April - What are we working on?

Language Arts: In Language Arts this month we will be working on a new novel study on the book The Chocolate Touch. We will also work on contractions, and will soon learn about adding prefixes and suffixes to root words to change their meanings. Next up we will begin learning about fairy tales, and will plan and write our own fantasy story! Our author of the month is Jory John, who wrote the very popular Food Group picture books!

Math: Students have worked very hard these past few weeks to learn about addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. This is a tricky skill that we will continue to practice throughout the year. Next up we will begin working on counting with Canadian coins, and will work on telling time on digital and analog clocks. We will also get an introduction to financial literacy.

Social Studies: This month we will take a trip to our next Canadian destination! Our final unit of the year will examine a prairie community in Canada, and will look at the history and culture of this area of our country. We will also learn about Ukrainian-Canadian culture in the province of Saskatchewan. 

Science: We have been working hard learning about sound energy, and how it is produced/behaves in different mediums. Next up we will be learning about light energy, and will work on understanding natural vs. man-made sources of light. We will also learn about light waves, and how light travels through air and water. 

Health: Our focus this month will be on healthy habits. We will be learning about how to recognize signs of distress or anxiety in our own bodies, and strategies for coping and calming ourselves in times of frustration. We will also be learning about healthy foods and exercise, and how we can take care of our bodies in many different ways. 

P.E.: This month we will be spending more time outside during P.E. to learn fun cooperative games and activities that can be completed in the great outdoors! We will also begin working on basic soccer skills. 

Important Dates:


March - What are we working on?

Language Arts: In Language Arts we are continuing to work on phonics and phonemic awareness activities. Students have worked hard to tackle the grammatical concepts of synonyms and antonyms and on writing non-fiction paragraphs with topic and closing sentences. Later this month we will learn about contractions, and will begin to examine root words, prefixes, and suffixes. We will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day this month with several classroom activities. This month in lieu of an Author of the Month we are celebrating March Madness with our Book Bracket! Which book will be 2K's favourite read?

Math: Students have worked very hard to finish up our unit examining Fractions, and in the next few weeks we will begin to practice double digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. Following our regrouping unit, we will begin to look at Canadian currency, and will learn how to tell time using analog and digital clocks! 

Social Studies: This month we will  continue our study of an Inuit community in Iqaluit, Nunavut! So far in this unit, students have enjoyed learning about the history and culture of the Inuit people! 

Science: This month we will be learning all about both sound and light energy. We will examine where we can see examples of these energy forms in our daily lives, how they travel through our world, and how our bodies perceive them. In April, we will invite Teachers Pet into our class for a hands-on review of the concepts covered in this unit. 

Health: Our focus this month will be on Respect and Responsibility, and how these concepts shape good choices and behaviours in social settings. Following this unit we will examine safe choices in various scenarios.

P.E.: We have been working hard on learning how to send and receive with badminton tools. Net up, students will begin to practicing skipping with a jump rope and will continue to enjoy various cooperative games. 

Important Dates:


February - What are we working on?

Language Arts: In Language Arts we are continuing to work on interest-based reading and writing through the use of writing prompts. We have been working hard on our Mr. Popper's Penguins unit, and will soon start working on our own non-fiction penguin reports! Our grammar focus has been on synonyms and antonyms; next up we will be learning about contractions! This month, our author is Oliver Jeffers. 

Math: Our current unit focus is on geometric shapes. Later this month we will begin adding and subtracting with double digits. As part of our new math curriculum, we will begin learning about fractions this month, focusing on the language of halves and quarters. Additionally, we have been continuously practicing math games to help build our sense of numeracy and basic fact skills! 

Social Studies: We will soon be beginning our study of the Inuit community in Iqaluit, Nunavut. We will be learning about the history, culture, and daily life of a northern Canadian community!

Science: We have recently wrapped up our unit Earth Science, and will soon begin learning about Light and Sound! We will be examining different forms of energy, how they are produced in the world around out, and how our bodies sense and perceive them. 

Health: We have been learning about empathy, and healthy interactions with those around us. Our focus for the next few weeks will be on kindness and respect.

P.E.: In Physical Education, we are learning and participating in cooperative games while developing skills in receiving, retaining, and sending objects in different ways. We will begin working on jump rope skills this month as part of our participation in Jump Rope for Heart!

Important Dates:


January  - What are we working on?

Important January Dates:

December - What are we working on?

Language Arts: This month in Language Arts we are working on several different projects related to the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown! We will be practicing our research skills to learn about snowflakes and reindeer, and will review the parts of the story with many holiday picture books! Our grammar focus this month is in editing sentences, and adjectives/adverbs. Our author of the month this month is Jan Brett.

Math: Our unit focus in Math this month is place value. Students will be studying how numbers are made up of groups, and will be learning to count using hundreds, tens, and ones. We will be identifying numbers using base ten blocks, and will also continue to strengthen number sense and mental math skills in subtraction. 

