27.11.23

English 

This week is our final week of working on the story 'The eagle who thought he was a chicken'. This week we will focus on writing our own recycled version of the text. The children will start the week by planning their story, thinking about their own setting, characters, problem, solution and ending that follows a similar structure to the original story. The children will then represent their new story using a story map and will spend time recounting and performing their story using this. We will also teach the children how they can use the 'show not tell' method to make inferences about how a character might be feeling within their writing without explicitly stating it. 

Maths 

This week we will continue our work looking at money. We will be revisiting previous concepts to allow for consolidation (including counting in pence, counting in pounds and pence and showing an equal amount of money). Towards the end of the week, we will extend the children's learning to comparing different amounts of money and using their knowledge of different values to calculate money. 

Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be computing based where we will continue our learning about coding, where the children will extend upon last week's learning of using algorithms. This week the children will be using the collision detection event, where they will use code blocks to programme the detection of a collision between two objects and will be able to choose what event they would like to happen after the collision. The children will also use the timer function, where they will use the code blocks to run a timed sequence of events. 

20.11.23

English 
This week we will continue our work on the story 'The eagle who thought he was a chicken'. We will begin the week by looking at the problem in the story and breaking it down into 4 smaller parts (the difficulty, consequences, thoughts and feelings and the world learning). The children will then apply this learning to writing their own version of the problem with a solution, using the 4 different parts as a checklist. Finally, at the end of the week the children will learn about what an apostrophe is and how and why it is used as a contraction. 

Maths 
This week we will be starting our new topic on money. We will start the week by showing the children the values of different coins in pence and the children will be using this knowledge to find a total. We will then move on to pounds and identifying different values in coins and notes. The children will then use their knowledge to add both pounds and pence together in order to find a total. We will show the children different ways that they can make the same amount and children will be encouraged to choose between notes and coins to make a total. 

Topic 
Our topic learning this week will begin with geography where the children will learn about compasses, what they are used for and what the different points represent. The children will also have a computing lesson where they will recap their work in year 1 on coding and use this to help them to extend their knowledge and understanding of using algorithms to instruct a computer programme. Finally, we will have a history based lesson where the children will learn about the significance of James Cook's life and how he improved sea travel and the life of sailors. 

13.11.23

English 
This week we will be looking at the tale of 'The Eagle Who Thought He Was a Chicken'. We will begin the week by creating a story matrix and breaking the story down into its settings, characters, problem, solution, ending ad learning points. The children will then be retelling the story by creating their own story map and using this to speak through the story. As the week progresses, the children will explore the problem in the story through different characters' perspectives and will make predictions based on the characters' thoughts and feelings. 

Maths 
This is our last week on our learning about shape. We will start the week by continuing our learning about 3D shapes, particularly identifying and counting the number of vertices. As the week progresses, the children will be identifying the properties of 3D shapes, looking for any similarities and differences and using these to sort the shapes into different groups. Finally, the children will be identifying and continuing repeating patterns using both 2D and 3D shapes. 

Topic 
Our first two topic of the lessons will be design and technology based. We will teach the children about various mechanisms that move using a lever and the children will be given the opportunity to identify some key points on the lever including the pivot and fulcrum. The children will then be given an opportunity to make their own cardboard boat move using split pins and pieces of card. We will then move on to geography learning where the children will be developing their understanding of maps (what they are and why they are used) and will be designing and drawing their own symbols to create a key for a map of our school. 

06.11.23

English 

This week we will be looking at Kenning poems in English. We will begin the week by revisiting nouns and ensuring that children understand what nouns are and are able to write correctly punctuated sentences that include a range of nouns. We will then have an autumn walk around the school grounds where the children will collect their own autumn themed nouns inspired by the autumn treasure that they have collected. The children will then think of verbs that can be associated with their autumn themed nouns and will use these to create their own Kenning poems at the end of the week. 

Maths 
This week we will be continuing our learning on shape. We will begin the week by teaching the children how to identify and draw vertical lines of symmetry on shapes, where children will be able to recognise that a symmetrical shape must be equal on both sides. The children will then use lines of symmetry to complete shapes. We will then use the knowledge that we have gained about the properties of 2D shapes from the week before to sort them into different groups, identifying both similarities and differences. As the week progresses, the children will start to learn about the properties of 3D shapes, including identifying and counting both the faces and edges. 

Topic 
Our topic learning this week will be geography based. We will recap on the children's knowledge of the 7 continents in the world and will extend on this by teaching the children about the 5 oceans. We will then teach the children about how the world is divided into the Southern and Northern hemispheres by the equator and the children will be able to identify and label the North and South pole on a map of the world. 

30.10.23

English 

We will begin our English lessons by learning about possessive apostrophes (why they are used and how to use them) and the children will be given the opportunity to write their own sentences that include possessive apostrophes. We will then move on to learning about recounts and the children will be given the opportunity to plan and write their own recount recalling the events of their October half term. The children will be encouraged to write in the past tense and to make their recount as exciting and detailed for the reader as possible, using the literary and grammatical devices that they have learnt so far (conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives and commas in a list). 

Maths 

This week we will be starting our new geometry unit of work on shape. We will begin the week by recapping what is meant by 2D and 3D shapes and looking at recognising and identifying some particular shapes. The children will then move on to looking at the number of sides and vertices of 2D shapes and will learn that the number of sides and vertices is the same for all polygons. Finally, towards the end of the week, the children will have a go at drawing their own 2D shapes, keeping in mind that all polygons needs to be 2D shapes with straight and closed sides. 

Topic

Due to our week starting on a Tuesday, our topic learning will be slightly reduced this week. This week we will be recapping on our learning about the United Kingdom and the four countries within it. We will extend upon this by introducing the children to its surrounding seas and the children will be adding these to their map that they created before half term. 

16.10.23

 English 

This week we will be continuing our work with the text 'The Tunnel'. The children will spend the week planning and rewriting the story. The children will be changing the setting and the ending of the story and will need to be creative and think of their own ideas that will excite and grip the reader. The children will use the format and structure of stories that we have been looking at and will be expected to include the literary devices that we have taught so far, including subordinating and coordinating conjunctions, expanded noun phrases and similes. At the end of the week the children will be given the opportunity to re-read and improve their writing by identifying any mistakes and adding extra detail. 

Maths 
We will be continuing and extending our learning on addition and subtraction. We will begin the week by teaching the children how to use their knowledge of number bonds to ten to help them to add across a ten number. The children will then build on this to subtract across ten and from a ten number, ensuring that they are identifying the previous ten number. Towards the end of the week, the children will learn how to subtract a one digit number from a two digit number, whilst identifying the equivalence between 1 ten and 10 ones. 

Topic

Our topic learning this week will be art and geography based. Within our lessons the children will be learning the four different countries that make up the United Kingdom and what the capital cities are within those countries. We will also be teaching the children about the 7 different continents, the north and the south pole, where the children will be able to identify these, as well as the equator, on a map. 
As part of our art lessons, the children will be learning how to draw a person, showing awareness of proportions. We will applying this to our topic 'Tunnels, towers and turrets', where the children will be given the opportunity to draw knights and princesses. 

09.10.23

English 

This week we will be looking at the text 'The Tunnel' written by our year 2 author Anthony Browne. We will begin the week by reading the book and sequencing it in the correct order to familiarise ourselves with the story. We will then explore the word type 'verbs', what they are used for and how they are used. The children will be given a picture from one part of the story and will write sentences about what is happening using powerful and exciting verbs. This will be extended on the following day, where the children will add detail to their sentences by experimenting with adverbs to add detail to their sentences about how an action is being carried out. As the week progresses, the children will be introduced to the subordinating conjunctions 'because', 'when', 'if' and 'that' which are used to add additional information to the main clause of a sentence. The children will be using these conjunctions to write sentences that link different parts of the story together. 

Maths 

We will be continuing our learning on our unit of work 'addition' and 'subtraction'. We will begin the week by adding and subtracting ones from a number, ensuring that children have a strong knowledge of place value and are able to count forwards and backwards. As the week progresses, we will be using the children's knowledge of number bonds to 10 in order to add to the nearest ten when adding 2 numbers together that will exceed 10 (e.g. When working out 5 + 6, 5 + 5 = 10, so 10 + 1 more = 11). The children will also be taught an effective way to add 3 one digit numbers, by looking for a number bond to 10. Finally, the children will be shown how they can extend on their number bonds to 10 in order to add to the next ten number(E.g. 6 + 4 = 10, so 26 + 4 = 30). 

Topic 
Our topic learning this week will be DT (design and technology based). The children begin the week by creating a design for their castle that they will be making out of recycled materials. During the planning process, the children will consider which materials they think will be appropriate to build the different parts of their castle and how they can effectively manipulate them. Later on in the week, the children will be using the recycled materials that they have been collecting to create their castle and adding the various features of a castle (battlements, drawbridge, arrow slits and portcullis) that we have been learning about. 

02.10.23

 English

This week we will be looking at castles and dragons within our English learning. We will begin the week by considering the different stories that we have read with castles in and look at images of castles. The children will take inspiration of these to imagine their own castles and will be taught to write expanding noun phrases to describe their castle. We will then read the story 'George and the Dragon' and will look at the last page where food is listed using the word 'and'. The children will be taught the effectiveness of using commas instead and will have a go at writing a list of their favourite things using commas. As the week progresses, we will move on to reading another text 'The Paperbag Princess' and the children will make comparisons between this and 'George and the Dragon', considering how the dragon and princess are represented in both. Finally, we will read our last text 'Tell me a dragon' and we will look at the similes used to describe the dragons. The children will learn the key words used when writing similes ('like' and 'as ____ as a  _____') to compare two things and will have a go at writing them independently. 

Maths

This week we will begin our new unit of work on adding and subtracting. We will begin the week by identifying number bonds to 10 (two numbers that can be added together to make 10) and then looking at fact families (calculations that include the same three numbers). The children will lean how when writing an addition sentence that it doesn't matter the order that each part is written. However, when writing a subtraction sentence the total is always the number being subtracted from. As the week progresses, the children will move on to learning about related facts (knowing that if 3 + 2 = 5, then 30 + 20 = 50). Finally, the children will use their knowledge of number bonds to 10, to help them to identify number bonds to 100). 

Topic 
This week we have a very exciting visit from the 'History off the page' company who will be showing us what life was like in a castle. The children will be getting into the spirit of the medieval period by taking part in various medieval activities and learning about the challenges and experiences of different the different roles within the castle. We will then use what we have learnt in our history lessons to develop and expand on our knowledge of life inside a castle. 

25.09.23

English 
In English, we will start our topic on traditional tales. We will begin by looking at some of the traditional stories told over the years and identifying their characters, setting and some repeated refrains that are key to the story. We will then introduce the children to the story of Rapunzel and teach the children how to use time adverbials to sequence it. The children will also listen to a more contemporary version of the story and will consider how this reflects the changes to society today. We will then spend time comparing the two versions, looking for both similarities and differences. 

