Park Mead Primary

Welcome to Year 2!How to Be Truly Happy - Mad Fish Digital

Mrs Collins
Mrs Gilbertson Mrs Booth

Mrs Collins

2CG

Monday-Wednesday

 

Mrs Gilbertson 

2CG 

Thursday-Friday

2GB

Monday

Mrs  Browne

2GB

Tuesday-Friday

 

 Mrs Puttock

2CG 

Everyday 

Mrs Booth

2GB

Everyday 

                                 Spring Term 2

We have got another fun half-term ahead, with engaging topics and fun challenges for everyone to enjoy. Please read on for more information.

This half term we will celebrate World Book Day which is always lots of fun and we look forward to meeting with parents and careers during our parent's evening appointments.

 

Spring Term Dates:

 

12-16/2/2024 - Spring half term

19/2/24 - return to school

23/2/24 - PTFA non-uniform day

6/3/24 - Parents Evening

7/3/24 - World Book Day

12/3/24 - Parents Evening

21/3/24 - Parents Evening

28/3/24 - last day of school  - early finish @2 pm

   

    English 

 As a school, we use Talk4Writing as a framework and all of the units are based on this. 

We will start our English by learning all about writing suspended stories. Children will have the opportunity to learn a text, then imitate it by changing the characters and the setting, and then will go on to create their own fiction stories full of suspense!

This process creates building blocks for the children to become confident writers and structure their writing in an organised, clear way. We will be using, varied sentence starters, time connectives, thinking about using correct tenses, using descriptive noun phrases including exciting adjectives, and similies, and using speech. Of course still including our non-negotables such as capital letters, full stops, and finger spaces. We will also be editing our own work to give children the skills to edit and improve their writing.

Our Non-fiction focus, later this half term, is writing non-chronological reports. The unit is based around superheroes so there will be lots of opportunities for creative thinking and exciting ideas. The children will learn how to plan, set out, and write interesting fact files.

                                                                                                                                                                

  • Non-negotiables: Every time the children write, we ask them to make sure that they have put a full stop at the end of every sentence, that they have used capital letters to begin sentences and for names, that they have finger spaces between their words, and that they have used a question mark at the end of a question.  

Cursive Handwriting 

This term we will continue to work hard with the children to practice their cursive handwriting

We have attached the 'a Guide to cursive handwriting' PPT document.

T-L-904-Letter-Formation-Powerpoint.ppt

 

      Reading, Phonics and Spelling :

Phonics/spelling lessons happen every day. We will do this as a class and provide extra support for children who need it.

Large Group Guided Reading sessions

Fluent Readers - Once the children become ‘fluent readers’ we will be reading whole class texts with the children. They will read more challenging texts, such as chapter books, using a range of skills to discuss and answer questions about the books. These sessions are not recorded in their Reading Records, but they have a Guided Reading book, where they record work relating to the text that is being studied.

 We will endeavor to hear individual readers as often as possible. Children are assessed with their phonics and reading regularly throughout the year.

Practice Reading sessions 

Phonic-based readers -In these small group lessons, the focus is largely on decoding, fluency, and comprehension. The children will read independently and to an adult, within their group. It will be marked in their reading records that they have had a practice reading session with adult support on that day. They will read with adult support  several times a week depending on the week

Once the children have read a book with their reading group at school, they will bring it home for further practice, along with an additional decodable book which will be changed weekly. Please help us to make sure that we can send home decodable books for all the children by returning both your child's reading books every Friday.

Once the children are fluent readers, they will be reading longer books in school and will be able to independently change their home readers whenever they need to. Please continue to send their reading record book to school every day.

 

English Homework:

Reading

We would like the children to read at home at least 4- 5 times a week with an adult. More able readers will then start to read more independently but it is still important for children to read out loud and have the opportunity to ask and answer questions about the vocabulary and text. Alongside reading school books we actively encourage children to read a wide range of books at home.

 

Spelling

spellingshed   (link)   (logins in reading records)

 

This term there will be some changes to the way spelling homework will be set. 

Spelling challenges are set every Friday and we will now provide weekly paper homework with the spellings as a lot of children are not using the Spelling Shed app. The spellings will be set out as the 'Look, Say, Cover, and Write format. They will also be on the site but we are going to use paper homework this term to see if this improves children's learning.