Social Studies: We have 'taken off' on our trip to Nova Scotia, and will be learning about the language and culture of the Acadian people. We will be studying daily life in an Atlantic community while comparing their community to our own. 

Science: This month we will be learning about our own wonderful Earth! We will study the Earth's role in the solar system, its landforms and bodies of water, and how non-living and living things interact in our atmosphere. We will also be learning about our very own province, and the amazing natural wonders that we can see in our own backyards!

Health: We will be learning about fairness and conflict resolution!

P.E.: Students have been practicing their sending and receiving skill, and continue to participate in a variety of cooperative games. This month we will work on our floor hockey skills.

Important December Dates:

November - What are we working on?

Language Arts: We recently finished up our very spooky Halloween stories! Students have been working hard to strengthen their phonics skills, and have practiced reading and spelling a new sound each week. In grammar skills, students will be working on identifying adjectives in their reading, and on creating sentences with both a subject and a predicate. We have also recently begun weekly printing practice using Handwriting Without Tears, and will be focusing on building proper motor patterns within our letter formations. Our author of the month for November is Eric Carle!

Math: Our current unit focuses are on mental math, and addition within 20. Students have been building strategies to add quickly and efficiently, and have been learning many new games to practice their math facts. Some concepts that we will cover this month include tens partners, the commutative property, and adding using doubles +/- 1 or 2. Later this month, students will begin to work on the concept of place value, and will look at how numbers up to 1000 are made up of groups of 100s, 10s, and 1s. 

Social Studies: In Social Studies, we have been learning about the different ways that maps can be portrayed, and the necessary components that make up maps of all types. Later this month we will wrap up our mapping skills unit by creating a map of our own invented country. In our next unit, students will be taking a "trip" across Canada to visit the maritime province of Nova Scotia.

Science: This month, we will start our second Science unit of the year: Earth Systems! In this unit, students will learn about the role of the Earth within or solar system, and the different water systems and landforms on Earth's surface. 

Health: Students are finishing up our current unit on Growth Mindsets, and will soon begin working on conflict resolution strategies. This unit covers many concepts such as how to share your feelings, how to make an apology, as well as a variety of specific strategies to try when independently solving a friendship problem. These skills really come in handy here in Grade 2!

P.E.: In Physical Education, we will be learning and participating in cooperative games. We will also be practicing soccer skills after finishing up our basketball unit.

Important November Dates:


October - What are we working on?

Language Arts: In Language Arts we are working hard to continue strengthening reading, writing, and phonics skills. We have been learning a new phoneme every week, and have practiced reading and spelling with these sounds. We will soon begin working on seasonal writing projects including our own spooky story, and will finish up our unit on the basic parts of speech. Our grammar focus will be on nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Math: Our current unit focuses are on patterns and mental math. We have learned a lot about sorting, comparing, and making numbers! After finishing patterns, we will begin to study addition and subtraction. In this unit we will focus on math facts and problem-solving strategies. Students will work on strengthening their memorization and mental math strategies in order to build the skills needed for double-digit math problems.

Social Studies: After finishing up our unit on Community and Culture, we will be studying the different aspects of mapping and the geographic parts of Canada. We will also be creating our own country following the parts of the map learned throughout the month!

Science: In our "Materials" unit we will be finishing up our exploration of different materials. We have been examining the origins, properties, and uses of many different materials, and will be experimenting with creating our own objects. 

Health: We have been working hard learning about bucket filling and demonstrating kindness to those around us. This month we will also be learning about having a Growth Mindset, and will begin to identify and practice the important executive functions of organization and task initiation. 

P.E.: In Physical Education, we will be learning and participating in cooperative games. We will also be practicing team-building skills as well as sportsmanship. 

Important October Dates:

September - What are we working on?

Language Arts: In Language Arts we are beginning to build our reading, writing, and phonics routines. We will be working on our new provincial curriculum this month, and will be reviewing vowel sounds, completing reading assessments, and learning the structure of writing sentences. Later in the month we will begin our study of the parts of speech with a focus on nouns. Our author of the month is Marie-Louise Gay.

Math: Our current unit focuses are in Patterns and Number Sense. We will be looking at ways to identify, create, and predict different types of numeric, pictorial, and letter patterns. Additionally, we will be practicing calendar skills throughout the year through our morning routine. We will be building numeracy skills and mental math through games and daily counting activities.

Social Studies: We will be studying Canadian communities and relating them to our personal and school communities. We will look at our own communities, and learn about the city, province, and country that we live in. We will also be learning about the concepts of culture and traditions, and will discuss and share our own family practices in these areas.

Science: In our "Investing Materials" unit we will examine both natural and man-made materials, and discuss their properties and uses. We will experiment with a variety of materials, and will try our hand at building and creating different structures and devices.

Health: We will be learning about personal safety as well as healthy community behaviours. We will begin learning about the importance of having a "growth mindset."

P.E.: In Physical Education, we will be learning and participating in cooperative games. We will also be practicing team-building skills as well as sportsmanship. 

Important September Dates: