Year 2

The Year 2 curriculum is taught through 6 half termly topics:

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the 2^nd half of Spring Term 2013 and our, ‘Plants, Animals and the Jungle Book’ topic.

The teaching and learning in this topic will include:

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

In Science the children will be learning about Plants and Animals in the environment. They will learn that like humans, plants and other animals reproduce.  Experimental and investigative work will focus on:

• Turning ideas into questions that can be investigated
• Presenting results
• Drawing conclusions

In Geography we will relate our understanding of science to the local environment to consider how to treat living things and the environment with sensitivity and care.   We will incorporate the school’s orchard and look at our class tree comparing its seasonal change since our previous photographs.  We will look at where The Jungle Book is set?
We will be continuing with our theme, ‘Where in the world is Barnaby Bear?’

In ICT the children will look at direction and programming a Bee Bot, floor robot.   We will also make a photo story documenting investigative work in science.  The children will use the digital camera to produce digital images to use in their photo stories.

In R.E. the children will learning about the festival of Easter.

Problem Solving, Number and Reasoning

The children will –

• Estimate, measure and compare weights in kilograms and grams
• Read the time to the hour and half hour on the analogue and digital clocks
• Sort, organise and interpret information in a block graph and pictogram
• Use the names of 3D shapes, sort and describe their features
• Subtract a multiple of 10 from a 2-digit number by counting back in 10s
• Add and subtract 9, 11, 19 and 21 by adding and subtracting 10 and 20
• Count on in 2s, 5s or 10s
• Understand multiplication as ‘lots of’ and use the  X sign

Communication, Language and Literacy

In Literacy the fiction work will be based on The Jungle Book, reading different versions of the story and identifying the characters and their different points of view using role play and hot seating.   The non-fiction work will be based on reading and writing information texts about animals and plants.   

Our objectives for this half term will include:

• Readingfor information
• Writing sentences using capital letters and full stops with increased accuracy
• Turning statements into questions using ‘wh’words
• Using commas in lists
• Use verb tenses with greater accuracy
• Organizing writing into sections/paragraphs
• Writing an information text on an animal or plant.

The children will take part in regular handwriting sessions twice weekly, as well as daily phonic sessions to improve and develop spelling strategies. We will continue phase five of the letters and sounds teaching programme and go over previous letters and vowel sounds covered so far.

The children will be heard read by either a teacher or teaching support assistant at least once a week.  Individual home reading books can be exchanged any day by the children themselves from their appropriate box as and when they complete books. 

Creative Development

In Art and Design the work will be based on looking at Jungle Paintings and making 3-D animals.  In Design & Technology they will learn the principals of making a moving card and incorporate the learning into their work.  In music the children will sing songs about animals and plants.  They will create long and short sounds on percussion instruments.  

Physical Development

In P.E. the focus will be on multi- skills.  The aim of the sessions is to develop balance, co-ordination and agility through multi-skills circuits and games.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

The focus will be on caring for the environment.

If anyone has any concerns that they wish to discuss with me then please do not hesitate to contact me, either before or after school.  I will be happy to make a further appointment if required.

Yours sincerely

L Cooper

Mrs L J Cooper

Year 2 Class Teacher

General Information

P.E. – Tuesday and Friday

Homework and Spellings - Given out on a Thursday to be completed and returned to school the following Wednesday.

Don’t forget to look at our school website for the latest information and news about what’s happening in school.

Useful websites:

www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/minbeasts/eng/Introduction/default.htm

www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/Index.aspx

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/variation.shtml

www.naturegrid.org.uk/woodland/woodexplore.html 

Please click here on The Classroom to see what our school theme is for 2012/2013.