Spring 2

Wow! What a smashing half term for Year 2! The children really got into the story of Traction Man. They totally immersed themselves in the world of this cool character! They learned all about diary entries and even wrote their own entries as if they were Traction Man himself. It was so fun to see them get creative and really step into the shoes of the character. And then, they took it a step further by using their newfound knowledge of Traction Man to create their very own comic strips! It was awesome to see how they brought their ideas to life and put their own spin on the story. The kids really embraced the world of Traction Man and let their imaginations run wild!

The children have worked extremely hard learning about measurement. Year 2 explored measurement, including length, capacity and weight. Using different units of measurement year 2 really enjoyed estimating and measuring the length of objects around the school. The fun continued when the children worked together to solve word problems related to weight. To help prove their answers the used balance scales and digital scales, they challenged themselves by counting in various intervals.

WE ARE Mini Heroes, yes we are! Year 2 had an awesome time diving into the world of mini beasts! The kids were super curious and did some cool research using iPads, books, and fact files to figure out which micro habitats were just right for different mini beasts. They really got into it, drafting and redrafting their bug hotel designs until they found the perfect one. Then, they got hands-on, selecting the best materials to bring their bug hotels to life. It was so neat to see their creativity shine through in their designs! And to top it off, they had a blast learning about food chains and even got to make their own. The kids really got to explore and learn in a fun and engaging way - it was a project to remember for sure!

Spring 1

Another amazingly busy half term in Year 2! This half term in English we loved our core text Zeraffa Giraffa. The children wrote an informal letter to Pasha explaining why Zeraffa should be sent back to her home. Using all the features of an informal letter Year 2 drafted and redrafted their letters. Based on their knowledge of the story, year 2 also wrote some wonderful poems about a journey. The children were creative with their writing and where absolute professionals when it came to performing their poems!

In maths Year 2 explored time in various ways. The children used fun and engaging games to tell the time, they have become very confident telling the time to the nearest 5 minutes. Year 2 build on this new found confidence to solve word problems and compare lengths of time. Well done year 2! The children have also enjoyed learning about position and direction and have used vocabulary such as ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘forwards’, ‘backwards’, ‘clockwise’ and ‘anti-clockwise’ to direct each other around the classroom. We have also learnt about the 4 point and 8 point compass and written directions to help us navigate a world map!

In PBL the children loved transforming into toy designers! Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed the process of this project, starting from the hook lesson where children explored all thins toys. They looked at toys from the past and compared them to toys now, focusing on the mechanisms and materials of the toys. We have an exciting visit from a professional toy designer. The children had many questions and made the most of gathering knowledge, thank you for sharing your expertise with us! Working collaboratively, year 2 drafted and redrafted a design for their own toy with their chosen mechanism. Year 2 were amazing professional when they took part in Dragon Den, pitching their toy with great confidence and understanding. It is safe to say the dragons invested in every toy!

Autumn 2

Year 2 have had an incredible half term! In English the children immersed themselves into the wonderful story 'Leaf' by using different resources to create the story setting. Using their senses, the children wrote a setting description using powerful vocabulary. Year 2 took time to redraft their setting description and used interesting sentences starters and expanded noun phrases to make their writing interesting. Year 2 also spent time writing an alternative ending for the story 'Lila and the Secret of Rain'. Using direct speech, emotive language and sentence starters the children wrote some impressive story endings.

In Maths the children have built on their knowledge of place value to add and subtract numbers. Year 2 started off using concrete resources to add and subtract 2-digit and 1-digit numbers. To build on their bank of strategies the children also used column method to add and subtract 2-digit by 2-digit numbers, some children also completed 3-digit by 3-digit calculations! Year 2 also spent time exploring multiplication and division, using their knowledge of repeated addition to support their understanding to solve multiplication sums.

Our project was WE ARE Time Travellers and the children took themselves back in time to find out about what schools were like during the Victorian times. Year 2 explored primary and secondary sources to gather information as part of their research. Working collaboratively in groups, Year 2 found out what Victorian school children wore in school, what they learnt in school and the rules they had to follow. To extend their research, Year 2 enjoyed a visit to The Vestry House Museum. This was an exceptional experience for the children, they had many questions and learnt so much. Year 2 did a great job using all their research to plan and execute a Victorian school day that we all got to experience!

In Science, Year 2 worked scientifically by looking into how much rain falls during autumn. The children made their predictions then worked in groups to make a rain gauge to measure the rainfall. After two weeks the children made observations and recorded their results.

Autumn 1

Wow! It’s been a very busy start to the year in Venture and Challenge class! 

We have been pattern artists in our project, learning about different artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Edward Tingatinga, Simon Mpata and Sarah Morris. We have loved re-creating their work using paints, pencils and oil pastels!  

In English, we have explored features of a letter and a diary entry and have practised writing these. We learned about emotive language, writing in the 1^st person and using time connectives. The story that we focused on was ‘The Day The Crayons Quit.’ It was funny getting to know all the different characters and why they felt different emotions towards Duncan. 

In Maths, we have learned about 2D and 3D shapes. Shape hunts, making 3D models, making pattern pictures and playing shape games is what has helped us with our learning on these. 

We planted pumpkin seeds in Science and couldn’t believe our eyes when we observed how quickly they were growing! Did you know that some of our seeds stayed on the top of our stems when they were growing?! 

We can’t wait to continue to Venture and Challenge ourselves next half term!