Hoddlesden Globe!

Summer 2 Week 7

What a super last week! ☀️☀️☀️
 

We have had a wonderful week to finish off Year 2! We made it through the heat wave and showed great resilience when we felt hot and sticky! 🥵

In English, we stepped into role as the characters of A Midsummer Nights Dream to retell the story! In Science we finished our topic on growing and staying healthy by measuring our heights and comparing them to May! We couldn’t believe how much we had grown! In Geography, we created our own verse for the song What a Wonderful World! In Worship this week have been thinking about the holy trinity and we created our own designs to represent this.  We were very excited to have a end of term party on Monday! We have spent lots of time in the woods this week trying to keep cool! 
 

What a super week and year we have had in Year 2! We can’t wait for year 3! 

Summer 2 Week 6

What an amazing week!
 

In English, we have been looking at A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.  We retold the story before designing a new front cover and creating a blurb. 📕 In Maths, we finished our learning on mass, capacity and temperature with some amazing problem solving to showcase our knowledge.  We learnt that we measure temperature in degrees centigrade and know that next week it will be very high up the thermometer! ☀️ On Monday, we welcomed the Dogs Trust, where we learnt all about how to stay safe around dogs and why it is important to give them space! 🐶 In Science, we were very lucky to welcome Lydia’s mum Kirsty and Dr Imran to teach us all about healthy teeth! We learnt what foods are good and bad for our teeth and how to clean them properly before we stepped into role a dentist and patient to investigate each other’s teeth! 🦷 In Geography, we explored new world wonders outside of the UK and compared them to Darwen, we learnt lots of interesting facts about Hong Kong, Lagos and San Francisco! 🌏 In DT we finished out final pouches and evaluated them, we decided what went well and what skills we found the hardest and easiest! 🪡 In PSHE, we learnt all about our bodies and the differences between boys and girls 🧍‍♀️🧍

We are all starting to get very excited for Year 3 now and shared our hopes for next year and what we would like our classroom to look like! 

Summer 2 week 5 
 

WOW! What a jam packed week! 

In English, we have been exploring adverts and using persuasive features to write our adverts.  We were tasked with writing adverts to sell a brush to the man who cleans the moon! We have blown over all of the year 2 staff with our persuasive writing! In Maths, we have explored volume and capacity, we used physical resources to do this practically before we measured in ml and l and applied our known knowledge of number to solve problems. On Wednesday, we were very lucky to host West End in Schools where we performed a piece inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream before we performed for the whole school! In Science, we investigated the importance of using soap to wash our hands and discovered that without soap the germs wont be killed.  Then we wrote our own instructions on how to wash out hands.  In Geography, we learnt about the great pyramids of Giza and learnt lots of facts about this ancient wonder! In DT, we continued to work on our pouches, we used a running stitch to attached the pieces of fabric together to make it secure.  In Music we performed our final piece of the song ‘drive’ we focused on staying in time with beat and using the correct notes.  In PSHE, we thought about the future and what we might like out new classroom to be like. In Gymnastics, we performed our final routine to Year 1, everyone was so impressed! 

Summer 2 Week 4

 
We have had the most amazing week! In English we were very excited to learn that the owl and pussy cat had found their ring and we wanted to help them celebrate! We created a description using noun phrases to describe food, before we put our ideas into a menu.  We used impressive adjectives to describe the food and made sure that we went back to check our work after! In Maths, we have started our new unit of mass, capacity and temperature.  We applied our prior learning of equal and unequal to compare different weights before we used our known number knowledge to identify and compare grams and kilograms. In Science, we investigated what happens to our heart rate when we do exercise.  We measured our resting heart rate then completed exercise and found that it increased! We decided that this was because our heart was pumping blood and oxygen around our bodies. In Geography, we looked at different rivers around the world and learnt lots of interesting facts! In RE, we focused on Christianity and identified some of the features of a Chruch.  In DT, we started to design and make our pouch. We focused on using a running stitch to attached the fabrics together, we ensured we used a knot to to secure the thread at each end.  In Computing, we continued to work on scratch, we sequenced commands to give objects tasks.  In Gymnastics, we continued to amaze Mrs Winward with our skills and we practised our final performance.  In PSHE we thought about relationships, what we like about ourselves and other people and why it is important to have a good relationship with ourselves and our friends and families.  In Music, we looked at the pentatonic scale and how we can use different instruments to  are louder and quieter sounds. In French, we stepped into role as a shop keeper to buy and sell different objects. 

Year 2, you have had a wonderful week! Well done 👏

Summer 2 Week 3

What a wonderful week! In Maths we have finished out unit on time.  We learnt about seconds, minutes and hours and used this knowledge to find and compare durations of time.  In English we were horrified to learn that the pussy cat’s ring had been stolen so we stepped into role as the investigator to find out what happened before we competed a police report in role as the suspects.  We have worked so hard on including lots of joining words in our writing and focusing img back our sentences! In Science we completed a practical investigation to see what happened to our bodies when we do exercise.  We discussed how different people find different exercises more tiring. In Geography we learnt about Mount Everest and wrote a postcard in role as a bar headed goose describing what we could see at the top at the mountain.  In PE we continued to work on our athletics skills, working in teams to complete different relay events.  On Wednesday, we had our wonderful Outdoor Adventurous learning where we whittled wood, sawed logs, designed a fairy house and completed a woodland obstacle course! In Computing, we used scratch to create commands to make a character move.  In Music, we used the glockenspiels to follow the beat and develop the song in time with the rhythm. In French, we looked at French money and compared this to English.  In PSHE we thought about how to react when people might do things which we don’t like and how to tell people how we feel.
 

We have a super week and impressed everyone with our positive attitude towards all of our learning! Well done Year 2!  

Summer 2 Week 2 
 

We have had another busy week! In English, we have continued to explore The Owl and The Pussy Cat.  We stepped into role as the characters and wrote a letter home explaining what had happened and how we felt about it. Then we became reporters and asked questions to the characters ready for our wedding report in the Island Gazette.  In Maths, we have continued to work on telling the time we have looked at quarter past and quarter to, before we moved on to telling the time to 5 minutes. At first we found this tricky but we showed perseverance to overcome it! In Science, we explored a balanced diet and why this is important, we looked at different food groups and learnt what they do for our bodies.  In Geography, we started our new topic, Our Wonderful World, we looked at human and physical features that are local to us and used geographical vocabulary to describe them. In DT, we began to learn to sew! We practised threading a needle and creating a running stitch, we tried very hard in this and focused on problem solving when things got tricky!  In Computing we used the iPads to crate characters who could run in a race.  On Friday, we had a wonderful CPR workshop where we learnt the important strategies to help save someone’s life if they had a sudden collapse. In French, we started to look at money, we used out knowledge of English money to compare to French! 

