20.3.20

This week we had our Science days, where all classes rotated each day so that they had a Science lesson with every teacher, they all had great fun with our theme this year of 'Changes'. They made rubber balls, sherbet, ice cream, looked at hot chocolate and in Y2 we made gloop (2 cups of cornflour and 1/2 a cup of water mixed together) to see how it changes from a liquid, to a solid, to a liquid again. We then experimented to see whether we could make our gloop dance, did it dance better to high pitches or low pitches? See our video below.

I would like to say it has been an amazing year and all the children have come so far with their learning. Please keep the hard work going over this time of unsettledness. I know for me it will not be the same not seeing you all each day. But I want you to know how proud I am of you all.

13.3.20

This week the children have been looking at fantasy lands and characters, after looking at a selection of pictures, the children chose their own setting and characters. They planned a fantasy story and wrote the opening paragraph. We will be carrying on with our stories next week. In topic we looked at the artist Henri Rousseau and 'A tiger in the jungle' and drew our fantasy land settings in the style of the artist. We will be adding our characters next week. We also carried on with our work on fractions and briefly looked at coins which we will be moving onto next week. Also next week will be our Science Week where all classes will be doing lots of exciting lessons on our theme 'Change'.

Today the children were shown how to log onto Rock times tables, you will have received a log in stuck to the inside cover of your child's reading record. Please have a go, children can compete against each other and receive coins for correct answers. 

3.3.20

This morning we had an author visit and talk to us about characters and settings. We then went back to class and wrote our own stories.

2.3.20

Today Y2 watched some food adverts, we discussed the jingles/slogans for the products, the people in the background, the language used. Then they went off in groups and designed a jingle/saying for their product and started writing scripts for their adverts, which we are hoping to film later on in the week. We also watched a clip 'La Luna' and discussed what we thought was happening, who were the characters we saw. Y2 then answered some questions and watched the whole short animation. 

Below are pictures of their chocolate products they made last week for advertising.

28.2.20

This week the children have been learning about fractions. How to divide shapes into halves and quarters and then moving onto dividing numbers in half, quarters and thirds. We did Smartie fractions, counted the total number in the box and then worked out what fraction of each colour we had. In Topic we designed a chocolate wrapper in groups so that next week in English we can start learning about adverts and advertise our creations. In English we looked at rhyming words in the Oompa Loompa song lyrics and created lists of words that rhyme, ones with similar spellings and some different.

This week and for the whole of this term we are having dance lessons. This week the children were pretending to be machines working in a chocolate factory.

14.2.20

This week we have been writing adventure stories about a special agent saving the world and learning about contractions. In Maths we have been exploring 3D shapes and their properties. The children made their own 3D shapes from cocktail sticks and marshmallows. Then we had our class assembly, which the children really worked hard on, we hope you all enjoyed the chocolate we created.

Next half term we have dance on a Tuesday afternoon, so please make sure PE kits are in on the first day back. Please also hear your child read during the week. Thank you.

We hope you have an enjoyable half term. 

7.2.20

This week the children made their own unique chocolate. They had to weigh the ingredients, melt and mix and put the finishing touches on. They had great fun and couldn't wait to evaluate their new chocolate bar. Alongside this they have been learning more about the Muslim culture and the Mayan culture, including buildings, games and art. They have all worked very hard this week.

We are also looking forward to our class assembly this coming Tuesday, we hope many of you will come and support Y2's learning and hard work.

Evaluating the chocolate!

The children had to smell their chocolate, describing that sense and then the all awaited tasting and of course describing how delicious it was. A few of the staff got to taste some leftovers and were very complementary...I think Y2 have created a unique new chocolate! Well done Y2. Perhaps if we have time later on in the year we can make it again and try marketing it.

31.1.20

This week the children have been investigating shape. Describing 2D shapes and naming them. Sorting polygons into regular and irregular polygons. In English the children have been inventing new chocolate bars for Willy Wonka's factory and describing what they do, look like and taste of. In Science we have been looking at the life cycle of plants. We have also started practicing for our class assembly in just over a week. 

24.1.20

This week the children have been creating new characters for 'Charlie & The Chocolate Factory'. They have been writing character descriptions to go with them. In Maths we have been working on pictograms and answering questions on data. We have been focussing on our reading skills, being able to locate answers in a text and will continue with this. In Topic we have continued to learn about the Mayans and where they came from. Another great week.

17.1.20

This week the children have been writing diary entries as Charlie from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. They were working on their punctuation. In Maths we have been learning about division, how to divide even numbers by 2. In topic we learnt what countries the Mayans came from and in Science as you can see below, the children were making their own wax paper using wax crayons and comparing results from testing normal plain paper and wax paper with pipettes and water to see how many drops were needed before the water went through the paper. In music we have been learning songs to do with chocolate which the children are enjoying. A great week.

