Welcome to

Year 2

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour,

and my hope is in you all day long.”

(Psalm 25:5)

Class Teacher: Mr Wilson
 Teaching Assistant: Mrs Appleby

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Michalik
PPA Cover/HLTA: Mrs Pickering

PE Days

Monday and Thursday 

Please come to school in your PE kit on these days. 

Homework and Spellings

Homework will be sent home each Monday to be handed in the following Monday. There will be a weekly spelling test each Friday. Please ensure your child completes their homework and learns their weekly spellings. Thank you. 

Reading Books

If needed, reading books will be changed each Friday. Please read with your child everyday (even if for just 5 minuets). Thank you. 

Welcome to

Year 2

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour,

and my hope is in you all day long.”

(Psalm 25:5)

Class Teacher: Mrs Jones
 Teaching Assistant: Mrs Indukuri

Teaching Assistant: Miss Laycock
PPA Cover/HLTA: Mrs Pickering

PE Days

Wednesday and Friday 

Please come to school in your PE kit on these days. 

Homework and Spellings

Homework will be sent home each Monday to be handed in the following Monday. There will be a weekly spelling test each Monday. Please ensure your child completes their homework and learns their weekly spellings. Thank you. 

Reading Books

If needed, reading books will be changed each Friday. Please read with your child at least 3 times per week. Thank you. 

Florence paid Year 2 a visit to tell us all about how she became a nurse, what equipment she used in the hospital in Scutari and how to look after a sick patient. 

Summer 1 Learning

RE: Eastertide

This half term the children will learn that Jesus rose from the dead and still lives with us. The children will know that Jesus told his disciples that he would go back to Heaven but promised that the Holy Spirit would come.  They will learn that Jesus ascended into Heaven and promised to return again and that this gives us hope. They will also know the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost and know that the Holy Spirit is promised to us.

English

This half term we will be reading ‘Paddington Bear’ by Michael Bond and writing our own stories about a Paddington adventure. We will also learn about writing non chronological reports about bears. In our punctuation and grammar lessons we will continue to improve our use of full stops, capital letters, question marks and exclamation marks. We will also be learning about conjunctions, commas in a list, adverbs and apostrophes.

Maths

In our fractions unit, the children will learn to:

• Recognise half, quarters, thirds and three quarters
• Find half, quarter, third and three quarters of an amount
• Know that half is equivalent to 2/4
• Count in fractions
• Recognise unit and non-unit fractions

We will then move onto learning to tell the time. The children will learn about:

• O'clock and half past
• Quarter past and quarter to
• Tell time past the hour
• Tell time to the hour
• Tell the time to 5 minutes
• Minutes in an hour
• Hours in a day

Science: Plants

Through a range of practical investigations and experiments, the children will learn that seeds have all the necessary parts inside for plants to grow. They will learn that seeds need water and warmth to germinate and recognise that light is required for healthy plant growth. The children will sequence the stages of a plant’s life cycle and recognise the importance of healthy plant growth.

Geography: Kenya

In this unit, the children will learn about the geography of Kenya through focusing on the main human and physical features of the country. They will learn about the key geographical features of the country including Kenyan wildlife, landscapes and culture. The children will learn about the similarities and differences between Kenya and the UK along with continuing to develop their geographical skills.

Art: Hot and Cold Colours

The children will learn about concept of warm and cool colours and explain how they are used by artists, such as Paul Klee, to evoke feelings. The children will develop their understanding of how colour is used in art before they embark on their own artistic journey creating works that incorporate contrasting warm and cool colours

PE:

This term Year 2 will be learning cricket with Mr Hanson on Wednesdays and Health and Wellbeing exercise with a specialist coach on Fridays.

Music:

This half term we will be singing a special friendship song and developing our musical skills by learning to play the glockenspiel.

