Rotations

During the last sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays the neighbourhood are involved in learning rotations. The rotations consist of guided reading and independent reading as well as borrowing in the library, ICT workshops in the library and maths projects in the neighbourhood.

The ICT workshops are currently involving the exploration of the Ultranet and personalising the children's pages. During the library sessions, the students are using shared text to focus on strategies that efficient readers use. During the maths projects sessions the students are exploring the concepts and understandings of space including symmetry, shape characteristics and transformation.

Alison Lester and University High Authors visit the Grade 2 Neighbourhood

As part of the Grade 2 Neighbourhood’s inquiry investigation about ‘What is a story?’ the children read ‘Are we there yet?’ by Alison Lester. The children related to many of the events that took place in the holiday recount and were inspired to present their own school holiday recounts in a similar style.

Beth Jackson wrote an email to Alison Lester explaining what the neighbourhood had been doing and how much we would appreciate and enjoy a visit. Beth captured Alison Lester’s imagination and she agreed to speak to the grade 2 neighbourhood. In preparation for Alison’s visit the neighbourhood has been reading her books in Book Talk with parent helpers. The children have been conducting word investigations while reading her books and have been making text to text and text to life connections.

Alison Lester and the students from University High visited the Grade 2 Neighbourhood on Thursday the 23rd of June. The Year 7 students from University High School were first to visit arriving a little after the 9 O’clock bell. The Year 7 students had published their own picture books and shared their books and experiences as writers to small groups.

The children were buzzing with excitement and were ready and waiting when Alison arrived a little after 12. The hour visit flew by as the children asked questions about her inspiration, the process she goes through when writing a book and her illustrations. Alison brought in her new book ‘One Small Island’, which is not in stores yet and read it to the class. To finish the session Alison kindly signed children’s books and donated 3 of her books (Noni the Pony, My Farm and Magic Beach) to our school library. Alison Lester is a wonderful story teller.

Rita, Jessica, Ethan and Emma would like to thank all the parents who have participated in Book Talk this term, our Year 7 authors from University High School, Clare Watson for organising the year 7 visit, Alison Lester and our very own Vicky and Beth Jackson.

Learning Agreement

The Children have been working with the learning agreements for the past 2 terms. The learning agreement encourages children to take control of their own learning. The learning tasks on the agreements have been workshopped and further covered in target teaching sessions as required. The children are eager to share their learning with you. Please feel free to look over this terms learning agreements and discuss the learning with your children.

The children are also selecting, reflecting and publishing their pieces of conferenced work at the moment. These pieces will be available to be shared in your child's portfolio.

The children are recording their personal narratives onto an ipod. These stories will be uploaded onto our blog and eventually the children's individual ultranet profiles. This ongoing process with continue into early next term.

A Story from Grade 2.

Our class was asked 'what is a story?'. A note was sent home asking if you knew an author or an illustrator who would come and work with our class. I didn't know anyone, but I had a look at Alison Lester's website, and I decided to email her. Alison Lester writes really good books, like 'Are we there yet?' and the 'Bonnie and Sam' series. I sent an email asking if she could come to visit our school. I was nervous doing this, but also excited. On Wednesday Alison Lester contacted Rita, to arrange to visit out school. I told my learning neighbourhood about how I had sent the email to Alison Lester. Everyone is excited, and I can't wait to meet her.

Bethany Jackson

Grade 2

Alison Lester will be visiting the neighbourhood on Thursday 23rd June.

Library Helpers

The Grade 2 Neighbourhood have 3 library sessions each week, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. All sessions are from 2:45 to 3:30. We are looking for 1 parent helper for each session to assist the children with borrowing books and reading a story to the group. If you can help please sign up on the noticeboard outside the learning space. If you require further information please see Jessica.

Why not 30 identical daffodils?

Identical daffodils for spring, rabbits for Easter, hearts or flowers for Mother’s day and Christmas trees in December. All identical, planned, prepared and supervised by adults, probably with adults doing much of the work.

