Unit 2

Grade 2 Curriculum Newsletter Unit 2
Please read about what your children will be learning and how you can support them at home...
Transdisciplinary Theme: How we express ourselves
Central Idea: The world is full of sounds which can affect how we feel and express
ourselves.
Key Concepts: Form, Function and Perspective
Lines of Inquiry:
 Sources and types of sound
 How sounds can affect the way we feel
 How we express ourselves through sound
 How different sounds are made by musical instruments
Focus for Learner Profile and Attitudes:
 Communicator, Risk-taker and Reflective
 Cooperation, Appreciation and Creativity
PSE – (Personal and Social Education) - students will:
 Continue to develop their listening and concentration skills
 Show respect for others
 Begin to develop an understanding of their feelings
 Learn to be more reflective about their behaviour, work and learning experiences
 Explore the concept of communication
Language - students will:
 Use adjectives to describe feelings and sounds
 Continue to practise letter formation
 Read a range of fiction and non-fiction books about sound and hearing
 Explore poems including onomatopoeic words
 Compose a glossary of adjectives
Mathematics – students will:
 Continue to count to 100, count on and count back in ones, twos and tens
 Begin to count in 5s and 10s
 Revise number bonds to 20
 Develop mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction
 Explore the language of addition and subtraction
 Investigate 3D shapes using appropriate mathematical vocabulary e.g. sides,
corners, sphere, cube
 Celebrate Maths Week
Science – students will:
 Identify sources of a sound
 Create a model eardrum to simulate sound vibrations
 Understand that sound travels and gets fainter with distance
 Investigate the characteristics of a sound, i.e. volume, pitch
 Make sounds of different pitches and volumes
Italian:
 I suoni per imparare a scrivere le parole e le frasi, in classe e a casa – scrittura di
parole e frasi per ripetere ed approfondire la capacità di lettura e scrittura
autonoma
The sounds for learning how to write words and sentences, in class and at home writing words and phrases to repeat and deepen the ability to read and write
independently.
 Primi dettati di parole e frasi
First spelling of words and phrases
 La lettura dell’insegnante per imparare ad ascoltare, capire e ripetere i contenuti
(uso anche di iPad)
Reading by the teacher to learn to listen, repeat and understand
 Canzoncine, filastrocche e poesie in rima. Rispetto del ritmo. Riconosco le
2016-2017
onomatopee
Songs, nursery rhymes and rhyming poems – recognise rhythm and onomatopoeia
Italian as an additional language - students will:
 Explore vocabulary related to musical instruments
 Recognize and name instruments by their sound
 Sing a simple song together
Visual Art – students will:
 Explore how music can be used to represent the mood of a picture
 Represent how different sounds/music affect feelings through water colour
paintings
 Reflect on styles and techniques in paintings
 Critically discuss their own and each others’ artwork
 Create a 3D musical instrument using junk materials
Music – students will:
 Listen to a variety of contrasting pieces of music and respond to them verbally and
through movement
 Explore ways in which music creates feelings within us using simple music
vocabulary related to the elements of music with a focus on timbre
 Inquire into the use of sound to express feelings in a story (cartoon, silent movies
etc.)
 Prepare songs for the winter show with a focus on preparation and constructive
criticism of performance
PE – students will:
 Develop their creativity throughout this unit by taking part in dance, gymnastics
and exercise to music
 Develop their dance and gymnastics skills, before applying them to construct
routines
 Link movement to music in order to express themes or ideas
Library – students will:
 Inquire into how sounds can be expressed through onomatopoeia and
create their own comic strip
 Explore strategies for choosing interesting and suitable books for
independent reading
ICT – students will:
 Use the iPad to research and review music videos (under guidance)
 Use Seesaw to document learning and reflections
Helping at Home
Language:
 While reading, ask your child questions how the characters may feel and why?
 Help your child describe things using adjectives.
 Discuss adjectives found in books and begin to encourage your child to think
about other adjectives they could use. For example: If Chip is nice. We could
call him good or kind.
Maths:
 Practice counting from 1 to 100 and back, by 2s, 5s and 10s.
 Count in everyday situations, for example when putting items into the
shopping cart at the supermarket, or at home while setting the table.
 Identify shapes in the environment.
Please download the following free apps: Geoboard, Number Frames, Number
Line Number pieces basic, Number Rack, Pattern Shapes, all by the math
learning centre, Counting Board, Noisy Nora, Tilly Witch Lite, Halloween Math,
Halloween Party by Playtales
If you don’t already have these apps, please download: Blobble Write, Spelling
city
Optional: ABA Flash cards games-emotions, WHOO Music, Kidstatic Music
Instrument, and Garage Band(Optional)
Unit:
 Talk to your child about the different sounds that they hear every day and
discuss how these sounds make them feel.
 Listen to as many different styles and types of music as you can. Follow the
link to a resource for listening and responding to music. Go to section “Mood”
to support this unit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/music/mm/index.shtml
 If you are a parent that is in some way involved in music/sound and could
share some information with the Grade 2 children, please let us know via your
child’s diary. Examples would be musicians, music therapists, dancers,
singers, etc. We would really appreciate your involvement in this unit. Thank
you.
2016-2017