WOW! What a wonderful week of learning, well done year 2! 👏

Summer 2 Week 1 
 

We have had a wonderful week celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! We researched the queen’s life and sequenced important events in her life and reign. We discovered lots of new facts and were amazed to learn about some of the events which have happened over the past 70 years! Our focus decade was the 1990’s so we researched TV’s in the past and created an advert. In Music, we looked at the Spice Girls classic Spice Up Your Life and created our own dance moves whilst adding the glockenspiels to the tune! On Thursday, we had a wonderful picnic with our families and friends and welcomed the Mayor to open our Jubilee garden.  In French, we learnt about the French Revolution and why they don’t have a king or queen anymore! In Maths, we started to explore time and have shown an amazing understanding of o’clock and half past! In English, we started our new text The Owl and the Pussy Cat, we explored lots of new vocabulary and used this to retell the poem before we stepped into role as the pussy cat and answered questions! 

Historical Heroes!
 

Summer 1 Week 6

What a fantastic end to the half term!

In English, we wrote up our innovated Traction Man stories and created a book! In Maths, we looked at different turns and used different objects to turn clockwise and anti clockwise, then we wrote directions to get to different places.  In Science, we discussed the importance of medicines and created a poster to help people stay safe.  In Music we had a wonderful workshop with Mr Richards exploring the music of Hans Zimmer before we created fact files all about him.  In History, we had an amazing day showcasing our learning with a museum where we welcomed visitors from around school and home!  On Tuesday, it was Sports Day, we had an amazing time and showed the fantastic sporting values around school! 
 

Well done Year 2, have a fabulous break and see you in June! 
 

Summer 1 Week 5

We have had another fantastic week!

In English we learnt and performed the poem If I Was a Superhero by Sally Gray using our own actions before writing our own poem based on the model.  We started to plan and write our own version of Traction Man using different characters and settings. In Maths, we have started our new topic of Position and Direction, we followed instructions using left, right, forwards, backwards, up and down before we wrote our own directions. In Science we started to explore animals and their offspring, we learnt that not all offspring look like their adults so we wrote a letter to the monkey in Monkey Puzzle to explain about the butterfly lifecycle! In History, we held a class debate to discuss who our greatest heroes are from the research we have been doing! In Art, we continued to explore Pop Art and created our own pieces using a range of shapes and colours.  In Computing, we explored animals and compared the music which we associated with them, we created the music online and added it to our presentations.  In RE we created a card to celebrate Pentecost and discussed how our school values are represented in the church. In PE we continued to practice our athletics, we followed a circuit to work on our running, jumping, throwing and balancing. In French we started to explore numbers up to 20! 

Wonderful work again Year 2, have a look at some of our learning below!

Summer 1 Week 4

What a fantastic week! 
In English, we continued to look at our heroes, we wrote letters to them and created a fact file about them.  Then we were very excited to design our own superhero, we thought about what they might look like and how they might act! In Maths, we have been ordering and comparing lengths, we used rulers to measure  centimetres and a metre stick to measure metres, we know that there are 100cm in 1m and that means there must be 200cm in 2m! In Science, we explored the human lifecycle and thought about the different phases of human life before we measured ourselves to see how much we will grow from now until year 3! In History, we created a poster to welcome people to put museum, we are very excited to get this set up and share our learning with you! In Art, we started the first part of our project, we looked at different types of Pop Art and started to design our own including human figures and patterns before adding colour. In Computing, we learnt how to save music and copy it onto a PowerPoint and save this as a document! in RE, we explored Pentecost and discussed why the dove and the flame are used to symbolise this. in Gymanstics, we continued to amaze Mrs Winward and even got to try some cartwheels! 
 

Summer 1 Week 3

We have had a short but sweet week! In English we have been exploring heroes, we identified the features of a hero and explained who our hero is with justification for reasons before we peer assessed each others work.  In Maths, we have started our new unit of Length and Height, we recapped our knowledge from Year 1 by comparing lengths and heights and using standard and non-standard units to measure different objects in the classroom.  In History, we used our research about English heroes to create a newspaper article. In Art & Design we explored emotions and drew how they would be shown on a face them focusing on using WOW words to describe them.  In PE we continued to develop our athletics skills with more practice for sports day. In PSHE we looked at people who were special to us and created a family tree.  In French we amazed Madame Wardle with our prior knowledge of numbers to 10 so began to look at numbers to 15!

Summer 1 Week 2

We have had a wonderful week, in English we continued to explore Traction Man is Here, we designed imagined scenarios and created a voice over to support this before we thought of some new characters and created a wanted poster for them. In Maths, we finished our work on fractions by looking at equivalent fractions and finding non-unit fractions.  In Science, we stared a new topic of growing and staying healthy, we explored the different strategies humans need to survive and compared this to a panda, we complimented this with our Outdoor Adventure session on Wednesday when we navigated from school to the Millenium green where we foraged for nettles and dandelions, searched for water, built a shelter and tried to light a spark! In History, we started to research some English heroes using a range of different sources. In Art, we created a model of a superhero using wire and clay and used this to recreate some superhero poses.  In PE, we used batons to form mini relays and used the equipment in gymnastics to show off our skills and strength! In Computing, we used the computers to listen to different melodies and used adjectives to describe it. 
 

What a busy week! 👏👏

Summer 1 Week 1

What a fantastic start to the Summer Term! 
In English, we retold the poem Hey Diddle Diddle using actions and intonation to make it more exciting before we started to look at our focus text Traction Man is Here, we used inference skills to make predications and justify our reasoning.  In Maths we continued to look at fractions, we explored thirds by splitting objects into three equal parts and started to look at how fractions can be compared. In History, we looked at some of our British heroes and used a timeline to place them in history. In Art, we used our bodies to make different letters of the alphabet. In Computing we started to explore how we could use the computers to make music and how this music made us feel.  We are very luck to have Mrs Winward for Gymnastics this half term, we showed of our skills that we learnt in Reception and Year 1, Mrs Winward was very impressed with our hard work! In French we started to look at the names of different shops, we are developing our confidence in speaking and listening French every week!
Superb work Year 2! 👏

Treasured Tales 

Spring 2 Week 6

The final week of the Spring Term in Year 2 has been lots of fun! In Maths, we have been exploring fractions, identifying half of a shape before we moved onto quarters. In English, we have been getting in the role of the characters from our text Aladdin. We looked at the thoughts and feelings of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin and Jafar. In Music this week, we have learnt and performed a new song 'Let's Sing', the children really enjoyed adding actions and performing in front of different members of staff. In Physical Education, we took part in the Daily Mile by running, walking and completing circuits to support this.We then continued to learn new skills to help us when playing rounders and cricket. In PSHE, we have explored different emotions; how some emotions may make us feel, how our face might look if we felt this emotion and how we can cope with different emotions. In Design Technology, we analysed and tested our chair structures for stability and strength. We then completed the chairs by adding detail and decoration. In Computing, we looked at different ways of presenting data, we input data into a graph on Purple Mash to identify how many coloured flowers we had collected. In Religious Education, we continued to look at the Symbols of Jesus and the main focus of Easter. We hope you all have a well deserved rest over the Easter breaks and spend some quality time with your families! 

