Mrs Parkinson’s Year 2 Class
On this web page you can find out about all the exciting things taking place in Year 2!
Teacher: Mrs Parkinson
Email: ecollins@victoriousacademies.org
Twitter: MrsJParkinson@Year2Discovery
Teaching Assistant: Miss Qualters
Please click here for our meet the teacher presentation.
Term: Autumn 1
Our Learning this term:
Maths: This half-term, we will start by learning about the value of 2 digit numbers. We will be looking at how to partition them, how many tens and ones and how many different ways a number can be represented. Finally, we will begin to explore addition and subtraction of 1 and 2 digit numbers.
English: In English, we will be reading the story Yeti and the Bird. We will be discussing the moral of the story and then writing our own opening with opposing characters. We will also we reading There’s No Dragon in this Story and writing our own character description and newspaper report.
Science: Can all animals and plants live in the same area?
We will learn about a variety of habitats and the plants and animals that live there. Children will learn to tell the difference between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive, and apply this in a range of contexts. They make observations of a local habitat and the creatures that live there, investigating conditions in local microhabitats and how they affect the minibeasts found within them.
History: Why is Walter Tull a role model?
In History we will be learning about who Walter Tull is and why he is a significant person in Britain. We will learn about his life as a child, a footballer and as a soldier.
Art: Explore and Draw We will be exploring basic skills in Art using our sketchbooks to draw using a variety of different mediums and finally moving onto creating a collage. Throughout the unit we will be looking and talking about different artists, generating ideas in order to create our own artwork and evaluate.
Computing: Can I create and debug simple programs?
This half term, we will be learning how to code using the laptops, what algorithms are and how they help us in the world.
Music: Can I explain which of two sounds is higher or lower?
We will be looking at Djembe drums and percussion. We will be identifying different sounds and looking at BBC 10 Pieces ‘Finlandia’ linking to our topic on Walter Tull.
RE: Who is a Hindu and what do they believe?
As part of Religious Education, our focus will be looking at the religion Hinduism and their beliefs.
PSHE: This half-term, our focus will be on Health and Wellbeing and how we can stay safe.
General Class Information
Reading: Each week, the children read a range of texts through their learning. They also take part in whole class or small group Reading sessions where their decoding and comprehension skills are developed with a different reading skill being focused on each day.
Home reading is to practice and consolidate their fluency, expression and comprehension. Children still being taught phonics will take two books home – 1 decodable book and 1 reading for pleasure book. The decodable book is for the children to practice their fluency and expression as well as to show their understanding through questioning. The reading for pleasure book is for the children to share with an adult and to promote a love of reading. If they are past being taught phonics they will be sent home 1 colour banded book to practise decoding and comprehension as well as 1 reading for pleasure book. Please let us know how your child has got on with their reading books using the reading record. We would like you to write a comment each time you hear your child read. If your child is in KS2 they can write in their reading record after they read 2 out of the 3 times they read it that week.
The children will also be listened to at least once every two weeks on a 1-1 basis with their teacher or teaching assistant. The class teacher or teaching assistant will change your child’s book on the day they are listened to read. We will not change a home reading book unless there is a comment in the reading record. If we do not have a comment or a book is not returned for two weeks Mrs Collins, our English curriculum leader, will contact you.
One child per half term will be nominated for being the Reading Hero for their class based on their commitment to home reading. The child will be chosen based on the evidence seen in their reading record and in class. If your child is chosen to be the class Reading Hero they will be given a prize and a certificate and acknowledged in Friday’s good work celebration assembly.
Homework:
PE:
PE is twice a week on a Wednesday and Thursday.
Your child will participate in a dance lesson and sports/gymnastics lesson every week. It is normally expected for children to have a full PE kit kept in school at all times.
Children should not be wearing any jewellery including earrings for PE. If your child does wear earrings, please could you ensure they are taken out before school on Tuesday and Fridays please.
Snack: Snack is to be a piece of fruit or a cereal bar. No chocolate, crisps or sweets are allowed.