Sharks and Lions Curriculum Notes - Term 2
We welcome back our Lions and Sharks’ students to Term 2 2014 and hope
all families enjoyed the Easter holidays. Following our school sports, there is
the Shepparton Interschool Sports day, NAPLAN, School Production and a
public holiday all scheduled this term.
Religious Education:
Our Religious Education topics this term are Discovering our Christian
Heritage and Sacramental Life. During the Discovering our Christian Heritage
unit students develop their understanding of how Christianity has its roots in
Judaism and they will be able to recognise the common beliefs and
understandings across Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Students are
encouraged to investigate the rituals, symbols, customs and practices of these
religions and present this information to the class.
In the unit ‘Sacramental Life, students investigate how sacraments are
celebrations in rituals, sign, symbol and the word of the risen Christ with us.
Students also develop their understanding the a sacramental Church nourishes
and celebrates the key moments of our lives. This unit also allows some
students to gain a deeper understanding of the sacramental process they follow
when receiving the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation this term.
Literacy:
Reading: This term students will be learning how to analyse texts, by
identifying explicit and implicit information, investigating the structure of texts
and identifying the devices authors use to influence the reader. They will
continue to build upon their ability to skim and scan to improve their
comprehension and develop their word knowledge by recognising letter
combinations and the different sounds they represent. Students are asked to
read 15 - 20 minutes per night and document this reading in their reading
journals.
Writing: This term the students will be building their knowledge of persuasive
text types and explore how to use persuasive devices and to influence the
audience. Students will investigate how different text types and media sway
readers, looking at items such as advertisements, online reviews and
persuasive newspaper articles. During the spelling activities, they will continue
to build upon their knowledge of less common sound relationships in words
and continue to edit and refine their writing.
Math:
This term students will be engaged in consolidating their knowledge of
Number. Learning in the Number dimension of Mathematics will include
building upon knowledge of place value and working with operations to solve
number sentences. Primary operations that will be focused on throughout the
term will be multiplication and division.
Students will have an opportunity work in the domain of Geometry focusing
on 2D, 3D shapes and connecting these shapes with their corresponding nets.
Inquiry:
Our inquiry unit Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours aims to broaden students horizons
of cultural diversity. Through investigating and exploring cultural diversity
students will develop understanding, a sense of welcome and a willingness to
embrace the richness of multiculturalism. Our learning outcomes for the unit
are:
● Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of multiculturalism.
● Investigate and explore cultural diversity.
● Sequence events and describe their significance in bringing about
particular developments with Australia’s multiculturalism.
● Identify change and continuity and describe the causes and effects
of change has on society.
Physical Education:
This term students will continue to enhance and demonstrate a broad range
of basic and complex skills of kicking, skipping and forehand striking. They
will practice and refine the skills required for Athletic Carnival events being
conducted in week 2 of this term. Additionally, students will continue to work
with others to achieve success in cooperative and competitive games
situations throughout the BluEarth Leadership Program.
Science
Science sessions during Term Two will continue to encourage an interest and
curiosity in Science for the students. They will learn to make a prediction based
on prior scientific knowledge, observe a demonstration, offer explanations and
then further their knowledge through experimentation. There is an emphasis on
exploration and inquiry into why reactions take place with certain materials and
properties.
Emphasis will be given to the foundation of knowledge in the area of chemical
science, in particular, the physical changes made to materials through combining
and mixing. Science sessions will be very hands on, using readily accessible
materials so that further experimentation can occur at home.
Bounceback
Humour is one of the processes of optimism that significantly contributes to
personal resilience. We are able to feel more hopeful and lighthearted when we
can see a funny side of a difficult situation. Humour helps us to gain a sense of
perspective on our problems because it can throw a little light in an otherwise
black situation. It reminds us that life goes on. It helps us to cope with what we
can’t change. Humour can provide an opportunity to reduce the tension created
by strong and uncomfortable emotions such as sorrow, fear and anger. When
we laugh, we experience pleasure and a greater openness to discussion and
interaction. Research consistently demonstrates that laughing results in
beneficial physiological changes in our bodies that improve our health and help
us to fight illness. This understanding underpins the therapeutic use of humour in
medical contexts. Shared laughter is also a unique human bond that helps us to
connect with others. Having fun with peers and incorporating humour into
classroom activities helps students to feel more connected with each other and
their teacher and to stay engaged and on task. Laughter and humour hold
students’ attention and create positive emotions, thereby helping students to
retain the information they are learning.
Homework / Home help:
Students will be asked to read 15 - 20 minutes per night and document this
reading in their reading journals. The teachers will monitor the journals on a
weekly basis. Students will have access to math problems and they can
complete these each week: available from the St Joseph’s Wikispaces website
and Mathletics websites. Students are asked to complete a page of
persuasive writing in their Learning Journal once a week. Their topic will be
set by the teacher.
Notes for parents / Dates / Reminders Class Helpers
Term 2 Dates
Date
Event
Location
9th May
Interschool Athletic Carnival
Shepparton
11th May
Mother’s Day
13th-15th May NAPLAN
SJPS
3rd June
Reconciliation Mass
Bendigo
9th June
Queens Birthday Public Holiday
26th June
School Production
CVCC
27th June
Last Day of Term 2
SJPS
Availability to parents / Home-school partnership. Parents are welcome to
make appointments to see teachers from 8:20 - 8:40am and 3:30 - 3:50pm to
address any concerns or discuss their child’s learning.