Our School Church Distinctiveness Communication For Parents Learning Starting School 2022 Admissions Contact Us Home>Learning>Classes>Key Stage 1>The Busy Bees (Year 2) Miss Askham / Mrs Hayes The Busy Bees (Year 2) Miss Askham / Mrs Hayes Welcome to Year 2 We are really looking forward to getting to know your children and learning alongside them. We hope that they will settle quickly and cope with the challenges that Year 2 will bring. We have got an exciting year ahead of us, with many interesting and challenging topics, which we know the children will enjoy. Topic – Term 1 Wriggle and Crawl We begin by looking at life cycles of a variety of animals, learning about the changes they go through. This becomes our stimulus for some artwork where we explore 'line' and use this skill to create some observational drawings. We think about the importance of healthy eating and exercise and make sandwiches to help us with our writing. We also visit St Mary’s Church as we begin to build on our knowledge of Christianity. Topic - Term 2 Muck, mess and mixtures In this topic the children explore colour mixing and use this within their artwork. We also explore different ways of creating patterns using bubbles and ice cubes! Our science leads us into investigating materials and we even attempt to make our own ice cream! This is also the term where the children demonstrate their singing and acting talents as they prepare to perform the Christmas Nativity. Topic – Term 3 Land Ahoy!/ Beachcombers In this term we take to the seas! The children explore the travels of Captain Cook and look at the importance of the RNLI. We learn about our surrounding seas and identify features on treasure maps. In music, we learn some traditional sea shanties just as sailors would have sung. RE is an integral part of our Curriculum and we build upon our Christian values by exploring Bible stories. Topic – Term 4 Street Detectives This topic allows us to learn about the world around us by comparing town life to life in the country. We use the Bee Bots to navigate around maps using directional and positional vocabulary. We take part in a traffic survey outside of school and use the data we collect to help us with our maths learning. As part of our Science learning we begin to explore plants and conditions they need for growth. Topic - Term 5 Towers, Tunnels and Turrets/ Scented Garden In this topic we look at great towers around the world and use ideas to try to construct our own towers. In art, we explore mark making using a range of unusual tools both man made and natural to create interesting pieces of art. We end this term on a Royal note learning about the lives of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. It is also in this term where we begin to learn about Islam. The children learn about the Muslim way of life through a multitude of experiences including art, craft and cooking. We continue our learning on growing and explore the five senses. Topic - Term 6 Movers and Shakers This is where the children discover influential times and people. We explore ‘The Great Fire of London’, as an historical event and learn about the lives of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole and the challenges they faced. In science we undertake many experiments investigating a range of questions such as 'do all balls bounce?' and 'Can water make music?' Curriculum Days / Trips Term 1 & 2 Visit to St Mary’s Church Term 3 & 4 Traffic survey (Off school site) Local Beach visit Term 5 & 6 Trip to a castle (TBC) Great Fire of London experience day (on site) P.E Your children need to make sure they have their P.E kit in school everyday. Please could you make sure they have a suitable tracksuit and trainers for outdoor P.E and that EVERYTHING is named. Busy Bees have PE on a Tuesday. Earrings must not be worn for PE so please can your child take them out for PE days. Thank you. Reading at home There is a continued expectation in Year 2 that children read at least 5 times a week to an adult, regardless of their ability or stage. We ask that once you have heard your child read you sign their reading diary, noting the page read up to. We also encourage wider reading than just school books, please encourage them to read any text that interests them. Going to the library together is a fun way to share new books with your child. Busters Book Club We expect children to read every day but we take a data capture every Thursday morning to see who has read the night before and for how long. Children in Year 2 should read for at least 15 minutes on a Wednesday evening. This data gets recorded on the Busters Book Club bookmark and teachers use this information to award bronze, silver and gold badges to ‘Star Reader of the Week’. The class with the most minutes read or most improved reading will be awarded their badge in school Celebration Worship. Times Table Rockstars Using your login please encourage your child to practise their times tables. This is an excellent App you can use to promote learning. Certificates are awarded to children who complete the challenges set. This will really help your children prepare for their times table statutory tests in Year 4. Homework In Year 2 we expect the children to read every night. They will also receive weekly Maths Challenges and some phonic/writing challenges too. After Christmas, weekly homework will be sent home. This will be either Maths or Reading Comprehension. It will be given on a Friday and needs to be handed in the following week before Friday. On occasions, there may be a small project based on a topic within school to broaden the children’s knowledge and understanding. They will also be given the list of High Frequency Words, for the children to learn to read and write. Year 2 is also when the children take their statutory SATs tests in May. Please look out for the Parent Information and Phonics/SATs session dates that will be on the diary so that you can find out all you need about expectations for your child in Year 2. It is so important you attend these sessions to explain what is expected of the children and how you can support at home. As the Year 1 phonics screening check could not take place this year, Year 2 are expected to complete this in Term 2 this year. It is important children have a good grasp of phonics to support them with their reading. We are looking forward to a busy but fun year with your children! Any questions I am always happy to speak to you at the end of the day or you can message me via Class Dojo. If you would like a longer meeting, please arrange a time with the office. Many thanks! Miss Askham In This Section The Ladybirds (Year 1) Mrs Evans The Crickets (Year 1) Mrs Litchfield Glow Worms (Year 1) Miss Smith The Busy Bees (Year 2) Miss Askham / Mrs Hayes The Grasshoppers (Year 2) Mrs Charley Clarke Year 2 Home Learning - Term 3 © 2021 Reculver Church of England Primary School School Website Design by e4education Privacy Policy High Visibility Version Sitemap Cookie Settings Cookie Policy This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Click here for more information Allow CookiesCookie Settings