Year 2
Miss Howarth & Mrs Dalbock (2H Class Teachers)
Mrs Baker (Teaching Assistant)
What will Year 2 be learning in the Spring term?
English
In English, we will start the term with a unit on poetry. The children will have the opportunity to explore, discuss and perform a range of poems by Michael Rosen (Don't, Chocolate Cake, Warning, Finger Food, and Welly Boots.).
We will then move on to reading, discussing and retelling the following Aboriginal Dreamtime stories: Why Koalas have Stumpy Tails, How Kangaroos Got Their Tails, The Rainbow Serpent, Tiddalick the Frog, and the Rainbow Bird.
In Spring 2, we will complete a unit of work on the text The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton and complete the unit by looking at a range of non-fiction texts.
Weekly reading comprehension and guided reading sessions will continue to take place each week. Additionally, each week a new spelling rule/pattern from the Supersonic Phonic Friends Year 2 spelling programme will be introduced.
Weekly handwriting lessons will focus on teaching the children to how to join their handwriting correctly.
During maths lessons, the children will be focusing on money, multiplication and division, length and height, mass, capacity and temperature.
We will follow the White Rose Hub maths scheme and cover the following National Curriculum objectives:
MONEY
- Recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p); combine amounts to make a particular value.
- Find different combinations of coins that equal the same amounts of money.
- Solve simple problems in a practical context involving addition and subtraction of money of the same unit, including giving change.
MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION
- Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables, including recognising odd and even numbers.
- Calculate mathematical statements for multiplication and division within the multiplication tables and write them using the multiplication (×), division (÷) and equals (=) signs.
- Show that multiplication of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and division of one number by another cannot.
- Solve problems involving multiplication and division, using materials, arrays, repeated addition, mental methods, and multiplication and division facts, including problems in contexts.
MEASUREMENT - LENGTH and HEIGHT, MASS, CAPACITY AND TEMPERATURE
- Choose and use appropriate standard units to estimate and measure length/height in any direction (m/cm); mass (kg/g); temperature (°C); capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit, using rulers, scales, thermometers and measuring vessels.
- To compare and order lengths, mass, volume/capacity and record the results using >, < and =
This term we will cover the following:
- locate where cold places are in the world and explore the Arctic and Antarctica.
- locate where hot places are in the world and discuss how rainforests and deserts are near to the Equator.
History
We will continue to study a range of significant explorers and answer the following questions:
- Why is Neil Armstrong still remembered as a significant explorer today?
- How has exploration changed over time?
- Are there still explorers travelling to new places in modern times?
- How has exploration changed over time?
- How can we remember and celebrate significant explorers from the past?
After half term we will start a unit of work on 'Castles' and answer the following questions:
- Why and when were castles first built?
- How and why did castles change?
- Who lived in a castle and what jobs did they do?
- What were the living conditions like inside a castle?
- What was daily life like in a castle?
- Warwick Castle case study - Who built it? Where was it built? When was it built?
- Warwick Castle case study - How did the castle keep people safe?
- Warwick Castle case study - How has the castle changed over time?
Science
In Science, we will be learning all about Uses of Everyday Materials. The children will be taught to:
- identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials (including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard) for particular uses.
- find out how shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.
After half term the children will complete a unit of work on 'Living Things and their Habitats'. The will:
- explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.
- identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.
- identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats.
- describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food.
Religious Education
In RE lessons we will explore 'Religious Books' from different faiths. We will focus on The Bible, The Qur'an and The Guru Granth Sahib and read some of the stories and parables written in the books and discuss the messages that they are delivering.
After half term we will complete a unit of work from the Understanding Christianity syllabus and explore 'Why Does Easter Matter to Christians?'
PE
We will continue units of work on Dance and Gymnastics.
During the Dance unit we will:
- explore space and how the body can move to express an idea, mood, character or feeling
- expand our knowledge of travelling actions and use them in relation to a stimulus
- build on our understanding of dynamics and expression
- use counts of 8 to keep in time with the music and a partner
- explore pathways, levels, shapes, directions, speed and timing
- work independently and with others to perform and provide feedback; beginning to use key terminology.
During the Gymnastics unit we will:
- explore and develop basic gymnastics actions on the floor and using apparatus
- develop gymnastics skills of jumping, balancing and travelling individually and in combination to create short sequences and movement phrases
- use shapes, levels and change direction in movement sequences
- improve our performance through feedback and recognise elements of high quality performance
- learn to work safely with and around others and whilst using apparatus.
After half term we will focus on Invasion and Target Games.
During the unit of work on Invasion Games the children will:
- understand what ‘being in possession' means and support a teammate to do this.
- Understand that scoring goals is an attacking skill and explore ways to do this.
- Understand that stopping goals is a defending skill and explore ways to do this.
- Explore how to gain possession.
- Learn how to mark an opponent and learn that this is a defending skill.
- Learn to apply simple tactics for defending and attacking.
During the unit of work on Target Games the children will:
- Consider how much power to apply when aiming at a target.
- Understand how to score using overarm and underarm throwing.
- Become more accurate at striking a target.
- Learn to hit a moving target.
- Take part in team target games.
Year 2's PE days are:
2H: Monday and Wednesday
2B: Tuesday and Wednesday
Please ensure your child comes to school on these days wearing their PE kit - school PE t-shirt (or plain white t-shirt), school jumper/cardigan, black shorts/jogging bottoms/leggings and a pair of trainers (If possible, please can the trainers have velcro fastening since laces cause much disruption to the lesson?).
Art
Our Art lessons will focus on 'Sculpture' this term.
We will be looking at sculptures designed by the British artist Anthony Gormley (such the Angel of the North, Another Place, Field, Quantum Cloud, Exposure) and the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (such as Walking Man, Seated Man, The Chariot) and discuss how these sculptors were influenced by the artistic styles of Cubism and Surrealism.
The children will then have an opportunity to attend a workshop where they will design and make a sculpture in the style of Alberto Giacometti.
Design & Technology
The Design and Technology unit will focus on 'Textiles'.
The children will design and make a soft toy for a child. They will :
- consider the suitability and safety of different types of materials
- be introduced to sewing.
ICT/COMPUTING
The children will complete a unit of work on Robot Algorithms. In this topic they will
- programme Bee bots to follow a series of instructions
- learn to debug a programme that they have written.
After half term we will move on to a unit of work called 'Making Music'. The children will:
- use a computer to create music.
- listen to a variety of pieces of music and consider how music can make them think and feel.
- compare creating music digitally and non-digitally.
- look at patterns and purposefully create music.
Important reminders
Please make sure that your child brings their water bottle, reading book and reading diary into school every day. Your child may not necessarily read on the same day each week so it is really important that they come prepared every day. We cannot issue the next book until the previous book has been returned. Any lost or damaged books will incur a cost of £5. Thank you for your support with this matter.
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