inside the classroom and use other resources, like dictionaries, to make their sentences even more interesting. If the weather permits, outside activities are something both the students and teachers love to do. Students spend most of their time working hard in class, so it’s nice to have them go outside to refresh their mood, work closely with one another, and create fond memories. This scavenger hunt wasn't just a break from regular classes; it was a continuation of learning that left our second graders buzzing with excitement and words. It’s a great reminder that learning can happen inside and outside the classroom.

Mr Ryan  Grade 2  (July, 2023)

Magical Solar System

This semester, the students have been learning about the wonders of the solar system!

The opening of the class was showing them the science video ‘Planets Song’. The song was useful to help the students review the eight names of the planets with a catchy song that taught them different planet characteristics.

Secondly, the students took a more in-depth look at the eight planets by learning about which planets were gas planets and which were land based planets or ‘terrestrial’ planets. The students were able to brush up on their superlatives that we learned last semester by learning which was the ‘biggest, ‘smallest’, ‘closest’ and ‘farthest’ planet.

We reviewed the knowledge we had learned with a fun game; ‘guess the planet’ game. The students were given clues about the planet and guessed what it could be!

Now it was time to put their knowledge to the test! The students worked in pairs to design an accurate poster of the solar system. The students took great care with the accuracy of the posters and the presentation of each poster was excellent!

 Well done Students!

Mr Rohde  Grade 2  (January, 2024)

Writing with nouns and adjectives.

Teaching grade two students to write with nouns and adjectives is an engaging process that lays the foundation for expressive and descriptive language skills. At this stage, we focus on fostering creativity and expanding their English vocabulary.

Initially, lessons introduce the concept of nouns, emphasizing concrete objects familiar to the young learners. This might involve interactive activities like show-and-tell or outdoor scavenger hunts to identify nouns in their surroundings. Gradually, adjectives are introduced to add detail and color to their writing. Creative exercises, such as describing a favorite toy or pet using adjectives, encourage imaginative expression.

Incorporating visual aids like pictures or storybooks helps reinforce the connection between nouns and adjectives. Teachers employ collaborative activities, fostering a supportive environment where students share and discuss their descriptive sentences. These activities not only enhance linguistic skills but also promote teamwork and communication.

As the students’ progress, writing exercises become more complex. They may create short stories integrating nouns and adjectives to craft vivid narratives. Feedback and positive reinforcement play a pivotal role in building confidence, encouraging students to experiment with language.

By embracing a hands-on, interactive approach, teachers cultivate a love for language in grade two students, instilling fundamental writing skills that serve as a cornerstone for their academic journey in English. 

Mr James   Grade 2  (June, 2023)

Seasonal Activities

Introduction - Most of the children know something about the weather, the clothing we wear, the food we eat and the celebrations we have through the seasons. The aim of the class is to bring all this knowledge together and expand their vocabulary under the umbrella of learning about seasonal activities.

The Hook - As an engaging opening to the class, we sang a season song and discussed weather through the seasons.

The students explained why we wear certain clothes in different seasons and how the weather affects plants and animals.

Lead-in - We had a huge “seasons” brainstorm. The students told me everything they knew about the four seasons, and drew pictures on the board. We then discussed the different seasonal celebrations they knew about, and we talked about the activities we do in each season.

Then, guided by photos and short sentences, we looked in depth at all the different activities we do through the seasons. The children told each other which activities they enjoy. Some examples were hunting for chocolate eggs in spring, make sandcastles on the beach in summer, trick-or-treating in autumn, and building snowmen in winter.

Main Activity - The challenge was to create beautiful activities posters for our classroom display. To prepare for the task, the students matched seasonal activity pictures with their correct descriptions. The students then chose one activity they liked from each season, wrote a sentence about that activity, and drew pictures to show understanding.

Plenary - To conclude the class, some students were chosen at random to present their posters to the class. We asked the presenters questions about their chosen activities.

Revisit

Later in the week, we had a past-tense writing class based on summer activities. First, they matched verbs with pictures working in small groups, then they used the past tense forms of the verbs to create sentences in their books.

Reflection

The lesson was a success! Students, who initially struggled with discussing activities through the seasons, are now more confident conversing about the topic, in both present and past tense. The students have also expanded their “seasonal activities” vocabulary bank, and we will encourage them to use these verbs in their future work

Mr Rohde  Grade 2  (July, 2023)

Guided Reading classes

A Grade Two Guided Reading class is an essential element in developing children's reading skills. Guided Reading is a small group approach to teaching reading, where a teacher works with a small group of students to improve their reading skills. In this class, students are introduced to new words and are taught to decode them to improve their vocabulary.

Reading fluency is another crucial element of the guided reading class. Students learn to read with speed and accuracy. They also learn to read punctuation, which helps them to understand the context of the story. Reading with expression is also important, as it helps to convey the meaning of the story.

In addition to working on reading skills, students also complete comprehension questions after each story. These questions are designed to test their understanding of the story and to improve their critical thinking skills. Comprehension questions also help students to develop their vocabulary and improve their reading skills.

In summary, a Grade Two Guided Reading class is an important component in helping students improve their reading skills. By working on decoding new words, reading fluency, reading punctuation, reading with expression, and completing comprehension questions, students can become more confident and proficient readers. These skills will serve them well as they progress through their academic journey and beyond.