Spring 2 Week 5

We have had a fabulous week in Year 2! This week we went on our school trip to Fairhaven Lake. The children had a fantastic time spotting signs of Spring, learning about different birds and their callings, exploring plant growth and crossing the stepping stones in the Japanese gardens. In English we have been exploring vocabulary from our story Aladdin and unpicking what is happening in the story and why. In Maths we have started to explore fractions. We have been identifying equal and unequal parts. In Science we made observations on our ongoing investigation. In History we wrote facts about seaside holidays in the 1950’s ready to create videos about our knowledge next week. In Computing we collected data and presented it in a pictogram. In Design and Technology we started to design our chairs. In PSHE we explored feelings and how we can make others feel happy. In Music we preformed a song using instruments. 

Spring 2 Week 4

We have had a fantastic week in Year 2, there has been lots to celebrate! In English we have been writing persuasive letters to encourage Aladdin to enter the  the Cave of Wonders to collect the enchanted lamp. We then moved on to explore the different spelling rules when adding -ing to a root word as part of our poetry learning on A Friend Like Me! In Maths we have been focusing on shape. We have explored lines of symmetry and applied this to our problem solving around shape. This week we have celebrated British Science Week by experimenting plant growth to identify the impact of different environments. In History we created a talk for writing about a visit to the seaside in the 1950’s using all the knowledge we have gained. In French we have been learning the Jack and the Beanstalk story in French. In Music we have been learning a new song called The Man and created our own actions. In Design & Technology we have been finishing making our chairs We have continued building and developing our structures. In Computing we went on a colour hunt in the local area and will be using the data we collected to create pictogram next week. On Friday, we all took part in raising money for Comic Relief by wearing red and enjoying watching our finalists in our talent contest. 

Spring 2 Week 3

Wow! What a busy week we have had in Year 2! On Monday, we were so lucky to have a Where the Wild Things Are workshop, we used our bodies to retell the story, focussing on following the rhythm of the music and using facial expressions to aid in our performance! 🕺💃 On Wednesday, we had a fantastic time at our Wild One Adventure morning, we climbed the vines to reach the sunlight, foraged for mushrooms and garlic and even got to try some wild garlic mushrooms! 🧄 Have a look at our full adventure below! In Maths, we explored 3D shapes and identified the faces, edges and vertices of these and started to look at lines of symmetry in our bodies and 2D shapes.  In English, we have continued to develop our knowledge of Aladdin.  We became Jasmine and Aladdin and wrote a diary entry explaining how we felt at the start of the story and what we thought might happen next! In History, we shared some of our own holiday souvenirs and explained why they were important to us before we wrote a postcard home as a child in the 1950’s explaining what we had done in Blackpool that day.  It sounded like we had lots of fun in the sun! ☀️ We were so excited to receive a letter from Aladdin asking us to make a chair for Abu using our knowledge of stable structures in DT, we can’t wait to finish them next week! 🪑 In Computing, we completed a bug hunt on the playground before inputting the data into our own pictogram on purple mash, we are getting so confident in our use of the computing suite! 🖥 In French we have been learning the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and using actions to help us remember the French words! In PSHE, we have been looking at online safety and why it is important to stay safe online!

We have been amazed to see how our flowers have started to grow and are observing how they change over time as part of the plant lifecycle. 🌸🌼

Spring 2 Week 2

What an amazing week in Year 2! We have started to explore our focus text of Aladdin in English, we used noun phrases to create a setting description of the market place.  We gave our opinions of Aladdin and Jasmine and explored synonyms for these different adjectives, before giving reasons why. In Maths, we began a new unit of shape, and identified the number of sides and vertices on 2D shapes before we used geoboards to create our own! In Science, we were very excited to plant our own flowers as we learnt about the plant lifecycle, and used specific terminology to explain the germination process of seeds!  In History, we were so lucky to have a zoom with Miss Riding’s Nan and find out all about Blackpool in the 1950’s which allowed us to make comparisons to Blackpool today.  In DT we have explored more structures and experimented with creating different legs for our chairs that we will create for Aladdin’s monkey Abu.  In PE we have continued to impress Mr Hassey with our striking for accuracy skills. In Computing we applied our statistics knowledge to input data from a tally chart to create a pictogram on purple mash.  In Music, we continued to practise our song and added more actions ready to perform. On Friday, we throughly enjoyed taking part in our World Book Day activities and entering the poetry competition run by the values committee. Please enjoy looking at some of our learning below.

Spring 2 Week 1

What a fantastic first week back we have had after the half term break. We have started to explore our new whole school theme Treasured Tales and have had lots of excitement around our curriculum topics. In English and Guided Reading we have focused on poetry this week. We had an amazing curriculum enhancement; a visit from the poet, Andy Tooze. We explored his poetry and even wrote our own poems! In Maths we continued to explore statistics and developed our knowledge of pictograms, tally charts and block graphs. In Science we went outdoors and identify different types of plants and trees within our local environment. In Computing we used our Maths knowledge and skills. We looked at data recorded on tally charts and how this can be recorded digitally. In Design and Technology we explored structures using play dough we made 3D shapes and discussed which shapes had the best structures and why. In History we discussed holidays now and in the past. We looked at photographs of seaside holidays from the past and created questions to ask Miss Riding's nan about her seaside holiday's to Blackpool when she was a little girl. In French we consolidated our vocabulary linked to family members and pets. In RE we explored Easter symbols and the Paschal candle. In Music we have started to learn a new song, Helping Hands. We listened to the beat, started to learn the lyrics and came up with some actions. In PSHE we discussed what is bullying and how we can help one another.  

Jacob: I loved when Andy Tooze visited our class. I loved his poem The Disco Bus it was funny and made me feel happy. 

Enzo: I went on holiday to Scotland. It was my favourite holiday! It was very cold and I saw Joseph. 

Phoebe: We made a block graph showing our favourite sports. The block graph showed that swimming was the favourite sport and football was the least favourite sport. 

Amazing Asia!

Spring 1 Week 6 

What a fantastic week Year 2! We have been creatively innovating our version of the class story book. We have innovated the villain from our class book, The Jungle Book, to many different and dangerous animals, like the leopard and gorilla. In our Maths learning we have completed our multiplication and division topic and we have started our statistics topic. We have had fun collecting data to show the favourite animals and foods liked by the children in Year 2! In our Geography learning we have learnt about foods from different parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, France and India. We tasted items such as baguettes, stilton cheese and curry and rice. We linked this to our Maths learning to create tally charts. As part of our science learning, we have discovered the meaning of the words, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, predator and prey. We learnt about the Arctic habitat and described this Polar habitat, using adjectives and adverbs. For our Music learning, we performed the three songs we have practiced this term, these were ‘Rainbow,’ ‘Hands, heart and feet’ and ‘All around the world’. We have had a great term this year, we hope you have an amazing break next week!

