Teachers:
Dolphins Class: Mrs Hannah Wise Turtles Class: Mr Kit Furst
Teaching Assistants:
Dolphins Class:Mrs Sarah Bloxsome Turtles Class:Mrs Jane Corbett
Curriculum:
Numeracy and English
Throughout Year 2 the children will be taught a range of:
- Numeracy skills such as addition and subtraction, place value, simple multiplication and division, money, problem solving, 2D and 3D shapes, data handling and measurement. Where possible these will link to our topic.
- Literacy skills including elements of handwriting, phonics, spelling, independent writing, guided reading, individual reading, speaking and listening skills and role play/drama.
- Some activities will be practical while others will be written tasks.
- Spelling is taught via ‘Rising Stars’ daily.
- Phonic groups are taught with ‘Read, Write, Inc’
Topics taught (in chronological order):
1.Meerkat Manor:
During this topic, we learn all about meerkats and the Kalahari Desert. Our core text is “Meerkat Mail”. From this text we plan our foundation subjects which are; geography, science, music, ICT and art. In geography, we will be learning about hot and cold places around the world as well as learning the names of the continents and oceans of our planet. In science, we will be covering animals and their habitats and classifying things as to whether they are alive, dead or have never lived. We will also learn about animals and humans basic needs. In music, we will be learning about rhythm. In our art classes, we will be creating observational drawings and learning how to sketch. In ICT, we will learn about the importance of E-safety and how to use the internet to research information and create a final cover for our topic books. In PE we will be covering dance and hockey. To enhance the topic, the children will have a school trip to see the meerkats at Tilgate Park.
2.Winter Wonderland:
During this topic we learn all about the coldest places on Earth. In geography, we use maps to helps us locate the Arctic and Antarctica and use the computers to research what life is like in these freezing places. We create shoebox habitats to show the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic. In history, we learn all about Captain Scott and his expedition to the South Pole, including the equipment his team would have taken with them in order to survive. In art, we used clay to create penguin sculptures. We then glazed these to colour them. This is also the term we perform the Nativity and learn all about the Christmas Story.
3.The Great Fire of London:
This is a history-based topic where we learn all about the events surrounding the Great Fire of London. We also compare King Charles II with Queen Elizabeth II. In geography we research different London landmarks and create posters advertising the different attractions. In art we learn about warm and cold colours and create a skyline painting, comparing the London skyline today with the skyline from 1666. In PE, we take part in ball games (football and rugby) and gym. In RE we learn all about Islam. As part of our fabulous finish, we have a visit form the Firemen who teach us about the difference between firemen today and firemen in 1666.
4.Against the Elements:
We learn about traditional tales from around the World like ‘the contest between the wind and the sun’.
5.Marvellous Mixtures:
The core text for our “Marvellous Mixtures” topic is “George’s Marvellous Medicine” by Roald Dahl. It is a science-based topic where we learn about different liquids and what happens when we mix them together. We learn to make predictions, record our observations and ask questions about what we have seen. In RE we learn all about Moses and the 10 Commandments. In PE we practise our throwing, catching and batting skills and learn to play rounders.
6.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
During the topic “Charlie and the Chocolate factory”, we learn all about materials in science. We classify them, sort them and talk about their purposes. This then informs our DT coverage. We design and create our own chocolate boxes for chocolates that we hand make ourselves! In our history lessons, we uncover the history of chocolate and how it journey’s to England from a tiny coco bean, into the chocolate in our shops. We use atlases in geography lessons to help us find countries where coco beans come from. In PE, we learn how to play tennis. In our ICT lessons, we learn how to use the internet to research information. We then use a range of programs to help us present what we have found out to other people. We have to use skills like “copy/paste” and “save”. In art, we look at the work of Quentin Blake and use his work to create our own Quentin Blake inspired pieces. We use water colours and pens to create a sketched effect.