Year 2

Year Two

 

Welcome to Year 2.

 

Mrs Chamberlain is the Year 2 teacher. She is looking forward to working closely with you over the year to ensure that your child receives an inspirational and exciting year. Mrs Leary, Mrs Davies and Mrs Mealand are teaching assistants in Year 2. Our aim is to ensure the children develop their learning and enjoy themselves.

 

Year 2 is your child’s last year at Key Stage 1 (the Infant department) and we want to ensure they attain a sound foundation on which to build as they get ready to move into Key Stage 2.

 

It is also important that the children gain an increasing level of independence, responsibility and perseverance. In Year 2 they are role models for the younger children.

 

Our topics this year provide many ways in which to develop their learning. In the Autumn Term we compare Cheadle Hulme with the Island of Struay and learn about The Fire of London. In the Spring Term the focus will be on ‘The Seaside’ and ‘Babies’. In the Summer Term the work will be based on Plants and Animals with some additional work on Francesca Simon and her fantastic Horrid Henry stories.

 

We value the support we receive from parents and we are sure that with your help and continued interest the children will experience a very fulfilling Year 2.

 

During the year the Year 2 children will:

 

Visits or Visitors – In the Autumn Term the class will visit Staircase House to learn about The Fire of London. In Spring a baby and nurse will visit the class and in Summer the class go to Formby beach. The children will have many ‘hands on’ experiences throughout Year 2 especially with our topic on ‘Plants and Animals’ in the Summer Term. There will also be visits from theatre companies etc. at some points during the year.

 

Infant Music Festival – In the Spring term the class will be taking part in the West Area  Infant Music Festival at Hursthead Infant School

 

SATS – Children will take the end of Key Stage SATs – usually administered in April and May. In Year 2 these tests are low key and administered sympathetically to the children’s age. Please support this low key approach by not making a big deal about the SATs with your children at home. 

 

 During the year you will:

 

Parent-Teacher Interviews – be able to talk to the teacher at two formal meetings – one in the Autumn Term and one in the Spring Term

 

Open Evening – be able to visit the school during the annual Open Evening in the Summer Term

 

Support your child – either through working in the classroom (there will be times when the class teacher will be asking for help) or supporting them with their homework

 

Informal Meetings – be able to make an appointment to talk to the class teacher, at a mutually convenient time, to discuss a pressing issue or concern. She will also contact you should she have concerns about your child.

 

Assemblies – be able to join your children and us when they produce a class assembly during which they share their work with the rest of the school. Each class produces two class assemblies during the year, one in the Autumn Term and one in the Spring Term.

 

Written Report – receive a written report on your child at the end of the Summer Term.

 

Other Information – receive regular newsletters to tell you what is going on in school. You can also keep up to date with what is happening by regularly visiting our website at www.laneend.stockport.sch.uk 

 

Website – be able to visit the school website which contains a calendar for the year and a list of holiday dates for the following year, as well as giving you an opportunity to see what children in all the classes have been doing.

 

The Curriculum

 

We believe that children learn best when they:

 

  • are happy
  • are interested and motivated
  • achieve success and gain approval
  • are given tasks which match their ability
  • clearly understand the task
  • are confident, feel secure and are aware of boundaries
  • are challenged and stimulated.

 

So we plan the curriculum so that they:

 

  • are able to have first hand experiences and to engage in investigative work.
  • are able to communicate their findings in a variety of ways
  • are engaged in planned and sequential opportunities to work individually and as a member of a co-operative group
  • appreciate the features of effective group work
  • are able to make choices and play an increasing role in planning and organising their learning
  • can produce work for a variety of audiences
  • practise and apply newly acquired skills and knowledge.
  • value the work of others
  • select learning materials and tools appropriate to the work at hand
  • use modern technology as an aid to learning
  • sequentially acquire basic study skills
  • constructively work under pressure of time
  • enjoy their learning and have fun.

 

Each term has a main topic or theme. When it is possible and appropriate we will link work to this theme to make the children’s learning more meaningful and exciting.

 

Continuous topic throughout the year – Where in the World is Barnaby Bear ?

It would be helpful if children could send a postcard of a place of interest from their holiday resort.

