Year 2 – Holly Class
What We’ve Been Up To This Term
How old are the trees around us?
AS well as our key text, Repunzel, by Bethan Woollvin, we will be learning all about how plants grow – especially trees!
Books your child could read at home:
- Magical Tree: A Children’s Book Inspired by Klimt
- Forest Life and Woodland Creatures by Dorling Kindersley
- Hans Christian Anderson’s Complete Fairy Tales
What are we doing at the moment?
In Year 2 we have been learning about our topic of trees. The class has created art work using water colours, tree rubbing and collage. We have also been developing our sketching skills to draw trees in our school grounds. In PSHE we have been discussing how we can be a good friend and make positive friendships. We created a jigsaw about all of the important things about us and our friends. This week in science we have been learning about different types of trees and the seeds they produce. We planted acorns and concurs in soil and will watch them shoot over the coming months. In previous lesson we went out and measured the trees to work out how old they are.
Autumn Term 1 – Holly Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core text Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin. They will be encouraged to recognise the key ideas in the text and make predictions about events in the story and the characters’ actions. The children will be given opportunities to retell the story in more detail with a focus on developing characters and setting. They will also create comparisons against other books. The focus will be on using different tenses, re-reading their work to check for grammar and punctuation errors and to use a range of sentence types. The children will be revising the Phase 5 phonemes with a focus on applying them correctly in their writing.
Maths
The children will be recapping previous learning on place value from the end of year 1. They will then move on to develop their knowledge in addition and subtraction. They will be considering how fact families are made up and looking at number bonds to 20. They will also be learning a variety of methods to solve addition and subtraction problems including using partitioning and a number line.
RE
The children will be considering the key questions ‘What do Christians believe God is like?’ & ‘Who made the world?’ To do this the children will recognise that people have different beliefs and learn about how they express them.
They will also listen to Christian stories and infer information about what is God like. They will have the opportunity to think, talk and reflect on the lessons.
They will also listen to Christian stories and infer information about what is God like. They will have the opportunity to think, talk and reflect on the lessons.
Science
We will be focusing on learning about how plants grow. Children will have the opportunity to investigate and compare the difference in plants. They will find out about the different environments some plants need and what they need to grow. Children will have opportunities to learn key vocabulary to describe the parts of flowers and plants.
PE
The children will be focusing on developing their rolling and stopping skills. This will include sending and receiving and striking a ball with an object. In addition there will be a focus on developing their agility, balance and coordination.
PSHE
The children will be considering their friends and how to be caring towards each other. They will learn how important friendships are in making them feel happy and secure and how people choose and make friends. They will learn how to recognise and ask for help if they are unhappy.
Art
The children will be looking at art inspired from patterns on trees and using a range of artistic methods to represent this. They will explore how to mix colour to create a background.
Autumn Term 2 – Holly Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core text Lila and the Secret of Rain. They will be encouraged to recognise the key ideas in the text and make predictions about events in the story and the characters’ actions. Children will be given opportunities to retell the story in more detail with a focus on developing characters and setting. They will also create non-chronological reports on both Kenya and the UK. The focus will be on extending sentences with a subordinating conjunction, re-reading our work to check for grammar and punctuation errors and to use a range of sentence types. The children will be revising the Phase 5 phonemes with a focus on applying them correctly in their writing.
Maths
The children will be developing their knowledge in addition and subtraction. They will be considering how fact families are made up and looking at number bonds to 20. They will also be learning a variety of methods to solve addition and subtraction problems including using partitioning and a number line.
RE
The children will be considering the key question ‘Why does Christmas matter to Christians?’ To do this children will recognise that Incarnation is part of the ‘Big Story’ of the Bible. They will also learn to retell the story of Jesus’ birth and recognise the link with Incarnation. They will have the opportunity to think, talk and reflect on the lessons they might learn from the Christmas story.
Geography
We will be focusing on understanding geographical similarities and differences through studying a small area of the United Kingdom, and of Africa. Children will have the opportunity to investigate and compare the difference in climate. They will find out about the lives of people who live outside Europe and discuss why this is different. Children will have opportunities to explore why animals and food may be different from different countries.
PE
In gymnastics, the children will be travelling in different ways and putting simple routines together. They will also be given the opportunity to dribble and pass with their feet during outdoor PE sessions.
PSHE
The children will be considering their friends and how to be caring towards each other. They will learn how important friendships are in making them feel happy and secure and how people choose and make friends.
Art
The children will be looking at art inspired from Africa and using a range of pattern to represent this. They will explore how to mix colour to create a background.
Spring Term 1 – Holly Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core text Wild by Emily Hughes. They will be encouraged to retell the key events in the text and make inference throughout the story. Children will be given opportunities to compare differences and salaries between familiar stories and discuss the characters feelings. They will also create instructions for the character and fact files of different animals. The focus will be on writing descriptive sentences using appropriate adjectives, extending sentences using conjunctions and to edit work. The children will be focusing on spelling common exceptions words and adding suffixes –ing, -ed, -er, -est, -y, -es, -ful, -less and -ly to the end of words.
Maths
The children will be developing their knowledge in money, multiplication and division. They will be identifying and comparing amounts using coins and notes and looking at giving change. They will also look at finding different combinations of coins that equal the same amount of money. They will also be learning a variety of methods to solve multiplication and division problems including arrays, times tables and repeated addition.
RE
The children will be considering the key question ‘What is the good news that Jesus brings?’ To do this children will describe how Christians show their beliefs; by thanking God in a prayer. They will also give accounts of ways in which Christians use Bible stories and texts to guide their beliefs about prayer, in their church communities and their own lives. They will have the opportunity to think, talk and ask questions about whether Jesus’ ‘good news’ matters to anyone other than Christians.
Science
We will be focusing on living things and their habitats. Children will have the opportunity to explore and compare the differences between things that’s are living, dead, and things that have never been alive. They will find out about different habitats and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different animals and plants. Children will also describe how animals obtain their food and create simple food chains.
PE
In gymnastics the children will be refining their jumping and rolling skills alongside learning how to co-ordinate their body in different ways. They will also be introduced to racket skills.
PSHE
The children will exploring what respect means and how this can be shown in multiple situations. They will also focus on self-respect and the positive implications this has on the mind.
Art
The children will using a range of materials creatively to design and make products. They will design and create a show box habitat for a chosen group of animals.
Computing
The children will learn how to use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.
