English / Year 2 / Language / Expressing and developing ideas

Curriculum content descriptions

Understand that nouns represent people, places, concrete objects and abstract concepts; that there are three types of nouns: common, proper and pronouns; and that noun groups/phrases can be expanded using articles and adjectives (ACELA1468)

Elaborations
  • exploring texts and identifying nouns that refer to characters, elements of the setting, and ideas
  • exploring illustrations and noun groups/phrases in picture books to identify how the participants have been represented by an illustrator
  • exploring names of people and places and how to write them using capital letters
  • building extended noun groups/phrases that provide a clear description of an item
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
ScOT terms

Tense (Grammar),  Verbs

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about flying foxes

Have you seen a flying fox which is a type of fruit bat? Don Spencer uses descriptive words and phrases in his flying fox song to help us understand these animals and explore a day in their life.

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about black swans

Discover a graceful Australian bird, the black swan. Watch the images (pictures) and listen to the lyrics (words) of the song by Don Spencer as he sings about the black swan.

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about emus

Imagine what it would be like to be a bird that cannot fly? Watch the clip and listen to the song by Don Spencer that captures in words and rhythm how the flightless emu thunders through the Australian bush.

Text

The exquisite corpse: A Grammar-based Word Game

The Exquisite Corpse is similar in style to the old game of Consequences. In the game, each player adds on a new word, folds over a piece of paper to hide the word and passes the paper on. The simple formula of adjective, noun, verb, preposition, adjective, noun will produce something approximating a sentence which can ...

Text

Some ideas on how to teach the more tricky grammar elements

Refresh your knowledge of grammatical points prior to teaching your students with this digital presentation that covers topics such as the role of determiners, of pronouns, of prepositions, of subordinating conjunctions, of punctuation and of tense. While this is a resource developed for a UK-based audience, it is relevant ...

Text

Level 1 and 2: Imaginative retellings

This lesson demonstrates how a teacher can use the teaching practice of shared writing to compose a new resolution to the story book Hunwick’s Egg written by Mem Fox. Through the shared writing of an enlarged piece of text, the teacher models, seeks ideas from the cohort and makes explicit links to the learning intention. ...

Text

Work sample Year 2 English: Imaginative writing using a known character

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 2 English. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

Interactive

Syllabus bites: types of sentences

A web page resource with information, teacher guides and activities on types of sentences to support the Australian Curriculum in English K–10. It has detailed activities, links to resources and quizzes.

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: pets

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a cat and a fish to make the sentences more interesting. Substitute different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animations for the sentences. Use your two lively sentences as the start and ending of an imaginative story. Check ...

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 English

This unit of work focuses on developing student understanding of the importance of being track safe and the key message 'Stop, Look, Listen, Think'. It builds students' familiarity with the vocabulary and key concepts related to rail safety and provides differentiated activities for writers at different stages of development ...

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about the Kookaburra's call

Have you heard a Kookaburra's call? Watch this clip and listen to the lyrics of the song performed by Don Spencer that captures in sounds and words the magical call of the kookaburra.

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about platypus

Watch as a platypus emerges from its burrow on the bank of a billabong (small lake). As you watch, listen to Don Spencer's song as he describes seeing a platypus and explores its unusual looks.

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about goannas

Goannas are a type of Australian lizards. Listen to the lyrics of the song performed by Don Spencer that asks lots of fun questions about goannas. Watch some goannas moving through the bush and looking for food.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about koalas

Some people mistakenly call a koala a bear, but it's not. Listen to this fun song by Don Spencer to find out how a koala might feel about being called a bear.

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Describing household chores

There are several different types of verbs. In this video, most of the verbs are transitive verbs, which means they are action verbs with direct objects that receive the action. Identify the transitive verbs and the direct objects in the examples provided in the video.

Video

Say hello in Dharug

Watch this video to learn how to greet someone in the Dharug language, spoken by the Indigenous people of the Sydney Basin area. How do you say 'hello, how are you?' in Dharug? And what are the words for good and bad? Practise these phrases with Jacinta Tobin and then teach them to a friend or family member.

Video

English Year 2 with Tahlia: Suffixes

In this lesson, you will learn how to find and use base words and suffixes. Tahlia demonstrates how to find suffixes in a book, and she provides opportunities for you to build new words using suffixes at home.

Video

Cooking verbs

Verbs used to describe different actions while cooking are many and varied. Learn some of them in this short Australia Plus video. What do you think is the difference between 'chop' and 'cut' and 'dice'?

Video

Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about kangaroos

This is a song about an Australian animal, the kangaroo. Don Spencer sings lyrics about how people from all over the world come to see the kangaroo. Listen to the rhythm. It is like the hopping of a kangaroo.

Video

Cleaning verbs

When you tell someone you're cleaning, you're giving them a general idea of what you're doing. Some of the verbs mentioned in this video are more specific and can help you describe what you're doing in more detail. What are some other verbs that describe more generally what you are doing, and what are some verbs that can ...