Dragonfly Class - Summer 1

Welcome back, we hope you had an enjoyable and fun-filled break. We are excited to share the learning that will take place in Year 2 over the next half-term. Our topic is Oceans. Below is an outline of the learning and activities that the children will complete throughout this half-term in relation to the National Curriculum.

OCEANS

English

In English, we follow the Storytelling Schools model(image below) where children learn to tell stories, which helps to develop their language and ideas for written stories.

Each week there are dedicated English sessions and one writing workshop. During these sessions, the children will be taught reading and writing skills through a story based around the term’s topic. This term we are looking at the story, 'Somebody Swallowed Stanley'. The children will be writing and retelling stories and working on writing their own innovated version of the text.

Handwriting

Children work on handwriting skills daily and in a variety of activities, e.g. through phonic work and writing activities. Exercise books with lines of an appropriate width for the individual child and standard-sized pencils are used. Handwriting practice takes place at least three times a week. During the year, cursive joins are practised and children are encouraged to use this in their daily work. Children are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work.

Throughout the year there will be continuous development of pattern work, fine and gross motor skills and refining the size of letters, and fluency of joined writing. The correct joining patterns will be taught for all spelling patterns taught in phonic sessions. The children will be given an assessment at the beginning and at the end of each term to assess their progress.

This half-term

Build on horizontal join to ascender: ok, ot, ob. ol
Build on diagonal join to ascender: ck, al, el, at, il, ill
Build on diagonal join, no ascender: ui, ey, aw, ur, an, ip
Build on horizontal join to ascender: ok, ot, ob. ol
Build on horizontal join, no ascender: oi, oy, on, op, ov

These joins will also be practised in words. By the end of the year, the aim is for children to be writing using neat cursive handwriting in all areas of the curriculum.

Spellings

In phonics/spelling lessons this term we will be focusing on the following:

Phonics

At Marlow C of E Infant school, we follow the Essential Letters and Sounds phonics programme. The ELS programme teaches children to read by identifying the phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and graphemes (written version of the sound) within words and using these to read words. Children experience the joy of books and language whilst rapidly acquiring the skills they need to become fluent independent readers and writers.

In phonics lessons this half-term we will be focussing on:

As part of the class' home learning, we will post focus spellings on our Google Classroom every week. These can be practised at home, and we will check the children's learning of spellings each Friday.

Reading

We will continue with guided reading sessions each day. Your child will read with an adult at least once a week. We encourage children to try their best and use their phonic knowledge when decoding tricky words and answering questions about the text is really important, no matter what colour band they are on. We will be covering a range of comprehension activities which will mean that some children will not read out loud with an adult but will focus on delving deeper into a text over a period of weeks. Children will have the opportunity to change their reading books every day so that they can take books home to read.

Reading Record Books. These must come into school every day. They are a vital way for us to communicate with each other about your child’s reading. Any reading you do at home should be recorded in them - this should include your daily reading of a book together as well as any learning of keywords or sharing of stories. We will write in the book when your child has read in school and the focus for the reading activities. You will then be able to use this focus for your home reading too. As well as using the Reading Record book to write down any reading your child does at home, we would like you to write down some of the reading that is done for pleasure. This would include the title of the book and what was enjoyed most about the book.

Library day is on Wednesday for Year 2 this term.

Maths

We use White Rose Maths in school to support the teaching of maths. White Rose Maths aims to build a whole new culture of deep understanding, confidence and competence in maths – a culture that produces strong, secure learning and real progress.

TIME

Children will use and understand the language of measuring time in days, hours, minutes and seconds. They will know the number of minutes in an hour, and the number of hours in a day. They will learn how to compare and sequence intervals of time. They will tell the time to five minutes and draw hands on clock faces to represent this. They will be able to tell the time to quarter past and quarter to, representing these times on analogue clock faces. They will recap their knowledge of telling time to the hour and half past the hour in a practical fun way.

Statistics

Children will use and identify tables, use block diagrams to record and draw pictograms. Children will use their knowledge of pictograms to draw and then interpret their own pictograms representing more than 1.

Geography

In Geography this half-term, linking with our topic, the children will learn about the oceans of the world. We will explore and locate the 5 oceans of the world and look at the difference between a sea and an ocean. To incorporate some of our science learning around habitats, we will also research and name creatures that live in each of the 5 oceans.

art

The children will be exploring sculpture and will immerse themselves in the work of Geoff Paris. We will research the techniques used by Geoff to create his sea sculptures, and we will experiment with clay modelling techniques to allow us to experience the different techniques. The children will then have a go at inventing their own sea creature in the style of Geoff Paris.

Science

In Science this half-term, the children will be exploring 'living things and their habitats'. The children will do their Science learning this half-term as part of their outdoor learning session. They will identify and compare different habitats around the world and investigate how different habitats provide the basic needs of different animals. The children will explore our school environment in search of microhabitats and will then design their own microhabitat where living things can survive.

COMPUTING

In Computing this half-term we will focus on 'Information Technology'. The children will explore how information can be presented in different ways by examining a traditional tale in different formats. We will then look at how digital information can be organised and create a fact file by extracting information from a digital mind-map. Towards the end of the term, the children will work with a partner to present digital content and information to their class.

Religious Education

This term the children will be exploring the theme of ‘Creation'. The question that we will be finding out about is ‘Who do Christians believe made the world?’ The unit of work starts off with the retelling of the Christian creation story and creating their own art to represent one of the 7 days of the story. The children will then start to deepen their learning through considering what the creation story means to Christians and how it inspires them to look after the planet they believe God created. There will be a visit to All Saints' Church where the children will explore what is meant by 'Eco-Church'.

During the Judaism lesson this half-term, the children will be learning how Jews celebrate rest with the weekly ceremony of 'Shabbat'. The links between the Jewish teachings and the elements of the ceremony. You can find out more information here

Physical Education

In PE this term, the children will be developing their coordination skills; specifically learning how to kick a ball to a wall or a partner. We will be working individually as well as in partners to use alternate feet kicking and receiving a ball with control. Alongside this they will be working on developing their cognitive cog; performing single skills, movement with some control and performing a small range of skills.

PSHE

In PSHE lessons, the learning will be focussed on citizenship, with a specific focus on our school environment. We will discuss how everybody has a responsibility to care for and maintain our environment, and we will explore what local people do to keep our local environment pleasant.

MIND-UP

In Mind-Up our topic is around our attitude and outlook. We will focus on different perspectives and consider different approaches to tasks and discuss ways to remain focussed and positive when faced with a challenge. We will show gratitude through making thank you cards for those people who have helped us, and we will reflect on a memorable, happy experience and discuss how this made us feel and why.

Show & Tell

For show & tell this term, we would like the children to research an animal from the ocean and make a poster or fact file about its habitat and how it survives.