Maths 
We will begin our week by using our learning about comparing objects and numbers to order 2 digit numbers using the inequality symbols that the children have been taught. The children will continue to look at the value of the tens number before the ones number when doing this. We will then move on to counting in 2's, 5's, 3's and 10's, particularly looking at identifying any patterns in the numbers and completing missing numbers from a number track or number line. 

Topic 
Our topic lessons will mainly be history based this week. The children will learn about the history of castles and the different types of castles that have previously existed. We will discuss the reasons behind the designs of castles and how the different parts of a castle are intended to keep the people inside safe from enemies. The children will also learn about what life was like inside a castle, looking at the specific jobs that people had and why these were important. 

18.09.23

English 
In English, we will continue looking at the story 'Baba Yaga' and developing our opening scene to hook our reader and draw them in. We will think carefully about how we can describe things using interesting adjectives to paint a detailed picture in our reader's mind. We will also continue to encourage the children to use full stops and capital letters correctly in their independent writing. 

Maths 
This week we will continue with using number lines, where children will be counting in tens and ones to work out missing numbers, whilst considering the starting and end points of the number line. The children will then be using their knowledge of number lines to estimate numbers, recognising that 5 is a midpoint. As the week progresses, we will move on to comparing the quantity of objects using the inequality symbols and then comparing numbers using the key terms 'greater', 'fewer', 'more' and 'less'. 

Topic 
Some of our topic lessons this week will be continuing our learning in computing, where the children will learn about how to search for information on the internet using search engines and will use this knowledge to answer questions about dinosaur facts. The children will then create a leaflet to share the information that they have learnt about the internet and searching for information. 

11.09.23

English 

In English we will be learning a new story called 'Baba Yaga'. Over the course of the week, the children will be completing a series of written, drawing, active and discussion based tasks. These are aimed at supporting them to develop their understanding of the story, to be able to retell the story, to be able to develop detail about the characters' feelings in the opening scene and to use prepositional phrases of place to describe a setting. 

Maths
This week we will continue our learning on place value. We will begin the week by looking at partitioning numbers to 100, where children will break numbers down into tens and ones and develop their understanding that the tens value added to the ones value creates the total number. We will then build on this to flexibly partition numbers to 100, considering different ways that a number can be made. As the week progresses, the children will learn to write numbers to 100, thinking about how the tens and ones value of a number often makes up the number name. At the end of the week, the children will start to look at number lines and will use their knowledge of counting in tens to work out missing intervals counting both forwards and backwards. 

Topic

Our topic learning this week will be computing based and focused on the unit of online safety. The children will start their learning by discussing how sometimes searching for information on the internet might not be safe and what they can do if they find something that upsets them. The children will learn about the purpose of emails and the different tools that they can use when sending emails. Finally, the children will be taught about the concept of their 'digital footprint' and  how they can keep their personal information secure online. 

04.09.23

English 
Most of our English activities this week will be based around the childrens' introduction to year 2 and their new class. Our lessons will begin with children considering what is the same and what is different about the rules and routines of year two and recording this in their books. The children will also write sentences about their summer holidays and what they would like to achieve in year two, thinking about ensuring they include capital letters and full stops. 

Maths 
In maths this week, we will begin our learning on the topic of place value. The children will begin the week by developing their understanding of numbers to 20 and recording numbers as both numerals and number words. We will then move on to counting objects to 100 by making ten where we will find a total by counting in tens. As the week progresses, the children will use practical resources to work out the tens and ones value of a number and will begin to represent numbers using a place value chart. 

Topic

Our first two topic lessons this week will be PSHE based. We will begin the week reading the story 'the colour monster' and discussing the different feelings that we may have at different times and who we can talk to about any difficult feelings that we might encounter. We will also discuss the importance of having class rules that we all adhere to and we will work together to create rules to enable us to stay safe and learn effectively. Our last topic lesson of the week will be art based and the children will spend time designing their frame for their 'get caught reading' picture to be displayed in the classroom.  

Autumn 1 2023

17.07.23

English
As part of our last week of the school year, the children will be reflecting on their time spent at Howe Park School. The children will consider the influence of all teaching staff on their learning journey and how they have supported and inspired their learning. We will spend time planning and writing a thank you card in our English lessons where the children will think carefully about the structure, features and  content that they would like to include. 

Maths 
This week we will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge through the use of maths games which will develop the children's mental arithmetic. We will also continue to revisit our topic on time.

Topic 
This week our topic lessons will be spent rehearsing for the children's leavers assembly. 

10.07.23

English
 This week we will be reading the book 'Dear Teacher' written by Amy Husband, a fiction text written about a child writing letters to his new teacher. The children will spent the week drafting and planning their own letter that they would like to write to their new teacher at their new school. The children will think about what information they could write about themselves, what they are looking forward to at their new school and finally what they can do over the summer to prepare for year 3. 

Maths 
This week we will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge through the use of maths games which will develop the children's mental arithmetic. We will also continue to revisit our topic on time. 

Topic 
This week our topic lessons will be spent rehearsing for the children's leavers assembly. 

3.07.23 

English 
This week in English we will be preparing pieces of writing that the children will perform for their leavers assembly. The children will be applying all of their literary knowledge and skills that they have gained throughout the year to make their pieces of writing exciting and interesting for their audience. 

Maths 
This week we will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge through the use of maths games which will develop the children's mental arithmetic. We will also continue to revisit our topic on time. 

Topic 
This week we will be learning about the famous composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The children will be taught about Samuel's childhood and background and how he unfortunately endured adversity, but became a successful composer. The children will be given the opportunity to listen to Samuel's famous piece of music 'Hiawatha' and to recognise the significance of this piece. 

26.06.23 

English 

This week we will be learning about the poem 'The Sound Collector', written by Roger McGough. The children will work towards rewriting their own poem thinking about the sounds that remind them of Howe Park School. They will spend time collecting their own sounds, using adverbs and adjectives to make their ideas interesting and then writing the poem according to the structure of the original poem. 

Maths 
This week we will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge. We will revisit our topic on time where the children will practise reading times to the nearest 15 minutes and to the nearest 5 minutes and will have a go at drawing hands on a clock to represent a specific time. The children will be given the opportunity to play time games to consolidate their knowledge. 

Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be computing based. As part of our unit of work 'beat, band and boogie', the children will be introduced to new music based vocabulary (e.g. tune, compose, beat, bars) and will be using the programme 2sequence on Purple Mash. This programme will provide the children with the opportunity to create their own tune using a variety of instruments and experimenting with the tempo and volume. The children will also be able to add sound effects to a pre-made tune of 'twinkle twinkle little star' and will experiment with how this changes the effect of the music. 

19.06.23

English 

In English this week we will be writing recounts of our trip to visit Emerson Valley school the previous week. The children will think about the activities that they did and how they can order them correctly, so that their writing is coherent for their reader. The children will write about their trip using ambitious vocabulary, adjectives, adverbs and various coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to excited and interest their reader. 

Maths

This week we will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge. We will be visiting our number bonds and how we can use them to identify other relationships with number. The children will also recap scales and how we can use our knowledge of number relationships to identify points on a scale that are not clearly marked. The children will also be using their mathematical skills and knowledge to solve mathematical problems and to demonstrate reasoning. 

Topic

This week is art week. We will be making our own sculptures of minibeasts inspired by the work of artist Edouard Martinet. The children will begin the week by learning about the artist and assessing some of his famous artwork. They will then plan what their minibeast will look like, considering it's shape, colours and design. Next they will create their sculpture using newspaper, masking tape and Modroc. Finally they will be given the opportunity to paint their models. 

12.06.23

English 

On Monday we will be preparing for our visit from the staff at Emerson Valley who will be delivering a session about transitioning to a new school for the children. In their English lesson, we would like the children to use their writing skills to write sentences explaining what they are most looking forward to (about moving to a new school) and any questions that they would like to ask the staff from E.V.S. The rest of the week will be spent re-visiting our learning about the text 'The tear thief' from the previous week. The children will plan and write a new part to the story where the tear thief visits another upset child and steals their tears to light the moon. The children will need to consider how the tear thief learns about the upset child, why the child is upset and how the tear thief manages to steal the upset child's tears.

Maths 

This week will continue to build on and extend the children's already growing mathematical knowledge. We will begin the week by recapping on our knowledge of multiplication where we will go over methods that the children can use to solve multiplication calculations and the children will be given the opportunity to independently complete these. We will then move on to division, where we will remind the children that dividing is the process of sharing things into equal groups. The children will again be given the opportunity to independently solve some division calculations using effective methods. As the week progresses, we will move on to recapping money, where we will practise adding monetary values together to reach a total and the children will find various ways to make the same amount.  We will finally revisit the teaching of time, in which the children will have the opportunity to read times within 15 and 5 minute intervals.  

Topic 

This is our second week learning about our topic 'beat band and boogie' and all lessons this week will be music based. During our first lesson, the children will consider where we hear music and whether a beat must always be made using an instrument or whether it could be made using other resources/ pieces of equipment. The children will be given the opportunity to explore how items found outdoors can be used to make a beat or an interesting sound. As part of our second lesson, we will carry out a teacher led  experiment where we will investigate how different amounts of water can affect the pitch of a sound. The children will use their science knowledge and understanding to record the aim, method, their prediction and findings about the experiment. Our third lesson will be acapella based where the children will experiment with using their voices in different ways, including humming, yodelling, chanting, increasing and decreasing volume, lengthening and shortening notes and changing the pitch of notes. 

05.06.23

English 

This week the children will be looking at the story of 'The tear theif' written by Carol Ann Duffy. We will begin by reading the first part of the story and discussing some key themes and vocabulary within the text. The children will spend the first two days developing their comprehension of the book by inferring meaning, retrieving information and giving their opinion about the story through answering a series of questions. We will then spend time thinking about the different tears that we experience (tears of joy, frustration, disappointment or fear) and will pick apart the language used to describe each type of tear in order to paint a detailed image within the reader's mind. The children will then write their own expanded noun phrases to describe different types of tears and children will be challenged to change their expanded noun phrases into sentences using ambitious and exciting language. At the end of the week we will spend time looking at some interesting verbs used by the author and how she adds detail to these by adding adverbs and the effect that this has on the reader. The children will spend time using drama to act out these verbs. 

Maths

In our Maths learning this week, we will be focusing on building upon and extending the children's already growing mathematical knowledge. We will begin the week by using our knowledge of place value to find different ways that we can partition a number (e.g. 32 can be partitioned into 30 and 2, 20 and 12, 20 and 10 and 2 or 10 and 10 and 10 and 2). We will then look at how we can use part part whole models to help us to add two 2 digit numbers together. As the week progresses, we will recap how to subtract two 2 digit numbers crossing 10 and how we can use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction to help us to solve mathematical calculations. 

