Primary Weekly Highlights: Turtles 🐢

Our learning here at JB is always purposeful. We plan and teach units of learning through our cross curricular approach which are a combination of knowledge and skill building aimed at deepening student understanding. Our recent unit on turtles 🐢 in Year 2 was an example of all that is great about our approach. 

The unit comprised a brilliant balance of knowledge acquisition and application whilst also instilling a strong sense of purpose and motivation towards learning for students. The unit was packed full of amazing learning!

Students learned;

• About the differences between turtles and tortoises
• How to be aware of run on sentences (a continuation of the Writing Revolution approach)
• How to use similes effectively
• Why are turtles endangered
• How to write creatively 
• About loggerhead, leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles
• About life cycles
• How to make a video about protecting turtles including making their own props and writing a script

The students’ goal was to answer the question; why are turtles endangered and how can we help? As part of the unit, Year 2 sponsored a nest at Juara Turtle Project (JTP) on Tioman Island.

The classes brainstormed what they already knew about turtles and then sent some questions to JTP. The children were thrilled when JTP sent back a video response answering their questions and showing them around the beach and hatchery!

Since then they have learned all about the life cycle of a turtle and about the dangers that they are facing. The teachers incorporated a number of opportunities for students to develop their English skills. In keeping with our recent adoption of teaching techniques from the Writing Revolution approach, the students continued working on the concept of ‘run on’ sentences and learned about the four types of sentences; command, question, statements and exclamations. They often used the knowledge they have gained in this topic as a source of content for their writing.

Finally the children created their own videos to promote awareness of ways to protect sea turtles.

Here is a photograph of the nest that Year 2 has sponsored.

The Year 2 Team