Spring 1 Week 5 

What a super week! As part of our Amazing Asia theme, we have been learning about The Jungle Book in English. We have used text-maps to retell the different parts of the story including the opening, build-up, problem, resolution and ending, we have uploaded this on seesaw for our families to have a look at! We have started our innovative story of The Jungle Book and have used many adjectives, adverbs and verbs to develop our writing skills. In our Maths learning we have started to use the division symbol to show the items which we have shared and grouped. Within our RE learning, we looked at the story where Jesus heals a blind man and learnt how our lives can be changed by being Jesus’ friends. We have looked at the various habitats, in Science, to understand where different plants and animals live. We described how these habitats are the best place for them to live in. We have continued to develop our 3D drawing skills in Art and further created a frottage of animals that live in Asia, like a tiger, red panda and snow leopard. We have been personalising our own avatars in Computing and typed our sentences on PowerPoint to describe them. We will continue to show our amazing work, keep it up Year 2!  

Spring 1 Week 4

What a great week, Year 2s! In Science we identified a variety of microhabitats in our environment, including the playground. We discovered the different minibeasts that may live in these microhabitats and the conditions they need to live there. In our English learning, as part of our Amazing Asia topic, we have been looking at ‘The Jungle Book’. We have independently created instructions, for Mowgli, to play the game ‘hide and seek’ to play in the man-village. In Art this week, Year 2s have created 3D drawings using different grades of pencils and various tones. We have played the glockenspiel together with the song, ‘Hands, feet and Heart’. We have also taken turns to talk about the song, Maple Leaf Rag and explored our feelings, thoughts and emotions towards the song in our Music learning. In Maths we have developed our understanding of the 2, 5 and 10-times table to solve problem-solving and reasoning questions. In PSHE we have taken part in circle time discussing the importance of supporting and helping each other.  As part of our Computing, we have been using instructions to move our sprite in the scratch programme to perform different movements. Well done for your hard work, we have had many secret superstars this week! 

Spring 1 Week 3 

What a great week in school! As part of our Amazing Asia topic, we have been looking at ‘The Jungle Book’ in English. We have recited and performed the Indian poem ‘Through the Jungle,’ this has helped us to create our own poems using lots of verbs and adjectives. In our Maths learning, we have been creating arrays using our knowledge about equal groups. In our PE sessions we have been developing our balancing and coordination skills on the ground and on benches, we have seen some super balancing year 2s! In Art we have been exploring different textures to create different effects and rubbings on our papers, using chalk. We discovered that the best way to create patterns with textures was to rub our pastels using its long side. As part of our Geography learning, we visited the farm and looked at the different physical and human features of the farm, as well as the different types of animals and plants. We have also been looking at the different types of foods that our local farms and highstreets sell. We have learnt how to use a glockenspiel in our music learning and we have used this to play alongside the song we have learnt, ‘Hands, Feet and Heart’. We have continued to work on our scratch programming in computing, as we give instructions to move our sprite around the screen. A great week year 2! 

Spring 1 Week 2  

A busy week in school Year 2s! We have had our brilliant Wild One Adventures this week where we investigated the living, non-living and never-alive things in our outdoor trail using photo frames from branches to take pictures or selfies. We also enjoyed our time on the mud slide and we safely roasted some delicious marshmallows! In our English learning the children have been exploring ‘The Jungle Book’ as part of our Amazing Asia theme and we have started to collect a range of adjectives to make inferences about the character’s personality, thoughts, and feelings. In our Maths learning the children have identifying and creating equal groups to help us multiply amounts. In Music the children have confidently been practising the new song ‘Rainbows’. In Geography we have learnt that the foods we eat come from either plants or animals, these food items all have a food story! In our Computing learning we have been writing some instructions to use for our scratch programming. Our RE learning helped us to know that Jesus was a good friend and understand qualities which make a good friend! Well done for your hard work, Year 2!

Spring 1 Week 1

What a super three days we have had back at school! We have begun to explore our new whole school theme Amazing Asia! We have had lots of excitement around our new book ‘The Jungle Book’ which we are exploring in our English lessons. We have created role play pieces and written a character description for Mowgli. In Maths we have been exploring equal groups and how to create arrays. In Art & Design we created patterns using man-made tools and paint. In Geography we explored our local area through map work and identified our local high street. We discussed the different types of food sold on our high street and where they come from and how they are transported. In Music we started to learn a new song about rainbows and explored instruments we will be using to accompany the song next week. In Computing we went into the Computing Suite to carryout tasks with the Computing Specialists, Mrs Wardman. We enjoyed the outdoors and adventuring into the snowy surroundings of our school. A great first few days back. Well done, Year 2!  

Factual Footprints

Autumn 2 Week 7

What an exciting week Year 2! We have fantastically completed our Factual Footprints learning about Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. This week in History, as part of our cross-curricular write, we wrote a postcard from Space to the people on Earth, telling them all about the tasks we did as an astronaut.  We have had a busy week with different assessments which we have all  proudly taken part in, great work Year 2! In our English learning this week, we have independently completed our innovative stories based on our class book, ‘A Right Royal Disaster’ by Simon Bartram. In our Maths learning we have been consolidating our learning from the past few weeks to make sure we are fluent in our addition and subtraction and money topic. We have been working on our acrostic poems as part of our RE learning; we have used words and sentences to describe the story of Jesus and used our beautiful handwriting to write these in our Christmas Cards for family and friends to see. As part of our ‘Elf Enterprise’ theme in Design and Technology we have completed our ‘Sweetie Sleighs’ for our family and friends to buy. On Thursday morning, we wrote postcards to Santa telling him about our wishes and what we have been up to in Year 2! We would also like to say a big Well Done to Geo for winning the Maths Brave Banana Award! We have had a great time in our Christmas Party and are looking forward to the Christmas holidays. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Autumn 2 Week 6 

This week we have continued to enjoy our learning about Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. We became historians as we observed and compared the differences between Tim Peake and Neil Armstrong’s astronaut suit and space launches! We demonstrated these historical events through role play and shared these as a class. As part of our Science learning we concluded which material is the most flexible to use for Tim Peake’s astronaut suit. We are now writing a letter to Tim Peake, to ask him to consider the results from our experiment when creating his next spacesuit. In English, we are continuing to develop our own innovative story from our narrative book ‘A Right Royal Disaster’ by Simon Bartram. We have completed our addition and subtraction and money in our Maths learning and are consolidating our learning throughout next weeks lessons. As part of our Elf Enterprise theme,  we have created a product design for our ‘Sweetie Sleighs’ and we are excited to share this soon with our families! As part of our Music learning, we have continued to practice and perform the songs for our Nativity performance and we recorded the production on Thursday. We are looking forward to sharing this next week. We have rounded off the week with our Christmas Jumper Day to support our Christmas Mission. 

