Year 2

Autumn Term in Year 2

We have been very busy so far, settling into our new classroom and getting used to our new routines here in Year 2. The children have been truly amazing and a real credit to their families and our St James family.

In Maths, we will be beginning our Place Value topic, where we will consolidate our understanding of part-whole models, place value charts and partitioning numbers to 100. We will also be practising writing numbers in both numerical and word form.

In Science, the children will be learning about animal and plant habitats, as well as exploring microhabitats. We will be doing lots of practical exploring as part of our science topic, including getting outside and looking at habitats for ourselves.

The children will be exploring some wonderful texts in English, including The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, The Paper Bag Princess and Where the Wild Things Are. Through these texts, the children will develop a range of skills, including using commas in lists, consolidating their use of capital letters, writing recipes and instructions, and writing narrative stories.

In our Geography lessons, we will be learning all about Planet Earth and developing our understanding of the world around us. The children will learn about the seven continents and five oceans, locating them on maps and developing their geographical vocabulary. We will also explore where different countries are located and begin to understand how the world is divided into different continents and oceans.

In Art, we will be exploring light, shade and tone and learning how artists use these techniques to make objects look three-dimensional. The children will experiment with different pressures and techniques when using pencils and other drawing materials to create lighter and darker tones. We will then use what we have learnt to create our

own still-life drawings, carefully observing objects and thinking about where the light and shadows fall. I am looking forward to seeing the children develop their confidence and creativity throughout this topic!

The Year 2 children will also enjoy their PE lessons with Coach Tom, where they will have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills, teamwork and confidence.

Tips on how to help your child’s learning during the Autumn Term:

• Read with your child as often as possible ideally their school book or a book of their choice and talk about the book they are reading. Eg what they like/dislike about the text how the characters is feeling, their opinion of the character, phonics being used within the text etc
• In preparation for our hot write at the end of our The Light House Keepers lunch unit, read through recipes talking about how they need to be in the correct order and the words that are used (imperative verbs/bossy verbs eg Mix together, Stir the mixture, Get a spoon, Put it in the oven etc)
• Read rhyming stories or poems identifying the rhyming words asking your child to think of another word that rhymes with the word Eg Cat – Bat – Flat
• Count everyday objects using the words addition and subtraction (also plus, take away, one more, one less) as this will support mathematical fluency.
• Encourage your children to practise their times tables regularly (2, 3, 5 and 10). This could be five minutes in the car, or a spare few minutes before tea. Times Tables Rockstars is a super app to use. Times tables are so important in every strand of Maths.
• Practice the year 2 common misconception spellings with your children to support them with their literacy writing.