Topic 

Due to our school week consisting of only 4 days this week, we will only have 2 topic lessons which will both be music based. In our first lesson we will listen to different types of music and will spend time identifying the syllables and rhythm and comparing pieces music with a fast pulse and with a slow pulse. In our second lesson the children will learn the song 'slick city spats' and will clap to the natural pulse of the song, as well as finding a steady beat. 

22.05.23

English 

The children's English learning this week will be based on a text. Over the week, the children will become very familiar with the text, thinking about the structure of it and applying this to a story mountain template. The children will then start to think about how they could change one part of the story and to plan this change in detail. For the remainder of the week, the children will rewrite class text, ensuring that they include the changes that they made in their plan.

Maths 

This week we will be finishing our learning on the topic area of position and direction. We will begin the week by looking at describing turns where children will look at the starting and finishing position of objects and will use the vocabulary of 'full turn', half turn', 'quarter turn', 'clockwise' and 'anticlockwise' to describe this. The children will then extend their learning by describing both turns and movement, where they will use the language above (as well as forwards and backwards) to describe the route taken on a grid and will also follow directional language to record a route taken. Finally, we will look at completing shape patterns where shapes have been turned. 

Topic
The children's topic learning this week will be art based, where the children will create a printing based art piece based on the work of Andy Warhol. The children will start the week by using their sketchbook to practise drawing a simple version of a mini beast. The children will need to select their favourite chosen image to create their printed piece on a tile. When creating their piece of artwork, the children will begin by drawing the outline of their minibeast on the tile and then using a roller to cover their tile in their chosen colour. Once their print is dry, they will use oil pastels and wax crayons to carefully colour each tile. 

15.05.23

English 

We will start the week by modelling to children how a noun can be changed into a phrase and then a sentence. Children will learn that a phrase is made up of more than one word and that when a verb is added, it changes the phrase into a sentence. Children will be reminded of the need for a capital letter and full stop when writing a sentence. As the week progresses, the children will recap homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelt differently and have different meanings) and will create their own dictionaries that differentiate between common homophones, to help them with their independent writing. The children will also spend some time looking at suffixes (a group of letters on the end of a word). The children will create a recipe for the perfect friendship that includes words contain common suffixes (e.g. kindness, honesty, enjoyment, respectful). 

Maths 

This week, the children will start their learning on position and direction. We will look at using the language of position, ensuring that children are able to describe the location of objects using their left and right correctly, as well as other vocabulary including above, below and between. We will also look at describing movement using language such as 'up', 'down', 'forwards', 'backwards', 'left' and 'right' and drawing where items would be after movement. 

Topic

Our topic learning this week will be computing based. The children will be looking at different ways that they can present information, focusing particularly on quizzes, concept maps and presentations. The children will explore the various ways that questions in quizzes can be presented and will have the opportunity to create their own quiz about minibeasts using Purple Mash. The children will then assess the effectiveness of how information about the United Kingdom has been presented on a concept map and will use this information to create their own fact file using Purple Mash. 

09.05.23

English 
This week we will be finishing our work on the "The Magic Box". The children will use the ideas that they generated at the end of last week and will apply these  to the structure of "The Magic Box" poem, thinking about what part of their chosen noun they will put in their box and how they can describe the noun to make it even better. The children will look again at how Kit Wright describes the magic box and will think about how they can use imaginative language to describe their box. The children will be encouraged to consider what materials the box would be made from, how the box would open and close, how the box would lock, what would be on the lid and where it would be kept. At the end of the week, the children will copy out their poems in their neatest handwriting, thinking carefully about presentation. 

Maths 
This week we will continue our work on statistics, particularly looking at pictograms. The children will be interpreting the data shown and using this to answer questions which include the comparison of data. At the end of the week, the children will complete an end of unit assessment to assess the children's learning on this topic. 

Topic 
Due to the bank holiday this week, we will only be having two topic lessons. The first topic lesson will be science based, where the children will learn about how bees make honey. The children will be introduced to new vocabulary such as pollen, nectar, hive, colony, forager and proboscis and will then draw a diagram and label it to explain the process of making honey. The second topic lesson will be geography based where we will extend upon the children's previous learning of the different countries in the UK to identify different characteristics of each country. 

02.05.23

English 
We will be looking at the poem "The Magic Box" written by Kit Wright. The children will start the week by analysing the poem, looking at what they notice about it, what they like about it and what they don't like about it. The children will then work in small groups to recite the poem, creating their own actions to represent the items in the poem. Finally, the children will begin to plan their own magic box poem by thinking of objects which are precious to them, objects they wish they could own or objects which they dream about. The children will then write expanded noun phrases to represent these objects. 

Maths 

In Maths this week, the children will continue their learning on the topic of data handling. The children will start the week looking at block diagrams, which they will use to read and interpret data and to also represent data. As the week progresses, the children will move on to looking at creating and interpreting pictograms and the importance of creating and interpreting the key correctly. 

Topic

Due to the bank holiday this weekend, we only have two days of topic learning. The first day will be science based, where children will look at food chains and will learn the vocabulary producer, consumer and predator. The children will also learn about the significance of the coronation celebration on Wednesday, and will be given the opportunity to make their own coronation smoothie on Friday. 

24.04.23

English

This week the children will be writing a description based on their imagination. The children will be given the scenario that they have been given £1,000, 000 to design their dream bedroom. The children will begin by thinking about everything that they would include in their ideal bedroom and labelling each part using exciting expanded noun phrases and challenging themselves to include subordinating conjunctions. As the week progresses, the children will work towards writing their own setting description of their ideal bedroom, spending time creating an image in their reader's mind by their choice of language. 

Maths 

 The first half of the week will be spent finishing the children's learning on the topic of time. The children will start the week looking at the minutes in an hour by comparing amounts of time as minutes and adding minutes together to find a total. The children will then move on to looking at the hours in a day and will be supported to add different numbers of hours on to a specific time and considering the hours of a day that certain routine activities take place. The children will then begin their learning on the topic of recording data, where they will look at how to draw and create a tally chart (and the significance of tally marks) and how to read data in a table format. 

Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be mainly science based. The children will learn about the basic needs of humans and animals and will then create a poster to represent these needs. On Wednesday the children will complete some history learning about the coronation to prepare their understanding for the upcoming celebrations. 

17.04.23

English 

We will start our learning in English this week by revisiting the four different types of sentence (question, statement, command and exclamation) and the correct punctuation needed to write them. We will then talk about what we got up to during the Easter holidays and will spend the rest of the week planning and writing a recount of this. The children will write their recounts in the form of a letter to their friend, where they will need to think about adding detail and excitement to inform and entertain the reader. 

Maths 
This week, the children will begin their learning on the topic of time. The children will start by learning the significance of the minute hand and will use this to read and represent times as either "o'clock" or "half past" the hour. The children will then extend their learning to read and represent times as either "quarter to" or "quarter past". As the week progresses, the children will learn to tell the time past the hour, to the hour and at five minute intervals. 

Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be science based. The children will begin the week learning about living, non-living and dead things. We will then explore our outside area, looking for different minibeasts and investigating their habitats and micro-habitats. The children will then use the information that they have gathered and learnt to create an information sheet about minibeasts and their habitats. 

27.03.23

English 

This week in English we will be recapping our knowledge of non-fiction texts. Over the week the children will be creating their own fact file using the information and knowledge that they have learnt in their science lessons about plants. The children will look at the importance of including clearly labelled pictures with captions, subheadings and real factual information. The children will think carefully about their reader and how they can best inform and educate the person reading their fact file. 

Maths 

Our learning in Maths this week will focus on revisiting and consolidating the different mathematical concepts that the children have learnt. The children will practise their mathematical notation by answering questions, completing calculations and solving problems. 

Topic 

We will begin the week with science lessons, where the children will review the results of their cress experiment. From this, we will discuss and clarify what seeds need in order to grow and what can happen when seeds are not giving the correct conditions to grow in. In our geography lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday, the children will find out about plants and flowers that grow in a different location (such as the Brazilian rainforest) , focusing on how the climate impacts how and where plants grow. 

20.03.23

English 

This week we will continue with our text 'The Tin Forest'. The children will start to write the next part of the story based on what they predict will happen next. The children will apply their knowledge of the typical structure of a story and will apply all the literary devices that we have taught so far. Once the children have done this, we will read the rest of the story to them. The children will then discuss and write their opinions about the text, considering what they liked, what they disliked, what puzzled them and what links they can make with other things they have read. At the end of the week, the children will review and practise using commas in a list and possessive apostrophes and will apply this to their independent writing.

Maths 

 In Maths we will continue our work on fractions. We will start the week by building upon our knowledge of halves and quarters to explore the equivalence of one half and two quarters of both shape and number. We will then move on to counting in fractions and using our growing knowledge of fractions to solve mathematical problems. Our last lesson on fractions will based on solving problems to work out the whole. 

Topic

Our topic lessons this week will be science based. We will begin the week by looking at the winter bulbs we planted and observing how they have grown. We will also take apart a pre-cut flower and use scientific vocabulary to describe the different parts (petal, root, shoot, stem, flower head, buds and leaf). We will then look into what is needed for successful growth of flowers and plants and will test this through a cress experiment where we will change variables such as access to water, light and warmth. On Wednesday, we will take the children outside to record the temperature using a thermometer. We will discuss what we notice about the trees, the daylight hours and the animals around us and how this compares to what we observed in autumn and winter. 

13.03.23

English 

This week in English we will be reading the text 'The Tin Forest'. We will start the week by not showing the children any of the illustrations and encouraging them to use vocabulary from the text to draw a picture of what they think the tin forest might look like. As the week progresses, the children will be writing expanded noun phrases about the main character, considering what he looks like, how he feels and what sort of person he is. The children will read about his dream and will practise their question writing when considering extra information that they would like to learn about his aspirations. We will read the text up until the reader is made aware that the character has a plan. The children will then predict what they think might happen next and will plan the next part of the story based on these predictions. 

Maths 

We will be continuing our learning about fractions this week. The children will carry on with their learning about quarters from the previous week and will consider how a quarter can be made. The children will then move on to finding and making a third and will learn how this is written as a fraction. As the week progresses, the children will be learning about unit fractions (where the numerator represents 1 part) and non-unit fractions (where the numerator represents more than 1 part). The children will be applying their knowledge of fractions to problem solving throughout each lesson. 

Topic

Our topic lessons on Monday and Tuesday this week will be art based. The children will draw upon the work of the famous artist Van Gough to make detailed observational drawings of flowers, using magnifying glasses to look closely at the colours, shapes and patterns that they can observe. The children will choose from a range of art materials to create their drawing. On Wednesday, we will take a walk around the local community to see what types of flowers and plants are growing there. The children will use magnifying glasses to observe them more closely and will capture images using the iPads, which we will later use to identify plants and find out the names of them. 

