Year 2 – Spruce and Aspen
Aspen Class – Miss Brown
Welcome
Firstly, Welcome to Year Two!
We understand that the transition from Year One to Year Two can seem a little daunting. However, the Year Two team have been in close correspondence with the previous Year One team to ensure a smooth transition.
This has included a detailed transition meeting between previous teachers and new teachers detailing where the children currently are in their learning and what their next steps are, along with friendship groups, likes, dislikes and interests.
Throughout the year we work towards preparing children for KS2.
Topics and Themes
We have an exciting year ahead of us and we can’t wait to teach you a variety of topics and themes! Below are the following topics and themes that we will be covering in Year Two:
English – Pathways Scheme:
- Fiction – Character and setting description, adventure story, moral.
- Non-fiction – Instructions, Non-chronological report, Recount, Diary, Letter, Poetry
Mathematics – White Rose Scheme: Place value, addition and subtraction, shape, money, multiplication and division, length and height, mass, capacity and temperature, fractions, time, statistics, position and direction.
Reading – We use VIPER to develop their skills of vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation and retrieval. This also supports their comprehension and understanding of texts which is needed for KS1 Reading SATs.
Science – Use of everyday Materials, Animals including humans (exercise/food/hygiene), Animals including humans (offspring, basic needs), living things and habitats, plants.
History and Geography – Around the world with Paddington Bear (Geography), Explorers (Geography and History), The Victorians (History).
Art – Mixed media, printing and painting rainforests (Artist: Henri Rousseau, Matt Sewell), Design, Collage and Sculpture, Woodlands and woodland animals (Artist: Mark Anthony Jacobson, Andy Goldsworthy), Drawing and Digital Royal Portraits (Artist: a wide variety)
Design and Technology – Textiles (animal hand/finger puppet), Cooking and Nutrition (preparing fruits and vegetables) and Mechanisms (Wheels and axles)
Computing – Internet and email safety, coding and computational thinking, databases and graphing, internet and Email, Art and Design, Music, Writing and Presenting.
PE – Gymnastics, fundamentals, dance, ball skills, fitness, target games, yoga, invasion, net and wall, team building, athletics and striking and fielding.
RSHE – Care and commitment, Eat better, NSPCC (Underwear rule), Expect respect, Choices and challenges, Water safety, Changes.
RE – Focus religions: Islam and Christianity
Symbols of belonging, Respect for everyone, Beginning to learn from Islam: Muslims and Mosques in Telford.
Music – Charanga scheme: singing and composition, singing, improvisation, composition (percussion).
Phonics – We follow the Little Wandle scheme for the revision of phase 5 once children have completed the Little Wandle scheme, we then move onto phase 6 which focuses on Spelling rule and patterns. Please see our Phonics Page for more information.
Statutory Assessments
Phonics screening test – Retake
KS1 SATs (Maths and Reading). More information.
Key Texts and Books
Our English Pathways Texts are:
- Troll swap by Lee Hodgkinson
- The owl and the pussycat by Edward Lear
- Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
- Major Glad and Major Dizzy by Jan Oak
- Night sounds by Berlie Doherty
- The Last Wolf – Mini Grey
- Grandad’s Secret Giant by David Litchfield
Homework Expectations
In Year Two, we provide the children with a 6-week homework pack including work that we have already taught in class and is consolidation of their learning.
Later in the year homework will be set via the class blog using Maths and Reading SATs buster books which school will provide.
Homework will be set on a Wednesday and will be expected in the following Monday.
How you can help your child at home
Each week, the children will be provided with a fluency reading book which correlates to their level in Phonics as well as a reading for pleasure.
Once your child has completed Phase 5 and their Fluency assessment they will move onto banded books. Please read as much as possible as this will help your child with their reading and writing.
Your child needs to confidently read, write and spell the Year 2 Common Exception Words. Please practice these at home (see appendix 1).
At Priorslee, we deliver Maths in a mastery approach. Please see our calculation policy which will show how we deliver the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Calculation Policy
You can use TTRS (times table rockstars) to help your child with multiplication and division fluency. https://ttrockstars.com/
For Phonics, it is important that the children are taught the same way as we teach in school, this includes the way a sound is pronounced. Please follow the following link which will provide you with information and videos on how the sound is taught. https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Please see our page on Phonics for more information.
