Year 2 Newsletter

9 May 2011

Where We Are in Place and Time

Dear Parents,
Unit of Inquiry
Our last Unit of Inquiry for Year 2 is “Where We Are in Place and Time”. The central idea is: People
migrate in response to societal and environmental factors.

The students will inquire into:

 Migration – chosen and forced

 The changes that occur due to migration

The key concepts being emphasised in this unit are:

 Causation - consequences & impact

 Change – adaptation

How Can You Help at Home?

You can help strengthen the key concepts at home by talking with your child about their own family
history. Share old and current family photos and discuss the different family generations seen in them.
Talk with your child about the various reasons family members may have moved (migrated) to a new
location or country.

These are the key vocabulary words that will be presented in this unit:

migrate/migration permanent

local (where you go within a weekend) society/societal

move/shift environmental

temporary political

native adaptation

choice forced

Links with the Unit of Inquiry

This unit lends itself to the development of speaking and listening skills. The students will have an
opportunity to listen to guest speakers and will practice interviewing techniques. You can help your child
at home by encouraging him/her to ask questions that encourage the flow of conversation, rather than a
simple yes or no answer.
Open-ended comments such as these work well:

 What was it like?

 How did it make you feel?
 Can you tell me more about that experience?
 I am wondering...
 I am thinking…

In writing we will explore personal narratives. We’ll also be using a wide variety of literature to look at
migration stories from around the world. These personal stories will allow the students to better
understand the consequences and changes that occur when people move from place to place.

In Maths the children will continue to apply their knowledge of place value while working on different
math activities. They will also begin to explore basic multiplication and division concepts.

What can you do at home to help your ESL child?

As parents you can help your child by reading books relating to people leaving their homes for new
countries. In addition, you might have letters from family members or friends who have shared their
stories of life in a new land with your family. These would be wonderful to share with your child whether
it is in your first language or English. Similarly, in your home language we encourage you to discuss some
of the vocabulary in this unit. Discuss with your child the central idea in your mother tongue as it relates
to your own family or others you know. This is a very oral and visual unit and lends itself well to looking
at photos or newspaper headings that relate to our central idea. Discuss with your child the emotions of
such a move and the adjustments that have had to be made. Perhaps even write your own family story!

A note about YR2 reading:

Our students have made great leaps in their reading this year. We are all very proud of their hard work
and the progress they have made. We just want to remind you of the value of parents reading aloud
and discussing books with their children. We hope that you are continuing to enjoy the daily book
sharing time with your child, and we encourage you to make it part of your daily routine throughout the
summer holidays. 

Kind Regards,
The Year 2 Team