10.1.20

Welcome back and Happy New Year.

This week we started our new topic on 'Chocolate drops & Lollipops'. They were introduced to the character of Charlie from 'Charlie & The Chocolate Factory'. We looked at his home and how poor he was and compared his house to ours. We discussed that his house was made of wood with holes in. So in Science we tested a number of materials to see how absorbent they were and which material would be the most waterproof to use on Charlies house. We also tested some wood and a brick.

Also this week the children were introduced to the Mayans, who they were and what was so special about them. In Maths we have been looking at multiplication and repeated addition. The children have been doing their multiplication timed tests which then go home for you to support in their learning of them. I have been impressed at how focussed the children have been having returned from the holidays and how mature they have become. 

A very successful start to the term. Well done Y2 

Just a reminder please that PE kits needs to be in school for Fridays PE lesson with the correct items of uniform, school shorts, school PE shirts, school tracksuit bottoms and trainers.

Could you also hear your child read every day and sign the reading record please. We do check them daily and we also check their reading/ comprehension skills regularly in order to make sure they are on the appropriate level. I would just like to mention that it is not just the ability to read the words on the page but also to be able to discuss the content of the book securely and answer the questions at the back of the book/comprehension sheet before we move them onto the next level. Each level has a wide selection of books that progress their reading skills. Children need to complete these books and the comprehensions that go with them before moving up a level. Some children will have these comprehensions sent home to complete.

20.12.19

What a fun packed week. We started the week by making a giant igloo from milk bottles. We had our class governor Mr Bonner in to help and the children had great fun building it. They also took turns to get in it and finally they knocked it down and used the bottles as skates around the playground. Also this week the children did a couple of experiments where they had to test materials to see which one insulated best, they wrapped the different materials around a cardboard cup to see which would keep hot water hot for the longest. They measured the temperature using a thermometer every 10 mins and recorded the results, then put those results into a line graph. The next experiment, using the same cups and materials, was to see which one would keep ice the coldest for longest. We measured the amount of water that had melted using a measuring cup in ml after every 10 mins, recorded the results and put them into a bar graph. We decorated our salt dough snowflakes, had a visit from Santa and enjoyed a festive Christmas lunch. We finished the week by freezing water coloured with food dye into different shaped containers and made ice sculptures with them. 

We wish you all a restful and happy holiday and a big thank you for all your generous gifts. 

13.12.19

What another fantastic week. The children really shone this week with our performances of 'Hey Ewe'. Well done to all the children involved, they practiced and performed brilliantly. Inbetween that they still managed to get some learning in, making warm clothes for Inuit people. Next week we will be focussing on our Science and Topic before the end of term. 

6.12.19

What another exciting week. We have had the book fair, a fantastic assembly from a company called I Rock. We made snowflakes from salt dough, next week we will be decorating them. We wrote newspaper reports as reporters. We touched on patterns in shapes in Maths and we created Grinch Christmas cards and did some Grinch maths. All alongside rehearsals for our Nativity next week which the children are really excited about.

You should have received your tickets today for our Nativity and a letter about a trip to the Lookout later on next year. The cost for this trip is £16.50. 

Please can I ask that children have the correct clothing for PE, we still have a few children with shorts in this cold weather and no PE trainers. They should have tracksuit bottoms as PE will be outside whenever possible and the correct footwear is needed.

Thank you

29.11.19

This week we also had the added excitement of a trip to the BCA to watch some students perform 'The Grinch', which the children thought was amazing and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon out. A big thank you to BCA for inviting us and providing transport for us it was a wonderful experience for the children.

29.11.19

This week Year 2 have learning about capacity and how to measure liquids in ml. In English we have been doing guided reading groups and the children have enjoyed reading different texts and answering questions on them. In the afternoons we have been busy working on our Nativity which is really beginning to take shape. We will be catching up on our Science and Topic work the last week of term. The children have also been busy making snowflakes out of pasta and salt dough.

15.11.18

This week the children had fun writing instructions on how to make a jam sandwich and then how to make an igloo. In Maths we looked at how to read thermometers and read temperatures. In Topic we looked at Inuit people, where they live, how they live and survive in a frozen environment.

Please look at the Home Learning icon for more fabulous pieces by Y2.

Could I ask that you read every night and children bring their books in everyday. Could you make sure children have tracksuit bottoms now the weather has got cold for PE, we had a lot of chilly legs today outside!

Lastly, please support your child with learning their Nativity lines. They are working hard learning songs ready to perform to you all.

