In Term Three, Year Two students will continue to strengthen and extend the skills and concepts taught in the classroom while also developing important habits such as responsibility, independence, and organisation through the use of homework grids. These grids offer a variety of engaging and purposeful activities that encourage children to apply their learning in creative and meaningful ways.
Homework grids will be sent home and completed fortnightly and will contain a selection of activities. Daily reading remains an essential part of homework, and students are asked to record their reading in their reading log. The other activities on the grid can be completed on days that best suit your family’s schedule throughout the fortnight. Once an activity has been finished, please sign it to acknowledge its completion.
Homework grids and reading logs will be collected every second Monday for teacher review and acknowledgement. On this day, the new homework grid will be added to students’ folders.
To help maintain effective communication between home and school, students are encouraged to keep their homework folders in their school bags each day. This ensures that home readers can be exchanged regularly and that any important notices, notes, or correspondence can be sent home promptly.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support in your child’s learning journey. Working together helps create the best opportunities for every child to grow in confidence and achieve success.
Supporting Reading at Home
Below are some sample comprehension questions that can be used during your child’s daily reading. These questions encourage children to think more deeply about what they read and help develop their understanding and enjoyment of books.
Before Reading
These questions encourage children to make predictions and connect the text to their prior knowledge.
- What do you think this book will be about?
- What clues does the title give you?
- What do you notice on the front cover?
- Have you read a similar story or learnt about this topic before?
During Reading
These questions help children monitor their understanding as they read.
- What has happened in the story so far?
- Who are the main characters?
- Where is the story taking place?
- What important event has just happened?
- Did you come across a tricky word? What clues can help you work it out?
- Why do you think the character made that choice?
After Reading
These questions encourage discussion and reflection.
- Can you retell the story in your own words?
- What was your favourite part? Why?
- What problem did the characters face, and how was it solved?
- How did the story make you feel?
- Would you recommend this book to someone else? Why or why not?
Characters and Feelings
- How was the character feeling at the beginning and end of the story?
- What made them feel that way?
- Did the character change throughout the story? How?
Predicting and Making Connections
- What do you think could happen next?
- What would you have done in the character’s situation?
- Does this story remind you of something from your own life or another book you have read?
For Non-Fiction (Information Texts)
- What new information did you learn?
- What was the most interesting fact?
- What was the main topic of the book?
- Can you share something you learnt that you didn’t know before?
Remember, there is no need to ask every question each night. Choosing just a few questions during each reading session is more than enough. The aim is to make reading an enjoyable experience while helping children build their comprehension skills and confidence as readers.
Maria Churack, Deborah Rodriguez, Deb Weymouth and Carissa Rechichi
Year 2 Teachers
