Year 2 weekly newsletter 06.12.24

We’ve had a very festive week to start our December off.

In English, you have continued your work on the night gardener. This week you learnt what past tense is and how to write in past tense using -ed verbs. We looked at which verbs need ed and how some verbs are irregular and you can’t use ed on the end. You then wrote some sentences in past tense. Towards the end of the week, you learnt how to use commas in a list and how we use a comma instead of using and all of the time. We found it difficult at first to know where to put a comma but we will continue to keep practicing this skill.

In our steps to read lessons you have been reading ‘The Glassmaker’s daughter’. You have learnt all about Venice and how glass makers had to stay in the city as people were worried that they would share their secrets about how to make glass. We realised that this made the Glassmaker’s daughter feel very sad and trapped. You have really enjoyed this story and answering comprehension questions on it. In phonics you have continued to learn your sounds and practise your reading.

In maths, you have been continuing your learning on with addition and subtraction. You have learnt how to add and subtract two digit numbers by two digit numbers with number lines, 100 squares and ten blocks. You have learnt how to compare addition and subtraction sums using your greater than, less than and equals symbols. Towards the end of the week, you looked at how we can subtract numbers to find the difference.

In RE, we completed our final lesson of the unit by thinking about what angels look like and the roles they play. We discovered that angels are seen as messengers of God, but no one truly knows what they look like. Using inspiration from the Bible, people have created paintings and sculptures to represent their own ideas of angels. We explored various sculptures of angels and the messages they convey. For example, the Angel of the North, built after the war, symbolises hope, while the Knife Angel, made from confiscated knives, spreads the message of peace and an end to knife violence.

We then considered what an angel might look like if it were created to spread the message of protecting the environment. You sketched your own imaginative angels in your books, each with a unique message, and they were truly fantastic. It was inspiring to see how thoughtful and creative you were with your designs and ideas!

In art, you began by collecting a variety of leaves from the forest school area, gathering an impressive selection. Once back in the warmth of the classroom, you worked with Mr Hadfield to create some stunning leaf-inspired artwork. You learnt about a technique called wax resist, using wax crayons to capture the intricate details of your favourite leaves. Then, you applied watercolours over your designs to bring them to life with vibrant colours. The results were beautiful and showcased your creativity and attention to detail!

During the rest of your forest school session, you worked together to create a fantastic class bug hotel. It had four carefully designed areas: a leaf pile where you thought slugs would feel at home, a rotten wood section perfect for woodlice, a soil area for worms, and a stick pile to attract bugs. You even added a rockery, which you decided would be a great habitat for spiders. Your teamwork and creativity were amazing, and the final result was a brilliant bug-friendly space! To end the session, you roasted marshmallows around the fire and reflected on the wonderful activities you had enjoyed. What a fantastic day!

In HeartSmart, you explored the idea of how unique and special you all are. You began by discussing how even your name makes you unique, and you learnt about the meanings behind your names. Following this, you created brilliant acrostic poems using the letters of your name, thinking of adjectives that describe you. It was so much fun to see everyone sharing suggestions with their friends and celebrating each other's uniqueness. Your poems were fantastic and showed just how creative and thoughtful you all are!

In Computing, you continued your digital photography unit by focusing on lighting and focus. You discovered how tricky it is to take clear pictures in the dark! To explore this, you were sent on a mission to photograph a pencil in various spots around the classroom, such as by the window or under the table. You rated the lighting in each photo on a scale from 0-10 and reflected on how lighting affected your pictures. Next, you discussed ways to brighten photos, learning that some cameras have a flash, but since our iPads don't, you used a torch instead. You then put this into practice by taking photos of a dinosaur in dark areas, like under blankets, using the torch to illuminate your subject. The results were fantastic, and you had so much fun experimenting!

This week, year 2 worked in curved pathways to create a sequence of moves that took them in a circle. They could move in different ways (eg. jumping, rolling, cartwheeling) and at different levels and speeds but needed to consider which moves transitioned smoothly into others. They also worked on giving, receiving and acting on feedback.

In music this week, we recapped playing the Easy E on the glockenspiel – both player parts and then splitting into two groups to play the whole music piece. We then moved on to play note D. We played to a piece called Drive. This also included playing note E as well. Each note was worth one beat. This made finding the rhythm easier, but we need to keep practising to make sure we play the correct notes at the right time.

As well as all of this we have practised lots for our KS1 nativity. On Friday you got to do your dress rehearsal to the school and wow what a production it was! I don’t think I have smiled as much in my whole life. I was so proud of how confidently you said your line, your wonderful singing and the amazing acting. It was lovely to get some feedback from all of the teachers and you should all be so proud of yourself. We can’t wait to share this with all of your families next week.

Well done on another amazing week!

Have a wonderful week,

Miss Haynes