06.03.23

English 

This week in English we will be looking at instruction writing. We will begin the week by learning about the purpose of instructions and identifying the specific features needed. As the week progresses, the children will write a set of instructions outlining how to make a wooden photo frame. We will think carefully about providing sufficient detail for our readers and including time adverbials and adverbs within our writing. The children will be encouraged to revisit their writing during the process to check for spelling, punctuation and coherency and will edit and improve where necessary. 

Maths 

This week we will be starting our new topic on fractions. The week will begin with looking at parts and wholes and identifying equal parts. The children will learn to correctly identify a half and a quarter and  how to write them as a fraction using the terminology 'numerator' and 'denominator'. The children will also learn to find a half and a quarter of both shape and number and will apply this to number problems. 

Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be based on design and technology, where the children will be working towards making their own wooden frame. On Monday we will explore and evaluate various free standing objects, considering: What the objects are called, what their purpose is, who might use them, what materials were used and how the parts were joined together. The children will spend time designing their frames and considering how they can ensure that their frames are strong and stable. We will then make our frames using saws under careful supervision. 

27.2.23

English 

This week, we will be reading the story 'The Man on the Moon' written by Simon Bartram. The children will  be revising their knowledge of question writing to devise and write their own questions that they would like to ask the main character Bob, which they will have the opportunity to do during a drama hot seating activity. As the week progresses, we will look at explanation texts and the features needed to write them. The children will then write and edit their own explanation texts on how to be a man on the moon and all the requirements needed to fulfil the role. 

Maths 

At the start of the week, the children will continue their learning on volume and capacity. They will look at measuring in litres and millilitres and will use their knowledge of the four operations to solve mathematical problems surrounding capacity and volume. At the end of the week, the children will learn about temperature, what it means and how it is measured. 

 Topic 

Our topic learning this week will be computing based. We will begin the week by learning how large pieces of information can be narrowed down and categorised by asking yes or no questions. The children will build on this learning over the week to create a binary tree to group information  together and to use the information to answer questions. The children will consider the limitations of binary trees and will be introduced to databases which enable the effective organisation of information, so that it can be searched and found easily. The children will use a data base using the programme 'Purple Mash' to answer questions about a data set. 

20.02.23

English 

At the beginning of the week, the children will be planning, writing a recount about three activities that they did during the February half term. The children will focus on how they make their writing detailed and exciting by adding adjectives and adverbs. As the week progresses, the children will recap their learning on possessive apostrophes and contractions and how they can apply these to their independent writing. At the end of the week, the children will be introduced to homophones (words that sound the same , but have a different spelling and meaning).

Maths 

This week we will begin our new topic looking at mass, capacity and temperature. We will start the week comparing mass and will then move on to measuring mass in grams and kilograms. The children will then use their growing knowledge of the four operations and apply this to solving mathematical calculations surrounding mass. 

Topic 

Topic learning this week will include geography and computing. On Monday, the children will use and label a simple map of the school and its surroundings. We will look for specific features (e.g. the school gates and the pedestrian entrance) and will label these accurately on our maps. On Tuesday the children will conduct a traffic survey using pre-made tally charts, where we will spend five minutes in various locations on the school grounds recording moving vehicles. The children will spend time comparing their findings and writing a conclusion. On Wednesday, the children will learn about pictograms in computing. We will use the programme 'purple mash' to create our own pictograms to record the findings from our traffic survey. 

6.2.23

English 

This week we will start the week differentiating between fiction and non-fiction texts. We look at the different types of non-fiction texts and their features. We will recap the information that we have learnt about The Great Fire of London over the past few weeks and will plan how we can include these facts in our own Chronological report, using a variety of conjunctions. Towards the end of the week, we will write our final Chronological reports using the features we have discussed and will finally edit our work, concentrating on any adaptations we can make to our spelling, punctuation and handwriting. 

Maths 

In our Maths learning, we will be starting a new topic of learning, looking at length and height. The week will begin with children differentiating between length and height and looking at measuring using the unit of centimetres. As the week progresses, children will move on to measuring and estimating using the unit of metres, comparing length and height and finally ordering according to length and height. 

Topic 
Our topic learning this week will be computing based. The children will be looking at data handling, specifically focusing on using spreadsheets. During these lessons  we will cover what spreadsheets might be used for, the different parts of a spreadsheet The children will learn how to use spreadsheets to create a pattern, calculate a total and to cut and paste images in order to build a shop.

30.1.23

English 

This week we will be focusing on poems in our English learning. The children will work on learning and reciting poems linked to our topic of London and will identify literary features within poems (including verbs, adjectives and adverbs). As the week progresses the children will create their own acrostic poem based on 'The Great Fire of London'. 

Maths 

We will begin the week continuing our topic on multiplication and division, where the children will work on dividing by 5 and will then look for connections between the 5 and the 10 times table. As the week progresses, the children will begin their work on problem solving, where they will apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve calculations and will explain their method using reasoning skills. 

Topic 

This week we will finish our learning on 'The Great Fire of London', where we will discuss why The Great Fire of London happened, why it destroyed so many houses and churches and whether it could happen again today. We will then start to look at the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. We will begin by comparing the geographical features of Kuala Lumpur to London and will then move on to comparing the weather and climate. 

23.1.23

English 

This week we will be reading our class text "Traction Man is here". The children will plan and create their own comic strips based around the story, but using their own ideas for a different adventure. As the week progresses, the children will consider how they can transform the ideas from their comic strips into a story using a story mountain and then a story map. When writing their final piece, the children will consider using adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, as well as the various sentence types that they have learnt about. 

Maths 

We will begin the week by look at doubling and halving numbers and linking this to the children's knowledge of multiplying and dividing by 2. We will also spend time looking at odd and even numbers and how we know that a number is even if we can divide into 2 groups equally. As the week progresses, we will use our knowledge of multiplication and division to work on our 10 times table, dividing by 10, as well as our 5 times table. 

Topic

Our first lesson of the week is geography based, where the children will recap their learning from the previous week about key London landmarks. The children will then use maps and directional language to write a set of instructions to navigate their way through London (using landmarks as points of interest). 

As the week progresses, the children will become history detectives. We will spend time looking at our class timeline and examining artefacts during a discussion about what we think life was like in the past. The children will be introduced to the key historical event of 'The Great Fire of London', where we will look at what housing used to be like and how fires were fought in 1666. 

16.1.23 

English 

The first half of the week will be focused on poetry, where the children will build up a repertoire of poems (including 'The owl and the pussy cat' and 'London bridge is falling down') and will learn to recite them using intonation to make the meaning of the poem clear. The children will also look at identifying any rhyming words or recurring language and will discuss their favourite words or phrases. As the week progresses, we will move learning on to looking at instructions and how imperative (bossy) verbs are used to direct. Children will work towards writing a set of instructions to direct an individual to move from the classroom to the school hall using both imperative verbs and adverbs. 

 Maths 

In Maths, we will be extending our learning on multiplication and division. The children will be looking at arrays and will write number sentences to match these and will also spend time working on making equal groups using objects and pictures. As the week progresses, the children will move on to working on their two times tables (answering 'twice as much questions') and using this to help them with 'dividing by 2' activities. 

Topic 

Our first topic lesson will be science based, where the children will learn about bulbs that grow in the winter. We will look inside a plant bulb to investigate its key parts and will discuss why plants that flower in the spring need to be planted in the winter. The children will plant their own bulbs which they will examine the growth of over a period of 6 weeks. 

Our next two topic lessons will be geography based. We will recap the countries of the UK and their capital cities, including the seas that surround them. We will then extend the children's learning to look at each of the countries' flags and national flowers. Drawing upon our topic 'bright lights, big city', we will also spend time looking at London. We will consider, what it is, where it is and what the land is like and compare these features to Milton Keynes. 

9.1.23

English 

 In English this week we will focus on the text 'John Patrick Norman McHennessy-The Boy Who Was Always Late'. The children will learn about the purpose and features of letters and will work towards planning and writing a letter of complaint to John Patrick Norman McHennessy's teacher on behalf of his parents. 

Maths 

 This week we will begin our new topic on multiplication and division. The children will start the week by recognising, making and then adding together equal groups and will then be introduced to the multiplication symbol and multiplication sentences as the week progresses. 

Topic 

 This week, we will continue our learning on our topic 'Bright lights, big city', where children will use the boxes that they have brought into school to create their own London taxi that they designed the previous week in design and technology. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the children will complete an art activity where they recap their knowledge of primary and secondary colours and use white and black to make colours lighter or darker. The children will then be introduced to the work of the artist Piet Mondrian and will have a go at designing a piece of at work in the style of Mondrian. 

3.1.23

English 

This week in English we will be planning and writing a recount of three events that the children got up to during their Christmas break. when verbally planning our recounts, we will focus on improving our speaking and listening skills by adding description and asking our partner questions about their recounts. When writing our recounts, we will ensure we use adjectives, adverbs and time adverbials to add detail to our writing and to make our writing more exciting. 

Maths 

This week the children will be finishing their topic on money. The children will be taught how to work out change from a given amount and will learn to select the correct coins when giving change. 

Topic 

Due to the bank holiday, we have a shorter week this week (and only one topic lesson). We will introduce the children to their new topic 'Bright lights, big city'. We will start to look at transport in London, focusing particularly on how vehicles move (wheels and axels). The children will then start to design their own London taxi that they will make the following week. 

5.12.22

English 

In English this week, we will be learning about the Christmas story. Over the course of the week, the children will learn about the purpose of commands and exclamation sentences, how they are written and will start to write their own based around the Christmas story. The children will also look at the importance of telling a story in the correct order and will apply sequencing to the retelling of the story. 

Topic

This week, the children will be completing some Christmas based sewing activities, where they will focus on learning the skill and the different techniques. The children will also be starting to create their own Christmas cards and calendars using computer based art. 

Maths 

We are starting the topic of money in maths this week. The children will start the week by recapping counting in 2's, 5's and 10's and applying this to counting money in pence and pounds. The children will learn about the value of different coins and notes and will experiment with choosing different coins and notes to make a certain amount and how they can make the same amount in various ways. 

28.11.22

English 

 Our English learning this week will be based around the story of Peter Pan. The children will watch the film and create a story map, thinking about character and setting descriptions. Throughout the week, the children will be editing and improving their work, in order to create a high-quality piece of writing. 

Maths 

At the beginning of the week we will look at subtracting two 2 digit numbers by crossing ten. Children will be reminded of the importance of calculating the ones value first and then the tens and will learn about exchanging a ten into the ones column if subtracting in the ones column is not possible. The children will then move on to comparing calculations using the greater than, less than and equal to symbol and will finally learn about how to solve problems with missing numbers. 

Topic 

 Our topic learning this week will be largely computing based, where children will use a simple coding programme to devise algorithms in order to make objects move in a certain direction and in a particular order. 

