Class 2 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2021
Dear parents/carers,
It has been great to meet some of you at the door over the past week. I look forward to meeting the rest of you over the coming term. I hope everyone had a lovely summer and the children are ready for all the fantastic learning coming up. They have already settled into Year 2 well. Please find below an outline of the curriculum we will be focusing on throughout Autumn Term.
English
In year 2 we will be exploring a variety of texts to support our reading, vocabulary and writing development. To begin with, we will be sharing texts that have a familiar setting to help our development of sentence structure, adjectives, connectives and time connectives and with a continued focus on handwriting, capital letters and full stops. Through other aspects of the curriculum (science, geography, history etc.) we will be developing our non-narrative skills with information and instructions writing. Ensuring your child reads for at least 15 minutes a day will help their reading skills to develop along with discussions around the text read. It is just as important to read to your child regularly along with listening to audio books.
We will continue to develop our phonic skills, initially by recapping the sounds learnt in the summer term and then continuing with the next sounds following the Letters and Sounds scheme. Whilst practicing and applying our existing knowledge within our writing.
We will begin to learn how to join our writing, focusing on how to lead in and out of letters.
Maths
To begin the term, we will be looking at number systems with a focus on place value, addition and subtraction with explorations around money, multiplication and division. We will be using a variety of equipment to help children build their practical mathematical skills to support problem solving and calculations. The children will also be developing their mathematical vocabulary to develop reasoning tasks. To assist with children’s mathematical development encourage them to handle real money and understand the value of coins and notes along with reading analogue and digital time in a 12hr and 24hr format.
History and Geography
We will begin the year with developing our research skills including the use of atlases. This will be a focus in our Oceans and Continents Topic. The children have already enjoyed learning the ‘7 Continents’ song.
Science
Throughout the Autumn term we will be looking at the area of Science ‘Animals, including humans.’ Children will be introduced to the basic needs of animals for survival (food, water, air) as well as the importance of exercise and nutrition for humans. There will be a focus on growth, for example: egg, chick, chicken; egg, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly.
Computing
We will be starting with ‘how to stay safe online’ which will an ongoing theme throughout the school year. Children will be using the school laptops to learn how to combine text and graphics and will be consolidating their word processing and keyboard skills.
Art and Design Technology
The initial focus for Art this term will be ‘where we live’. We will be creating sketches of our local area.
Our Design Technology will be based around creating a fruit dessert for the Queen of Hearts.
RE and PSHE
In RE, we will be considering special places and special people and focusing in on different religions. Our PSHE learning will lead us to think about families, friendships and relationships.
Music
Year 2 Music this term is based around ‘Hands, Feet, Heart’ this focuses on body percussion and rhythm, pitch and pulse.
PE
The children will have PE on a Tuesday afternoon (with Mr Dyce) and Friday morning (with myself). Please send your child to school on both these days in their full PE kit, remember to send them in joggers and a jumper depending on the weather. We will be covering ball skills and fundamentals.
Homework
Along with listening to your child read, the children will be set spellings to learn each week on a Friday, ready for a test on the following Friday; please assist them with look, cover, write, check activities to consolidate their learning. These will be sent home in a spelling book, please return the book the following Friday so we can stick in their next spellings.
The children will have one piece of homework to complete each week: either a piece of English, Maths, Science or Topic work to help support their learning in the classroom. Please support your child to ensure that they understand what has been asked of them and that their work is clearly and neatly completed. This will be sent home in a Learning Log, please encourage your child to take pride in their work.
Reading Books
Please read daily with your child at home, this really supports their word reading and comprehension. When you read, please write this in their reading record so we know when the book needs changing. We aim to change books as soon as they have been read however, as you can understand, there may be days where books do not get changed. In this situation please either re-read the book (this can be just as beneficial to your child’s learning) or read a book from home.
At the back of your child’s orange reading record is the Class Two reading challenge. Please look at the different places to read and encourage your child to complete this. Every time they complete one, please date and write the title of the book in the space provided. Once all challenges are complete return to school and your child will receive their certificate.
Snack
We would like to encourage all children to bring in a snack for break time. It is a long time between breakfast and lunch and a snack, as well as a drink of water, make a big difference to children’s concentration levels and ability to learn. As a healthy school we have agreed strict guidelines for the type of snack brought in, it must be fruit or vegetable in the form in which it grew (ie. nothing added, not stretchy or made into a bar and wrapped). Children will be provided with a piece of fruit for their afternoon playtime.
If you have any concerns or issues you would like to discuss regarding your child, please email the office and I will be in touch. I look forward to working with you and your children over the next year.
Kind Regards,
Miss Hagger