Christ the King RC Primary School

Welcome to Year 2 Class

Mrs McSorley
Mrs Canty

Welcome to Year 2 information letter - Click here

In Year 2 we are taught by Mrs McSorley and are supported by Mrs Canty. Mrs Canty and Mr. Ashworth also teach us when Mrs McSorley is completing her planning and preparation.

We follow the the school ethos 'Christ at the Heart of All We Do' to ensure that we can complete our learning to the best of our ability.

Our curriculum map for the year

Year 2 Curriculum

Learning Letters

Please find links below to all our learning letters for the academic year 2021-2022. These contain important information on topics we are covering in class and PE days. They also include details on learning challenges for your child to complete at home.

Autumn 1 Autumn 2 Spring 1 Spring 2 Summer 1 Summer 2

Here are just a few things to remember in Year Two:

Reading books

Home reading books can be changed daily but can only be changed once an adult has signed to say that their child has read and has finished their reading book.

Children are to remember to put any books that need to be changed into the box ready for the class teaching assistant to change them in the morning.

If they are not put into the box in the morning, they will then have to be changed the following day.

My book recommendations for this half term are ......

Spellings

Spellings will be sent home every Friday to be learnt and practised for the test on the following Friday. (Hand in Friday – back out Friday)

Your child’s spelling test scores will be given in their spelling folders.

Homework challenges will be sent out every half term

Throughout the Autumn term, PE will be on Wednesday & Thursday's – don’t forget to come into school in your PE kits on those days!

Resources at home

Purple mash, active learn and TTRS can be accessed from home - logins are in children's reading records.

Strawberry picking in Year 2

KIRF's (Key Instant Recall Facts)

KIRF’s are designed to support the development of the mental skills that underpin much of the maths work we complete in school. They are particularly useful when calculating, be it adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing.

KIRF letter to parents

Year 2 Autumn 1

Year 2 Autumn 2

Year 2 Spring 1

Year 2 Spring 2

Year 2 Summer 1

Year 2 Summer 2

We are extremely lucky in Year Two and we have been have some orienteering lessons in school!

We have been learning all about how to read a map, use a map and even draw a map using the correct symbols!

British Science Week

Raincoat for Rupert

Year Two, Rupert needs your help during British Science week!

Mrs Canty has planned to take Rupert for a walk around Townley Park. She has watched the news and the weather reporter has forecast rain! So, Rupert needs a new raincoat!

Please can you conduct a materials experiment to find out which material would be best to make Rupert’s raincoat.

Test each material on your tables with water to see which one is the most waterproof. Then let Mrs Canty and I know your findings and tell us why you have chosen your material.

Author visit!

We were very lucky to have the author and illustrator Sean Perkins come and visit us in school!

He read us his book 'Oscar and Ben' and some of us even bought signed copies!

Sean also brought in his guitar and he taught us a new song called 'Wake up Ben'. We all really enjoyed his visit and are very excited for his new book coming out in September!

In class we have been recapping our two times tables. This is one of the videos we enjoy listening and singing along to!

English - Traditional tales

This term, we are going to be learning all about Traditional fairy tales in English. Below are some photos of our learning so far!

English - A way for Wilf

During Autumn one, we studied the book a way for Wilf. Below is some of our work.

English - Birds

For this topic we are going to be looking at non-chronological reports, a narrative story about owls and persuasive writing. We will also be creating our own poems based on fireworks.

We were lucky enough to have a lesson in African drumming!

This year we celebrated Children's Mental Health week (7th-13th February 2022) This year's theme was Growing Together.

We looked at all the different ways we have grown and how we can help others to grow. We also looked at all the positive things we could say about ourselves.

We then read the book 'The Ugly Duckling' and described all the changes the duckling went through physically and emotionally. Below are some photographs of what we did!

We were also really lucky to have a visit from Gerald the giraffe from the Life Education Van! We talked about our emotions and feelings!

Road Safety

In class we have been learning about how to keep safe when crossing the road. We have even learnt a song all about it!

Safety Seymour

On Monday 22nd November, we were lucky enough to have Safety Seymour come into our class to teach all about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide. We were even given a free Carbon Monoxide detector!

Art and Design - Giuseppe Arcimboldo

In class we have been learning all about the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. He was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books.

By the end of the topic we will be able to:

Record and explore ideas from first hand observations.
Ask and answer questions about the starting points for our work.
Develop their ideas – try things out, change our minds.
Explore the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from different times and cultures for differences and similarities.
Experiment with a variety of media; pencils, rubbers, crayons, pastels, felt tips, charcoal, ballpoints, chalk.
Control the types of marks made with the range of media.
Observe and draw shapes from observations.
Investigate tone by drawing light/dark lines, light/dark patterns, light/dark shapes.