21.11.22

English 

In our English learning this week, we will be looking at the topic of pirates. They will begin the week by completing descriptive work about pirates and will move on to reading non-fiction pirate-based texts and then learning about alliteration in the book "The man whose Mother was a pirate". 

Maths

This week we will finish our learning on shape by counting the vertices on 3D shapes, sorting 3D shapes and finally making patterns with both 2D and 3D shapes. As the week comes to a close, we will move on to subtracting 2 two digit numbers (not across 10) using the method of column subtraction. Children will use the knowledge they have gained from column addition to help them with this (laying out numbers into the tens and ones value correctly and calculating the ones value first). 

Topic 

As part of our 'Land Ahoy' topic, we will be looking at pirates this week. Children will spend time looking at real and imaginary maps and looking into the features of these. We will discuss why keys are important to have on a map and children will have the opportunity to create their own map and devising their own key. Children will also experiment with using their voices creatively to join in with sea shanties and traditional songs sung about sailors. Our final topic lesson this week will be computing based, where children will learn how to code and use algorithms using purple mash. 

14.11.22

English 

In English, we will commence the week by learning about and applying compound words (two words that can be put together and make sense- e.g. head teacher - headteacher). The children will also recap verbs and will think about how verbs can change according to whether they are discussing the past, present or future. We will then move on to learning about Grace Darling, where children will learn about who she was and what she did. The children will listen to a story about her and will be given the opportunity to reenact the story using role play. Finally, the children will retell the story of Grace Darling through a flow map, using adjective and time connectives. 

Maths 

We will continue working on our topic of shape this week. We will begin the week by building on our knowledge of symmetrical shapes and lines of symmetry in order to complete 2D shapes. We will also spend a lesson sorting 2D shapes according to their properties (sides, vertices) and will look for any similarities and differences. As the week progresses, we will move on to looking at 3D shapes, where we will address what a 3D shape is, what makes it different from a 2D shape and will look at some of the properties of 3D shapes (including counting the number of faces and edges). 

Topic 

We will continue our learning about the explorer James Cook this week and will compare Captain Cook to Ellen MacArthur, thinking about what made them both influential and how life has changed/ evolved between the time period of both explorers. The children will also make links to their English learning and will further their understanding of Grace Darling by looking at paintings of her and learning how the examination of artifacts can help historians understand more about her life was like. 
We will also learn about the importance of the RNLI, comparing sea rescues in the past to current day and locating RNLI stations on a map. 

07.11.22

English 

In English, this week, we will start by learning about and applying the use of apostrophes in our written work. We will discuss how apostrophes can be used as a contraction, as well as to represent possession. We will then use the information that we have learnt about the explorer James Cook to write a fact file, focusing on writing questions and statements correctly and to write a description, imagining what it would see, hear and feel like to be an explorer on a ship. The children will also learn about the significance of 'a message in a bottle' for people travelling the sea in the olden days and will have a go at writing their own message using the conjunctions "and", "but" and "because". 

Maths 

In maths this week, we will be moving on to the topic of shape, focusing on 2D shapes. Children will identify the properties of various 2D shapes, including the number of sides and vertices. We will then use this knowledge and understanding to help us to draw 2D shapes correctly. We will finally move on to identifying and drawing the lines of symmetry on various 2D shapes. 

Topic

 This week, we will continue with our topic learning 'Land ahoy' that we introduced last week. The children will start the week by looking at boats, where we will consider how boats move, which part of a boat allows it to move, and whether we think it moves well or not. We will then have a go at making our own slider, in order to make a boat move. As the week progresses, we will look at naming and locating the five oceans, and finally learning about the famous explorer James Cook. 

31.10.22

English 

This week, the children will be learning about poetry based on the theme of autumn. The children will start the week by reading some autumn poems, where they will highlight words that they like, learn a part of a poem and will perform the poem to their class. The children will then explore the autumn treasure that they collected for their homework, from which they will explore various nouns and verbs associated with autumn. As the week progresses, children will work on writing their own poem about autumn in the form of a calligram. 

Maths 

In maths, the children will be continuing their work on adding and subtracting two 2 digit numbers, but will be crossing 10, where they will be taught to exchange tens and ones. The children will continue to learn about the importance of calculating the ones value before the tens value and will be taught when to exchange 10 ones for 1 ten and vice versa. As the week progresses, the children will learn how to apply this to solve mathematical word problems and which operation to use in order to do so. 

Topic 

In topic learning this week, we will be starting our new topic 'land ahoy'. We will start the week by investigating the materials that objects are made from. The children will consider the best materials for a boat to be made from based upon their likelihood to float or sink and will additionally complete scientific investigations to determine the best shape and composition for a boat. 

17.10. 22

English 

 This week, the children will be retelling the story of 'The tunnel' that we read and completed writing activities on during the previous week. Throughout the week, the children will be working towards their final piece, starting with planning the retelling of their story (with a change in setting), and then moving on towards writing a description of the characters and setting. Children will use the literary features already taught within their writing (conjunctions, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and similes) and will recognise the importance of writing a clear beginning middle and end. Towards the end of the week, children will be provided with the opportunity to edit their work using their pink polishing pencils. 

Maths

 In Maths this week, the children will use and apply their knowledge of place value in order to progress their mathmatical knowledge and skills. We will work on adding 10 more and 10 less to a number and recognising that only the tens digit changes. We will then move on to adding and subtracting tens and observing how the tens value changes according to how many tens we are adding or subtracting. 
Towards the end of the week, we will look at adding two 2digit numbers and will learn about the importance of adding the ones value first and then adding the tens value, in order to work out the total. 

Topic

 Our topic learning this week will be based upon computing. Children will learn about sending mail online and the importance of a digital footprint. We will also progress our learning about search engines from the previous week and will discuss how we can make our online searches effective. 

10.10.2022

English 

 In English we will be reading a book called 'Tunnel' by Anthony Browne", which will form the basis of all learning activities. At the start of the week, children will be answering questions about the book and developing their understanding and comprehension skills. They will then analyse a piece of text from the story and discuss how the author has grabbed the reader's attention using various literary features- later producing their own exciting piece of writing about what the characters are doing. As the week progresses, the children will be looking at sub-ordinating conjunctions (when, if, that, because) and will use these in their writing to connect different parts of the story together. 

Maths 

 This week we will be applying our knowledge of number bonds to 10, to help us to solve various calculations. This will include: 
-Adding three 1 digit numbers, where we will establish how rearranging a number sentence in order to find a number bond to 10 can make the calculation easier. 
-Adding to the next ten (e.g- we need to add 6 to 54 to get to 60, as 6 + 4 = 10)
-Adding across 10 (partitioning a number to find a number bond to 10 -e.g. 28 + 7= 28 + 2= 30 +5 =35)
-Subtracting across 10 (Subtracting to get to the previous ten. e.g. 13- 7 = 13 - 3= 10 - 4 =6)
-Subtracting from 10, where children will use their knowledge of number bonds to 10 to help them solve calculations such as 60 - 7 = 53 (because 10 - 7 = 3). 

Topic 

In our topic learning we will be naming and locating 4 capital cities of the UK and surrounding seas, whilst beginning to understand what an atlas is and how we can get information from one. We will then progress to naming all seven continents and the north and south poles. The children will also be able to locate the equator on a world map. Our last topic lesson of the week will focus on searching for information on the internet and how we can effectively use search tools. We will apply this knowledge and understanding to researching further information about each continent and the equator. 

3.10.2022

English 

This we will be focusing on two books "George and the Dragon" and "The Paper Bag Princess". We will learn how to edit and improve our work, write expanding noun phrases and use commas in a list. These books both feature castles and princess, linked to our topic learning. 

Maths 

This week in maths, the children will be looking at fact families (calculations that include the same 3 numbers) and how they can represent these fact families as an addition and subtraction number sentence. The children will also learn about number bonds to 100 (in tens) and will apply their knowledge of number bonds to 10 to help them with this (e.g. 3 + 7 =10 so 30 + 70 =100). Towards the end of the week, the children will learning how to add numbers by making ten. This is where the children are given a number sentence (e.g. 6 +7) and will solve it by working out what they need to add to the first number to make 10. The children will then subtract this amount from their second number and add the remaining amount to 10.

Topic 

 In topic this week, we will be introducing the children to their new sketch books. We will revisit the work that the children did on drawing faces in year 1, and will progress their skills to drawing the outline of a body. The children will have an opportunity to experiment with making different pencil marks and drawing different body parts. We will then apply our new knowledge, skills and understanding of sketching to creating drawings of princesses and knights. 

26.9.22

English

 In their English learning this week, the children will be focusing on questions and statements. Children will learn about the difference between questions and statements and what the purpose of each one is. We will practise writing questions that start with various question words (e.g. why, what, who, where, where) and include a question mark. Children will use their knowledge and understanding to write questions about information they would like to find out about castles from our trip. 

Maths 

This week the children will be counting in sequences, including counting in 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's. We will focus on identifying the pattern of a number sequence (whether it is counting up or down and by how many), in order to help us to either continue the pattern or complete any missing numbers. As the week progresses, we will be working with number bonds to 10 and also understanding and representing fact families (calculations that include the same 3 numbers). 

Topic 

In our topic learning, we will be continuing our learning about castles ahead of our trip to Warwick castle this week. We will revisit the different parts of a castle and consider how we could use cardboard boxes to represent the different features. The children will start to plan and label their castle design and will be given the opportunity to make their own castle using the resources that they brought into school. 

19.9.22

English 

In English this week we will be looking at story of Rapunzel. We will spend time reading a traditional version of the story and then a modern version of the story. From this, the children will be drawing comparison, looking at what is similar and what is different. 

Maths

The children will be continuing their work on tens and ones. They will be adding together 2 digit numbers using part-part whole models and representing 2 digit numbers using a place value chart. As the week progresses, the children will look at comparing 2 digit numbers using the signs greater than (>), less than (<) and equal to (=) and ordering numbers based on their tens and ones value. 

Topic 

As part of our topic "Towers, Tunnels and Turrets", we will spend the week preparing children for their trip to Warwick castle by thinking about what we might expect to see, focusing specifically on Guy's tower. Within our science learning we will test the strength of different shaped paper castles, emphasising the importance of carrying out a fair test. We will also look at various images of castles and group them according to their features, such as material, shape and size.  

12.9.22

English

The children will base their learning on the text 'Meerkat Mail' by Emily Gravett.  They will learn about nouns (naming words) and adjectives (describing words).  The will plan and then write their own postcard using the book as a stimulus.

Maths

The children will move on to representing numbers up to 100.  They will continue to use concrete materials, pictures and abstract representations to depict each number.  They will then use the part-part whole model and the vocabulary 'part' and 'whole' when referring to the numbers.

