Year 2
Welcome to Year 2
Autumn Term 1 2024
Areas of study for Year 2*
Topic Title: The Enchanted Wood
Key Question: Why and how are woodlands important to us?
English (Reading and Writing)**
Children’s literature has always been inspired by British woodlands. Many traditional and modern stories find their way one way or another back to the woods. This half term the children will have the opportunity to develop their narrative story telling skills by studying Jacqueline Wilson’s re-write of the classic ‘The Enchanted Wood’. We will be encouraging the children to develop their writing skills by having many opportunities to discuss imaginary, magical and enchanted woodland characters. They will be encouraged to speak in sentences and use accurate and interesting vocabulary to plan their writing tasks. The children will develop their factual writing skills by creating reports on woodland habitats, animals and plants, linked to their work in science. They will also be writing autumn sensory poems and developing their understanding of the layout of a repeated pattern poem.
Reading
‘The Enchanted Wood’
Our class reader this half term has been chosen to give the children the opportunity to listen to and discuss enchanted and magical characters, stimulating their imagination about woodland habitats. Alongside this text we will also be reading ‘The Hodgeheg’ to give the children the opportunity to experience a different perspective on woodland animal characters and this will be linked to our PSHE and road safety. We will also be reading a selection of Autumn poems.
Maths
This term the children will focus on recapping and consolidating their skills in representing numbers to 100, using practical apparatus such as tens frames, dienes and ones. They will continue to develop their understanding of number using part-whole models and number facts. They will be comparing and ordering numbers using the mathematical signs for greater than, less than and equal to (<, > and =). They will consolidate their skills in arithmetic (adding and subtracting numbers using pictorial methods and practical apparatus) and they will apply these skills to working with money. The children will continue to develop their reasoning skills by explaining their thinking and making choices. They will also be developing their times tables skills by learning the 2, 5, 10 and 3 times tables.
Science
In Science this term, the children will be exploring their knowledge of animals in their habitats with a particular focus on woodland animal habitats. They will be looking at a variety of large (woodland) and small-scale habitats (oak tree) and identifying how these meet the needs of the animals living in them. They will then be carrying out their own investigation into the habitat of a woodlouse, creating woodlouse homes using found materials and their observation skills to see which habitat the woodlice prefer and why. They will learn the key vocabulary of habitat, shelter, food and water. They will also learn how animals are dependent on their habitats and what a food chain is. We will also be discovering why woodland habitats are in danger all over the world and what this means for us.
History - Not delivered this half term.
Geography
Our local area is one that is rich in physical and human features with rivers, lakes, forests and woodlands all within it. We are a small village on the outskirts of a small town with a city a short drive away. This term our focus will be on our local area with a particular focus on our wonderful local woodlands, where they are and how we use them for pleasure and resources, as well as how important they are in the lives of local animals. The children will be using a variety of maps to identify key features of our local area as well as exploring how to create their own simple maps using fieldwork around our school, drawing maps and plans and using a Key. They will be looking at the different symbols on maps and using these on their own maps. The children will also be comparing the human and physical features of our local area. Are woodlands human or physical features – as we will see the answer is not as straightforward as it may seem. Linked to our geography work on woodlands we will also be discussing why they are essential for our survival and climate change. We will also be learning compass directions and their use on maps.
Art
This term in Art, linked to our work on woodland, the children will be studying the work of Andy Goldsworthy and exploring pattern and shape in nature. They will be learning about warm and cool colours on a colour wheel, and creating patterns and textures using found and natural materials to create their own ‘art installations’ in the school grounds. They will also be experimenting with collage, creating their own woodland collages. This will be linked with their computing skills where photos will be taken on iPads, learning the skills of zooming in and out; looking at the gallery of pictures taken and considering the composition of their shots.
Design Technology (DT)
Not delivered this half term.
Music
In music this term, the children will be learning songs linked the topic of Woodlands (eg If you go down to the woods today..) to perform in singing assemblies and on a daily basis, They will also be learning to sing and sign using Makaton. We will using tuned boomwhacker percussion instruments to develop our understanding of rhythm and beat, and practising improvisation using djembe drums.
Religious Education (RE)
Why do some people follow religious leaders and teachings?
In RE this term the children will be using a question based approach to articulate their own thoughts and feelings about who is special to them and why. They will be widening their understanding by thinking about who is special in our community and the people we rely on. This will lead on to how different religions view certain people as special and their beliefs, linking our own experiences and feelings with why people who believe certain things have different feelings towards them. We will focus on how we should respond sensitively to the beliefs and feelings of others taking into account their views and experiences. Demonstrating our core values of inclusion and respect.
Physical Education (PE)
During PE this term, the children will be investigating different skills in gymnastics. They will learn a variety of balances, jumps and rolls and link these skills to make a gymnastics sequence. The skills learnt will be performed on low and high level equipment. The children will focus on having control over their bodies throughout their routines.
Computing
This term our computing will be linked to our Art which is based in the work of Andy Goldsworthy – art in nature and woodlands. In computing the children will be looking at creativity, specifically photography and using iPads to capture photos of their art in nature.
We will also be experimenting with collage creating leaves and woodland scenes using various materials.
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
The children will take part in creating a class charter to set up class rules and expectations for the year based on Owlsmoor’s school values (Determined, Kind, Safe, Inclusive and Respectful). They will consider what a growth mindset is and how to achieve their goals by developing good habits of mind. They will also discuss how to stay safe on the road (linked with our reading text the Hodgeheg).
* * To teach phonics in Key Stage 1, we use the Twinkl Phonics scheme and Rhino readers. These are organised systematically and carefully matched to the child’s phonic stage, to ensure that all of our children develop the skills they need to become fluent and confident readers.
**To teach reading in Key Stage 1, the children learn the sounds they need to decode words and read texts that are linked closely to their phonic knowledge. Alongside daily phonics sessions, the children participate in guided reading sessions to focus on their comprehension skills. They are encouraged to become reading VIPERS and focus on the key objectives of Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing. We read the children a wide selection of engaging and entertaining real books to inspire in them a love of reading and develop their language and understanding.
*If you require additional information relating to our school curriculum, please ask at the school office or the class teacher.
Top Tips
- Share books with your children- you read to them, they read to you.
- Discuss books and stories — characters, events, endings etc.
- Make suggestions for a different ending, new character etc
- Join the local library & encourage your child to choose their books— this helps to develop preferences etc.
- Don’t forget rhymes and poems – particularly good for improving fluency.
- Encourage your child to write shopping lists, notes, postcards, diaries.
- Encourage correct letter formation — this will help with cursive writing later.
- Play I spy using phonic/sounds - don’t forget endings.
- Practise reading and spelling keywords.
- Watch, listen and discuss news (ideally CBBC Newsround). http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews
- Rewards them with educational games, programmes and web-games.
- Devise a home timetable for your child to complete homework and read.
Educational websites
The following sites provide information relating to trips and studies...
http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English
Educational web-games
The following sites host links to relevant KS1 (Infant) web-games. You may wish to challenge your child to try some KS2 (Junior) web-games as the academic year progresses.
http://games.e4education.co.uk/groupone/index.php
http://www.uptoten.com/kids/uptoten-features-search-searchpage.html