Autumn 2 Week 5
 

We have had another amazing week at school as we have continued to develop our awareness of the lives of Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. In History, we have explored how lives have changed from the time Neil Armstrong visited the moon. We considered why some things may have changed over time, such as technology. As part of our Science learning, we have experimented and tested different materials to identify what would be the most flexible to use for Tim Peake’s astronaut spacesuit. We found out have that bubble-wrap can be squashed, bent, stretched, and twisted and next week we will write a letter to share our findings with Tim Peake. In English, we have started to add adjectives and adverbs to our word bank. We have used this to support us when developing our own innovative story from our narrative book of ‘A Right Royal Disaster’ by Simon Bartram. In our Maths learning we have used different representations to create our number bonds to 10, 20 and 100! We have also learnt how to find the change with different amounts of money. In our French Learning, we have learnt the names of different animals. We used our knowledge of numbers and colours to describe the animals from some of the pictures. As part of our Elf Enterprise theme, in Design and Technology, we have continued to work on our mechanisms, to produce  the ‘Sweetie Sleighs’. We have also continued to creatively and expressively rehearse our Nativity songs and practice for our performance!

Autumn 2 Week 4

We have had a other exciting week in Year 2, where we continued to develop our exploration skills as part of our Factual Footprint Topic. Within our History learning, we were very excited to investigate an image sent in from one of our parents. We made comments and asked questions before it was revealed that the picture was of Neil Armstrong. We are continuing to discover Neil Armstrong’s Factual Footprint over the next couple of weeks! In English, we have started our narrative unit of ‘A Right Royal Disaster’ by Simon Batram, where we predicted what we thought would happen and began to create interest by writing character descriptions and asking questions. This week we planned our investigation to identify which materials will be the most suitable for Tim Peake’s next Space Suit. As part of our Computing learning, we edited images and typed captions using various fonts. We also developed our mouse skills ensuring we have good control when using the equipment in the computing suite. As part of our Music learning, we have been continuing to expressively and creatively rehearse our Nativity Songs. This week we have been using different representations to add and subtract within our Maths lessons. We then applied this to our problem solving activities. As we move towards our Elf Enterprise theme, we have linked our learning in Design Technology to create mechanisms for our ‘Sweetie Sleighs’. 

Autumn 2 Week 3

We are enjoying every aspect of our Factual Footprint theme! We have created some fantastic pieces of work using our new knowledge and skill set. In English, we have created our very own non-fiction text about Tim Peake. In Maths, we have been exploring addition and subtraction and using different strategies and techniques to solve addition and subtraction problems.  Within our History learning we have explored chronology, creating a timeline of Neil Armstrong’s life. In PE, we focused on team work when playing team games. We also had another dance lesson with a focus on UK traditional dances. In Design Technology, we evaluated our Mars Rover. We had a wonderful time on our Wild Ones Adventure afternoon. We listen to The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and then carried out lots of outdoor activities linked to the story. To end our session we had toasted marshmallows by the fire! 

Autumn 2 Week 2

What a super week we have had in Year 2! We have spent time learning about Remembrance Day this week and the importance of those that fought and died in the war. The children created a beautiful poppy and poem that is on display at the war memorial in Hoddlesden. In English, we learnt about features of a non-fiction text and researched Tim Peake and his work. In Maths, we have been exploring addition and subtraction and using different strategies and techniques to solve addition and subtraction problems.  Within our History learning we demonstrated awareness of the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. In PE, we demonstrated our kicking skills with excellent control. We also took part in our second dance lesson with Mr Hassey, where we were introduced to our new genre of UK traditional dances. In Design Technology, we started to make Mars Rover using our designs from our previous lesson. We have really focused on our handwriting this week across the curriculum and have created some beautiful pieces of writing! 

Autumn 2 Week 1

What an exciting start to this half term! On Monday morning we explored the classroom to find lots of new resources and vocabulary. We used our thinking skills to figure out that within our Factual Footprints topic, we will be learning about astronauts! In English, we thought about what we already knew and used our question hands to help us write what we would like to find out about astronauts. We researched Mae Jemison to create a fact file for children across school to learn about her life and space missions. In Maths, we have been recognising coins and notes and combing them together to find their value. We used our problem solving skills to tackle some tricky questions and we demonstrated great resilience. Within our History learning we sequenced events in our own lives. We discussed the meaning of ‘past’ and played Decision Alley to identify if statements were in the past or the present. We looked at some images of astronauts and used our skills and knowledge to think about who the astronauts were, and whether the pictures were from recent times or along time ago. The children could clearly explain that the black and white image was taken earlier than the other two pictures, which were printed in colour. We will explore footage and research the astronauts further in the coming weeks. In PE, we enjoyed our first session with Mrs Davies from DACA and demonstrated our kicking skills with excellent control. We also took part in our first Dance lesson with Mr Hassey, where we were introduced to our new genre of UK traditional dances. In Design Technology, we explored the Mars Rover and began to design our own creations with Mrs Dixon. We are very excited to get started on making our own products. 

Native Narrative! 

Autumn 1 Week 8

We have had a fantastic final week before half term! We have finished and evaluated our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been been completing independent writing tasks linked to our theme. We have applied all our new English learning and skills learnt over the half term. In Maths we have focused on adding and subtracting 1 within 100. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on riddles. In Worship we have finalised our value of generosity learning. In Music we preformed our song to Year 1. In RE we evaluated our learning. In Art & Design we evaluated our masks. In PE we had a games week linked to the current season. In Science we presented our fact files about animals. In Geography we continued to explored climate zones. In Computing we focused on online safety. In PSHE we learnt about the worry monster. In Handwriting we focused on the letter 'r'. In French we continued to learn about french vocabulary for family members and learnt how to say how many siblings we have. We all took part in the behaviour treat which was fantastic! 

