Blog
Summer 1, Week 2
Another great week of creative, exciting learning!
In English, the children have continued to work on non-chronological report. This week they wrote a non-chronological report about the school, including subheadings, conjunctions and a range of punctuation (. ! ?).
In Maths this week, the children have been recapping the basic operations of addition and subtraction. They have used a range of methods to complete both number problems and word problems.
In Science this week, they have learned about hydroponics which is planting seeds without soil. They planted their own bean sprout seed in a plastic bag with some water in and placed one in the cupboard and one on the window. Which will be the most successful?
In Project, the children have continued to create exciting pieces of work and used the techniques pointillism and colour washing with paint. They use blue, white, grey and brown to create a cold colour wash and red, orange, yellow and pink to create a warm colour wash.
Well done on another great week Year 2, have a great weekend!
Miss McLoughlin & Miss Bruton
Summer 1, Week 1
Welcome back Year 2! Hope you had a lovely Easter!
This week in English, the children have begun to learn about non-chronological reports. They have learned about the features, made their own subheadings and creates statements that could be included in a non-chronological report about the school.
In Maths this week, the children have been recapping their knowledge of number bonds. This will help with mental arithmetic in the future. They learned the number bonds to 10, 20 and 100 and some children have used these facts to solve subtraction sums e.g. 100 - 40 or ___ + 12 = 20.
In Science, the new topic is Ready, Steady, Grow! The children learned about seed dispersal, created their own sycamore (helicopter) seeds with paper and classified different types of seed into the different types of seed dispersal (animals/humans, wind, water and exploding).
In Project, the new project is Art Attack! The children explored drawing and artistic skills with art pencils and oil pastels using blending. They then used these skills to copy a piece of art work using one of these mediums.
Well done for a great week back! Have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin & Miss Bruton
Spring 2, Week 4
Last full week before Easter!
In Maths this week, the children have been learning about fractions. Using cubes and sharing circles, they found fractions of an amount and length. They also found out how to find fractions of a shape using their knowledge of fractions of amounts.
In English, the children learned about Greek Myths and this week they wrote their own stories. They used a story mountain to plan with a hero, setting dilemma, resolution and conflict. There were lots of exciting dilemmas across the year group!
In Project, the children designed and made their own mechanisms. They could chose between a sliding, lever or wheel mechanism and added a minibeast in their habitat. They all turned out beautifully.
In Science, this week the children made bridges out of paper to be strong enough for a toy car to go across. There were some really great designs and creations!
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin & Miss Bruton
Spring 2, Week 3
It's been another fabulous week in year 2. The children came in this week ready to learn and we've definitely had a busy week!
The children have been focusing on developing their times tables knowledge in maths this week and have loved playing Hit the Button, which can be found here: Hit the Button
In English, we have been creating our own monsters and heroes ready to be used in our own stories next week. The children have come up with some frightening creatures and we're just hoping their heroes will be up to the task to defeat them!
In project, the children have loved making their prototypes for our mechanisms and next week they will be deciding which one to use in their final product. We also had a wonderful experience this week with the great team from Lots of Legs who brought with them some real minibeasts that our children could meet! The children all had a great time and held some of the amazing creatures!
Well done also to our Let's Get Quizzy finalists and champions! It was a very close competition and was great to watch.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Bruton & Miss McLoughlin
Spring 2, Week 2
Check point week over and out!
In English this week, the children looked at the picture book Flotsam which has beautiful illustrations of imaginative, sea settings which they wrote about and created their own.
In Maths, the children completed a booklet of sheets related to the four basic operations (add, subtract, multiply and divide) to continue to practice these concepts.
In Project, the children learned about minibeasts. They learned what vertebrates and invertebrates are and their habitats.
In Science, they did an experiment to see which ball would bounce the highest using a foam, rubber, plastic, fabric and playdough ball. Guess which one bounced the highest?
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin & Miss Bruton
Spring 2, Week 1
Welcome back Year 2! What a week to begin the term!
