Welcome to Year 2, Kingfishers. Here is an overview of the things we will be learning together in Autumn 1.
Behaviours for Learning
At the beginning of this new school year, we focus on New Beginnings.
This theme focusses on developing children’s knowledge, understanding and skills in four key social and emotional aspects of learning: empathy, self-awareness, social skills and motivation.
The theme offers children the opportunity to see themselves as valued individuals within a community, and to contribute to shaping a welcoming, safe and fair learning community for all. Throughout the theme, children explore feelings of happiness and excitement, sadness, anxiety and fearfulness, while learning (and putting into practice) shared models for ‘calming down’ and ‘problem-solving’.
English
Our key text in English will be Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Lauren Child.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears: children use three different versions of Goldilocks for three different, but connected, writing outcomes. Children initially familiarise themselves with the traditional version of the tale, using Lauren Child’s version and identify the elements of a traditional tale. They use the story to identify adjectives to describe the character of Goldilocks before creating a ‘Wanted’ poster that will be displayed around school. In the next part, children explore the text of Me and You by Anthony Browne where pictures are used to provide a context for why Goldilocks appears at the three bears’ house. This is a more sympathetic view, and the children are asked as an outcome to tell the story from her perspective. In the final part, children write a sequel to the original story, where Goldilocks and the bears meet many years later. They role-play and imagine conversations and then look at a published sequel called Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson.
Children will also learn about disciplinary writing (instructions) for Geography, learning the English knowledge and skills that they need to produce quality Geography writing.
Maths
We will begin our half-term with a focus on Place Value. We will begin by recapping numbers within 20, then move on to numbers within 100, ensuring we can recognise and represent them in many different forms, including by the value of their 10s and 1s, and can partition them flexibly.
We will then move to addition and subtraction, where we will begin ensuring we know our number bonds to 10, including the families of related facts, then use this knowledge to know our bonds within 100. We will then move to adding and subtracting 10s and 1s in various ways, building to adding and subtracting two 2-digit numbers.
Science
In science, we will be learning about The Human Body: Muscular and Skeletal Systems.
Children will look at some systems that operate within our bodies, including the skeletal system, the muscular system, the digestive system and the circulatory system. Children will begin to understand the important scientific concept of interconnection and will recognise that a system is a group of parts that work together, in a connected way, to create a function. Finally, children will learn about germs and how to keep the body well through exercising, eating a healthy diet, keeping clean and resting.
Geography
Spatial Sense: Building on children’s understanding of spatial sense from Year 1 where they looked at maps of the classroom, this unit zooms out to encompass the school site. Children should have many opportunities to use maps and engage with the information we can gather from them.
Religious Education
Our key questions for RE will be Multifaith: Places of Worship. We will be focusing on the places of worship for Christians, Jewish people and Muslims. We shall be learning about churches, synagogues and mosques - what they are and why they are important places of worship.
Life Skills
In Life Skills our key question is Why is it important to share our feelings? We will learn to recognise our own feelings, and those of others, and learn what we can do to help our uncomfortable feelings and the uncomfortable feelings of those around us.
Computing
Our focus in computing is Computing systems and networks – IT around us. How is information technology (IT) being used for good in our lives? With an initial focus on IT in the home, learners explore how IT benefits society in places such as shops, libraries, and hospitals. Whilst discussing the responsible use of technology, and how to make smart choices when using it.
Music
Pulse, Rhythm and Pitch. Music has a pulse, a steady beat. Music is also made up of long and short and high and low sounds, called ‘rhythm’ and ‘pitch’. These elements combine when we sing and play. We will be listening and appreciating the songs, Bolero and Eye of the Tiger, then we will learn to sing, and perform on the glockenspiel, the songs Music is in my Soul, Hey Friends and Hello.
ART
Elements of Art: Colour, Shape and Texture. This unit builds on the previous unit, studying colour and shape together for three lessons, looking in detail at the late work of Matisse. By looking at Matisse’s cut-outs, the children revise what they have already learnt about shape and colour, are introduced to the use of colours that are complementary to each other and to the idea of composition (how different ingredients in art, like shape and colour, are combined to create a design). Detailed study of these works also allows the children to think about how an artist works, looking at videos and photographs of Matisse. They make their own collages with colourful paper to experiment with compositions using organic shapes and complementary colours. They also study the work of Mukherjee, an Indian artist who also created cut-outs during the same period.
Linked below are the knowledge organisers that will help you support your children with all this learning during the half-term. Thank you for all that you do to support your children with their learning at Glade.