We are  Year 2!

Our learning this year is based on the following 5 themes:

Welcome to Year 2!

We have a busy but exciting year ahead of us. The children will be following the National Curriculum for their learning and for R.E. we follow God Matters. For maths, we also follow the Hampshire plans and use the Busy Ants scheme of work. Our P.E. days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, please make sure the children have their complete, named P.E. kit on both of these days. They will also need a named water bottle in school everyday.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please speak to a member of the Year Two team at the end of the day or contact Mrs Chadwick in the office to make an appointment.

Don’t Blame the Baker!

This theme we will be learning about the Great Fire of London. We will be visiting Valentino’s Restaurant and cooking up all sorts of delights. One of the reasons we know so much about the Great Fire of London is because of the diary kept by Samuel Pepys. Did you know he buried his cheese in his garden to keep it safe? To help the children learn about keeping a diary, we have an amazing video of a maid who was around during the time of the Great Fire. As well as writing diaries, we will be writing recounts and stories. In R.E. we will be studying the theme of Creation. Our dance lessons will link to this as the children interpret the movements of animals. It’s going to be a busy term!

Goodies and Baddies

Within this theme we will be looking at real and fictional characters in stories and real life. We will be learning about the antics of Guy Fawkes and how he came to a sticky end. The children listen to the story of George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl (Year 2’s favourite author) and will be creating their own potions! R.E. topics are Prayers, Saints and Feasts and Advent. In science we will be looking at different materials and their uses. We will be investigating the different properties of materials and comparing materials and their suitability for use. Later on in the term we are hoping to design and sew our own Christmas stockings. If there are any parents who would be willing to come and help the children for the morning I would be very grateful! Dates to follow soon.

After Christmas and the excitement of the Nativity play, we will be looking at the character Robin Hood and deciding whether he made good or bad choices.

BBQs and Boomerangs

One of our lovely helpers, Mrs Amy, often goes on tour and one of her favourite areas to visit is Australia. She loves to share her real life experiences and often brings souvenirs for the class. This theme is a geography based theme and we learn to read maps and coordinates. We also compare life on the Isle of Wight with life in Australia, looking at the different climates, wildlife, vegetation and so on. R.E. topics are Christmas, Revelation and Lent. In our science lessons we will look at living things, both plants and animals. We will be learning the difference between things that are living, things that have died and things that have never lived. This theme also gives the children to explore their creative sides, we will be using a variety of mixed media to create pictures. We will be writing a story based on one of my favourite books ~ The Rainbow Fish, although the children will be choosing a different animal to be the main character.

Dinosaurs ~ Do you think he saw us?

Last year we found an egg that had magically appeared in the school grounds and we thought it might have come from a dinosaur. We hypothesised about what might come out of the egg and wrote descriptions. I wonder if another egg will appear this year? This theme is a very exploratory theme, we will be using the internet to find answers to some of our questions and we will be carrying out a variety of investigations in our science learning. We will also be going on a class trip to the Dinosaur Farm in Chale ~ details to follow nearer the date.

R.E. topics are Holy Week and Easter as we highlight the importance of the Last Supper and look at some of the Stations of the Cross.

Yo! Ho! Ho!

The final theme is all about Pirates. The children will be making their own maps and plans of their own imaginary island. We begin the theme with a ‘dress as a pirate day’ and we go on a pirate adventure around the school. In science we will be looking at how animals and plants adapt to their local environment. We also learn about a healthy, balanced diet and learn to name different foods from each food group.

Our final RE themes are Pentecost and Sacraments. To finish off a year of learning we visit Appley Beach in Ryde. Here we learn about beach safety and then we have a sandcastle building competition.

Mrs Cruxon and Mrs Patey