Welcome to Year 2

Fire and Ice

This term we learn about Australia, the Great Fire of London and contrasting Polar Regions.  Having learnt about fire safety, we witness the Great Fire of Lindfield at school.

Maths

In our Maths lessons we use the school’s concrete/pictorial/abstract approach to support our lessons which primarily are based upon number skills of addition and subtraction.  We build upon counting skills in 2s, 5s and 10s.  Problem Solving Pineapple sets us problems throughout our lessons and we love showing our learning in our Discovery Maths sessions.

Reading

We read a range of high-quality texts which support our topics, which include Little Brown Bushrat, Wombat Goes Walkabout, Ice Bear and Rainbow Bear.  We use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise) skills when looking at texts to gain a full understanding of what we have read.  It is important for children to read regularly at home and school working their way through differentiated reading books.  In partnership with home we use Home/School Diaries to record children’s reading experiences.

Writing

This is based on the children’s immersion in our topic.  Children create non-fiction pieces alongside fiction pieces of writing.  We use knowledge from history and geography to include interesting facts in our writing and encourage the children to build their own word bank and also experience poetry.

 

Science

We learn about the importance of senses for ourselves and animals. Year 2 have great fun investigating materials that keep us warm and cold with the help of ice cubes.  Children learn how particular animals are suited to their habitats and explore the life cycle of penguins.

P.E.

We follow Jasmine, focusing on balance and co-ordination.  We work on gymnastic skills responding to a range of stimuli and devise short sequences which we can perform to the rest of the class.

History and Geography

Children will learn about the Polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic and the animals which live there.  They will  learn about Robert Falcon Scott and plot his journey to the South Pole.  They will also  learn about life during the Great Fire of London, find out about Samuel Pepys and his diary.

Design Technology

This is a home challenge which the children enjoy every year, where they create their own half-timbered house and bring it in to share.  The culmination of our topic sees us create our own Great Fire of Lindfield.

Art

We introduce the children to primary colours and the use of silhouettes.  Children enjoy using this technique to create dramatic scenes of London during the Great Fire, they then adapt this technique and use different media to create a Christmas card.  Also this term we look at observational drawings of poppies and polar bears, using shading techniques to add depth and substance to the pictures.  During our work on Australia the children also re-create Aboriginal drawings of native animals, combining sand and paint.

Computing

We learn about computer safety and the importance of keeping data private and not sharing passwords.  Children have the opportunity to experiment with Paint programmes to create pointillism and impressionist pictures.

 

 

R.E / PHSE

In RE we look at Kindness and discuss the Big Question, “Is it possible to be kind to everyone?” and also learn about the Christmas Story.  We deliver our PSHE through our Jigsaw scheme which focusses on “Being Me in My World” and children’s hopes, fears, rights and responsibilities.  We create a class charter and acknowledge that we are all different and unique.  In November we participate in anti-bullying week.

Modern Foreign Languages

We continue to build on the work from Year 1 and encourage the children to respond to the register in Spanish and introduce numbers, parts of the body and simple colours.

Scales and tales

This term we are learning all about traditional tales, castles, reptiles and their habitats. We have an exciting trip to a local castle and even host our own medieval ball. We get hands on experience with some scaly reptiles with a visit from Jaws and Claws.

Maths

In Maths we follow the White Rose Hub schemes of learning and children given the opportunity to use concrete, pictorial and abstract approaches throughout our maths lessons. Children also develop their problem solving language and skills through problem solving pineapple activities. We also practice our fluency skills throughout the week.

Reading

We engage with many high quality fiction and non-fiction texts which are linked to our Scales and Tales topic. We focus on these texts within our English lessons and have opportunities to explore these further during our guided reading and whole class reading sessions. These include Tell Me a Dragon, Snow Dragon and the Legend of the First Unicorn. We use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise) skills throughout our exploration of the texts and guides our discussions.

Writing

We use engaging stimulus to inspire our writing and continue with our Scales and Tales theme. We explore a range of different writing purposes for example writing to inform, persuade and entertain.  The children particularly enjoy exploring voice overs in documentaries and capturing the language and style that is used.

Science

During the Spring term we look at animals including humans. We have great fun exploring microhabitats and have the opportunity to create our own. We also look at plants and get the opportunity to grow our own bean - we wonder if any will reach the sky?

