Giraffe (Year 2)

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Welcome to Year 2!

Giraffe Class are taught by Miss Wickison and Miss Graves, Mrs Messenger and Mrs Coster. 

Miss Wickison = Monday - Wednesday am. 

Miss Graves = Wednesday pm - Friday 

We are using Class Dojo again this year to reinforce positive behaviour in and around school. As the children are now in Year 2, we are really promoting an independent attitude to learning. This year we encourage the children to take on more responsibility in the classroom and around school.

If you have any concerns or questions then please feel free to message us on Dojo or contact the Office - https://www.classdojo.com/ 

At the bottom of this page we have posted some useful websites to support with learning outside of school as well as the Year 2 spelling list.

General Giraffe notices - 

* Homework will be sent home on Thursday and returned the following Wednesday. All work needs to be completed in homework books. Homework will be Maths (arithmetic practise or consolidating learning done in class) as well as spellings (possibly from January). This will be discussed with the children before they take it home. If your child is a bit unsure then please feel free to message me on Dojo or bring the homework into school so we can work it through together. 

* Reading at home is very important and should be completed daily. All children should try to discuss their school books with someone at home to improve their reading skills. Please make sure to record any reading in your child's reading record so we can track their progress and provide a set of new books once completed.

* PE with Mr Dickinson will be on Monday afternoons and PE with Miss Graves will be on Wednesday afternoons. Please ensure earrings are removed on these days unless your child can remove them independently in school. All PE kit must be named and appropriate for the weather conditions. An extra pair of socks may be useful on rainy days!

* Forest School sessions will be posted on Class Dojo.

Autumn Term 1

English

This term we will be reading 'How to Find Gold' by Viviane Schwarz. This is a lovely story of two friends on a journey to discover gold! Although they may run into some trouble along the way...

We will be writing a set of instructions, poetry, writing in role as the characters and at the end of the term we will be writing our own inspired narratives!

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning some new concepts as well as recapping Year 1 concepts:

Place value - counting forwards/backwards to 20, 50 and 100, partitioning numbers in different ways, identifying, estimating and representing numbers, comparing and ordering numbers/objects, counting in 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's.

Addition/subtraction - number bonds to 10, number bonds to 20, number bonds to and within 100, related addition/subtraction facts, adding/subtracting in ones, finding 1 more and 1 less, 2 more and 2 less, 10 more and 10 less, adding by making 10, adding/subtracting 2-digit numbers and 1-digit numbers, adding/subtracting two, 2-digit numbers (without exchanging).

We will also be introducing Times Tables Rockstars! This is a website used from Year 2 to Year 6 as a way to practise times tables and division facts. Your child will be provided with an account that they can access at school/at home. In school we will be getting lots of practise as part of our computing time!

Science - Everyday materials and their properties 

Topic - Geography: continents and oceans 

Computing: Computing systems and networks - information technology around us

Art: Famous artist - Claude Monet

RE: How should we care for others and the world and why does it matter?

PSHE: Being me in my world

Music: 

PE: Athletics 

Autumn Term 2

English

As the days get longer and the nights are getting darker I thought this book would make a good choice for this term.... we are reading 'The Dark' by Lemony Snicket! This is the story of a boy named Lazlo who is afraid of the dark. The dark lives with him in the house but usually stays locked away in the basement, but one particular night it comes to visit him! We will be writing diary entries, letters to the characters as well as a non-chronological report on nocturnal animals. 

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning:

Addition/subtraction - adding/subtracting two, 2-digit numbers (without exchanging), adding/subtracting two, 2-digit numbers (with an exchange), number bonds to 100 in tens and ones, adding 3 one-digit numbers, solving missing number problems, using the inverse, finding the difference and understanding that addition is commutative. 

Multiplication - making equal groups, adding equal groups, using the multiplication symbol, making arrays, solving multiplication problems.

Science - Everyday materials and their properties 

Topic - History: Lives of significant others 

Computing: Creating media - digital photography

DT: Making moving picture cards 

RE: How and why do we celebrate special and sacred times?