Too much of this kind of activity suggests to children that there is only one way to make a daffodil or draw a rabbit and that their own ideas should fit into the narrow
patterns.

We encourage children to express their ideas in many different ways.

Look! Excursion

A big thank you to all the parents who joined us on the excursion to the Look! Exhibition at the State Library of Victoria. I think a wonderful time was had by all. The children have written fantastic recounts about the day, some of which will be published on the blog in the coming days.

Assembly

This Tuesday (31^st May) the Grade 2 Neighbourhood will be performing at the school assembly. The assembly will take place between 9 and 9:30. The whole neighbourhood will be performing on stage.

On Friday Rita and Jessica held auditions for the individual speaking roles. Sixteen brave children auditioned. Rita and Jessica were so impressed by all the children that they gave all sixteen a role.

All children have the poem Night glued into their readers and writers notebook so they can practice at home and those who are speaking also have a copy of their lines.

Look! Excursion

This Tuesday (24th May) the Grade 2 Neighbourhood will be visiting the State Library of Victoria. For the excursion the children will need to bring a plastic bag with their name on it, their readers and writers notebook, a pencil and a small snack.
We are still looking for adults to assist us on the day, please see Rita, Jessica or Ethan if you would like to join us. We are travelling by tram, leaving at 12pm and and will be back at school by 3:30pm.

Story Maps

This term the Grade 2 Neighbourhood is learning that good readers and good writers understand and use story structure such as problem and resolution in narratives. In our first workshop, groups read a big book and then created a story map to show the problems and resolutions that took place throughout the story. Here is the story map of Silly Willy. In Silly Willy the main character faced complication after complication, but the story ended with a happy resolution.

Inquiry: Telling Stories

This term the Grade 2 Neighbourhood are exploring stories and the different ways in which stories can be told. As part of the first learning agreement some children chose to tell a story through images. The children planned their story and drew sketches in their inquiry books before drawing with felt tip pens and painting in watercolours. We all interpret stories differently, what story do you think the children are telling though their paintings?

We invite all parents to come in and have a look at what the children have been creating.

In the drama space the children were given the opportunity to tell a story through either a play or a puppet show. The children had to write a script and then practise their performance before presenting to the teachers, a small group and/or the whole class.

Book Talk

Every Wednesday the Grade 2 Neighbourhood will be reading, listening to and discussing stories.

Parents who are interested in leading groups of children in these book talks are invited to see Jessica, Rita or Ethan by Friday, 13th May. You will need to be available on Wednesday mornings between 9 - 10. We are discussing the idea of having a roster for the book talks, so you do not need to be available every Wednesday.

Thank you to all of the parents and friends who participated in story time last week. Both teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed all of your stories.

Silly Bands

Dear parents and students. Could you please ensure that 'Silly Bands' are left at home in the future as they are causing some issues both in the yard and the classroom.
Thank you for your cooperation,

Year 2 Neighbourhood team

Mathletics

We are all very excited in the Year 2 Neighbourhood because Mathletics had arrived.

Mathletics is a wonderful program that enables students to experience mathematics through interactive activities at their own pace and ability level. There is the opportunity for children to challenge other children from schools around the world with live maths games.

Students have been given their user names and passwords today so that they can set up their profile and begin to explore the program.

We encourage students to become familiar with the program as it offers a fantastic home learning experience. The Internet is required to run Mathletics and there will be opportunities for students to access their accounts during the school timetable. Children can also participate by using the library computers during lunch open times.


Have fun

Farewell Tim!

The children and staff congratulate Tim on his appointment at his new school. We wish him a wonderful and exciting new chapter in his ongoing career and we look forward to establishing an online relationship with Tim's new group of children.

We would like to welcome Jessica into the Neighbourhood and we look forward to an exciting and an engaging time of learning.

Our thoughts are with Kevin and his family at this time and we look forward to seeing him in Term 3.

Thank you for welcoming Ethan into the school and Neighbourhood, it has made his time an enjoyable and rewarding one.

You have all worked so hard in Term 1, so kick back and relax over the holidays and we look forward to seeing your refreshed little faces in Term 2.