The words will comprise spellings linked to the spelling taught that week alongside some Common Exception Words that Year 2 needs to be able to read and write by the end of Year 2.

We would like children to practice their spelling at least 3 x a week.

 

Extra English support:

Please take a look at these helpful questions to discuss with your child. They can be used when your child reads to you, when you read to your child or to prompt discussion about books your child is reading independently. 

Reading question stems Picture

 

www.oxfordowl.co.uk - Free eBook library when you create a username and password.

Maths 

We will be following the  White Rose maths curriculum.           

This half term we will continue our Multiplication and Division block unit. Children will move on to learning their 2x, 5x, and 10 x tables. This will include rapid recall of facts and understanding how the division facts relate to the multiplication calculations.

Pupils build on their knowledge of counting in 2s, 5,s, and 10s, doubles and halves of numbers,  arrays, and repeated addition and subtraction.  We will use number lines, concrete apparatus, and mental methods to help us solve problems and visualise our learning.
We will look at the multiplication and division symbols and carry out problem-solving and 2-step problem-solving activities. Children will be encouraged to use the correct mathematical language such as stem sentences and correct terminology to explain their thinking and methods.

 

We will then move to a new topic - Measurement

Length and height 

Pupils build on their understanding of measures from year 1, to begin using standard units of measurement with increasing accuracy. Children learn to measure in centimetres and metres and to compare and order lengths & heights.

Mass, capacity and temperature 

In year 2, pupils are introduced to mass, capacity and temperature, and learn to measure in grams, kilograms, millilitres and litres. The four operations are used to solve problems with both mass and capacity and children begin using ℃ to describe temperature. 

Maths homework:

Homework activity 1 - play  Numbots for at least 10 minutes, 3 times per week which will help to build fluency with number facts
Log-ins for Numbots will be in the front of your child's reading record.

Homework activity 2 - Arithmetic activity sheet - to go out every Friday and be returned on the following Wednesday. A letter will be sent out during the first week giving more information. The will now be double-sided. If your child completes just A ( easier) just do As both sides, A & B do both sides A & B, and so on. 

  

Home Learning | Ashford Church of England Primary School          (link) 

Numbots is an ongoing maths challenge program, that supports children's mathematical knowledge and understanding. We would like children to extend their learning by using Numbots at least 3 times a week.

  ttrockstars.com (link)

This term we will be introducing the children to TTRockstars - This is an engaging and fun app that the whole school uses to embed and develop times tables. 

Please watch the video below for more information.

Video for parents and carers

 

https://www.mymaths.co.uk/

We now set the children optional homework on My Maths . Children have been introduced to this and have the logins in the front of their reading records. Activities will be set in blocks to continue previous learning in maths that we have been doing at school.  

What are we doing in other subjects this half term?

Science: Living things and their Habitats     

In this topic, children will learn about:

Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive. They will identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other. They will also identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro-habitats. Children will describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food. 

Topic:  Exploring the IceHistory    

In this topic, we will be looking at several brave polar explorers from different periods. We will look at how society treated them, their form of transportation, equipment and difficulties. We will compare past and present explorers and ask and answer questions about we challenge and successes they had.

ART:  Ephemeral art - Andy Goldsworthy  

RE: 

ICT: 

PHSCE:  

MUSIC: Voice training and Ocarina

(The children have a weekly music lesson with our music specialist teacher, Mrs Bell, in the music room) Music

Useful Information

PE Days

Our PE days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please ensure children come to school in their PE kit on these days.  

Library Days

We will be visiting the library to change books every Monday

Books are issued for two weeks at a time but can be returned earlier. If your child wishes to keep a book for longer than two weeks, please send it in to school on a Wednesday so that it can be renewed.

You can check which books your child currently has on loan along with the return dates on Reading Cloud. Log-in details are in the front of your child's reading record. If a book has got lost, we ask for a £5 contribution towards replacing the book. Please speak to your child's class teacher.

Link to Reading Cloud:   

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Park Mead Primary School, Park Drive, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7HB

01483 274315

info@park-mead.surrey.sch.uk