Autumn 1 Week 7

We have had lots of new learning take place in Year 2 this week! We have continued to explore our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been been exploring and writing expanded noun phrases. In Maths we have focused on related facts within 100. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on non-fiction texts that are topical to our theme and the current season. In Worship we have focused on our value of generosity. In Music we practised our song to perform next week. In RE we explored different religions. In Art & Design we finished our animal masks. In PE we focused on sending and receiving. In Science we created fact files about animals. In Geography we explored climate zones. In Computing we evaluated our learning. In PSHE we have learnt about our emotions and put a worry jar in place. In Handwriting we focused on the letter ‘a’ and ‘o’. In French we continued to learn about french vocabulary for family members and learnt how to say how many siblings we have. We have had lots of Secret Superstars and Brave Bananas 🍌 

Autumn 1 Week 6

We have been very creative in Year 2 this week! We have continued to explore our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been letter writing. In Maths we have focused on fact families and counting in 3’s. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on non-fiction texts about animals. In Worship we have celebrated Black History Month. In Music we continued to learn a piece of music from South Africa. In RE we created storyboards for a bible story. In Art & Design we continued to create animal masks. In PE we focused on teamwork and sportsmanship. In Science we learnt about diorama forms and made diorama models of woodland habitats. In Geography we continued our letter writing to a child in Africa. In Computing we wrote about how we can use information technology in everyday life. In PSHE we have learnt about taking care of ourselves. In Handwriting we focused on the letter ‘d’ and ‘b’ again. In French we continued to learn about french vocabulary for family members. We have had lots of Secret Superstars and Brave Bananas 🍌 

Autumn 1 Week 5

We have been very busy in Year 2 this week! We have continued to explore our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been creating storyboards for the story The Ugly Five. In Maths we have focused on place value and have been counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on fiction texts about animals. In Worship we have explored our value of generosity and have explored harvest. In Music we continued to learn a piece of music from South Africa. In RE we used role play to act out stories. In Art & Design we started to create animal masks. In PE we focused on stretching our bodies again. In Science we learnt about food chains. In Geography we wrote a letter to a child in Africa to find out about where she lives. In Computing we continued to explore different types of information technology and used digital painting tools . In PSHE we have learnt about feelings and emotions. In Handwriting we focused on the letter ‘d’ and ‘b’. In French we continued to learn about french vocabulary for family members. We have had lots of Secret Superstars and took part in the Maths World Cup! ⭐️

Autumn 1 Week 4

We have been working super hard this week in Year 2! We have continued to explore our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been reading and writing riddles about the Ugly Five animals. In Maths we have focused on place value and using place value frames. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on non-fiction texts about animals. In Worship we have explored our value of generosity and have explored how we can give to our local community. In Music we continued to learn a piece of music from South Africa. In RE we started to explore stories from the bible. In Art & Design we created animal drawings. In PE we focused on stretching our bodies. In Science we learnt about animals that live in different habitats. In Geography we explored pictures of Cape Town and London and discussed the similarities and differences in their human and physical features. In Computing we continued to explore different types of information technology through coding. In PSHE we have learnt about how to keep our bodies healthy. In Handwriting we focused on our curly caterpillar letters. In French we learnt about french vocabulary for family members. We have had lots of Secret Superstars this week and lots of Beautiful pieces of writing! ⭐️

Autumn 1 Week 3

We have had such a busy week this week in Year 2! We have been exploring our theme Native Narrative. In English we have been reading the story of The Ugly Five. We have focused on the rhyming words within the story over the week and have produced some wonderful rhyming sentences about different animals from the story. In Maths we have focused on place value and have been focusing on placing numbers on a number line. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on fiction texts about animals. In Worship we have explored our value of generosity and have created a generosity tree. In Music we began to learn a piece of music from South Africa. In RE we learnt about the bible and why it is a special book. In Art & Design we created our own African patterns in our sketch books. In PE we focused on throwing and catching. In Science we learnt about habitats and micro-habitats. In Geography we explored maps of of Darwen and identified human and physical features. In Computing we have organised different groups of information technology. In PSHE we have learnt about how to keep clean and healthy. In Handwriting we focused on our numbers and number formation. In French we learnt about our family. We have had lots of Secret Superstars this week and we have had lots of Brave Bananas! ⭐️

Autumn 1 Week 2

We have had a lovely week settling into Year 2! We have started to explore our theme Native Narrative and new learning. In English we have been reading the story of The Ugly Five. We have focused on adjectives over the week and have produced some wonderful descriptions of different animals from the story. In Maths we have focused on place value and have been using STEM sentence starters to explain our problem solving and reasoning. In our Phonics learning we have been working hard to apply our learning to both reading and writing. In Guided Reading we have focused on fiction texts about animals. In Worship we have explored our value of generosity and what it means to be generous. In Music we listened to and appraised a piece of music from South Africa. In RE we wrote questions about what we would like to know about Jesus. In Art & Design we explored the work of an artist named Alma Thomas and had a go at replicating her work. In PE we focused on ball skills and target practice. In Science we explored things that are living, non-living and never been been alive. In Geography we used geographical vocabulary to describe the human and physical features of Darwen. In Computing we explored technology found in out homes. In PSHE we explored friendships. In Handwriting we focused on our letters that have tails that go under the line ‘y,p,f,j,g’. In French we responded to instructions spoken in french. We have had lots of Secret Superstars this week and some children have had their work put up on the WOW Wall! ⭐️

Autumn 1 Week 1

We have had a fantastic first couple of days in Year 2! We have come into school ready to learn and take on new challenges. We have been goal setting ⚽️ practicing our writing skills ✏️ learning about our theme this half term 🦏 and learning our new daily routines 📅  

Hoddlesden Globe

Summer 2 Week 5

This week, we returned to home learning. Although it is sad we aren’t in school together, Year 2 have continued to work really hard at home.

Whilst in school and at home, we have been looking at capacity and volume in Maths. The children measured capacity practically in their groups and compared different containers. During English, we continued to explore the fight scene in Romeo and Juliet and created a newspaper report sequencing the key events.

In RE, we thought about quiet places we could go to pray like Jesus did. A lot of children said they would go to a quiet field where they can be alone and listen to the nature. During our PSHE learning,  we talked about moving into year 3. We read a story to show that there is no need to be worried as all of our friends will be together.  

We practised, perfected and performed our Tudor dance in PE. The children worked really hard on these dances and worked well as a team. During our Science learning, we replied to our letter from the Millennium Seed Bank explaining the habitats in our local area. We considered the features of an urban and woodland area and the plants which grow here. In History, we sequenced some of the key events in our school and local history. These events included the opening of the tram line, the war memorial being built and Mr Dugdale becoming the Head Teacher at St Paul’s. We also joined Madame Wardle for a live lesson via Zoom.

Whilst at home, children completed their virtual sports day! The enthusiasm was great to see and the children really enjoyed the different activities set, scoring lots of points for their House. Results will be posted on Seesaw next week.

Well done Year 2! I will look forward to seeing you next week on Zoom!

Summer 2 Week 4

We have had a great week in Year 2 and it’s great to be back!

In English, we have continued to focus on Romeo and Juliet. We imagined we were Juliet and we wrote a letter to Romeo telling him to leave her alone. We also created our own poem about the balcony scene using different vocabulary which rhymed. We considered some key themes from the text and placed them in a Zone of Relevance, thinking carefully about which themes were the most relevant. 

Here is Scarlett’s brilliant poem.

It was late at night,

and Juliet had a fright.

As Romeo stepped out of the bush,

Juliet started to blush.

Give me your hand,

I will do everything you demand.