8.11.19

Welcome back after hopefully a restful but fun half term. This week the children have been reading 'The Last Polar Bears' a text written in diary form. They have written their own diary for a day over the holiday that they enjoyed using the past tense, time connectives, adverbs and conjunctions. In Maths we have been looking at subtraction. In topic they have been comparing climates in the Arctic and Antarctic with the UK and Mexico. We have also started learning our Christmas Nativity songs which the children are very excited about. Copies of all letters recently sent out regarding our Nativity are under the 'Trips and Events icon.

25.10.19

This week the children made and tested their igloos. We tested them to see how strong they were and many were built extremely well. In English we went over some grammar, we also wrote some fun fact files about different animals, what they eat and how they survive in the cold. In maths we went over place value and addition. The children were also introduce to the Christmas Nativity we are going to be doing. Letters will be going home after half term informing you of your child's part and costume needed. In Science we looked at the animals found in the Arctic and Antarctic and sorted them into correct regions. 

Please keep handing in the home learning from the grid, we have had some exceptional pieces. Well done Y2 for all your hard work and great learning this half term.

18.10.19

This week the children tested their sledges to find out which design had the least amount of friction when pulled across snow and of course, magically we made snow to test them on! The children had great fun and many sledges had little friction so well done with your designing and building. We also learnt about the first men to successfully climb Mount Everest. The children found this really interesting, particularly the dangerous parts!! They have also started on designing an igloo, we looked at how they are constructed and what they are used for. Next week we hope to make them and test how strong they are.

11.10.19

This week in class the children listened to the beginning of a story called 'The Great Explorer'. It's about a boy who reads in a newspaper that his explorer Dad is lost in the Arctic. He goes to rescue him. They had to write the story in paragraphs, an opening, a build up and problem, a resolution and lastly an ending. We focused on punctuation, adjectives and interesting sentence starters. I have to say we had some great writing, lovely joining and wonderful ideas as to what happened in the story. Great work Year 2 

In Maths we looked at addition with 1 and 2 digit numbers using frog maths. We also looked at what we would pack to take to the South Pole for an expedition. 

Lastly thank you to all who have been supplying us with empty milk bottles. We now have enough for our project. Have a good weekend.

11.10.19

This week the children have had great fun in designing their own sledges. They had to make one that could be pulled with as little friction as possible across snow and we will be testing them next week on snow! Well done Year 2

11.10.19

This Friday Year 2 had great fun throwing bean bags in the wind!

4.10.19

In music this week the children listen to an extract with voices, the music talked about it being very cold, vocals were short and sharp. The children in groups had to replicate the music using only their voices and the words 'chatter' or 'freezing cold', then we combined the groups together to make one class composition, below is the extract from the composer Purcell and then the class version. They all did very well and had lots of fun.

27.9.19

This week the children were looking at poetry. They wrote their own based on our Brrr… theme. We looked at shape poems and again the children planned their own. In topic we looked at Scott and Amundsen, the 2 major explorers to try and reach the South Pole. We will continue with this learning next week. We looked at healthy eating in Science and designed our own pack lunch and sorted foods into healthy and unhealthy choices. In Maths we have been practicing our times tables and using greater than, less than and equals symbols. We have also had some more great home learning pieces in. Keep them coming 

20.9.19

This week the children looked at some unusual homes and wrote about who they thought might live there and why, they came up with some great ideas. In Maths we looked at place value, what a ten is and what a one is. See pictures below. In Science we looked at the life cycle of a human and in topic we learnt about continents and researched on the iPad facts about them. We have also had some more fantastic home learning pieces in, please see the home learning tab for more photos. Our display board is jam packed full of wonderful work. In music we carried on with composition and Vivaldi's 4 seasons. The children composed music on the theme of a snow blizzard. Well done Y2.

13.9.19

We have had a wonderful first week of term. The children have settled in well. We have started our topic by finding out where the Northern, Southern Hemisphere and equator are. We located the Arctic and Antarctic. We learnt about the life cycle of a penguin and a polar bear. In maths we have been doing number bonds to 10, 20 and 100. In English we have watched the beginning of Happy Feet and described the setting and written a story opening for the film. Music: we compose our own music to replicate the sound of teeth chattering and our bodies shivering after listening to Vivaldi's 4 seasons (Winter). They all did amazingly well. 

Just a note about reading records. We will be changing books every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It would be helpful if you could write down the page numbers that have been read and whether the book has been finished so we know to change it and sign please .

Please can reading be done every day and returned to school everyday as we have volunteer readers in school on a Tuesday and Thursday.

If you have any questions about our learning please don't hesitate to come and speak to me.

If you have any empty milk cartons, the larger ones, we would be very grateful if you could bring them into school for a topic project later on in the term. Thank you.

Mrs Johnson