Spring Term 2022

WC 21.03.22 - Mrs Barratt (Monday - Wednesday)

Another busy week for us in Year 2. The children have worked extremely hard to write their own narrative based on 'The Minpins' book that we have been reading over the past few weeks. Our stories were about Little Milly, who escaped her house into the Forest of Sin, she bumped into a ferocious bone muncher chasing her to a huge tree which she climbed up. Within the tree lived the Minpins, tiny people with heads the size of a pea. They all came up with a plan to defeat the Bone Muncher by flying on an eagle owl to the edge of the forest and crush him with rocks! The children did a fantastic job and used lots of skills we have learnt and applied them into their writing.

In Maths, we have continued with fractions- counting in halves and then counting in quarters. This was a tricky concept, but we got there in the end. Next, we looked at thirds and recognise them in a variety of ways.

We have finished our unit of History too now with our final lesson being all about the Concordes. We learnt about the history of the Concordes and how they developed over time. We found out about their speed- twice the speed of sound, and if you were lucky enough to travel on one as a passenger, you got to your destination in less than half the time as a jumbo jet. Unfortunately though, Concordes no longer fly due to their expense and a deadly crash in 2000.

We also concluded our Geography unit too with our final lesson being all about the polar regions. We looked at where the polar regions were on a world map and compared their proximity to the equator. We found out that its always cold- usually in the minus figures even in Summer! They also have some days where they get no sunlight due to the Earths tilt on its axis and also one 24 hour where it is daylight the whole time!

WC 14.03.22

This week we have been practising all the skills we have learnt in Maths and English to complete our assessment week. The children have been amazing and made us very proud in Year 2, their hard work and determination this week has really impressed us. Well done Year 2, you have worked your socks off.

We finished off the week with an assessment of our understanding in Science and then we went through each of the tests, analysing what we found tricky and working through the problems together. We know that we only have to do these tests one more time, when we have to do the SATs themselves later on this school year.

We found the time for a Science lesson with Sophie, looking at the importance of good hygiene and keeping our bodies clean. In RE we explored what happens during a Muslim wedding, comparing this to our knowledge of weddings in different cultures.

In History this week, we learnt about space travel. We compared the space travel of three different astronauts: Yuri Gagarin, Tim Peake and Richard Branson. We found out what they did on their space travel and what it was like onboard their rockets.

In Geography this week, we looked at what the weather was like near the equator. We found out that there are no seasons near the equator, it is either wet or dry. Also, the weather is hot all year round.

Make sure you treat yourselves this weekend Year 2, you definitely deserve it!

WC 07.03. 22

This week in English, we have been using a range of subordinating conjunctions and using statements to write about the Minpins. We then had a go at using the present progressive form to write a postcard to Billy's mum- we were so good at this! Next we had to create our own monster...these were quite scary indeed and the Roald Dahl descriptions we wrote would give the man himself a run for his money! We finished off the week by writing a plan ready to write our own version of the Minpins in our Big Write after assessment week next week.

In Maths, we learnt about non-unit fractions- this is where the numerator is a number other than 1. We then found out about and compared half, quarter and three quarters. Did you know a half and two quarters are the same fraction? After that we looked at wholes and then parts and wholes.

In History, we were really lucky to have a pilot come in and talk to us about planes and flying. The pilots name was Guy and he told us about his journey into flying and where it all started. He talked about his flying in the Airforce and then how he moved into commercial based flying- he now flies jumbo jets for British Airways all over the world. We watched a time-lapse of his take-off and landings and places he flew over. Then we saw pictures of some amazing places he had visited. After this talk, most of Year 2 wanted to become pilots when they are older! What a great day!

On Tuesday afternoon, the firemen came in to talk to us about their job as a fire fighter and showed us what is inside the fire engine. We learnt a lot about what they do daily and what equipment they use and what it does. Another great experience for us all.

Our Science lesson this week was on the importance of eating well, making healthy food choices and how this powers our bodies. We can identify lots of yummy fruits and vegetables and understand how what we put into our bodies helps us to do all of the exciting activities and fun things we want to do.

What a week!

WC 28.02.22

Another week completed!

In English this week, we have been working on lots of conjunctions and using them to join sentences together and trying to use suffixes from the same family e.g. big, bigger and biggest. Also, after reading more of the book, we had a look at past and present tense and had a go at writing about the book so far in present tense, looking at using -ed or the past progressive (was running). We have worked on apostrophes for possession and how to use these correctly.

