Week commencing Monday 19th June
On Monday we went on our school trip to Abbey Farmhouse in Waltham Abbey. We had a wonderful day discovering plants which links to our Science topic. We used our senses and played games to explore plants. We also learned about the different parts of plants and the parts that we eat. For example cauliflower is the flower of a plant, cabbage is the leaves, celery is the stem, carrots are the root and a pepper is the fruit. We also learned about the needs of plants and how they disperse their seeds.
In maths we have started learning about pictograms and tally charts in our statistics unit. In English we have been busy writing a recount of our school trip. We will edit these and publish them to make a class memory book.
On Thursday we went on our local area walk to look at how the land around school is used. We found out that The Broadway is used for shopping, the area behind Rookwood Avenue is used for recreation, the allotments are used for food production and the school is surrounded by residential land. We marked these areas and uses on our maps.
Week commencing 5th June
It was nice to have all the children back after their half term break. In maths this week we have continued to learn about measurement and have been solving word problems. We had to read the question, identify key words and decide on the operation needed to solve the question. In science we have started our new topic about plants. We have learnt about the life cycle of a plant and discussed new scientific vocabulary such as germination and seed dispersal. In PSHE we have been learning about safe and unsafe situations and discussed what we would do in those scenarios. In art we did some printing with fruits and vegetables and made repeating and overlapping patterns.
Week commencing 22/5/23
We have had an exciting week in Year 2!
Maths
In maths we have been learning about measurement. We used rulers and metre sticks to measure length. We know that we measure length in cm or m. We also compare lengths using the greater than and less than symbols.
English
We have been learning about persuasive devices and used these ideas to create adverts for our upcoming enterprise stall. We know that a persuasive advert should have an eye-catching title, use expanded noun phrases, alliteration, rhetorical questions, exaggeration and state the main facts.
Science
We wrote a scientific report of our microhabitat investigation. We wrote about what we used, what we did and what we found out. We found out that most mini beasts could be found in the log microhabitat. We think this was because the logs provide shelter, protection, food and water.
DT
WE completed our topic on mechanisms by attempting to lift a teacher. We used a lever and discussed the impact of moving the fulcrum and increasing the force. We could not lift Mr Mann, despite moving the fulcrum. We decided to decrease to load and lift Mrs Sheptuha instead.
Sports Day
We had a great time at sports day on Thursday. Our favourite activities were the space hoppers and the parachute.
Week commencing 15th May
We have finished our Secret Agent Training this week! The children have worked really hard and have remained positive throughout – great job everyone!
Science
This week in science, we were able to conduct a habitat survey. We recapped our learning about microhabitats and the mini-beasts that live there. We were then able to use equipment to help us search through a sample of the microhabitat that we collected in our trays. We all had great fun using the magnifying glasses to search and count the mini-beasts. We then inputted this data on to a tally chart.
DT
In DT, we continued to develop our sewing skills. After we designed our own keychains, we then cut out our designs on felt. Finally, to make the keychain, we used our running stitch to sew the material together.
Week Commencing 9.5.23
This week we started our Secret Agent Training, which will continue next week. The children have made a brilliant start and have been working very hard.
Computing
The children have been making their own animations using Stop Motion software. They have been using the technique of onion skinning to make their animations and have been working very creatively.
DT
The children have been learning to sew for the textiles unit of DT. They have been learning to use the running stitch. They have shown great perseverance, resilience and patience!
Science
In science we have been learning about the impact of deforestation and climate change on animals and their habitats. They then participated in a philosophy lesson and expressed their opinions about if we were treating the earth kindly.
Week Commencing 1st May:
English
In our English learning this week, we have continued on with our story writing. We have been looking at the story of 'Audrey the amazing inventor' and have based our own stories from this narrative. We were able to look at different techniques to make our writing lively and interesting to include in our own writing.
Maths
In maths this week, we have been revising different concepts and methods. We started the week with revising our tens and ones method when adding and subtracting. Within this, we were able to answer word problems and solve missing number equations using the inverse operation. By the end of the week, we focused on multiplying (using the grouping method) and division (using the sharing method).
Science
In science, we looked at how living things can effect a habitat. We used the example of deforestation to show how humans have had an affect on the rainforest. We then wrote about the negative impact deforestation can have on a habitat.
History
In history, in line with our topic 'marvellous mechanisms', we looked at how catapults used to be used centuries ago. We discussed them being used to protect castles and being used in combat. We then looked at how catapults are used presently. We looked at the example of a catapult being used on an aircraft carrier in order to make sure the aircrafts are going fast enough. The class were able to compare catapults past and present and write these sentences in their books.
Design and Technology
In DT, we were able to make our very own catapults by creating a lever mechanism. In teams, we were all able to design a game that propelled an object to a target. We made our catapults using lolly sticks, rubber bands and even had a bottle cap to use as a bucket. We had great fun testing our games out with them.
Week commencing 17th April 2023
It was lovely to see all the children back in school this week and to hear all about their holidays.
Maths
In maths this week we have been learning about mass. We know that we measure mass in grams and kilograms and we know that there are 1000 g in 1kg. We compared grams and kilograms and have been busy weighing objects and reading scales.
English
In English we read the story 'Audrey the Amazing Inventor'. We acted out the story and boxed up the text so we are ready to plan and write our own versions of the story next week. We have also been learning about the past and present progressive tense and hope to use this tense in our writing next week. For example, Audrey was sketching her ideas.
Science
In science we explored the school grounds to look for mini beasts. Then we made microhabitats in different areas of the school. We know that animals are suited to their environment so we made sure that the microhabitat could provide what the mini beasts need to survive. We will check in on the microhabitats and see if we have any visitors!
Art
We have been learning about the artist Jonathon Pradillon who is a French painter and sculptor born in 1993. We created a piece of art work in his style using circles and lines. We adapted the way we held the pens to create thick and thin lines when we were drawing.
DT
Our topic this term is ‘Marvellous Mechanisms’. We have been exploring different toys and games and looking at the mechanisms that make them move such as levers, winders and wheels. By the end of the term, we hope to design and create a mechanism to lift a teacher!