St. Augustine's Catholic Primary School

MEET THE TEACHER POWERPOINT - PLEASE CLICK FOR DETAILS

RHE LETTER

WELCOME TO YEAR 2

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW - TERMS 3 & 4

Welcome to Terms 3 and 4 with Miss Cox and Mrs Bowman

Throughout Year 2 we will be following the National Curriculum for English and Mathematics. We expect every child to read a minimum of four times per week at home. Spellings will be given out on Fridays ready to be tested the following Friday. There is optional homework, which can be found on the website on a Friday. We are timetabled for P.E on Wednesdays & Fridays, so please make sure P.E kits are in school on those days and that earrings are removed or covered.

Topic 1: Blown Away

Throughout this Unit, pupils will be exploring the world around them with a particular focus on hot and cold countries. They will explore climates around the world, including the study of an equatorial area and an area close to the Arctic, through map work and role-play.

Pupils will also observe weather patterns in their own environment through the creation of weather measuring equipment that they design, e.g. a wind measurement devise could be a stick with a ribbon on.

Pupils will study weather poetry as well as a traditional Akan story ‘The Wind and the Sun,’ developing their vocabulary and understanding of story structure.

They will also focus their attention on the formation of clouds and how these change with different weather patterns, through the exploration of clouds both in their local environment, in photographs from the internet and in art through John Constable’s cloud studies.

Topic 2: Town Mouse and Country Mouse

This focuses on the similarities and differences between two contrasting localities – countryside and city. In the classroom pupils will build two miniature worlds representing each locality, considering the similarities and differences.

The story of the Town Mouse and Country Mouse will take pupils into the context of places being different and appreciating what they have as well as identifying with others who have a different environment.

Communicating through letters, emails, internet and photos will show the pupils how we can use modern technology to get to know new places and people.

Alongside this, there will be discussion about using technology safely.

The study of habitats in science also helps pupils to learn about different environments by identifying which habitats suit different living things.

Topic 3: Sowing and Growing

This Unit introduces the pupils to sowing and growing their own food from seeds. In science, they will grow cress and beans and will find out about the conditions these seeds need to grow. To learn to think more scientifically they will observe their seed carefully and record the changes they see. 

In English, the pupils will be studying the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They will write letters and create their own versions of the story by changing the character or setting.

In Art, we will be undertaking careful observational drawing and looking at the work of Beatrix Potter.

In ICT we will be making PowerPoint presentations.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW - TERMS 1 & 2

Welcome to Year 2 with Miss Cox and Mrs Bowman

What do I need to be me?

Our first topic has a strong focus on science. We are very excited to have a butterfly house in the classroom in order to observe the lifecycle of a butterfly first hand. Besides this, we will be looking at the lifecycles of other animals and considering how we, and animals, change as we get older. As part of this topic we will learn about what we need to stay healthy including diet, exercise and sleep! In DT we will be designing, creating and tasting our own fruit kebabs! In art we are looking at animal markings and will design, make and use printing blocks. We will also learn how to mix colours. Our work in ICT will support our design skills in art and we will also be recording the lifecycle of a butterfly using a variety of computer programmes.

Through the Keyhole

Our second topic focuses on historical investigation. The children will compare old and new objects identifying similarities and differences between each. They will be introduced to the fictional character of Detective Clueless, a slightly ineffective detective who is not very observant! He needs Year 2 to help him solve some cases in Hythe. In science we will explore materials people use to make houses and bridges and how the materials are chosen for their qualities. In English we will write a non‐fiction book linked to our science work on materials. In art we will learn to sew cross stitch embroidery using Victorian samplers as inspiration.

Flying High

Our third topic will look at the history of flight and the story of the Wright brothers. In geography we will create maps using aerial photographs and figure out directions for Farther Christmas to travel to our school / home! In D.T we will learn how to build sliders and pivot levers to make moving Christmas cards, and in art we will create Christmas decorations to jazz up the classroom and your living room for the holiday season!

A session of P.E will be taught on a Wednesday and will be outside whenever possible.

Children still benefit from reading at home every night and their reading journals should be signed at least 4 times a week. Spellings will be given out on a Friday and will be tested the following Friday. These can always be found in their green reading journal.

Miss Cox