This week has been multimedia week and the children have been using a range of technology and apps to code, animate and create their own music. We have attached the link for the music maker website as requested by some of the children.
In Maths, the children have been learning about measure. Using different units of measure and equipment to estimate, measure and read various scales of length, mass, temperature and capacity.
In English, the children have began learning about Greek Mythology. They have acted out scenes as characters from the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and thought about how the characters must have felt. They also created their own Greek heroes with expanded noun phrases.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Spring 1, Week 6
Wow, what a speedy half term that was! The children have been working so hard this half term and we can't wait to see what they achieve in Spring 2!
In maths, the children have been using their knowledge of place value to order and compare numbers. They have also been writing words as numbers; some of them even wrote numbers in the thousands! The children really loved one of the games we played to practice this so here is the link in case they are interested in playing it at home:
https://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math/early-math/number-words-fruit-splat-game/
More games can be found here: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/
In English, the children retold the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They were able to use lovely adjectives and conjunctions to add description and detail to their work. They have also been working hard in improving their handwriting and presentation.
Unfortunately, this week saw the end of our Great Fire of London project, which the children have loved! Next half term, we will be completing a Design Technology project titled 'Wriggle and Crawl' where they will be designing their own moving mechanisms!
Next half term, the children will also be completing their second set of check points. This will take place in week 2. We can't wait to see how well they do!
Have a lovely half term!
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin :)
Spring 1, Week 5
Only one more week to go, how this half term has flown!
This week in Maths, the children have been learning a range of methods to solve multiplication and division sums. Some of these strategies have been using cubes to share and group and repeated addition.
In English, the children have retold the story of the Fairy Tale of The Elves and the Shoemaker. They used adjectives and conjunctions to make the story more detailed and interesting and some of the children have read their work aloud and make changes while editing.
In project this week, the children wrote their own diary entries from the point of view of someone who was there when they fire occurred. The children used what they knew about 17th century life and the feelings they would have felt if they were there themselves. Also, they compared some artwork of the fire of London, one created in the 17th century and one painted in 2012.
In Science, the children have been learning about absorbency and waterproof materials. This week, they have been focusing on water resistance using pastels and crayons with water colours.
Well done for another great week Year 2!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Spring 1, Week 4
Another fabulous week in Year 2 finishing with Thrive Day on Friday!
In Maths, the children have been learning about presenting and interpretting data using tally charts, pictograms and bar graphs. They have answered questions using vocabulary like, most/least popular, total, how many more and what is the difference.
In English, the children begun a new Fairy Tale, The Elves and the Shoemaker. They created a story maps and wrote character descriptions with adjectives.
In project this week, they learned about what life was like in the 17th century and compared this to life today. The children looked at how jobs have changed over the years. They also compared two different recounts written by people during the fire.
In Science, the children were printing with different materials both natural and man-made. They explored outside to find many of these items.
Thrive Day was all about learning to regulate our emotions when you 'pop your top'. There were a number of suggestions of how to calm down when they feel anger.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Spring 1, Week 3
Wow, how are we already half way through the half term?
In English, the children wrote the story of Rapunzel in their own words. These were so exciting to read because they used adjectives and conjunctions to make a the story detailed and interesting.
In Maths, they have been learning about fractions. Finding fractions of amount using sharing circles to find halves, quarters and some children thirds. They also began to look at equivalent fractions and notice patterns with the fractions that were equal to a half.
In project this week, the children were learning just as archeaologists would! Using artefacts from the 17th century, the children learned about how these artefacts help us to understand history. They also were comparing the houses from the 17th century to the houses we live in today. Did you know some people in 1666 didn't have glass windows?
In Science, the children were investigating which materials were best for waterproofing something. Again they working through the investigation thinking like a scientist.
Well done Puffins and Owls, have a lovely weekend!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Spring 1, Week 2
What an exciting week!
The children saw firemen put out a real fire. They came to teach the children about fire safety because the new History topic is all about the Great Fire of London.
In English, the children continued working on Fairy Tales. Mainly focusing on setting descriptions the children used interesting expanded noun phrases to describe the witch's garden from the story Rapunzel.