Computing: Word Processing

By the end of the unit children will be able to:

• Explain which are the home row keys and how to find them for typing.
• Use the spacebar and backspace correctly.
• Type and make simple alterations to text using buttons on a word processor.
• Search for, import and alter appropriate images for a text document.
• Modify text in a document.
• Use copy and paste to copy text from one document to another.
• Explain what information is safe to be shared online

Spring 2 Learning

RE

Year 2 will learn and reflect on the importance of the celebration of the Mass. They will learn about the readings at Mass and why we should listen to them, and learn that at the Offertory we offer gifts to God. They will also appreciate that at the Consecration the bread and wine are changed into Jesus’ Body and Blood.

English

This half term we will be reading ‘Vlad the Flea and the Great Fire of London’ and writing our own stories about the fire. We will also be writing instructional texts. In our punctuation and grammar lessons we will continue to improve our use of full stops, capital letters, question marks and exclamation marks. We will also be learning about conjunctions, commas in a list, adverbs and apostrophes.

Maths

In our measurements unit, the children will learn to:

• Measure in centimetres
• Measure in metres
• Compare lengths and heights
• Order lengths and heights
• Four operations with lengths and heights
• Compare mass
• Measure in grams
• Measure in kilograms
• Four operations with mass
• Compare volume and capacity
• Measure in millilitres
• Measure in litres
• Four operations with volume and capacity
• Temperature

Science: Materials

This unit teaches children about the uses of everyday materials including wood, plastic, metal, glass, brick, paper and cardboard. The children will compare the suitability of different everyday materials for different purposes. They explore how objects made of some everyday materials can change shape and how the recycling process is able to reuse some everyday materials numerous times. It finishes with children learning about new discoveries which have made over time with a specific focus on John McAdam.

History: Great Fire of London

The children will learn about the key events of the Great Fire of London and will develop an understanding of the ways in which we can find out about the past. The children will have the opportunity to increase their awareness of the past by learning about what London was like in the 17th century. They compare life in the 17th century to the present day and consider how some problems, such as the lack of an organised fire brigade and the type of buildings, caused the fire to spread. Children then focus on how and why some things changed as a result of the fire, in order to be safer. They begin to learn how historical sources can tell us about what happened in the past and how some sources are more useful than others.

DT: Fire Engines

The children will explore modern fire engines and their features, before exploring, designing, creating and evaluating their own model fire engine using wheels, axles and chassis.

PE: Hockey

This term Year 2 will be learning hockey with Mr Hanson on Wednesdays and on a Friday with Mrs Pickering

Music: Zootime

This half term we will be singing songs about zoo animals and developing our musical skills by learning to play the percussion instruments.

Computing: Programming 2 (Scratch)

By the end of the unit children will be able to:

• Explore a new application independently.
• Explain what the blocks on ScratchJr do and use them for a purpose.
• Recognise a loop in coding and why it is useful.
• Use a code to create an animation of an animal moving.
• Use code to follow and create an algorithm.
• Program code to run ‘on tap’.
• Explain the role of the blocks in a program they have created.

We have been making our own puppets of Jesus and the 10 lepers and using them to retell the story through role play.

We have been making crafts to help us reflect on how Jesus chose his first disciples and that they did as Jesus asked.

In maths we have been using counters to make and add equal groups. 

Today we have been learning a poem about Jesus being young like us. We reflected on how Jesus did many of the things we do as children and came up with our own actions for the poem.

We have been learning about and reflecting upon the Holy Family. We draw beautiful pictures in our art books of Jesus with Mary and Joseph. 

Spring 1 Learning

RE: The Good News

The children will learn that Jesus brought the good news of God’s love and that this changed people’s lives. They will learn that Jesus used his power to help others and reflect on the importance of these events. They will reflect on how they can bring good news to their family and friends.

English

This half term we will be reading ‘Meerkat Mail’ by Emily Gravett and writing our own stories about an animation called ‘Catch it’. We will learn about meerkats and write an information text about them. In our punctuation and grammar lessons we will continue to improve our use of full stops, capital letters, question marks and exclamation marks. We will also be learning about conjunctions and commas in a list. We will also be learning our weekly spellings which the children are tested on each Monday.