PSHE: Celebrating difference

Music: 

PE: Sending and receiving with feet and sticks 

Spring Term 1 

English 

This term we will be reading 'Traction Man is Here!' by Mini Grey - Traction Man is the brand new action figure who is here to save the day! This superhero searches for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve and later in the bathtub, he conquers the Mysterious Toes that are stealing his pet, the brave little Scrubbing Brush. These are just a few of the action-packed adventures played out by the boy and his new toy!

We will be writing our own stories inspired by the comic-book style of Traction Man is Here, as well as writing recounts and writing to persuade. 

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning:

Division - Sharing into equal groups, grouping equally, finding odd and even numbers, dividing by 2/5/10 and understanding the inverse link between multiplication and division.

Shape - 2D shapes (properties - vertices, sides) and 3D shapes (properties - faces/surfaces, vertices, edges), drawing shapes, lines of symmetry, sorting shapes, making patterns.

Fractions - Making equal parts, recognising/finding a half of a shape or number, recognising/finding a quarter of a shape or number, recognising/finding a third of a shape or number, unit fractions, non-unit fractions, equivalence of half and two quarters, counting in fractions.    (To be continued into next term)

Science - Living things and their habitats

Topic - Geography: Australia 

Computing: Programming - robot algorithms

Art: Food technology 

RE: Who is a Muslim and what do they believe?

PSHE: Dreams and goals

PE:  Gymnastics 

Music:

Spring Term 2 

English 

This term we will be reading '10 Things I Can Do to Help my World' by Melanie Walsh. This is a non-fiction book that explains ten ways in which we can help our planet. We will be learning about the problems of plastic pollution and learning to persuade others about the dangers of too much plastic in our environment.

Later on in the term we will then be reading 'Out and About: A Book of First Poems' by Shirley Hughes. We will be reading lots of poetry inspired by nature and the outdoors and even creating some of our own!

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning:

Fractions - Making equal parts, recognising/finding a half of a shape or number, recognising/finding a quarter of a shape or number, recognising/finding a third of a shape or number, unit fractions, non-unit fractions, equivalence of half and two quarters, counting in fractions.  

Time - Telling the time to the hour (o'clock), half past the hour, quarter to/past the hour and telling the time to 5 minutes.

Science - Living things and their habitats

Topic - History: Maps and atlases 

Computing: Data and information - pictograms

Art: Textiles 

RE: Who is Jewish and what do they believe?

PSHE: Healthy me

PE:  Sending and receiving feet and stick 

Music: 

Summer Term 1 

English 

This term we will be reading 'Zeraffa Giraffe'                                                                               

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning: Fractions and Time

Science - Plants 

Topic - History: Castles 

Computing: Creating media 

Art: drawing/ painting  

RE: How can we learn from scared books? 

PSHE: Relationships 

PE:  Sending and receiving hands 

Summer Term 2

English 

This term we will be reading 'Man on the Moon'. The Man on the Moon! looks at a day in the life of Bob and what he gets up to on the moon: cleaning and tidying, welcoming vistors, performing tricks for tourists and much more. He knows almost everything there is to know about the moon - but there's something going on behind his back that he hasn't spotted...                                                                 '

Maths

This term Giraffe Class will be learning: Statistics, Position and direction.

Science - Animals including humans

Topic - History: The Great Fire of London 

Computing: Programming B 

DT: Building structures 

RE: How can we learn for scared books?

PSHE: Changing me 

PE:  Athletics  

Here are some websites that may be useful for homework or for extra learning at home. I have also uploaded the Year 2 spelling list below -

Maths

* https://ttrockstars.com/ (times tables practice - see login details)

* https://play.numbots.com/#/account/school-login/16257 (number bonds, addition/subtraction facts - see login details)

* https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button (number bonds, times tables, division facts, halves/doubles)

* https://whiterosemaths.com/ (great free resources that we use across the school to plan Maths)

Reading/English

* www.teachyourmonster.org (reading support)

* https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ (good for e-books and online reading)

* http://www.pobble365.com/ (amazing for story writing or creative writing)

* https://www.literacyshed.com/home.html (good examples for writing)

Books for Year 2 children aged 6-7 | School Reading List (lots of ideas for books your children might enjoy)

Science

* https://explorify.wellcome.ac.uk/activities (experiments/investigations you can do at home)

* https://www.stem.org.uk/ (experiments/investigations you can do at home)