Dear Parents,

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our students and parents, both old and new, to this new academic year. I hope you all had a wonderful summer vacation and you and your children are ready to begin a productive school year. My name is Hana Amireh and I will be teaching Grade 2 (C +D) national.

Please take the time to read this newsletter, as it includes information needed for you to understand our department policies and what to expect throughout the year.

We will be implementing the British curriculum Collins Primary Literacy is based on the National Literacy Strategy of the UK. The units are structured according to genre or text-type categorized into 3 blocks: Narrative, Non-Fiction, and Poetry. Speaking, listening, reading and writing skills are taught and developed in the context of the unit theme and practiced and applied to the unit outcome.

We will be reading novels in addition to the core textbook which relate to the genre being studied. The novels are not categorized as independent readers. They are and will be read and discussed with the support of the teacher.

Below is an overview of what will be taught during the year.

# / Unit- Text- Type / Novel / Phonics
Term 1 / 1 / Good and Bad (Characters) / Perfectly Horrid / Non- fiction / Read, Write Inc.
Blue Story Sets
1-10 and Blue Get Writing!
2 / Familiar Setting / Narrative / Katie Morag Delivers the Mail by Mairi Hedderwick
3 / Instructions / Take a Paper Plate / Instructions
Term 2 / 4 / Fairy Tales / A Kiss from a Princess / Non-Fiction / Read, Write Inc.
Grey Story Sets
1 to 13 and Grey Get Writing!
5 / Owls / Narrative / The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark
6 / Poetry / Shopping Out + Delicious Dishes / Poetry

Unit 1: perfectly Horrid- Good and Bad Characters

This unit is designed to last six weeks. During the unit, children will read examples of different stories with good and bad characters and the write their own opinion.

Vocabulary / Grammar / Skills

  • Antonyms/synonyms (compare/contrast)
  • Complete sentences with correct punctuation
  • Compound Sentences (and, but, because)
  • Powerful verbs
  • Adjective (descriptive words)

Students will write

  • Character Profiles
  • Apology Letter
  • All About Me

The unit outcome: Writing an opinion.

We are currently implementing the synthetic phonics scheme The Read Write Inc. programme. Read Write Inc. is a systematic and lively approach to teaching phonics, reading and writing. It enables every child to become a confident and fluent reader at the first attempt. Every child who completes Read Write Inc. learns to read fluently and confidently. Handwriting will be taught through the phonics programme. Our former Grade 1 students will continue with the following sets in Grade 2:

Blue Set

Grey Set

For the past two years Al-Asriyya Schools has been using a coloured banding system which links particularly well with our phonics programme Read Write Inc. All books in the Home Reading Programme are banded into colour levels which ensure all children read texts suitable for their stage and level of development.

Your child will not have to read all the books in a band before they can move on. Both the class teacher and Ms. Wasan, our reading teacher, will closely monitor each child’s progress and make regular judgments regarding ‘moving on’.

It might mean that your child could make excellent progress and even leap an entire level. Children do not always develop on smooth upward gradients, they often progress in spurts and plateaus; sometimes it is necessary to consolidate their understanding before moving on again.

Regular assessment in school will ensure that your child is reading books at the appropriate level.

Students will receive a Reading Folder and Reading Log. Please read the instructions on the back of the Reading Folder.

Order of Colours

Pink Red Yellow Blue Green Orange Turquoise Purple GoldWhite Lime

Every lesson we teach has a Learning Standard and a Success Criteria. The criteria will be written as an “I can statement” for each standard which will be glued on top of each page in a copybook or written on a worksheet. The criteria will inform you of what your child should be able to do during the activity.

The criteria will be assessed using a Traffic Light number coded sign in the following way.

Amber

Teachers will not only assess the criteria through writing activities but in a variety of ways such as oral discussion, questioning, drama activities, etc.

At the end of each literacy unit, Summative Tasks are administered to students in the form of writing, projects.

Summative Assessment Tasks take place after the learning and tells us what has been achieved. Even during summative assessments not every mistake is corrected. This is because we concentrate on specific areas of learning at any one time.

Summative Tasks will be assessed using a rubric. A rubric simply lists a set of criteria, which defines and describes the important components and expectations of the work being evaluated.

All copybooks and sheets have the handy line guide, Ground, Grass and Sky - to enable children to write ascending and descending letters correctly.

My Word Log Copybook: Students will be using the Word Log Copybook to compile a list of words that are related to a certain theme or topic. The words will be provided by the teacher. This will aid students during writing tasks by enriching students' vocabulary and improving their spelling

Phonics Assessment Copybook: A list of words or sentences will be provided everyTHURSDAYwhich will be tested on the following THURSDAY.

Handwriting Copybook: Handwriting will be practiced during phonics sessions.

Interactive Copybook: The purpose of the interactive notebook is to have an anchor for the standards taught, as well, as a reference that you and students can use throughout the school year. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes as well as for other activities where the student will be asked to express his/her own ideas and process the information presented in class.

High Frequency Grade 2 Booklet:The high-frequency booklets will be used during phonics sessions. Please read the explanation on the first page in the booklet.

Writing Journal Booklet:This journal provides students and parents educational opportunities to interact with one another through journal writing. Students will be assigned 1 writing activity per week. The journal will be sent home every THURSDAYto be returned the following TUESDAY.

Worksheet Pocket Folder: Students will be provided with Blue Folder to keep all worksheets in one place.

Summative Tasks Folder: All summative assessments and their rubrics will remain in this folder.

Note:

Please sign the Summative Task Folder and return the Next Day. If by any chance it is not returned it will no longer be sent home.

All the above will remain in the class unless homework has been assigned. They will be sent home every two weeks on WEDNESDAY. Please make sure you sign the last completed page of copybooks and bookletsand return on THURSDAY.

Please make sure that your child has the following items on daily basis:

Sharpened pencils

Eraser

Blunt scissors

A set of colored pencils

Pencil sharpener with cover

UHU glue stick ( liquid not allowed )

Plastic ruler

Dad's old white sport socks used as an eraser with whiteboard

Washable whiteboard markers – any color

Mini whiteboard

Weekly Newsletter: Every Thursday you will receive a newsletter on what has been done during the week, what to look forward for the upcoming week, any weekend homework and reminders.

Notice of concern: A note will be sent to you to inform you of any issues concerning your child. The form requests that parents sign the form and return to school the next day.

 Homework Diary: Homework, reading and additional assignments assigned during the week will be written in the Homework Diary. Parents are expected to sign the diary daily indicating that they have seen their children's homework assignments.