In Maths, the children learned how to tell the time to the nearest 15 minutes. They used vocabulary such as o'clock, half past and quarter to/past.
For the rest of the History lessons, the children used timelines to put important events (including the Great Fire of London and their birthdays) in history in to chronological order and another timeline to chronologically order the events that occurred during the Great Fire of London.
In Science, the children have become scientists testing materials to see if they are absorbent or not.
We hope you enjoy your weekend!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Spring 1, Week 1
Welcome back and happy new year!
What a brilliant start to 2024! Our new maths and English set groups have been great!
In Maths, we have recapped the basic operations of addition and subtraction. The children have worked with physical materials and used mental methods and some children were learning how and when to use the inverse.
In English, the children have been learning about Fairy Tales. This week we read Rapunzel and worked on developing an interesting character description using adjectives to make the writing more detailed.
Our new Science topic is Materials Matter and what an exciting first lesson the children had! The children used different materials to test their absorbency. They had kitchen roll, blue paper towels and tissues.
The new project for this half term is the Great Fire of London! The children have made a lovely piece of artwork to begin the project and learned what happen before, during and after the fire. Finally, the children places the event of the Great Fire of London on to a timeline along with other key historical events like the dinosaurs, the school's opening and their birthdays.
Well done for a fantastic start to the year!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Autumn 2, Week 7
The last full week of autumn term has been a busy one! The children have been amazing in our play rehearsals and in their performances. I’m sure you are all as proud of them as we are! Thank you again for providing them with their costumes, they all looked great!
In our English lessons this week, we have been following Christmas activity instructions and critiquing them. The children were great at improving some of them as there were some instructions that were not very detailed at all!
In maths, we have been looking at patterns and sequences which the children were experts at! We then did some learning around directions, using the compass points to explore a map.
The children have enjoyed completing Christmas themed activities in our Celebrations project and we look forward to completing more of these in our short week next week.
Have a lovely weekend,
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 2, Week 6 Blog
Another lovely week in Year 2!
In English, the children have been writing instructions about how to care for a mythical creature or chosen animal. They have been learning about conjunctions, time adverbials and adjectives and are beginning to use these in their own instruction writing.
During maths this week, the children have been recapping the basic methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They have also been learning which of these basic operations are commutative, meaning they are able to swap around the numbers and still get the same answer like in addition and multiplication but not subtraction and division.
In Science, the children made bug hotels using recyclable materials and natural resources such as leaves and twigs. These are great for the minibeasts that live outdoors to be protected from predators and sheltered.
In Project, the children recapped out learning and created a final African art piece and completed their reflections on which lessons were their favourite and which art mediums they enjoyed using most.
Throughout the week, the children have all been working extremely hard to rehearse for the Christmas play. We are so proud of their hard work!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Autumn 2, Week 5 Blog
What a busy week it has been in year 2! We have been working hard rehearsing our Christmas play with the year 1 children. The children are all doing so well with remembering their lines, the songs and the actions to go with them.
We have still managed to complete some learning this week as well though! In English, we have been writing instructions on how to create our own magic potion! The children came up with some really imaginative ideas!
In maths we have been looking at fractions. The children were able to find a fraction of an amount using sharing circles to do this. They also were able to shade a half and a quarter of various shapes.
The children are continuing to love our art project and this week have looked at the artwork of African artist, John Ndambo. The children have use oil pastels and paint to recreate some of his artwork.
In science, we will be creating our own 'bug hotels' so please look at the week ahead document for the materials we are requesting the children try and collect for this.
Have a lovely (potentially snowy) weekend!
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 2, Week 4 Blog
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
This week, Owls and Puffins have received their lines and have been practising their class songs for the assembly. We can't wait to perform for the parents in a few weeks.
In English, the children have continued to write instructions. This week they have written instructions about making a jam sandwich and learned how to use adverbs to make them more clear and descriptive.
In Maths, the children have been learning about measurements - length, mass (weight), temperature and capacity.