Oh Romeo what can we do?,

Why are you a Montague?

You are stuck in my mind,

as you were so kind.

For Grammar, we have been looking at conjunctions. The children have become experts at using different conjunctions at the beginning or the middle of their sentences!

During our Maths learning, we continued to explore our work on measurement. We compared the weight and mass of different objects and compared them. In Core Skills, we looked back over telling the time at 5 minutes. We are now more confident at telling the time using our maths vocabulary. 

In RE this week, we learnt about the story of the Tabernacle. We spoke about how the flame of the candle represents God. Just like Moses spoke to God, we wrote a prayer of all the things we were thankful for. During our Geography learning, we explored the human and physical features of Hoddlesden. During this walk, we also explored our History learning further by looking at how St Paul’s and Hoddlesden has changed. We found the old tram waiting area and the old train line near the local garage. In DT, we practised our overstitch and running stitch so we can make our own glove puppets. Some children found this really tricky at first but they persevered and managed to do it on their own! On Friday, we were also lucky enough to spend some time with Mrs Scholes. We had a great time and the Year 2 children are now very excited for Year 3!

Well done Year 2! We have had an amazing week back, thank you for all your hard work!

Summer 2 Week 3

This week, we have all been at home remote learning. We have done lots of live lessons over Zoom and although we have missed teaching you in person, it has been so lovely to see your smiling faces each morning. The Year 2 team is so proud of the children, for being so resilient and approaching their work so positively, as always! Well done Year 2 😊

In English this week, we thought about the feelings of Romeo and Juliet in the balcony scene. The children thought of some great describing words. It was lovely to see all their Oscar-winning acting skills on Thursday for their drama activity! In Maths, we have continued to tell the time and compare the duration of time.

During our RE learning, we drew pictures to show the special place from Jacob's story taken from the bible. These drawings were beautiful, and the children used lots of colour. In PSHE, we look at how humans grow. It was lovely to see what the children wanted to be when they were older! We had so much fun creating our own PE activity and put together a routine for a Tudor dance. We explored the plants in our house and garden during Science, thinking carefully about how it survives in its habitat. In Geography, we used different sources to label the countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland and in DT we created a design for our own Romeo and Juliet glove puppet. Madame Wardle sent Year 2 a video to help us learn different names for our pets in French. We loved playing the game and had lots of fun!

Once again, a huge WELL DONE to Year 2. We can not wait to see you on Monday!

Summer 2 Week 2

We have had a great week in Year 2 and despite needing to move to Remote Learning midweek, the children have continued to work SO hard.  

In Maths, we have been looking at telling the time. We have practised telling o’clock, half past times and moved onto telling quarter to and past times.  In English, we have continued to explore the text Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We started the week by listening to the simplified version of the text and giving our opinion in the form of a book review. We then worked together to create a ‘whoosh’ story outside in the Paddock.

On Tuesday, we were very excited to have Wild One Adventures working with us in the woods. We painted our faces, played tug of war, explored the woods, made nature masks, melted marshmallows on the fire pit and danced away at our masked ball.

In PSHE, we imagined that one of our friends had moved away from us. We wrote postcards to our friends to tell them how we feel and how much we cannot wait to see them again. We also spoke about the different ways we can keep in contact with our friends who live far away. The children remembered how they used Facetime, Zoom or phones to send a text when they could not see their family during lockdown. 

In RE, we created our special place. Everyone had a chance to write something that is special to them and some of us drew a picture! Our special place makes us feel calm and happy. Our special place has its own church area which represents our religious beliefs. In Science, we described what different plants would need to survive, thinking about their habitat and in PE, we worked in teams to practise our throwing and catching skills.

In Computing, we explored the benefits of using email to communicate and in Geography, we reviewed our understanding of the 7 continents and seas and created a world map of these.

During Remote Learning, we sequenced Romeo and Juliet, wrote a diary entry in role, studied photographs of St Paul’s and Hoddlesden and explored different puppets and their properties.

Well done Year 2!

Summer 2 Week 1

It has been a fantastic first week back in school! We have started our ‘Hoddlesden Globe’ theme for this term and spent lots of time outdoors.

In English, we discussed the words ‘feud’ and ‘love’ and explored how they are different. During our role-play activity, we split ourselves up into different categories and named one group Montagues and the other Capulets. We then had a pretend feud where we acted furiously with each other. We also completed research on William Shakespeare and wrote information pages about him. The children always amaze the Year 2 staff with how well they can remember key facts.

During Maths, we have been exploring position and movement. We have used key mathematical vocabulary, such as left, right, clockwise, anticlockwise, full turn, half turn, quarter turn and three-quarter turn to solve problems.

We went into the woodland area for our Science lesson, where we looked for things that are living, once alive or dead. In RE, we thought about the special places to us. We carefully considered what makes these areas happy and how they make us feel when we are in them. Next week we are collecting a range of images or objects which we will include in our special display within the classroom.

In PSHE, we worked in pairs to support each other around the trim trail, giving feedback and encouragement. We explored how this can help us achieve. In PE with Miss Wright, Year 2 played team coordination games and in Dance with Miss Marsden, we looked at the elements of Tudor dances and worked in small groups to create our own. Children really impressed Miss Marsden with their teamwork and understanding of how the dancing differed to how we dance now.

In French, we have started to learn colour names using picture clues to help our pronunciation. We had lots of fun as always with Madame Wardle. During our Music session with Mr Richards, we watched an adaptation of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. We listened to the style of music and how it was soft and romantic. We then compared this with Prokofiev’s, Romeo and Juliet and identified that his music would be more suitable for a Montague and Capulet fight scene.

On Friday afternoon we had lots of fun exploring some old photographs in History. At first, Miss Marsden kept where they were taken a secret, we just knew that some were very old photographs.  We had lots of great ideas of where the photos could have been taken and why. We were amazed to hear that all of the photographs were of Hoddlesden or St Paul’s Primary School. We loved hearing how Hoddlesden used to have a tram line and that St Paul’s had a red telephone box by the school gates.

Amazing Asia!

Summer 1 Week 7 

We had a great final week before a well-deserved break. In English, the children worked SO hard with writing their own version of Mulan. We started the week by describing our setting and main, innovated character. We applied our grammar skills, including noun phrases, to write our stories. During our Maths learning, Year 2 have started looking at position and direction. We gave directions to our partners and used the vocabulary left, right, forward and backwards. During our core Maths, we have looked at counting in 3s forwards and backwards, o’clock and half past times.

In Year 2, we love Guided Reading! It is a joy to see how excited the children are when we come to do our daily guided read session! Children have continued to develop their reading and comprehension skills and are trying so hard to add expression in their reading. In Science, we completed our research on animals found in China and how they survive. We used this information to create an information page. In French we continued learning vocabulary for our family members and played games using our French vocabulary. In Gymnastics, we played a variety of team games which required a steady balance. In Music, we enjoyed call and response games and in RE we completed our learning on Pentecost and the ascension.

