Grade 2
Welcome to grade 2!
On this page you can find information about our units of inquiry.
- UOI 1 How we organize ourselves
- UOI 3 How the world works
- UOI 4 How we express ourselves
- UOI 5 Sharing the planet
- UOI 6 Where we are in place and time
Contact:
Maggie Dawson and Angela Reed
Unit of inquiry 1
Interdisciplinary theme
How we organize ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.
Central Idea
Many foods are transported and processed before they reach our tables.
Lines of inquiry
Where our food comes from
How our food is transformed before we eat it
Why some food needs to be processed
Key concepts
Connection
Change
Learner profile
Knowledgeable
Inquirer
During this unit the students learnt how food is processed and transported before it is eaten. Over the course of the unit students were able to process different kinds of food by mixing ingredients and cooking foods. The class visited a bakery and a soy bean factory to see these foods being processed. They also visited the school cafeteria’s kitchen. Students studied how cocoa beans become chocolate and how wheat becomes bread. They developed their procedural writing skills by writing recipes, creating flow charts and sequencing events. In math students have been further developing their understanding of number bonds and number partners.
In music the students have been working on songs from different countries, learning the origin of the songs and learning to sing in different languages. They have compared songs from their countries to songs from other countries. (ie. Hello song from Africa; Freedom song from America/Gospel). The students have also started working on songs for the musical ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and songs for primary assemblies. The students work on rhythm activities each lesson, They do this by clapping rhythms, learning to read rhythms and they are beginning to write their own rhythms.
The students in Mongolian A are developing their vocabulary and comprehension by reading fictional stories and reciting poems. In this quarter they have read four books about ‘Mumi’. In writing, they are focusing on phonetic spelling and practicing to write simple sentences using appropriate word order.
Mongolian B students have learnt all vowels and 5 consonants and continue to practise their long and short vowels. They have also learnt how to write them in cursive. The students are starting to write some single syllable words with the letters that they have learnt by sounds. They have learnt a song and a poem about family and created their own booklet for the family poem.
Through the current unit the students have been working on their art project ‘Field of Grains’. They have learned how to create landscapes, showing foreground, middle ground and background. They used acrylic paint to color the landscape in colors of the harvest season. Children explored different sorts of grain by pasting them on their paintings to create textural effects.
Through our PE unit ‘Understanding a game enables you to adapt to it and perform better’, the students have been inquiring into strategies and skills needed for games and similarities between games. They are developing coordination skills, balance and spatial awareness through participating in simple lead-up games.
Unit of inquiry 3
Interdisciplinary theme
How the world works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
Central idea
Forces can affect objects in different ways.
Lines of inquiry
Different kinds of forces.
The effects of forces on our daily lives.
Key concepts
Causation
Function
Learner profile attributes
Risk-taker
Thinker
During this unit the children are using their observation skills and data collecting skills. The students learnt about experiments, fair tests and how to write formal lab reports. They experimented with pushes, pulls, gravity and friction. They were able to demonstrate their understanding through reflections of their experiments as well reflections of their tobogganing field trip.
In Mathematics the students have been learning to tell time and developing their understanding of elapsed time. They are now working on geometry. They have been learning about parallel lines and line segments and they will be learning about 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. They continue to practise skip counting and quick recall of number bonds.
In language, they focus on creative writing. The emphasis is on description and the use of adjectives. They are starting a unit on story writing and will be learning the writing process. The children are continuing to improve their phonics by using the thrass chart to help them spell.
In PE the students are feeling the forces while doing gymnastics. In their assessment they will be creating their own movement sequence.
Unit of inquiry 4
Interdisciplinary theme
How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Central idea
Folktales are told for many reasons and can be told in different ways.
Lines of inquiry
Why folktales are told
The ways people can tell folktales
Key concepts
Form
Connection
Learner profile attributes
Communicator
Thinker
During this unit the children will further develop their communication skills while they create and reflect on folktales. They are following the writing process to write a fable with the moral do not steal. Their fables will be illustrated by the grade 10 art class. The students will be presenting folktales in various ways. They are also listening to, reading and watching folktales from around the world in different media.
The students in Mongolian A have nearly all mastered the 35 letters. They are improving their vocabulary and reading skills by reading poems such as ‘Paandai’, ‘Brother, Sister and Me’ and ‘The Method of Studying’. In spelling and grammar the students are currently practicing long and short vowels and learning how to use the suffixes ‘ы’ and ‘ий’.
In Mongolian B the students are developing reading, writing and speaking by making simple sentences using new adjectives and nouns.
In Mathematics the students are now working on geometry. They have been learning about parallel lines and line segments and they will be exploring 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. They continue to practise skip counting and quick recall of number bonds.
Unit of inquiry 5
Interdisciplinary theme
Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
Central idea
Our personal choices can change our environment.
Lines of inquiry
What happens to the things we throw away
How our choices change the environment
Key concepts
Responsibility
Reflection
Learner profile attributes
Principled
Balanced
Reflective
In Mathematics the students are working on adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers with regrouping. They are also working on picking out the important information in word problems and deciding if it is a subtraction or addition operation.
The students are inquiring into how messages are conveyed in visual media. They are working on deciphering messages from posters and are creating their own posters with messages about how to conserve the environment. Many students are working on a novel study reading either The Littles by John Peterson or Flat Stanly by Jeff Brown. The children are developing their phonetic awareness and are working on developing their vocabulary.
n this unit students will be learning about the different properties of rocks and minerals. They are working with various types of rocks to see how they are classified and how they are transformed over time. Students will also be inquiring into how people use rocks and minerals. Each student will research to properties and uses of one type of rock or mineral. Students will be working on their report writing skills to present their findings.
In math students are using arrays, pictures and skip counting to solve multiplication and division problems. They are also working on using grids to interpret simple maps and develop their understanding of symmetry.
Unit of inquiry 6
Interdisciplinary theme
Where we are in place and time
An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.
Central idea
Rocks and minerals are transformed by humans and the Earth
Lines of inquiry
Different types of rocks and minerals
How rocks and minerals change over time
How rocks and minerals are used
Key concepts
Change
Form
Learner profile attributes
Knowledgeable
Inquirer
During this unit students will be learning about the different properties of rocks and minerals. They are working with various types of rocks to see how they are classified and how they are transformed over time. Students will also be inquiring into how people use rocks and minerals. Each student will research to properties and uses of one type of rock or mineral. Students will be working on their report writing skills to present their findings.
In math students are using arrays, pictures and skip counting to solve multiplication and division problems. They are also working on using grids to interpret simple maps and develop their understanding of symmetry.