April 20th - 23rd

Learning Intention:

- Students examine and apply a variety of processes to comprehend texts

I Can:

- listen and respond to a variety of fictional texts that are read aloud

- summarize a text including the main idea and key ideas

We have just recently started a new class read aloud - The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary.  As the students listen to the story, they are working on deepening their understanding by drawing and responding to the story by illustrating their favourite scene, such as Ralph riding the motorcycle or meeting Keith, as well as including details that show what is happening in the story. Along with their drawings, they are writing simple sentences to describe a scene, or share how the characters are feeling. This activity helps students build comprehension, connect with the characters, and express their ideas through both art and writing, while practicing important literacy skills like sequencing and using descriptive language.

April 13 - 17

                                        

 Learning Intention: 

- Students examine roles, responsibilities, and self-regulation and their connections to self-understanding

I Can:

- examine ways that individuals can positively contribute to communities

- explore how the roles and responsibilities of people, land, and animals contribute positively to community well-being.

- describe strategies that support self-regulation.

-practise a variety of self-regulation strategies

                                           

We were excited to welcome author Angela Murphy to our school, where she shared her heartwarming book Listen Up, Wonder Pup with our Grade 2 students. The visit brought the story to life as students listened with enthusiasm and curiosity. After the reading, they had the opportunity to ask questions about Angela’s real-life Wonder Pups, Draper and Zane, and to learn more about what it’s like to be an author. It was an inspiring experience that sparked imagination and excitement for reading and writing among our young learners.

Some questions from the students and answers from Angela Murphy:

Q: How long does it take for you to write a book?
A: Speak Up Wonder Pup took about 4 months but I had the idea in my brain for about 12 years. My other books take about 6 months to a year from having an idea, writing, editing, and getting the pictures done. 

Q: Does Draper actually teach Zane things?
A: Yes, he teaches Zane things like sitting for treats and he taught him how to jump off the dock into the water.

Q: Have you ever messed up a story and had to start all over again?

A: Yes! A lot! I write my ideas and I edit them over and over again. It's my least favourite part but it is one of the most important parts of writing. When I wrote Listen Up Wonder Pup, I made 27 changes!

Q: Are Draper and Zane actually brothers?

A: They are adopted brothers but they aren't biological brothers.

Q: Are you going to write any more books?

A: I'm working on a book right now! Book #8 in the Wonder Pup series is called, Heart Up Wonder Pup. It will be coming out in the fall.

April 6th - 10th

 

Learning Intention: 

- students analyze and investigate the translation, rotation, and reflection of geometric shapes

I Can:

- investigate translation, rotation, and reflection of two- and three-dimensional shapes

- describe geometric attributes of two- and three-dimensional shapes in various orientations

- recognize the translation, rotation, or reflection of shapes represented in artwork

In Grade 2, students are initially introduced to the concept of transformations using the more familiar language of slide, flip, and turn. In later grades they will learn and use the more formal language of translation, reflection, and rotation.

This week, we explored decomposing shapes to build our foundational understanding of geometry as we learned about slides, flips and turns. Students used critical thinking to break abstract shapes apart in different ways

▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶   ▶  

translation (or slide): a transformation in which a shape slides to a new position without changing size, shape, or orientation

                                                             

March 30th - April 2nd

Because, But, So - The Writing Revolution 

Learning Intention:

- students create and enhance ideas and information by applying a variety of writing processes

I Can:

- generate ideas that can be expressed through messages

- focus and limit the number of ideas in sentences

- apply creative thinking to create or adapt representations of messages

This year, students have been working hard building important sentence writing skills by learning how to express their ideas clearly using complete sentences. They practice writing simple, compound sentences using correct word order, capital letters at the beginning, and proper punctuation such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points at the end. We have also focused on expanding our sentences by using descriptive words and including important details. We are learning how adding words like because, but, and so helps improve our sentences by making our ideas clearer and more interesting. These words help connect our thoughts and show how ideas are related. For example, because helps explain a reason (“I wore boots because it was raining”), but shows a contrast (“I wanted to play outside, but it was too cold”), and so explains a result or cause and effect (“I finished my work, so I read a book”). When we use these connecting words, our sentences become longer, more detailed, and easier for the reader to understand.

Here are some student examples from our 'because, but, so' work that we did this week -

• The waves splashed onto the shore because a very big storm was rolling in!
• The waves splashed onto the shore but went back to get lost in the ocean.
• The waves splashed onto the shore so everyone got a shower!

• The kids were cheering because their team won the game!
• The kids were cheering but the teacher said they were too loud.
• The kids were cheering so the adults started cheering too.

• The cat was meowing because he was looking out the window and saw a bird.
• The cat was meowing but the owner noticed the cat was meowing differently.
• The cat was meowing so I took him out for a walk.