 

Work to be covered by the class  which you can support and discuss

 

Autumn Term

 

Main Topics             -           An Island Home - Struay (linked to Katie Morag Stories)

The Great Fire of London

Numeracy

  • Telling the time – o’clock, ½ past
  • Instant recall of + & - facts up to 20 and beyond
  • Count on/back in ones / tens any number up to 100
  • Multiplication facts of 10 times table
  • + or – 9 or 11
  • Recognition of 2D / 3D shapes
  • Money problems
  • Measuring in cm / metres

 

Literacy

  • Stories with familiar settings
  • Patterns in Poetry
  • Looking at instructions e.g. recipes
  • Joined handwriting

Science

  • Changing materials – freezing, melting and changing shape
    • Electricity – the dangers plus work on circuits

 

History

  • Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London
  • Lighthouses

 

Geography

  • Use of a simple atlas – this can be supported by following up any journeys undertaken by the family.
  • Countries in the UK i.e Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland
  • Compare life on Struay with life in Cheadle Hulme
  • Draw a map of Struay and mark on key features
  • Barnaby bear in Scotland

 

Art

  • Leaf collage
  • Observational drawings of leaves, fruits and seeds
  • Pastels

 

ICT

  • Finer mouse control and keyboard skills
  • Communicating information – using the 2publish software package
  • Creating a picture – using RM Colour Magic

 

RE

  • Festivals (Divali)
  • Finding out about Jesus

 

PSHE

  • New beginnings
  • Getting on and falling out

 

Design Technology

  • Making their own vehicle – related to work on Struay

 

Music

  • Exploring sounds
  • Exploring duration

 

Spring Term

 

Main Topics             -           The Seaside

                                            Babies 

 

Numeracy

  • Read and write, words & figures, numbers to 100
  • Count on and back in 5’s from 0 or small number
  • Derive doubles to 15 + 15 and corresponding halves
  • Know 2 times table and derive division facts
  • Choose and use an appropriate number operation
  • Solve money and ‘real-life’ problems
  • Fractions – halves and quarters
  • Data-handling – pictograms and block graphs
  • Symmetry

 

Literacy

  • Traditional Stories
  • Poems by significant children’s authors
  • Non-fiction – dictionaries, glossaries, indexes, explanations.

 

Science

  • Health & Growth / Babies
  • Forces and Movement

 

Geography

  • Physical features of seaside – cliffs, beach etc
  • Barnaby Bear at the Seaside

 

History

  • Comparing the seaside in the past with the present day

 

RE

  • Jesus the Healer
  • Easter

 

ICT

  • Handling information – using the 2Graph software packages
  • Using a CD-ROM and the internet
  • Using Textease

 

Design Technology

  • Making a puppet

 

PSHE

  • Good to be me
  • Going for goals

  

Art

  • Light and dark shades
  • Creating storyboards
  • Collage

 

Music

  • Exploring pulse and rhythm
  • Exploring pitch
  • Preparation for the infant music festival

 

Summer Term

 

Topic                         Plants and Animals

 

Numeracy

  • Multiplication facts for 2,5,10 tables
  • Round numbers less than 100 to nearest 10
  • Read a scale to the nearest division
  • Recognise right angles
  • Give instruction to move along a route
  • Bridge through a multiple of 10 when adding simple digit number
  • Read time to half and quarter hour on analogue and 12 hour digital clocks

 

Literacy

  • Extended stories
  • Stories by significant children’s authors – Horrid Henry
  • Non-fiction – Information books and non-chronological reports.
  • Poetry – Really Looking (minibeasts)

 

Science

  • Recognise different plants and animals which live in the local environment
  • Recognise similarities between animals and plants
  • Identify ways in which the appearance of humans change as they age and some characteristics that will not alter
  • Animal and plant lifecycles
  • Minibeasts

 

RE

  • Followers
  • Stages of Life

 

PSHE

  • Relationships
  • Changes

 

ICT

  • Controlling a floor turtle and use modelling software
  • Communicating information - Tree Diagrams using 2Question software package

 

Design Technology

  • Creating a wind up toy

 

Art

  • Tile painting
  • Printing

 

Music

  • Exploring instruments and symbols
  • Exploring timbre, tempo and dynamics

 

Geography

  • Barnaby in Mexico