Year 2 Autumn 2 Curriculum Information

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed a well-deserved rest over half term. We have another busy half term coming up which I’m excited to share with you.

We will be starting our new class novel ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B White. This is a classic book which displays values such as teamwork and friendship. The theme of friendship is also present in our picture book ‘The Way Back Home’ by Oliver Jeffers; this unlikely friendship highlights the importance of being kind to others – even if they are from a different planet!

We’re heading towards the colder months, so it is suitable that in our next English topic we are going to plan and write our own non-chronological report based on hibernation. We will spend time learning about what a non-chronological report is before creating our own.

In our maths lessons we will continue with our learning on addition and subtraction before moving on to shape. We will use our resources and manipulates to support our learning of different 2D and 3D shapes, building on what the class learnt in year one. Finishing with learning about money before Christmas.

This half term we will be doing history which I am really looking forward to. Our topic is the Romans, and our big question will go alongside this to support our learning: ‘What have we learned from Roman contributions to British society?’ In addition, the Creative Learning Service have kindly allowed us to borrow some amazing books, some of which are based on the Romans. We will be able to read these books to support what we are learning in history.

In science we will be learning about living things and their environments. Our big question for this half term will be: ‘Where do different animals live?’ This links nicely to our previous topic which focused on what humans and animals need to survive, so we can use our prior knowledge to see why plants and animals are suited to their habitats.

Last term we found out in science that exercise keeps our bodies healthy and decided that our PE lessons are very useful for this! This half term we will be focusing on ball skills in PE.

We are very welcoming at The Grove and enjoy learning about different cultures and beliefs. This half term in RE we will be learning about Christianity, with our big question being, ‘Why do Christians believe God gave Jesus to the world?’ Alongside this, we will be recognising important dates for other religions, including Diwali which we will be learning about in our first week back.

We are very lucky to have our recorder lessons continuing this half term. I have been very impressed with the children’s progress so far!

This half term we will be having two days dedicated to design technology (DT) where we will be designing and creating our own functional Ferris wheel. We will learn how different components fit together to make the wheel rotate and the structure stand freely.

This half term will take us up to Christmas - we will have lots of exciting things taking place. It would not be Christmas without a key stage one nativity, so we will be spending time practicing for this later-on this half term!

As always, keep an eye on dojo for photos and updates. I can’t wait to see what this half term has in store for us.

Year 2 Autumn 1 Curriculum Information

Welcome back to the new school year! I am really looking forward to this year and can’t wait to get started working with your children at The Grove. We have a very busy half-term ahead of us which I am excited to tell you about!

We are going to start Year Two by reading our class novel which is ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes. This brilliant book explores many themes including bravery and prejudice. The Iron Man is a robot who has a good heart however his appearance can be deceiving. This links to our school values as we focus on courage and acceptance.

We will complement our class novel ‘The Iron Man’ as we read a picture book called ‘The Tin Forest’ by Helen Ward which looks at dreams and aspirations; it shows us that nothing is impossible if we work hard. It also provides us with the opportunity to talk about how ‘one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure,’ which links nicely to important topics such as recycling and waste.

All of our reading is going to help us in our English lessons, as this half term we are going to create our own stories based on the book ‘Stardust’ by Jeanne Willis.

We will begin our maths lessons by learning about place value. This is an essential topic which will help to underpin our learning in maths lessons throughout the whole of Year Two.

In geography this half term, we will be answering our big question: What will I find in my local area? We will start by looking at maps, and how they are designed - even getting to create our own! I am looking forward to our geography lessons, as we may be able to go into our local area and explore Melton Mowbray.

In science we will be learning about the human body. Our big question this half term is: Why and how should we look after our bodies? We will be learning about how impressive our bodies are, specifically learning about the human skeleton, the circulatory system and exploring how we can stay healthy. I’m sure our PE lessons will help us with this, as we begin to learn the fundamental skills such as running, jumping, skipping and balance.

At The Grove we enjoy learning about other cultures and the beliefs of others. Religious education provides us with a great opportunity to do this, and we will begin Year Two by learning about Christianity.

We are very lucky this half term to have a visitor coming in to offer us some recorder lessons during music. I’m looking forward to learning a new instrument, although might need to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones!

Please keep your eye out on Class Dojo for further updates - I am really excited to be working at The Grove and for what this year has in store for Year Two!