Autumn 2, Week 3 Blog
In English this week, the children have begun learning about instruction writing. Focusing on imperative verbs and time adverbials, they have written clear commands for how to brush your teeth. Over the coming weeks, they will continue to improve their writing for instructions.
In Maths, the children have been learning how to count backwards and forwards in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s. They have used a number of resources to support this learning, such as number lines, cubes and their times tables.
This week in Project lessons, the children used different techniques and equipment to create texture in their artwork. Some children dabbed their brushes or used sponges while others used the end of a toothbrush to create dots. On the Geography side of this topic, they have learning about the many climates that Africa has because of its vast landscape.
Our Science this week focused on habitats for larger animals around the world. The children sorted animals into different habitats and then made their own habitats matching the correct animals to their homes.
Have a lovely, restful weekend Year 2!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Autumn 2, Week 2 Blog
This week the children have been doing check points. When they were not with their teachers completing their tests, they were learning in the classroom.
The children completed a number of fun English and Maths activities, mainly revising topics covered in Autumn 1. There were posters about characters from a story about a knight and a dragon, colouring using multiplication facts, practising the Christmas songs for assembly and many more.
The African Art lessons continued as normal. The children learned about primary and secondary colours and mixed their own to create another piece of African art.
In Science, they had another active lesson exploring the outdoor parts of the school to find microhabitats.
Well done Year 2 on completing your first check points of the year, you all worked to the best of your ability!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton.
Autumn 2, Week 1 Blog
What a busy first week back!
The children were learning about diamante poetry in English which are easy to identify because of the diamond shape. They each wrote a poem about Winter and Summer using a range of adjectives and verbs.
In Maths, the children learned about 2D and 3D shapes. They looked at lines of symmetry in 2D shapes. Also, they learned the properties of shapes using the correct vocabular - vertices, sides, edges and faces.
Our new project this half term has been a huge hit, it is called African Art. The children have had a chance to explore different pieces of African artwork and make their own. They also identified where Africa is on a map and learned that the equator runs through it meaning the climate is usually hot and dry. Finally, they looked at the differences and similarities of Africa and UK, specifically foods, climate, landscapes and wildlife.
Our Science topic, habitats and homes, has also been very interesting. The children have explored the field looking at things that are living, dead or have never been alive. They really enjoyed the outdoor, exciting way of learning.
What a lovely first week back!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Autumn 1, Week 7 Blog
What a lovely final week of the Autumn term!
Celebrating Interfaith week has taught the children a number of new facts about different world religions. On Monday afternoon, the children enjoyed a range of foods from different religions and countries, like kokis from Sri Lanka, kosher crisps from the Jewish religion, African plantain and gulab jamun from India. All very delicious and a wonderful way to share and respect other peoples cultures and traditions.
During the rest of the week, the children learned about symbols, traditions, beliefs, stories and much more within the six main world religions for the afternoon sessions.
In Maths, the children have learned about money. Using physical and visual coins they have made various amounts of money some even with pounds and pence. Also, they have begun to understand the use of the subtraction method when learning about change.
During English this week, they finished the Julia Donaldson unit by writing their own Snail and the Whale stories. They included expanded noun phrases to make their writing more interesting and descriptive.
We hope you have a wonderful half term break, you've earned it!
Miss McLoughlin and Miss Bruton
Autumn 1, Week 6 Blog
How has it been 6 weeks already? It's gone so fast and yet it feels like we have known the children for a long time!
We have had a lovely week exploring more Julia Donaldson stories and have used lots of adjectives and expanded noun phrases in our writing. In maths, the children have been looking at multiplication and division. It can be a tricky area of maths to learn but the children have worked very hard and done some super learning.
We finished our project 'Land Ahoy!' and our science unit 'Healthy Animals' this week. The children really surprised us with their enthusiasm and ability to learn facts. The children have become animal experts and have loved learning this week about some sea explorers from the past.