During the Autumn term in RE, we learnt all about the signs and symbols of a Baptism and the preparations made during Advent. Below are some photos of examples of our work.

Our key questions throughout the topics were:

How do Christians maintain the light of Christ in our lives?

Why are some symbols important?

Why is it necessary to prepare?

During the Spring term, we looked at the special books used in our Church community. We also looked at the gospels and listened and responded to bible stories. Our key questions throughout the topic were:

Why do we need books?

How many kinds of books do we need and why?

What is special about the Bible and why is it important to us?

LENT

Design and Technology - Fire engines

The fire and rescue service visit to school

We have been extremely lucky to have a visit from the fire and rescue service in school. They came to talk to us about all things fire safety!

Some of us were even able to act out how to keep safe and show others what to do during a fire. We were then able to go and have a look around a fire engine! We absolutely loved our visit and we learnt so much!

Design and Technology - Sewing

During the Spring term, we have been learning how to sew! First we looked at different designs of puppets and discussed how they were made. We then designed our own puppet to sew and decorate. Then we began to practise sewing before creating our own puppets!

Geography - Our local area

During Autumn term we studied Our local area. We were able to:

Describe and talk about the different features of their local environment.
Identify some of the key features on a map and explain why some are where they are.
Name the different types of housing in the local area recognise these types on a large-scale map.
Describe some of the activities people in the locality and say which ones are leisure and which ones are jobs.
To use geographical vocabulary to refer to key physical features.

Geography - Weather and seasons

During the Spring term, we studied Weather and seasons. We were able to:

Recognise and name common, and some extreme, weather phenomena using correct vocabulary.
Describe some effects the weather has on daily lives.
Know which symbols to use and how to locate them on a UK map to give information about local weather events.
Make simple weather measurements and relate them to expected conditions for the season and time of year.
Name, sequence and describe the key characteristics of each season.

Pupils should understand the seasonal and daily weather patterns that affect the UK.

Below are some photographs from when we actual weather reporters!

History - The great fire of London

This term in History, we studied the Great fire of London. We were able to say what city the fire started in, what started it, why it spread so quickly and why the fire was so difficult to put out. We were also able to describe what an eye witness account is and why they are so useful in History. After we had studied the great fire, we were able to discuss changes to London that happened after the fire.

History - Significant local person - Learie Constantine

We have been learning all about a local significant person, Learie Constantine. We have discussed what makes a significant person and who is significant to us. We have also looked at the Trinity cross.

Summer One - Explorers

We have been learning all about different explorers.

Our first lesson was based on enquiry. We were given lots of different artefacts, tools and treasures to look and ask questions. We then had a class discussions about each one. We then went outside with the precious artefacts and pretended to be explorers!

In maths we have been learning all about money. We have looked at how to exchange coins with the same value, partitioning money, making combinations with the same amount and we have solved problems involving money. We have even enjoyed playing shops!

We have also been looking at addition and subtraction with exchanging. We have also used base ten equipment to solve problems involving addition and subtraction.

Science - Autumn One Materials

In Autumn One, we studied materials. We were able to identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses and find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.

Identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses
Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.

Science - Autumn Two Animals including humans

This term we are looking at animals including humans. By the end of the unit we were able to:

Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults
Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air)
Describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene.

Spring One and Spring Two - Living things and their Habitats

This term the children have been taught to:

Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.
Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.
Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro-habitats.
Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food.
Different kinds of plants and animals live in different kinds of places.
There are different kinds of habitat near school which need to be cared for less familiar examples)
Habitats provide the preferred conditions for the animals/plants that live there (compare local habitats and less familiar examples).

Blackpool zoo - Science

On Tuesday 23rd November, to link with our Science topic, we went on a trip to Blackpool zoo. We saw many animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, sea lions and penguins. We had an amazing day and learnt lots about all the different animals!

Here are two of our favourite photographs from the day...

We even serenaded the camels with one of our Christmas songs about camels (I think they really enjoyed listening to our singing!)

Science - Spring One Living things and their Habitats

This term we are looking at Living things and their habitats. By the end of the term we should be able to:

Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other.
Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro-habitats
Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food.

As part of our Living things and their habitats unit, we conducted an investigation based on mini beast and micro habitats. We went outside during the Winter to see what mini beasts and micro habitats we could see. We then did the same investigation in the Spring months to see if we could see a difference in our findings.