Dear Parents....a huge thank you for meeting with me to celebrate your child's successes and talk about some of their next steps going forward. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work together with you and your child during their Grade 2 learning journey and appreciate all your support!
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Learning Intentions: (Math)
- Students analyze quantity to 1000
I Can:
- Decompose quantities into groups of 100s, 10s, 1s
We have been working with Base Ten Blocks and Place value mats to help us learn about different number concepts. These manipulatives help students physically represent what they're learning so they can develop a deeper understanding of the meaning of the concepts they are working on. By building number combinations with Base Ten Blocks, students are more able to ease into the concept of regrouping or 'trading', and can hopefully see the logical development of each operation.
The size relationship among the blocks make them ideal for the investigation of number concepts. Lots of students recognized right away that ten units = 1 rod, that 10 rods = 1 flat and that 10 flats = 1 cube.
After gaining confidence using the Base Ten Blocks, they traded them in for a whiteboard marker and began decomposing and representing numbers pictorially.
- Students examine and apply a variety of processes to comprehend texts
I Can:
- Listen and respond to a variety of fictional and informational texts that are read aloud
- Make predictions prior to and while reading, viewing or listening to a text
- Compare actual outcomes to predictions made
- Create imaginative representations of stories that include characters, setting and plot
Together as a class we have been reading the story - The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Each day the students (and me!) look forward to our story time when we get to read about the next exciting adventure for our favourite robot named Roz, and her sweet little gosling named Brightbill. After reading the first few chapters, students picked a part of the story to represent using loose parts.
We also began making our collaborative bulletin board with everyone helping to create different 'parts' of the story...and it continues to develop as we keep reading each day. Ask your child what they have created and contributed so far!
This week, as we paused our reading at chapter 40 titled - The Ship, students were eager to make predictions about what might happen next...
We had lots of fun being sound scientists this week!
The study of science allows students to nurture curiosity, ask and answer questions, explore scientific concepts and acquire knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
Organizing Idea: (Science)
- Energy: Understandings of the physical world are deepened by investigating matter and energy.
Learning Intentions:
- Students investigate the behaviours of sound.
I Can:
- Relate vibration to the production of sound
- Identify sources of sound
- Safely explore the production and behaviour of sound
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We began our science exploration this week by asking - what is a scientist?
Students came up with:
"Someone who does experiments!"
"A scientist has to look at things very carefully."
"They use different tools and equipment like magnifying glasses"
"I think they try to figure things out, like try to find cures for cancer."
We talked about how scientists explore the world around them by - observing, wondering, asking questions, making predictions, using different tools and materials, conducting experiments, solving problems and sharing their findings...we decided that we can all be scientists!
We put on our best 'scientist ears' and headed outside to listen closely to the sounds we could hear all around us in our school yard. We created sound maps and drew a compass rose on our page to help us know where to record the sounds we heard in relation to where we were (in the middle) on our maps. We discovered many interesting sounds, as well as discovered that being patient and listening carefully was not so easy to do!
As mentioned above, scientists always share their findings and one of our very own little scientists shared with us - "I know that sound is made from vibrations, and the vibrations go into your ears so you can hear it." Well that sounded very interesting to us, so we decided to investigate this idea a little further. We watched a few videos and then tested this theory ourselves!
We conducted two experiments to further our understanding -
The Sprinkle Experiment
First we placed some sprinkles on the tight Saran wrap that was covering a bowl. Then we played the drum right beside the bowl. We discovered that the sound waves created by the drum made the sprinkles dance around!
The Tuning Fork Experiment
We recognized the tuning forks - "Hey, Mrs. Harris uses these in music!" and talked about how to use them appropriately. We had to remember that it was important to hold them gently at their base because if we held them too far up it changed the way they would vibrate. We discovered that when we tapped the tuning fork and then placed it in the cup of water it sent vibrations through the water!
Lastly, like all good scientists we recorded our observations and findings -
We were all 'thumbs up' after a successful 2024 Terry Fox Run!
Learning Intentions: (Social Studies)
- Students explore the diverse regions of Canada
I Can:
- Locate provinces in Canada using a map
- Compare the different features of Canada's physical features
Learning Intentions: (Wellness)
- Character Development: Exploration of life opportunities and virtues develops resilience and personal talents and promotes lifelong learning
I Can:
- Examine ways that individuals can positively contribute to communities through various roles
- Investigate opportunities to participate in community roles
- Explore how the roles and responsibilities of people contribute to community well-being
Learning Intentions: (Physical Education)
- Active Living: Developing physical literacy through movement and active living supports well-being across a lifespan
I Can:
- Demonstrate positive interactions with others during physical activity
- Participate in physical activities that require various levels of exertion and energy
This week we spent some time learning about Terry Fox and The Marathon of Hope by reading stories and watching videos from the Terry Fox Foundation website. We learned that Terry was born in Winnipeg - the capital city of the province of Manitoba, and with his family moved to a place called Port Qualicum on Vancouver Island, in the province of British Colombia. Looking closely at the route that Terry had planned for his run provided a great opportunity for us to review the Canadian provinces starting at St. John's, Newfoundland. We discovered that Terry began his run by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic ocean with the Pacific ocean being his finishing line. Sadly, Terry never got to finish his run and we learned that he had to stop running in the city of Thunder Bay, in the province of Ontario. While we learned more about Canada through The Marathon of Hope, we also learned about the incredible character traits of our special Canadian Hero -
"Terry always wanted help others. He cared about the WE not the me."
"Terry was thoughtful and he wasn't just thinking of himself when he had cancer because he was thinking about the other people that had cancer too."
"I think Terry is a good sport because he never complained even if he didn't win."
"Terry is brave because even though it was really hard fro him to run he still tried to run across Canada."
"He ran so many kilometres every day...that sure was perseverance!"
"He never stopped even when things were hard because he was determined."
"Terry Fox is a hero because he was running for the other kids that had cancer because he really wanted to help them get better."
"He didn't get to finish, but I still think it was brave that he ran from Newfoundland to Ontario."
"He was a kind person because he ran to raise money for others."
"He ran even when it was rainy, windy and cold - he just never quit."
"Terry never EVER gave up and that's why he helped so many people."
"Terry Fox was a true HERO...because being a hero means you always care about leaving Heartprints for other people."
