Year 2 Autumn Term
Welcome to year 2, We have a fantastic team this year with Mrs Whittaker teaching 2DW and Mrs Cockcroft and Mrs Harwood teaching 2JC/LH; both classes will be supported by Mrs Hampton and Mrs Moss.
English
Phonics
Autumn Term 1
Phonics
In Year 2 we will continue to follow the ‘Essential Letters and Sounds’ scheme. We will cover a lot of Phase 5 revision to embed Year 1 phonic knowledge. Those children who did not pass the Year 1 phonics screening test will retake this next year. Some children will continue to bring home a phonic book to embed learning from phonic lessons in school.
Visit the website below to practise your child’s phonic sounds: phonics play
Reading
Developing your child’s reading skills and fluency in Year 2 is very important because it will help them to not only become confident readers but will also help them to grow as writers. In Year 2, children do either daily guided or shared reading sessions. The children are expected to read to an adult at home every day. Please sign their reading record book after you have heard them read at home and if you wish, please add a comment. With the exception of phonic books, children can change their book once it has been completed. Any specific phonetically decodable books your child brings home will be changed on a Friday. Please ensure reading books and records are brought into school every day.
Spelling
Spelling lessons are taught three times a week through the ‘No Nonsense Spelling Scheme’, followed by a spelling test/review on a Friday. The spelling lists for each week of the current half term will be sent home in children’s homework books. We ask for the children to regularly practise their weekly spellings at home in order to get the best score they can and become overall better spellers. Also linked below are a list of Year 1 and Year 2 common exception words that do not follow phonetic spellings which children are expected to spell by the end of year 2.
Writing
This term children will be writing stories linked to traditional tales, stories from other cultures, poetry and non-fiction. During each unit of writing the children will have ‘experience days’ linked to the genre and topic, these will be followed by our sentence stacking lessons and then an independent write at the end of each unit. There will also be an emphasis on presentation and handwriting, ensuring that all letters are formed correctly. The children will also be given the opportunity to self-assess their work and edit it to make improvements.
Mathematics
This term we will be looking at;
Place value
Emphasis will be placed on ensuring any GAPS in Year 1 knowledge are filled. In Year 2, children will be expected to count up to a 100 objects by grouping them in 10's, 5's or 2's. They should be able to order numbers and know the value of each digit e.g. 87 is 8 tens and 7 ones or 80 + 7. They will need to be able to partition numbers into different combinations.
Addition and subtraction
Children should know their number bonds to 10 and recognise pairs of number to make 20. Try this game to see how many number bonds your child can remember in 1 minute. Can they beat their last score? This game is also a great tool to help to remember lots of other number facts.
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
There are also lots of other games on the Topmarks website to play.
They should be able to complete addition and subtraction calculations using the strategy of counting on and back.
e.g.) 47 + 4 = 65 - 7 =
They will then use the partitioning method to add or subtract larger numbers
37 + 12 = would be split up to be 37 + 10 + 2
47 - 22 = would be split up to be 47 = 20 -2
We will continue to be a focus on problem solving and reasoning across all areas of the maths curriculum.
Click here to access their Autumn maths journey targets
Science
Our first topic is Animals including Humans, during this topic the children will learn to identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense, and notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults.
Geography – Our learning question this term is – ‘Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold place?’ Through this, we will be introducing the children to the basic concept of climate zones and mapping out hot and cold places globally. This will involve looking at features in the North and South Poles and Kenya, comparing weather and features in the local area, learning the four compass points, and learning the names and locating the continents of our world.
History – Our learning question this term is – ‘How were schools different in the past?’ Through this we will explore how although schools have been in the local area for a long time, they have not always been the same. We will be identifying historical similarities and differences between schools.
Art – This term children will be carrying out a painting and mixed media unit called ‘Life in Colour’. This will involve developing their colour mixing skills and learning about the artist Romare Bearden. Children will then create textured papers using paint and will compose collages inspired by their exploration of colour and texture in the world around them.
DT – This term, the children will explore the concept and features of structures and the stability of different shapes. They will learn how to strengthen materials before designing their own chair for Baby Bear. They will then build their chair according to the design criteria. Once they have produced a finished structure, they will evaluate its strength, stiffness and stability.
RE (Religious Education) - Over the year, Year 2 discover and explore the religious beliefs, traditions and customs linked to; Christians, Muslims and Jewish people. This term focuses on – ‘Who is a Muslim and what do they believe?
Computing - This term we will be focusing on a strand of computer science called Algorithms and Programs. Children will learn what an algorithm is and create their own sets of coded instructions. They will learn how to amend instructions in order to debug them.
PSHRE - Children will learn about relationships, including friendships, feeling lonely and managing arguments. The children will access this part of the curriculum through circle time, class discussions, stories and role-play. We will also be using a new scheme of work called 'My Happy Mind' to support our teaching and children's mental health.
PE - Over the year, the children will take part in gymnastics, team games, ball skills and dance. They will be developing their fine and gross motor skills, balancing and moving at different levels and linking movement together. The children will also practise working together in teams, listening to and supporting each other, and develop their ball skills.
They will be practising using their listening skills during PE lessons in order to follow simple instructions and rules. They will learn the rules for a variety of warm-up games which they can then adapt and use on the playground during play times. Over the year the children will also be allocated PE sessions with outside coaches.
Keep an eye on the gallery page for updates of work we do in class!
If you require any further information regarding the curriculum for Year 2 please speak to your child's class teacher.