In Maths, we have continued learning about fractions. We have been recognising and finding a half and recognising and finding a quarter. We found quarters tricky, but if we use our times tables it makes it much easier! Also, we have been looking at unit fractions of shapes and amounts.

In History we have looked at when flight became popular. We looked at Boeing -747 and how they started, what they looked like inside and what it was like on a general flight in the 1950's and compared it too now and how different it is. We realised you had to be very, very, very rich to be able to fly back then.

In Geography we have been learning about the weather around the world and compared what they were like in the same month. We looked at UK, Norway, Brazil, China and Australia and compared the weather in August and December. We found out that Australia has Summer in our Winter and Winter in our Summer! We also found out that Norway is very cold, did you know that Norway's temperature is in the minus degrees and has very little daylight?

In RE we learned about how Muslims celebrate birth with the ceremony of Aqiqah. Did you know charity is an important part of Islam? Muslim babies hear the call to prayer when they are born, receive their names after a week and then their head is shaved and the equivilant weight in gold or silver donated to charity.

In Science we looked at the importance of exercise, exploring how our bodies feel before and after. Miss Cragg made us work up a sweat! We talked about why exercise is important for strong bones as well as healthy bodies and minds.

On that note, don't forget, PE kits are to be brought in next week and the children will get changed at school.

WC 21.02.22

Welcome back Year 2. A fantastic first week back.

We have started our new book in English this week 'The Minpins' by Roald Dahl. This book is amazing and a must read- we have really enjoyed the start of this book. So far, we have predicted events that may occur in the book, used noun phrases to write a DANGER poster about the Toothpluckling, bloodsuckling Snoozwanglers! We have also used subordinating conjunctions to write super setting descriptions and used more precise verbs to enhance our writing. We cannot wait to read more next week!

In Maths, we finished off division by looking at bar models for sharing and grouping with a range of word problems. We have started the next unit in Maths this week, Fractions. We have started with whole and parts and making equal parts.

In History this week, we are continuing with Flight. We have learnt about Amy Johnson and why we remember her today. She was the first woman to fly solo from the UK to Australia, it took her 19 days and she got so sick from the petrol fumes and burnt from the sun. We wrote a fact file about Amy Johnson and why she is remembered.

For Geography this term, we are learning about the seasons. We looked at the typical weather we have in each season and then compared this to the daily weather we may have within that season e.g. In Summer, it is usually hot, however in the UK it does rain a lot and can be chilly in Summer too.

In Science we will be learning about the body; about survival, eating well, exercise and the importance of good hygiene. This week we looked at what the human body needs in order to not just survive but to thrive.

In RE we are continuing to learn about Islam but this half term looking at important festivals and rites of passage. This week we learned about Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha which follow Ramadan and Hajj.

A great first week back, keep it up Year 2.

PE is now on a Wednesday and Thursday this term.

WC 07.02.22

Last week to work hard before a long rest at home.

In English this week, we have been writing our fact file about Bears. We have focused our writing on appearance, habitat, types of bears and food they eat. Our reports were amazing, everyone worked their socks off to make amazing fact files about bears. Mrs Barratt and Miss Cragg loved reading them all.

In Maths we have continued with our dividing, we specifically looked at dividing by 2, 5 and 10. We realised as well as resources, we can also use our times tables to help us with dividing. This week we also looked at odd and even numbers and how we can work out if they are odd and even- if the parts can't all be paired up and there is one left on their own then it is odd, like an odd sock or an odd shoe!

For our final Geography lesson for this term, we wrote a postcard home pretending we were on holiday at a coast and had to describe the human and physical features.

This week we have also learnt about our goals and successes in PSHE. We have looked at our own goals and learning strengths. We discussed how sometimes we need to learn with others and took on a group challenge to design the perfect dream bird for our garden.

A fantastic term Year 2. Have a well earnt rest and see you back after a weeks rest.

WC 31.01.22

Another week down!

In English we have retold the whole story after listening to it being read to us by sorting the pictures of key events in order. We learnt about rhyme too, we had to create sentences with rhyming patterns- we were so good at this! Next, we looked at fact and fiction, we had to decipher if the bear information we were given was fact or fiction. To end the week, we had to plan our next Big Write, a fact file all about bears.

In Maths this week, we have started the next unit of Division. We began with looking at equal groups and why this is important when dividing. We also learnt about sharing and grouping using a range of resources and visuals to support our understanding of dividing.

In Geography this week, we have been looked at a range of different physical features you might find at the beach including arch, pebbles, stacks etc. We labelled a range of pictures from coasts around the UK that showed these physical features.