Maths

In our money unit, the children will learn to:

• Count money and choose notes and coins
• Make the same amount and compare amounts of money
• Calculate with money, including finding change and solve 2 step problems

We will move onto learning about multiplication and division. The children will learn to:

• Recognise, make and add equal groups
• Recognise the multiplication symbol and understand multiplication sentences
• Use arrays
• Grouping and sharing for division
• Multiply and divide by 2, 5 and 10
• Double and halve numbers and objects
• Recognise odd and even numbers

Science: Animals, Including Humans

We will be looking at animal young and comparing them to their adults. Next we’ll learn how animals change as they grow up and look at different life cycles. The children will learn that humans change as they grow older and be introduced to the three basic needs of animals for survival. Finally the children will look at healthy lifestyles, including the importance of exercise, healthy eating and hygiene.

Geography: Hot and Cold Places

The children will be locating hot and cold places on a map and identifying where the equator is. They will also be learning about animals from hot and cold places and what we would pack on a trip to different places with different climates.

Design and technology: Bug Hotel

The children will be drawing on their knowledge of habitats by designing and building a bug hotel.  

PE:

This term Year 2 will be learning gymnastics with Mr Hanson on Wednesdays and with Mrs Pickering on a Friday.

Today we have been learning about royal banquets and designing our own. 

Autumn 2 Learning

RE: Mysteries

The children will learn about and reflect on mysteries. They will be encouraged to say and reflect on what they wonder about. The children will learn that there are three persons in one God and that we can experience God in three different ways as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They will learn about and reflect on God’s choice of Mary and Joseph and know that Jesus is God’s gift to the whole world.

This term Year 2’s other faith lessons will be about Sikhism and focus on places of worship.

English

This half term we will be reading ‘The Man on the Moon’ by Simon Bartram and writing our own stories about space. We will write a letter home to describe an alien and write a non-chronological report about an imaginary planet.

In our punctuation and grammar lessons we will continue to improve our use of full stops, capital letters, question marks and exclamation marks. We will also be learning about conjunctions and commas in a list. We will also be learning our weekly spellings which the children are tested on each Monday.

Maths

We will continue our addition and subtraction unit where the children will learn to:

• Use their number bonds to 10 and 20 to solve problems
• Add and subtract numbers to 100 using practical resources
• Add and subtract numbers to 100 using formal written methods
• Compare number sentences
• Find 10 more and 10 less
• Solve missing number problems

We will move onto learning about shape. The children will learn to:

• Recognise, draw and sort 2-D and 3-D shapes
• Count sides and vertices on 2-D shapes
• Find lines of symmetry on shapes
• Use lines of symmetry to complete shapes
• Count faces, edges and vertices on 3-D shapes
• Sort 3-D shapes
• Make patterns with 2-D and 3-D shapes

Science: Living things and their habitats

In this unit the children will learn about a variety of habitats and the plants and animals that live there. They learn to tell the difference between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive. They make observations of a local habitat and the creatures that live there, investigating conditions in local microhabitats and how they affect the minibeasts found within them. This unit allows children to research a range of global habitats and how the living things that live there are suited to their environments, and also introduces the idea of dependency between plant and animal species.

History: Kings and Queens

In this unit the children will learn about the significant British monarchs in history. We will do an in-depth study of Richard III as well as asking the children to draw comparisons between Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. We will also learn about royal banquets. The unit consolidates the children's awareness of the past and significant individuals through using timelines and making comparisons between various periods in history.

Art and Design: Painting and Printing

In art we will be learning about mixing colours and the colour wheel. We learn about printing with paint and make a crown with a royal repeating pattern.

Computing: Algorithms (programming and debugging)

In addition to finding out about how to stay safe online, the children will learn to:

• Decompose a game to predict the algorithms.
• Write clear and precise algorithms.
• Create algorithms to solve problems.
• Use loops in their algorithms to make their code more efficient.