Topic

We will beginning our topic 'Towers, Tunnels and Turrets' in earnest this week by learning about tunneling animals including Meerkats and finding out about different habitats.  After that our focus will be on castles - why they were built, name the different parts of a castle and know their purposes. Lastly we will be learning about the different roles of the people who lived within the castle walls.

5.9.22

English

This week the children will be learning about the expectations for neat handwriting and good presentation in Year 2.  They will talk about what they have done in the summer holidays and use their phonic knowledge to write about their experiences.

Maths

We will begin the year revisiting some of the learning from Year 1.  This will include counting forwards and backwards to 50, knowing how many tens and ones there are in a two digit number and finding missing numbers.  They will also use the < and > signs to show less than and greater than.

Topic

We will spend time understanding why we need class rules and prioritising them.  The children will take part in circle times and use Go Noodle to use breathing techniques to feel calm.

Summer 2 2022

13.6.22

English

The children have listened to the story of The Tear Thief by Carol Ann Duffy and this week the children will be writing a set of instructions for a tear thief, creating a wanted poster and writing our own stories about the adventures of the tear thief.

Maths

The children will continue to learn about telling the time to o'clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to and then 5 minute intervals.  The will also learn about duration of time and solve problems related to time.  Time is often quite tricky for young children to grasp so opportunities for children to tell the time at home would be valuable.

Topic

As part of our Beat Band Boogie topic we will be singing songs and playing instruments this week.  The children will learn about rhythm and pulse as well as practise singing for the Primary Music Festival.  We will also be starting our sculptures in art ready for the following week.  

6.6.22

This is a very short week due to the bank holiday and teacher training day. Please can we ask that you continue to read with your children over the half term holiday's to help build up their fluency and comprehension skills. 

English 

This week in English we are going to be writing Narratives. The children will be writing their own fictional stories using their own success criteria. 

Maths 

In Maths this week we will begin to look at telling the time. Children in Year 2 are expected to be able to tell the time to the nearest 15 minutes. This means they should be able to recognise O'clock, quarter past, half past and quarter to times. In order to be exceeding children should be encouraged to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes. It would be really useful if you have an analogue clock at home to spend time with your child to help them recognise the significance of the numbers (each representing intervals of 5 minutes) and the hour and minute hand. 

Topic

We will continue to learn about minibeasts this half term as we still have areas we would like to learn about. We will begin to look at the role of a bee and the honey making process. 

Summer 1 2022

23.5.22 

English 

This week in English we have had a busy week of writing. We have been learning to write a set of instructions on how to make our fruit smoothie in honour of the Queen's diamond Jubilee. We were also writing a recount of our trip to Howe Park Woods. The children were attempting to use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, expanded noun phrases and adverbs of manor. 

Maths 

In Maths we finished our learning on position and direction. We have been able to describe position and movement using key vocabulary such as up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards, clockwise and anti-clockwise, quarter, full and three quarter turns. 

Topic 

In our Topic lessons we have been learning all about our Queen. We have learnt lots of interesting facts and as part of our Design and technology sessions, designed a healthy fruit smoothie in her honour. The children had great fun cutting up and trying new fruits which they had never tried before. 

16.5.22

English 

This week in English we will be writing our own non-fiction texts. The children will begin the week by identifying key features of a non chronological report and will then use technology to complete further research into their chosen animal. As part of this they will also learn how to save images. We will be focusing on using questions and developing the skill of writing coherently with an audience in mind. 

Maths 

In Maths this week we are moving on to looking at position and direction. This is often an area that children find challenging and would benefit from extra support at home. We will be learning to use key vocabulary to describe movement and turns such as left, right, up, down, forwards, backwards, clockwise/anti-clockwise t Then we will also think about quarter, half, three-quarter and full turns. It is imperative that children understand that if we make a quarter turn we are just changing the direction we are facing and not actually taking any steps forward.  

Topic 

This week in our topic lessons we will begin to think about algorithms and plan a set of instructions that may need to be debugged if they don't work correctly. We will also start to think about food chains- what is a consumer, producer, predator and prey animal and also start to look at life cycles. This will help prepare the children for our walk to Howe Park Woods next week. 

9.5.22

English

 The children will use 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright as inspiration for their own poem.  They will be collecting ideas, arranging them into a poem, editing and improving it and then performing it to their friends.  Additionally, we will be focusing on reading comprehensions.

Maths

 We are continuing our unit on length.  The children will be comparing lengths and ordering objects of different lengths.  Finally, the children will be solving problems related to length using the 4 operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Topic

 The children will start the week by using sketching pencils and charcoal to drawing minibeasts, paying particular attention to the shapes, size and detail of the different parts of the bug.  Towards the end of the week the children will be using their homework, previous knowledge and library books to write facts about an animal of their choice, including it's lifecycle.

3.5.22

This week is a shorter week and the children will be starting their special booklets in school.  

English

We will be recapping on compound words - two separate words which can be combined to make one whole word such as 'sand' and 'pit' to make 'sandpit'.  Other compound words are: football, windmill, hairbrush, toothpaste and headlight.

We will also be listening to, learning then performing the poem 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright.  

Maths

In maths this week we will continue to recap on previous learning including addition, subtraction and fractions.  We will also be beginning a unit of work on Length.  The language associated with measuring length is very important.  We will be expecting the children to use and understand centimetres, metres, long, longer longest; tall, taller, tallest; high, higher, highest and short, shorter and shortest.  Some children use the words big and small which relates to size rather than length.

Topic

We will be focusing our learning on science this week.  We would like the children to be able to talk about whether something is living, dead or has never lived.  Some of these things are trickier than they seem.  Wood was once alive because it was part of a tree, as was a leaf.  The sea has never been alive even though it moves.

25.4.22

We hope that you and your families have a lovely Easter break. We will not be setting the children homework to complete over this time as we strongly believe that the children deserve a rest after all of their hard work. If you would like to continue working with your child over this time, then things you may wish to work on are their reading and comprehension skills, having practical experiences linked to Maths e.g telling the time, weighing, going to the shops and paying for items and using the white rose one minute challenges.

After we return from the Easter holidays here is what we will be working on in English, Maths and Topic. 

English 

Maths 

The first week back we will be looking at consolidation and recapping the children's learning from the first two terms. We will be looking at solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems using written methods before moving onto solving 2 step problems. This may be something like Annie brought 2 tickets for the cinema which cost £2.50 each. She paid with a £10 note. How much change did she get back? This requires the children to add first and then subtract. 

Topic

Our new topic next term will be called Wriggle and Crawl. This is a very science heavy topic but one where the children will get to look at all different types of wildlife and their habitats. We will be taking a walk around the school grounds to try and see what animals we can find. We will also understand what is meant by the terms habitat and microhabitat. 

Spring 2 2022

1.4.22

English

As we come to the end of term, we are going to be reading excerpts of the classic book 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett and watching clips of the movie based upon the book.  The children will be learning how to describe their own secret garden using adjectives and vocabulary we have learned as part of our topic 'The Scented Garden'.  We will be learning some synonyms for colour names.  Instead of using the word 'pink' the children could choose blush, flamingo or coral.

Maths

We will be continuing to learn about fractions.  We will be learning about equivalent fractions such as one half is equal to two quarters.  The children will also find out how to order fractions by size.  We will be practising answering aural questions which involves listening to the question rather than reading it.

Topic

As the culmination of our topic, the children will be learning how to present the information they have learned in a simple powerpoint slide show.  The children will be using iPads and laptop computers to create slides and organise information to communicate facts to their classmates.

28.3.22

English 

In English this week we will be teaching the children the skills to undertake some research about plants and flowers. They will then use this research to be able to write their own fact file about their chosen flower. The children will be learning how to present their work and understand the features of a non-fiction text. They will be encouraged to write titles, pictures, captions and use interesting facts.  

Maths 

In Maths next week, we will continue to look at fractions. We will be learning to find quarters of a number before moving on to looking at thirds. We will also begin to look at unit and non-unit fractions as well as equivalent fractions.

Topic 

In our topic lessons we will be deconstructing a Lilly flower and looking at the different parts carefully. We will then be naming the different parts and learning new vocabulary such as the filament, stigma, style, ovary and anther. We will also look at deforestation and the effects of pollution. 

21.3.22

English

This week the Year 2 children will be looking at instruction texts, identifying their features and then writing our own instructions.  We will be focusing particularly on adverbs of time such as first, next, then; adverbs of manner such as carefully, safely, accurately, neatly and imperative (bossy) verbs such as cut, fold, put, walk.

Maths

We will be beginning to learn about fractions this week, starting with half and moving onto a quarter.  We will be finding half of a shape and then half of an amount.  We will continue to practise addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in class.  In Mastering Number we will be learning more about doubles and near doubles.

Topic

As part of our topic, The Scented Garden, we will be learning how to draw from observation and then paint our flowers using watercolours.  The children will be 'tinkering' which means practising and honing a skill to improve it.  We will be re-visiting how to mix primary colours to create a secondary colour.

14.3.22

English 

In English this week we will be continuing to look at the Tin Forest.  The children will be continuing to write their own ending to the story.  They will practise editing and improving their work.  We will then be focusing on different elements of punctuation and grammar including progressive verbs, commas in a list and possessive apostrophes.

Maths 

In Maths this week we will continue to look at shape but we will have a stronger focus on 3D shapes. We will be learning to identify how many faces, edges and vertices each 3D shape has. We will sort shapes based on their similarities and differences and make repeating patterns. 

Topic 

In topic this week we will be making a free standing structure and completing some art work. The children will begin by examining existing products before designing their own colourful and vibrant structures. The children will be given the opportunity to use new tools such as saws, sand paper and hot glue guns to cut and join their structures together to make them solid. 

7.3.33

English 

This week in English we have introduced children to the story The Tin Forest. We have broken the story down so that the children are left in suspense and thinking about the language and illustrations carefully. We have been drawing where we think the story is set based on the language used to describe and we have also looked at using expanded noun phrases to describe the main character. We particularly enjoyed  undertaking some hot seating to find out more information about the Old Man. 

Maths 

This week in Maths we have been looking in detail at 2D shapes and we have been able to name and describe some of their properties. The children have been introduced to the terms vertices, faces and sides/edges. We have also looked at vertical lines of symmetry and repeating patterns. 

Topic

We loved going on our walk around the local area this week. We saw some early signs of Spring and got to see some daisies, daffodils, snow drops, choirboys and blossom. The children also got to do some tree rubbings and saw the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees. We also got the opportunity to write up the result from our cress experiment and found out that plants needs water and sunlight in order to grow and be healthy. 

28.2.22

English

In English this week we will be looking at the story the Man on the Moon. We will then begin to look at some of the main features of an explanation text. The children will then be using these features such as titles, subtitles, questions, verbs such as you must and you will in order to be able to write their own explanation text on how to be the Man on the Moon. 

Maths 

In Maths this week we will be starting a new topic on geometry. The children will begin by naming 2d and 3d shapes and recognising that 2D shapes can be found on 3D shapes. They will be looking at nets before moving on to counting sides and vertices. 