P.E

In the spring term we continue to follow Jasmine and focus on the cognitive and creative cogs. We revisit balance and co-ordination working hard to improve these skills. At the beginning of the term we focus on indoor athletics working hard to beat our best scores. Later we then move on to gymnastics exploring movement and creating simple routines to perform to the rest of the class.

History and Geography

In History we have lots of fun exploring how castles have changed over the years and looking at specific castles in our locality. We also look at what life is like in a castle and how it would be to live in one. In the second part of the term we focus on Florence Nightingale and look at similarities and differences to hospitals then and now. In Geography we explore castles in the South- East and discuss why they are built in certain areas.

Design Technology

In our DT lessons we design and make a dragon trap to capture a dragon which has escaped! We think carefully about the size of the trap and follow a strict brief.

Art

In our Art lessons we explore hot and cold colours inspired by the book Tell Me a Dragon. We then sketch our very own dragon thinking carefully about texture and tone. Later on in the term we create our very own still life arrangements using plants and flowers that we have collected. We create our own version of Monet’s garden and later use these to inspire our poem writing in English.

Computing

In computing we continue to use Purple Mash to explore different programs. This term we learn how to use 2Animate to create our very own animation of a seed germinating and a plant growing.

R.E / PSHE

In PSHE we look at what it means to be healthy and discuss why it is important to stay healthy and hygienic both at school and at home. We find out what makes a healthy, balanced diet and create our own menu incorporating this. In RE we explore the Easter Story and why Christians choose to celebrate it.

Modern Foreign Languages

This term we learn about animals and foods and being able to say whether we like or dislike them.

Splish, Splash, Splosh

This term we learn all about seasides in the past and how they have changed over time. We have an exciting trip to Brighton Sealife Centre where we have lots of time to explore the different sea creatures and even have lunch on the beach!

Maths

In Maths we follow the White Rose Hub schemes of learning and children given the opportunity to use concrete, pictorial and abstract approaches throughout our maths lessons. This term we focus a lot on position and direction looking at describing movements and turns. We have lots of time to consolidate our problem solving skills and use what we have learnt so far to solve problems using a variety of different methods.

Reading

We engage with many high quality fiction and non-fiction texts which are linked to our Splish, Splash, Splosh topic. We focus on these texts within our English lessons and have opportunities to explore these further during our guided reading and whole class reading sessions. These include The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, Flotsam and Katie Morag. We use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise) skills throughout our exploration of the texts and guides our discussions.

Writing

We use engaging stimulus to inspire our writing and continue with our seaside theme. We explore a range of different writing purposes for example writing to inform, persuade and entertain.  The children particularly enjoy writing a diary as a lighthouse keeper and writing their own non- fiction story inspired by Flotsam.

Science

During the summer term we look at animals including humans and explore every day materials. We study the absorbency and flexibility of different materials and discuss the appropriate materials for different buildings.

P.E

In the summer term we spend a lot of time practicing for sports day persevering with our catching, throwing, jumping and running skills. We have lots of fun learning about golf and the correct technique of using a golf putter. We work on our accuracy controlling the distance of the ball and making the ball land in a specific area.

History and Geography

In History we have lots of fun exploring Brighton in the past looking specifically at Brighton Pier and how Brighton as a seafront town has changed over time. We look at a key figure Queen Victoria and the impact that she had on Brighton. We explore the clothing worn today on the beach and compare this to the clothing worn in Victorian times.

Design Technology

In our DT lessons we design and make our very own lighthouse. We measure and saw doweling to make the mechanism used in the Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch to get the basket from the house to the lighthouse. We think carefully about how this mechanism could work. We also think of ways to prevent pesky seagulls from stealing our delicious picnic basket lunch.

Art

In our Art lessons we explore different styles of painting including pointillism and collaging. We look at specific artists and adopt their styles in order to create our own versions these include Seurat and Hokusai. We have lots of fun collecting shells and using these to create our own shell made from clay.

Computing

In Computing children use Purple Mash to continue to develop their programming skills. They look at what debugging is and learn how to debug simple programs. Children have the opportunity to create their own simple program using different objects.

R.E / PSHE

We begin the term by looking at belonging and discuss the big question ‘Does going to the mosque give Muslims a sense of belonging?’ We have the opportuning to visit a local mosque and explore Islam in more detail. In PSHE we use Jigsaw to explore different relationships and what a good relationship looks like. We also look at ways to solve conflicts with our friends.

Modern Foreign Languages

This term we learn about insects and their habitats and ask ‘where is?’