We have commenced the Primary Connections Year 2 Science Program with a themed unit of work entitled "All Mixed Up". The unit is chemical science based and it investigates the change in properties that takes place when we mix two or more substances together. As an introductory lesson, we made a mind map of what mixtures can be, why we use them and where we find them. We looked at three different picture scenarios whereby three people were making mixtures and we put forward suggestions as to what was happening in each picture. We looked at 7 actual substances found in most kitchens and volunteers stirred a cup of each substance, observed how their substance smelt and looked and described this to the rest of Year 2. We completed a worksheet and learnt about some homework to do over the weekend which involves looking around our own homes to find substances to describe and draw. Please refer to the parent letter also sent home which describes the unit of work in more detail.
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We were extremely fortunate this week to have a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer come to visit Stage 1 to talk about shorebird protection at our beaches in the Eurobodalla. Dr. Amy Harris from the Narooma NPWS office came to our school to explain what vulnerable and threatened species of local shorebirds look like, how they live and what dangers pose a threat to their safety. Students learnt about 4 species of shorebird (the Hooded Plover, Little Tern, Pied Oyster Catcher and Sooty Oyster Catcher) through a mobile trailer stand complete with a photo display as well as through a series of boxes with taxidermied birds and their eggs in a simulated micro-environment. We learnt so much from Amy and it was so pleasing to see students making connections from Amy's talk to their own experiences at seeing some of these birds at their local beaches. Amy gave us all great little activity booklets to take home, perhaps your child has already shown you? Thank you Mrs Frost for organising the visit and thank you Amy for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us.
Earlier in the week Dr. Patty Rose came down from Wollongong to provide teaches, students and parents at our school with a workshop on anti-bullying, or as the more modern, positive and pro-active term states, a workshop on being UPstanders. Being an UPstander means you take immediate action if you see bullying behaviour being carried out around you. Messages such as 'stop-go-tell' were discussed, students acted out scenarios, interacted with a puppet, viewed a slide show and got the opportunity to learn about how to recognise bullying behaviour as opposed to conflict behaviour. A key theme of the morning was 'kindness' and them importance of this value was strongly emphasised throughout the session. Thank you Dr. Patty for encouraging us all to be Upstanders wherever we are, in order to stamp out bullying behaviour.
Our App of the week during literacy rotations this week has been Ryhmie Stymie where students have to think of rhyming words to match a clue. Here, Rafael completes the Quick Start level with all rhyming words correct! Clever rhyming, Rafael!
With the cooler weather starting to set in, students find a sunny spot with a warm brick wall to lean against and make the most of the sun's heat while they munch on their fruit or vegetables for Crunch and Sip break at 10 am.
2M have just completed a unit of work on Australian currency. We have been exploring the information contained on both sides of our country's dollar notes and coins. We practised totalling two or three coins up to find the amount. We then applied our subtraction skills to coins and dollars and worked with one and two digit dollar amounts to take the cost of a purchase away from a given amount.
As part of our recent measurement studies, 2M find ways to measure their feet, wingspan, knee to ankle length and hand to elbow length. Students used paperclip chains and unifix blocks as units of measurement and compared recordings with each other, discussing which lengths were shorter, longer or about the same. We laughed when we discovered that Mrs Morgan's wrist to elbow length is exactly the same as Rubi's knee to ankle measurement!
Recently 2M have been experimenting with capacity using water and choosing units of measurement to fill a variety of different sized containers. Students formed 6 investigative groups and chose from a spoon, a glass and a plastic measuring cup to measure water into their allocated container. Containers consisted of a milk bottle, a juice carton, an egg cup, a bucket, a drinking glass and a cooking bowl. The groups discussed their choice of measuring unit, talked about how many units they might use to fill their container, then in turn, each group demonstrated their measuring process to the rest of the class. The investigations were vocabulary and observation rich with terms such as full, nearly full, half/quarter full, overflowing, empty used to describe measuring. Observations included "we will be here all day using the spoon, we could have chosen the cup to pour and it would have been quicker"..."hey - the milk bottle and the juice carton look the same size and they have the same number amount on them (2Litres)"...."the bowl is nearly full, if we pour in one more cup, it will overflow - should we try it anyway?". Check out our fun below.
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A note from Miss Taylor..
Our class blog will be added to at the end of every week. Take a few minutes to check out the entries with your child and discuss what they, along with their classmates, have been learning in class over the previous week. I hope you enjoy this special account of your child's time in 2M. Positive and encouraging comments are warmly welcome! Archives
August 2017
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