Topic 

This week we start our new Topic called the Scented Garden. This is all about plants and nature. We have looked at seasonal changes and the early signs of spring. We have also started to look at cress seeds and are conducting an experiment to see what they need in order to grow and be healthy. 

Spring 1 2022

14.2.22

English 

In English this week the children will be continuing to look at the text Traction Man by Mini Grey. The children have been busy planning their own Traction Man adventure and we are sure the children will be able to tell you all about it. This week, the children will be using their plans to design their own comic strip. They will be focusing on using the four different sentence types: commands, questions, exclamations and statements to bring their work to life and engage the reader. 

Maths 

In Maths we will be consolidating our learning so far. We will be recapping lessons on adding and subtracting, multiplication and division, place value and money. It would be useful if you could also work on these areas at home to ensure children are able to remember what they have been taught and to use taught methods to solve problems.  

Topic 

In topic this week we will be looking at online safety in more detail and looking at daily weather patterns. We will also be reflecting on what we have been learning about so far as part of out Bright Light Big City topic.   

7.2.22

English 

In English this week we will be looking at the story Traction Man. This is a cartoon book all about an action hero called Traction Man. Although this is a non fiction book, it will introduce children to different genres as it is presented like a comic strip. Traction Man is a loved text in year 2 and has a sequel called Traction Man meets Turbo dogs which you may like to read with your child. The following link will show children the story and how Mini Grey illustrated the book. https://clpe.org.uk/books/book/traction-man-meets-turbodog. In our English lessons the children will be looking at different sentence types such as statements, commands, questions and exclamations and will be planning their very own comic strip in a similar style.

Maths 

In Maths this week we will be continuing to look at statistics. We will be learning to draw and interpret pictograms represented by counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. The children will be able to read charts and answer questions explaining their reasoning behind their answers. We will also move on to block diagrams before completing our end of unit assessment. 

Topic 

In our Topic lessons we have enjoyed looking at London so far and exploring cities. We will now begin comparing similarities and difference to a non European city. For this we have chosen to compare it with Kuala Lumpur. The children will be looking at similar physical features but also the weather.

Internet Safety Day 2022

This week is also internet safety week. Please can we request that you take some time to sit with your child and reinforce the importance and need to stay safe online. You will find some lovely activities on purple mash related to internet safety aswell as via the following link https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2022/educational-resources. 

31.1.22

English

Linked to our learning about the Great Fire of London, we will be presenting facts about the fire in a non-chronological report.  We will find out about the features of non-fiction writing (Headings, captions, sub-headings, pictures, diagrams, labels, contents, index and glossary).  We will also recap on the difference between questions and statements, including the punctuation. 

Maths

Our new unit of work is statistics, sometimes known as data handling.  We will focus on information presented in different ways including a tally, pictogram, table and block graph.  Children will interpret graphs and make their own using given information.  

Topic

This week will have a science focus.  Firstly we will be sorting and classifying materials and looking at their suitability for different purposes.  Next we will be planting some bulbs and answering the question 'Do plants grow in winter?' and finally we will be having fun with plasticine - twisting, stretching, rolling, bending and squashing it and understanding that we can change the shape of materials.

24.1.22

English

At the beginning of the week we will be learning some new subordinating conjunctions (joining words) 'if'  and 'that'.  The children will extend simple sentences to write sentences such as "My parents will be extremely happy if I keep my bedroom tidy all week!"  They will then begin to read diary extracts and plan and write their own diary entry for the date 2nd September 1666.

Maths

This week will be the last week for division.  We will be learning the difference between sharing and grouping. 12 pencils can be grouped into 2s making 6 groups.  12 pencils can be shared between 2 pots to make 6 pencils in each pot.  This will be done practically to start with, then pictorially and finally just with the written calculation.

Topic

We will spend the whole week learning about the events which led to the Great Fire of London in 1666, the disaster itself and then what happened after the fire.  We will be learning about HOW we know about the past.  Our focus will be looking at artefacts displayed in the Museum of London and reading extracts from Samuel Pepys' diary.

17.1.22

English 

We will begin the week by looking at poetry. The children will start to understand how poems are structured and then begin to read some different poems to build up their repertoire of known poems. We will also begin to recite them off by heart.  Towards the end of the week be will begin to write instructions and use imperative (bossy verbs).

Maths 

In Maths this week we will look at counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 10 forwards and backwards. We will also begin to look at division and start by sharing into equal groups. We will begin to teach this skill by using concrete resources initially. 

Topic 

In topic this week we will begin by recapping the 4 countries that make up the United Kingdom. We will also recap the capital cities and surrounding seas. This time we will also begin to look at some of each countries characteristics such as the flag and national flower. Then as the week progresses, we will move on to look at London. We will focus on how London is a city and compare it to life in Milton Keynes. We  will also use aerial photographs to look at famous landmarks. 

10.1.22 

English 

This week in our English lessons we will be using the book John Patrick Norman McHennessy-The Boy Who Was Always Late By John Burningham. We will be using this to write some sentences using co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions. We will spend some time looking at nouns and  proper nouns before looking at the key features of a letter. We will finish the week by writing a letter to Mr Smith in an attempt to convince him that he himself behaved badly. . 

Maths

In Maths this week we will be continuing to look at multiplication and division. We will be learning to turn our repeated addition number sentences into a multiplication number sentence and how to use the X symbol. This will help to strengthen our ability to count in multiples of 2, 3, 5 and 10.  We will begin to look at arrays towards the end of the week to discover how we can use illustrations to also write number sentences.  

Topic 

This week in our topic lessons we will be using our designs to make a London Taxi. We will use wheels and axles to help our cars move and then evaluate them to see what worked well and what could have been done differently if they were to make their cars again. We will also be looking at the work of the artist Piet Mondrian and will be creating some pieces in a similar style. 

5.1.22

English 

In English this week we will be looking at how to write a recount. We will be using Time connectives to show the order events took place in and will be ensuring we write in the past tense. We will also be learning how to make simple changes and revisions to our work in order to edit and improve whilst checking that it makes sense. 

Maths 

In Maths this week we have been learning what is meant by equal and unequal groups. We have been able to identify how many equal groups we have and then draw them out accurately. We finished the week by adding equal groups together through what is called repeated addition. 

Topic 

This week in our topic lessons we were learning about our new topic Bright Lights Big City. We were looking at different forms of transport and investigating how cars move. We were learning all about axles and then went on to design our very own London Taxi ready to be made next week. 

Autumn 2 2021

29.11.21

Maths 

This week we will finish our topic on money. The children will be learning to find change from different amount e.g 50p, £1, £5 etc. They will be able to identify that we get change when we pay too much for an item. It would be useful for children to practise paying at shops to see how much change they get. They will also be solving two step problems. If I buy a pen costing 24p and a ruler at 33p how much change will I get from £1. The children will need to do an addition sum first followed by a subtraction sum. 

English

In English this week we will be looking at the story 'The Tunnel' by the Autor Anthony Browne. It is really important that children recognise that an author is someone who writes books and be able to name some from memory that they have written. It would useful if you could read some books written by Anthony Browne with your child such as shine, piggybank, voices in the park, into the forest, my dad, Winnie the Chimp etc. 

Topic 

We are continuing our play rehearsals this week but we will also be moving on to looking at famous tunnels and establishing why tunnels were built. We will also start looking at habitats and microhabitats and animals that burrow underground by tunneling.

2.11.21

Maths 

In Maths this week we will be continuing to look at money. We will be learning; to make amounts in more than one way, finding the difference between two amounts and working out change. It would be useful if you could practise finding the difference at home by counting on from the smallest number to the biggest number. If you go to the shops let your child have a go at paying to know that some times if we pay too much we may be entitled to some change.

English 

This week we will  be focusing a lot on grammar. We will be looking at using the possessive apostrophe, recognising singular and plural and using conjunctions to extend sentences. The work will be based around the story of Rapunzel which links to the topic 'Towers, Tunnels and Turrets'. 

Topic 

This week in topic the children will be having a go at making bridges. They will be constructing the bridge with the aim of trying to make it stiff, strong and stable enough to without weight. The children will also begin practising for the Christmas productions. It would be useful if you could make sure your child(ren) know their lines if they have any so that they can perform these off by heart. 

15.11.21

In English next week we will be beginning to look at the story of Rapunzel.  We will read a traditional version and a modern re-telling of the famous story.  The children will be learning about the four different types of sentence - question, statement, command and exclamation.

Children will also be learning about possessive apostrophes.  E.g. Sanjay's cat, mum's car.

In maths we will be beginning to learn about money.  This is a two week unit of work and children will be recognising coins and notes, finding totals and giving change.  Children often have very little personal experience of handling money so we would encourage the children to play shops at home with low value real coins if possible.

To fit together with our Rapunzel text, in topic we will be learning about famous towers from around the world.  We will learn about which materials they are made from, when they were built and which continent of the world they are in.  Maybe you could find out about towers at home, too.

8.11.21 

English

In English we will be reading the book George and the dragon and the Paper Bag princess. The children will be using interesting adjectives to describe and begin to use adverbs to make their writing more engaging for the reader. We will also begin looking at similes. 

Maths 

 In Maths this week the children will be learning to subtract using the borrowing method. Children will be learning to exchange 1 ten for 10 ones. We will then be consolidating our knowledge by solving a range of addition and subtraction problems using the column method. We will finish the week by learning to add 3 single digit numbers together. 

Topic 

In topic this week the children will be designing and constructing their own castles. The children will be using recycling materials to add features to their castles such as turrets, towers, portcullis, drawbridge, moat, battlements etc. 

1.11.21

English 

This week in English we will be learning to write and questions using full sentences. We will be developing our reading skills and ability to use what we have read to answer questions. We are also learning to describe a setting using exciting adjectives and be able to use commas in a list.

Topic 

In our topic lessons we are learning about Castles. We will be learning about who used to live in a castle and who worked within them. We will be looking at how castles have changed over the time and the reasons for this e.g they were easily attacked.  The children will also be investigating how to build a stable bridge using different resources and understand how we can make them strong, stiff and stable. 

Maths 

In Maths we will be learning to add two two-digit numbers using the column addition method. The children will understand that we always start with the ones number first in preparation for when the numbers bridge the ten. 

Autumn 1 Term 2021

Welcome to the Year 2 page! We hope you had a lovely summer. Here you will find information all about what the children will be learning each week. 

18.10.21

English 

In English the children will be basing their writing on the story of Peter Pan. The children will have the opportunity to see some clips from the film to help inspire their independent writing. The children will be encouraged to use capital letters and full stops correctly as well as using their knowledge of adjectives to help make their writing more engaging for the reader. 

Maths 

In Maths this week we will be learning to add and subtract a two digit and single digit number which cross the ten. eg. 34 + 8. 