In History, we compared the planes dating back from the first world war all the way to the present day. We looked at the biplanes (WW1), Lancaster Bombers (WW2) and the Typhoons (Present Day), we compared the planes and discussed how they have changed and observed the differences and style of the planes over time through pictures and clips of them flying.

One more week to go before we can rest up for a week.

WC 24.01.22

In English this week, we have started a new book called 'Bear under the stairs' by Helen Cooper. We have started the week looking at commands, statements, exclamations and questions and sorting sentences accurately. Next, we looked at homophones and found out they are the words sound the same but spelt differently and have different meanings- this was lots of fun! Also, we discussed what we are frightened of and the best way for us to overcome these fears- we found out a lot of us are frightened of snakes and spiders! Finally, we wrote a letter as William from our book and then replied to William.

In Maths, we have looked at multiplications sentences and using arrays. We moved onto working on the 2, 5 and 10 times, followed on with solving multiplication word problems. We have been amazing at this this week; Year 2 have worked so hard to learn their times tables! Keep practising at home!

In History, we have learnt about the Wright Brothers and who they are. These two brothers designed, built and flew the first ever successful motor-operated airplane. We looked at their failures and successes when building their airplane and how they got back up and rebuilt their plane and tried again.

In Geography this week, we compared the two towns- Sleaford and Skegness- we compared the differences between a town and a coastal town by studying their human and physical features. We went on a virtual inland and coastal journey using Google Maps.

WC 17.01.22

In English, we have been writing our own newspaper reports about the house held up by trees and even had eyewitness statements! An amazing first newspaper write by Year 2.

In Maths, continuing with money still. We have been finding change and solving two-step word problems, followed by our end of unit test. A great job learning money which is a tricky concept. Next, we moved onto multiplication and division, particularly equal groups. We have added equal groups too.

In History, we have learnt about the Montgolfier brothers and their hot air balloon design. Did you know, they sent up a sheep, hen and a duck just to make sure if it was safe before sending up humans! Their design is still used today however, the fire part is slightly different as they used to burn hay and old shoes to make it float into the air whereas now, we use a gas. We designed our own hot air balloons.

Another week down, well done.

WC 10.01.22

In English, we are carrying on with our new book. We have been sequencing events and using statements and commands to design our own seed packets for different trees. Next, we were in role as journalists and exploring the house held up by trees and what a newspaper is and how it is written. Finally, we made our own plan for a newspaper report all about the house held up by trees.

In Maths, we are still learning all about money. We have been showing equal amounts of money in lots of ways and calculating the total amount by adding amounts of money together. We have got good at this!

In History, we learnt about Leonardo Di Vinci and his plane, parachute, and helicopter designs. We then got into pairs and designed our own parachutes with our friends and had a competition to see who’s the best was. We had two winners and they had a large parachute design which glided to the ground slowly! A great team effort.

In Geography, we are learning about what the beach is like. This week we learnt about the different seas around the UK and different coastal towns around the UK. We used atlases and Google maps to help us find them.

Well done for getting straight back into it Year 2.

WC 03.01.22

Welcome back to school after a lovely two weeks off. We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

In English we are reading a new book called 'House Held up by Trees'. First of all, we used 'subordinating conjunctions' to join sentences together, then we predicted what might happen in the book and why the house was being held up by trees. We used adverbs in our writing as well as conjunctions again.

In Maths, we have started our new unit of Money. This week we have been counting money both coins and notes. We used real coins and notes to help us count easier! WE have worked hard at this but found it tricky.

Our PE days are on a Monday, which is Dance with Cheryl and Thursday, which is Basketball with Junior Jam.

A lovely 4-day week to start back!

In Maths, we have continued with fractions- counting in halves and then counting in quarters. This was a tricky concept but we got there in the end. Next, we looked at thirds and recognise them in a variety of ways.

We have finished our unit of History too now with our final lesson being all about the concordes. We learnt about the history of the concordes and hiw they developed over time. We found out about their speed- twice the speed of sound, and if you were lucky enough to travel on one as a passenger, you got to your destination in less than half the time as a jumbo jet. Unfortunately though, concordes no longer fly due to their expense and a deadly crash in 2000.

We also concluded our Geography unit too with our final lesson being all about the polar regions. We looked at where the polar regions were on a world map and comapred their proximity to the equator. We found out that its always cold- usually in the minus figures even in Summer! THey also have some days where they get no sunlight due to the Earths tilt on it's axis and also one 24 hour where it is daylight the whole time!