Next week, we will be spending our afternoons learning about many different religions for 'Interfaith Week'. Please see the week ahead e-mail for any further details about this, including the details about Monday afternoon as we are inviting parents in to share food from your cultures with the other children in the class. It will be lovely to see as many of you there as possible!
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 1, Week 5 Blog
We have had another lovely week in Year 2 with an excellent Harvest Festival performance to end the week. We are so proud of all the children and we hope you loved hearing their amazing singing!
We've had another Julia Donaldson themed week and have been studying The Detective Dog. We looked at the use of repetition and rhyming in the story. Our reading comprehension this week looked at the story of the Snail and the Whale in preparation for English next week.
In maths, we have been looking at multiplication and using arrays to help us calculate the answers for these questions. We will continue this learning next week and also take a look at division.
The children have enjoyed sharing their knowledge about healthy eating in Science and have been able to plan a healthy lunch whilst ensuring they had different items from the different food groups.
We hope you have a lovely weekend,
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 1, Week 4 Blog
This week has been another lovely week in Year 2. However, we have had to say goodbye to our chicks who were getting a bit big for their box! They have been taken back by Living Eggs and will be taken to local farms to grow up. The chicks helped make our science learning so engaging and interesting to the children in year 2 as well as many other children all through the school!
In English, the children have loved learning about Room on the Broom and were able to beautifully read it as a class together! We are loving our Julia Donaldson learning and look forward to seeing what other books we will be reading.
In maths, we have been looking at different ways to add and subtract using a variety of objects including base 10, numicon and number lines.
The children have been really engaged with our project learning and were practising travelling using compass points this week.
We have also been practising our Harvest Festival songs ready for our performance next Friday - we can't wait to show you our lovely singing!
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 1, Week 3 Blog
We have had a very exciting week this week in year 2 with the arrival of our chicks! The children have been so excited to learn about and witness the journey of the chicks hatching from their eggs and growing into the cute fluffy friends we now have. The children have been able to hold them and visit them regularly and it will continue to inspire our children in their science learning.
In maths this week, we have been looking at number bonds to 10, 20 and 100. The children have been great at using base 10 to help them.
In English we have started looking at the stories of Julia Donaldson and have been reading Room on the Broom. The children have been able to describe the characters from the story using lovely adjectives.
The children have continued to develop their geographical knowledge in project and have been learning about compass points and map symbols. They will be map experts in no time!
Have a lovely weekend,
Miss Bruton and Miss McLoughlin
Autumn 1, Week 2 Blog
What another fantastic week in Year 2!
In English this week, we have been learning about the non-fiction texts, non-chronological reports which have been based on some of the animals we seen in the video, 'Something Fishy', last week. The children have researched facts about jellyfish, octopus or dolphins and they know about these animals' appearance, diet, habitat and even some FUN facts!
In maths, we have been continuing with number and place value topics, specifically ordering and comparing. The children have been using the vocabulary such as greater/larger/less than and equal to when comparing and ordering two-digit numbers.
During project lessons this week, the children learned how to navigate an atlas using the index and contents pages to find countries, cities and rivers on the maps.
Our Science lessons this week focused on what happens to our bodies and our heart when we do exercise.
We hope you have a lovely weekend and looking forward to seeing you all again next week for more exciting learning!
Miss McLoughlin & Miss Bruton.
Autumn 1, Week 1 Blog
Well, what a start we have had to the new school year! Despite the weather being really challenging to deal with, the children have been amazing coping in the heat and have done some great learning.
In English, we are using a video called 'Something Fishy' as a stimulus for our writing. The children have enjoyed watching it and imagining their own washing machine ocean characters! We have used adjectives in our writing and described the animals we could see.
In maths, the children have been practising place value and have written words as numbers. The children have used base 10 objects to help them create numbers and have been able to draw them in their books.
The children have also been very enthusiastic with our new units in project and science. In project, we are looking at maps and naming the seas countries of the UK. We will also be looking at the oceans and continents of the world.
In science, we are learning about what animals (including humans!) need to survive.
We look forward to seeing what amazing work the children will complete next week!
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Bruton & Miss McLoughlin