Topic 

Our topic lesson this week will be looking at compass directions and ensuring children are familiar with the key vocabulary North, South, East and West. They will also get an opportunity to reflect on all the things they have enjoyed learning about this half term. 

11.10.21

English 

In English next week we will be looking at the text 'The man whose mother was a pirate'. We will be learning to understand new vocabulary and answer comprehensive questions. We will also start to look at alliteration and poetry. 

Maths

In Maths we will begin by finding bonds to 100. We will then move on to adding ones to a given number which don't bridge the 10 before adding and subtracting 10. To finish the week be will be learning to add by making 10. e.g 8+5 5 can be partitioned into 2 and 3.  8+2=10   +3= 13. 

Topic 

This week we are having a science focus. We will be looking at what our bodies need in order to be healthy. We will then be designing a healthy meal for sailors using the NHS eatwell plate. 

4.10.21

Can we begin by saying a big thank you for all your lovely pictures of the boats children have been making at home. We have loved seeing them and hearing about all the different materials children used. There was not one boat that looked the same, we were very impressed!

Maths 

In maths this week we will be moving on to a new unit called addition and subtraction. As part of this we will begin by looking at fact families and number bonds. We will be then using our knowledge of the inverse operation to help us check our calculations are correct. e,g if we know that 5 + 4= 9 then 9-5 must equal 4. 

English 

In English we will begin to link our topic learning into our writing. We will be using adjectives to write a descriptive message in a bottle to explain what life was like at sea during Captain Cook's era. We will also begin moving on to the life of Grace Darling. 

Topic 

Our topic lessons will begin looking at how things have changed over time. We will be comparing famous sailors with Ellen MacArthur and discovering how life was very different. We will also be looking at what we need to be healthy and comparing it to what it was like on board the Endeavour. Finally we will move on to look at Grace Darling and explore what she did which makes her inspirational today. 

27.9.21

Maths

In maths we will be beginning a new programme called 'Mastering Number' which will help the children to visualise numbers and understand that numbers are made up of other numbers.  We will also be beginning to add numbers together to find the total.

English

This week we will be learning about the explorer and navigator Captain James Cook.  We will be reading non-fiction books about him and his voyages around the globe.  We will be incorporating lots of drama including freeze framing and hot seating.  By the end of the week we will have written a message in a bottle asking other sailors for help!

Topic

 In topic we will be looking at maps of the world, naming the continents and the oceans.  We will be finding out information about other current day explorers and those from hundreds of years ago.

20.9.21

Maths 

This week in Maths we are going to begin looking at comparing numbers using the less than, greater than and equal to symbols. We will also be learning to use a place value chart and ordering object and numbers using key vocabulary. 

English 

In English we are going to continue looking at the story Meerkat Mail. The children will be learning to use new vocabulary to write a postcard to the main character in the story- Sunny. They will then begin to look at what a verb is and start to write and answer questions. 

Topic 

This week we will begin looking at the properties of materials and what makes them appropriate for a particular purpose on a boat.e.g glass is transparent so we can see through it, plastic is light and flexible. The children will also start to look at the countries that make up the United Kingdom, the capital cities and surrounding seas. 

 13.9.21

Maths 

This week in Maths the children will be looking at place value. The children will be learning to represent numbers to 100 using tens and ones and will be attempting to represent numbers in more than 1 way. eg. 35 could be 3 tens and 5 ones, 2 tens and 15 ones, 1 ten and 25 ones or simply 0 tens and 35 ones. 

English 

In English the children will have a massive focus on using capital letters and full stops correctly whilst also being encouraged to think about their presentation of work. The children will begin to look at nouns and how we can use adjectives to turn our nouns into expanded noun phrases. Please see below for an example.  

                 rabbit - noun 

               the rabbit- becomes a phrase 

           the soft, fluffy rabbit - expanded noun phrase. 

Topic

This week we will start to look at our topic Land Ahoy. We will begin by looking at different types of boats and the different moving parts. The children will do some observational drawings and then move on to making a slider to create their very own moving boat. 

               Summer Term 2021

7.6.21

Welcome back after the half term break.  This term's topic is Beat Band Boogie.  We will be completing lots of science investigations related to sound.  We will also be learning to sing songs and play percussion instruments.

In spelling this week we are looking at words with the suffix _ful such as cheerful and successful.

In maths we will consolidate previous learning about addition and subtraction.  The one minute challenges are going well and we are pleased with the increase in the children's speed and accuracy when answering simple questions.

In English this week we will be writing a recount about their activities over the holiday.

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16.4.21

The children have made a great start to the summer term and we are very proud of their positive attitude to learning.

This week we have been focusing on grammar in English.  We have learned about progressive verbs in the past and present tense - I am running, I was running; Marie and Mohammed are drumming, Marie and Mohammed were drumming; Mrs Hill is walking, Mrs Hill was walking.

We have also learned some different homophones and how to spell them correctly.

In maths we have begun learning about fractions which has been fun.  We have found half of a shape and half of an amount.  Next we will be moving onto quarters.

We also did some pond dipping and bug hunting this week which was such fun.

Spring Term 2021

5.1.21

For information about what the Year 2 children will be completing at home, please look under the 'Home Learning' tab above.  Photographs of the work the children complete at home will be posted there in due course.

Autumn Term 2020

17.12.20

The children have enjoyed being very creative this week.  They have concentrated hard on sewing, experienced origami and taken photographs of their friends around school.  It has been a joy to witness the children embrace these new challenges and demonstrate independence skills and growing levels of resilience.

They truly deserve their treat afternoon.

We would like to wish all children, parents and carers a very Happy Christmas and wonderful 2021!

7.12.20

The children worked so hard to learn their lines and songs for the school play and we had great fun performing it. We really hope you enjoy watching their Christmas play when the DVDs come back. 

In English we have been busy planning our own stories based around The Tunnel by Anthony Browne. The children have been able to adapt the story by changing the main characters, the setting and the main event. We can't wait to read their stories next week. 

In Maths the children are finishing the topic of money. We will look at finding change and move on to two step word problems. 

30.11.20

The children have been busy practising their songs and lines for the Christmas Play called 'Baubles'.  We would like to thank the parents for the invaluable help they have given with learning lines at home.

In English this week we have been reading the book 'The Tunnel' by Anthony Browne.  The children have really enjoyed the suspense in the story.  They have been using sub-ordinating conjunctions in addition to the co-ordinating conjunctions from last week.

In maths we have continued learning about money.  This week the children have been finding totals by adding two or more amounts together.  They also learned how to pay the exact amount of money using coins and notes.

23.11.20

English 

This week we have had a grammar focus. We have been learning how to turn words which are singular to plural by either adding 's' or 'es'. We have also been looking how to use possessive apostrophe (Tom's/ Chris') and co-ordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) in our work. 

Maths

We have had so much fun in maths this week looking at money. We have been learning to recognise coins and notes, count money in pounds and pence and make totals using different coins. 

Topic

Our Christmas performance rehearsals are now starting to take place. We have been working hard to learn all the songs and practice our lines. We would be really grateful if you could continue to help your child to learn these at home as well. 

16.11.20

English

This week we have been exploring the features of different traditional tales and focusing on Rapunzel.  The children have sequenced the story and learned the difference between a statement, a question and command and an exclamation sentence.

Maths

This is our final week on addition and subtraction.  We have added three numbers together, learned bonds to 100 and looked for number patterns eg 2 + 8 = 10 so 12 + 8 =20 and

22 + 8 = 20.

Topic

The children have learned about famous towers from around the world and plotted them on a world map.  These include the CN Tower in Toronto, The Eiffel Tower in Paris, and The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

9.11.20

Maths 

This week in maths we are moving onto subtraction. The children will begin to subtract by using the crossing out method. They will then be taught how to subtract using an empty number line and the column method. Towards the end of the week we will be moving on to subtraction where we have to exchange 1 ten for ten ones. 

 English

This week the children will be looking at the book George and the dragon. We will write our own blurb based on this book and design a front cover. The children will then look to describe their dragons using exciting adjectives e.g My dragon has enormous, strong legs and small, amber eyes. They will then use verbs and adverbs to describe what their dragon can do. My dragon can run speedily and fly wildly.    

Topic

This week in our topic lessons we will be making our own castles. The children will try to incorporate as many features as they can using what they already know about castles. e.g arrow loops, moat, bailey, keep, battlements, tower etc. They will also be plotting famous towers on a world map.  

16.10.20

Thank you to all parents and children who spent time and energy making AMAZING treasure maps at home!  They are truly awesome and we appreciate all of the hard work which went into making them.  The children have been so proud of their efforts and very keen to share them with their friends.

As we come to the end of this topic, we have been really impressed by how much the children have remembered of what we have learned.  

In English this week we had a treat and watched the Disney cartoon version of Peter Pan.  The children will be writing their own version of the story.

In maths we have been practising adding 1 and taking away 1, adding 10 and takig away 10.  It is very important that the children understand this and can do it quickly and accurately.

9.10.20

We've had another lovely week of learning at school.  The children have been introduced to 'alliteration' in English and have been busy listening out for it when they hear it.  Alliteration is the repetition of the initial sound in words which are next to or near each other.  The rabbit was reading the red book. 

It is also very common in characters' names: Horrid Henry, Mickey Mouse, Spongebob Squarepants and Peter Pan.

In maths this week the children have been learning to add and subtract numbers.  They are beginning to understand that subtraction is the inverse of addition and that the same three numbers can be used in four different equations:-

        4 + 3 = 7

        3 + 4 = 7

        7 - 3 = 4

        7 - 4 = 3

The children would all benefit from practising the inverse at home. 

2.10.20

The children have really enjoyed learning about pirates over the past couple of weeks.  We have been thrilled with the lovely boats the children made for homework.  The photos you sent in have been shared and are now proudly on display in the classroom.

This week we have been learning about number patterns - counting in steps of 2,3,5 and 10. It has been quite challenging but the children are trying hard.

Thank you for your generous harvest food donations.  We have been amazed at the number of items we have collected.

In English this week we have been learning new vocabulary about pirate ships.  Could you ask your child about what they have learned?

Please don't forget to read at least three times a week with your child and encourage them to do their homework.

11.9.20

Welcome back!  It is great to see the new and familiar faces back with us at school.  Although the environment looks different, the children have settled really well and have adapted to the necessary changes.

This week we have been thinking about keeping ourselves safe in our bubbles and have written our own class rules.  We have also been talking about what is the same and what is different about the inside and outside of our school.

Thank you for the sending in the summer holiday activity.  The children will be sharing what they have done over the summer with their classmates.

In maths the children are learning to recognise numbers from 0 - 100 and partition numbers into tens and ones. For example, 37 is 30 and 7.

Our topic this half term is 'Land Ahoy!'.  We will be learning all about pirates and famous explorers.

The first home learning will be sent home next Friday.