PE:

This term Year 2 will be learning to play rugby with Mr Hanson on Wednesdays and gymnastics with Mrs Pickering on a Thursday.

Mr Hanson is also running a lunchtime multiskills club for Year 1 and 2.

Autumn 1 Learning

RE: Chosen People

This half term the children will learn that we are chosen by God and learn that God chose certain people to lead and guide his people. They will learn that God called Abraham and that God chose Moses to be a great leader. They will also learn about how Samuel responded to God’s call and find out about the story of Daniel in the lions’ den. They will have an opportunity to reflect on Abraham’s trust in God and learn that we should always trust God. They will learn that God chooses unexpected people and will be given the opportunity to reflect on their own response to God’s call.

English

This half term the children will be studying the story ‘Dear Greenpeace’ to help them learn to write their own letters. We will also be reading ‘The Storm Whale’ as a stimulus for story writing. Finally we will be reading a non-fiction text, ‘Can a whale swim to the moon?’ These books will also be our focus for our daily reading comprehension lessons. In our punctuation and grammar lessons we will be learning about how to write a good sentence, capital letters, full stops, exclamation marks and question marks. We will also be learning our weekly spellings which the children are tested on each Monday.

Maths

During our place value unit, the children will learn to:

• Read, write and count numbers to 100
• Recognise 10s and 1s and use a place value chart
• Write numbers to 100 in words
• Partition numbers to 100 in different ways
• Estimate numbers on a number line
• Compare and order objects and numbers.
• Count in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s

During our addition and subtraction unit, the children will learn to:

• Use their number bonds to 10 and 20 to solve problems
• Add and subtract numbers to 100 using practical resources
• Add and subtract numbers to 100 using formal written methods
• Compare number sentences
• Find 10 more and 10 less
• Solve missing number problems

Science: Living things and their habitats

In this unit the children will learn about a variety of habitats and the plants and animals that live there. They learn to tell the difference between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive. They make observations of a local habitat and the creatures that live there, investigating conditions in local microhabitats and how they affect the minibeasts found within them. This unit allows children to research a range of global habitats and how the living things that live there are suited to their environments, and also provides an introduction to the idea of dependency between plant and animal species.

Geography: Maps and our local area

The children will explore a range of maps at a local, national and global level, developing their understanding of how to navigate around an atlas to find key countries, continents, oceans and seas along with devising their own maps and routes. They will learn how to ‘view from above’ looking at aerial photographs to spot human and physical features, understand simple map symbols, compass directions and develop key geographical vocabulary throughout the unit.

Design and Technology

In DT, we will be researching and testing healthy foods. We will then go on to plan and make our own healthy wrap. The children will learn to:

• Name the main food groups and identify foods that belong to each group.
• Describe the taste, texture and smell of a given food.
• Think of different wrap ideas, considering flavour combinations.
• Construct a wrap that meets the design brief and their plan.

Computing: What is a computer?

In addition to finding out about how to stay safe online, the children will learn to:

• Name of some computer items and their function.
• Recognise that buttons cause effects.
• Explain that technology follows instructions.
• Recognise different forms of technology.
• Design an invention which includes inputs and outputs.
• Explain the role of computers in the world around them.

Music: Orchestral instruments

Children are introduced to the instruments of the orchestra and practice identifying these within a piece of music with a theme of traditional western stories. They learn how different characters can be represented by timbre, how emotions can be represented by pitch and how changes in tempo can convey action.

PE:

Dance: The focus of the learning is to respond to the stimulus using a range of different, controlled movements. Pupils will show how to control and co-ordinate their bodies to perform movements that represent an explorer preparing for an expedition.

Ball skills: The children will learn how to dribble and pass the ball using a range of different techniques. They will also learn some of the rules of basketball and to play as part of a team in a mini-tournament, putting their newly developed skills into practise.

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