Extra Yarn
The children have enjoyed reading and exploring the story Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. The book tells the story of Annabelle, a young girl who discovers a magical box of colourful yarn that never runs out. She uses the yarn to knit jumpers for people, animals and objects around her.
The story was used as inspiration for the children’s independent writing. They created their own narratives, drawing on the characters from the story and using the imaginative ideas found in Extra Yarn. The children wrote some fantastic sentences and showed a growing understanding of how to use possessive apostrophes accurately in their writing.
They’re beginning to give their characters distinctive voices and are developing confidence in writing character interactions. The children’s creativity and enthusiasm for storytelling has been evident throughout the week and they should be very proud of their work.
Help at home:
A simple way to practise possessive apostrophes at home is choosing everyday objects around the house and asking your child who they belong to. You could challenge your child further by asking them to write a full sentence using a possessive apostrophe.
e.g. Dad’s car is outside.
Maths Update
This week in Maths, we have been learning how to add multiples of 10 to a 2-digit number. We used our class shop to help us solve real-life money problems, such as adding £20 to an item costing £23.
To support our understanding, we represented numbers using tens and ones and recorded them on a tens and ones chart. We noticed that when we add a multiple of 10, the tens digit changes while the ones digit stays the same.
Try this at home: Ask your child questions such as:
- 34 + 20 = ?
- 52 + 30 = ?
- 17 + 40 = ?
Encourage them to explain what happens to the tens and ones in each number.
Design and Technology in Year 2 – Textiles
This half term, Year 2 have started an exciting Design and Technology topic on Textiles. Over the coming weeks, the children will learn basic sewing skills and use the design process to plan, make and evaluate their own fabric puppets.
The children made a fantastic start this week by practising an overstitch on sewing boards. They showed great concentration and perseverance as they learned this new skill and developed their fine motor control.
This project links to the Key Stage 1 Design and Technology curriculum, where children learn to design purposeful products, use a range of tools and materials safely, develop practical textile skills and evaluate their finished work.
We are looking forward to seeing the children’s creativity as they begin creating their own puppets!
Maths Curriculum – Summer Update
I wanted to say a big thank you for all the support you have given your children to help improve their confidence with the addition and subtraction facts that we have been focusing on this half term. We have just completed their assessments and we are so proud of the progress they have made.
In line with guidance from the DfE, we have prioritised our maths curriculum to ensure that children move in to Year 3 with all of the core maths knowledge and understanding that they need. This means that next half term, the biggest unit of learning for Year 2 will be about addition and subtraction of two digit numbers. They will also do smaller units of learning about division, shape and measure.
If you would like any advice or support about extra practice you can do with your child at home please let us know.
Safety Week
During Safety Week, the children explored lots of important ways to stay safe in everyday situations. We discussed how to keep safe at home, around animals, in the sun, on the roads and especially near open water. We were also lucky to welcome some special visitors into school. PCSO Louise spoke to the children about staying safe near roads and highlighted the importance of always wearing a seatbelt when travelling in a car.
We also took part in a Zoom call with Claire from the Canal and River Trust, where we learned about the dangers of being near open water such as canals, rivers and ponds. The children enjoyed spotting potential hazards in different pictures and discussing how to stay safe in these environments.
Can you spot any more dangers in the picture below?
The children came up with some fantastic responses throughout the week and showed a great understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.
Report Writing in Year 2
This week in Geography and English, Year 2 have been learning all about Kenya and its capital city, Nairobi. The children discovered that Kenya is a country in Africa and that many people there speak English and Swahili. They also learned that Nairobi is a large, busy city with over 4 million people living there!
The children were fascinated to find out that Nairobi National Park is one of the only national parks located so close to a capital city. They enjoyed learning about the amazing wildlife found in Kenya, including lions, giraffes, zebras, rhinos and elephants. We also explored Kenyan foods, weather, schools, and homes, comparing them to life in the UK.
Today, the children used all of their Geography knowledge to write fantastic non-fiction reports about Kenya or Nairobi. They worked hard to include headings, facts, descriptive vocabulary and neat presentation in their writing.
We were incredibly proud of the children’s enthusiasm, creativity, and excellent use of facts throughout their reports. Well done, Year 2!
Exploring Africa and Discovering Non-Fiction Texts
This week in English, Year 2 have been enjoying reading Africa, Amazing Africa as part of our learning about Kenya. Today, the children explored the differences between fiction and non-fiction texts.
We discussed some of the key features of non-fiction books, including:
- headings and subheadings
- photographs and captions
- contents pages
- labels and diagrams
- facts and information
We also talked about features often found in fiction books, such as:
- characters
- story settings
- imaginative events
- speech and illustrations
The children looked carefully through a range of books and worked brilliantly to identify whether they were fiction or non-fiction by spotting these different features. They especially enjoyed becoming “text detectives” and explaining their reasoning.
How you can help at home:
- Share both storybooks and information books together.
- Ask your child whether the book is fiction or non-fiction and why.
Feelings First- Grateful
In our session about feelings first, today’s focus feeling was -grateful. We explored different scenarios to understand what grateful looks like in everyday life and discussed related words such as contented, happy, and appreciative. We thought about the kinds of things that might make us feel grateful and how this feeling connects to being peaceful, which is our Christian value this half term.
After a quiet moment of reflecting and connecting, we each wrote a list of five things we are grateful for. We also talked about how, when we are feeling a little down, using positive self-talk and thinking about what we are grateful for can be really helpful and give us a boost of happiness.
Ava -‘ I am grateful for school because some children don’t get to go to school and learn. I love learning!’
C-‘ I am grateful for my new black bike and helmet.’
Thomas-‘ I am grateful because I went to mission out at the weekend.’
Ada-‘ I am grateful for all my family.’
Living and Learning
This week in our Living and Learning topic, the children took part in the NSPCC assembly, which focused on the importance of speaking out and staying safe. They discussed what it means to use their voice when something worries them and learned that children have the right to be heard. We also explored different scenarios to help the children recognise when they might need support and who they can talk to. The children learned that Buddy is represented as a speech bubble, reminding us all that children have the right to speak out.
Here is a link for you to watch this with your child at home NSPCC Buddy
RE- Which books and stories are important?
This term in RE, we are focusing on why books and stories are important to us. We began by discussing special books we might have at home, such as photo albums, drawing books, notepads, and diaries, and what they mean to us personally. Many children recognised that having a special book is important, even though everyone’s book may be different. We talked about how each one carries its own value and deserves respect. The children then brought in their special books from home and created drawings of them. As a class, we shared and discussed why these books are meaningful, helping us understand the importance of stories and personal memories in our lives.