I hope you all have a wonderful half-term Year 2! 

Summer 1 Week 6

Despite the wet weather, Year 2 have had a great week in school!

In English, we have continued to gather our ideas for story writing next week. We have innovated Mulan to create a new character and collected vocabulary for our story opening.  

We have continued to develop our understanding of measuring length and height in Maths. We have explored using a ruler and thought carefully about how to use one accurately.

In Art, we completed our Sumi-e inspired piece of work. During our Amazing Asia theme, we have explored this form, practised our techniques and creates some beautiful paintings.

This week during DT, we have also used our knowledge of the Eatwell Plate to design and make a Spring Roll. We love our French sessions on a Friday with Madam Wardle. This week we played a game of Lotto. During this game, we practised the French names for family members. In Gymnastics, we perfected our routine and practised our backwards roll and cartwheels. In Music, we continued to play pentatonic scales to rhythm and rhymes.

Summer 1 Week 5

For Mental Health Awareness week, Year 2 connected with nature. Connecting with nature is about building a relationship with nature by noticing and becoming sensitive to the environment around us. This has benefits for our physical and mental health. This week, we went outside and did some cloud watching. We saw a huge variety of shapes in the clouds, from bears to cars to flowers. We also went into the paddock and drew a part of nature which makes us smile. Children loved listening to the trees blowing in the wind, sheep bleating and birds singing.

In English, we used the story map from last week to retell the story of Mulan. We identified the main features of instructions and wrote our own following our Martial Arts session. These instructions helped Miss Marsden to perform a ‘Tiger Fight Dance’.

During our Maths learning, we have begun to look at length and height. We have measured different objects with cubes, moving on to using a ruler accurately whilst making comparisons.

In RE we created some artwork based on the Holy Spirit and in PSHE we considered how we can keep healthy, including when we go on holiday. We found out about how Edward Jenner pioneered the idea of vaccines.

In Science, we completed some research on animals commonly found in China. We read the information and retrieved the details about offspring. We were very surprised to find out that a new born panda is born blind and covered with only a thin all-white coat!

We continued to develop our painting skills during Art. We practised with shade using watercolours and painted a landscape taken from the Disney film Mulan. We will use these learned skills for our final piece of Sumi-E artwork.

During DT, we tasted some Chinese foods and identified where the foods belong on the Eatwell Plate. We even tried to use chopsticks. Mrs Wardman is super impressed with our Scratch skills in Computing. On Thursday, we were able to create instructions for our background to change! This is tricky stuff, but Year 2 did an amazing job! We continued to develop our vocabulary in French and built upon previously taught skills in Music and Gymnastics!

Summer 1 Week 4

Wow! This week has flown by! It has been another jammed packed week of our Amazing Asia theme.

In English, we have been comparing Mulan to other strong female characters from stories originating from China. We have also created a story map and used Talk for Writing to help learn the story of Mulan. In Maths, we looked at equivalent fractions, found three quarters of a number and shape and counted in Fractions.

In RE, we answered questions about Pentecost and during Computing, we animated our name using Scratch. On the iPads, we researched the Asian style of Sumi-e paintings. We found out that the style uses black and white shades of ink with a POP of colour. We then evaluated Sumi-e paitings in our Art session, saying what we like and dislike about this style.

In Science, we thought about how exercise effects our bodies. To do this, we went outside and did a variety of exercise and identified the changes we could feel.

We love our Gymnastic sessions with Mrs Winward. This week we continued to practise our cartwheels and splits.  In Music, we continued to play instruments to rhythm and rhymes. Mr Richards was impressed with how great our pentatonic scales are sounding. We perfected our pronunciation of family members during our French learning with Madame Wardle.

On Friday, we were very lucky to join in with a live Singing Assembly, provided by Bolton Music Services. We enjoyed a Friday sing along with Mrs Caswell and can not wait for next week’s assembly.

Summer 1 Week 3

We have had another great week in Year 2! 

In English, we have been reading Mulan by Li Jian. We explored the key events, considered the thoughts and feelings of the soldiers and have written some amazing character descriptions. During our Maths learning, we have focused on unit and non-unit fractions and continued to develop our understanding of numerators and denominators.

During RE, we looked at what we can learn from Jesus’s teachings and how this can help us be good Christians. In PSHE, we talked about the different choices we make during the day and how we can sometimes make bad choices.

We shared our knowledge of where food comes from, during our DT learning. We thought about if the food came from an animal or a plant and how foods are changed.

In Science, we talked about how germs can spread very quickly (using glitter to show this). We then created a poster giving examples of how we can keep ourselves healthy. The children decided that one of the most important ways to keep healthy was to get plenty of sleep. A few children were looking forward to an early night after talking about this!

With our theme for this half term being Amazing Asia, we have begun exploring Chinese landscapes during our Art lessons. We found out that traditional Chinese paintings used monochrome colours, sometimes with a ‘pop’ of colour, like red. We experimented with different types of paints and used different painting techniques to help identify paint properties.

We have been really enjoying our French lessons with Madame Wardle! This week, we continued learning the French names for family members and practised our greeting song. 

We have worked hard to do a cartwheel in gymnastics with Mrs Winward and with Miss Wright we focused on our underarm throwing to hit a target. In Music, we continued to explore pentatonic scales and played some call and response singing games.

Well done for a super week of work Year 2!

Summer 1 Week 2

This week, in English, we continued to explore the character Mulan. We listened to and performed the song ‘Reflection’ and compared the song with ‘How Far I’ll go’ taken from Moana. We thought carefully about what each of the songs mean and the important message behind both. During our Maths lessons, we have continued to look at Fractions including finding thirds of shapes and amounts.

In RE, we started looking at the Ascension and created artwork to show what we think heaven looks like. In PE with Miss Wright, we focused on our aim and threw beanbags at different targets. In PSHE, we thought about how we can encourage others to achieve and be the best we can be. During DT, we looked at the Eatwell Plate and worked in teams to become experts on one of the five food groups. We then shared our knowledge and understanding with the rest of the class.

This week, we completed a Science investigation, ‘Are the oldest children the tallest?’ We made predictions, planned our investigation and thought about how we can make this investigation fair. In Computing, we continued to develop our programming skills by giving our Sprites and objects a number of instructions.

We enjoyed learning some new phrases in French, continued developing our sequences in Gymnastics and practised playing instruments using the Pentatonic scales in Music.

On Wednesday, Year 2 completed their second Outdoor Adventure Morning. The children demonstrated fantastic teamwork and communication skills (whilst having lots of fun too!). On Thursday, we enjoyed a session with Fun Food Chef. We created several Asian dishes and the best bit was tasting what we made. Well done Year 2 for trying new foods and foods they didn’t think they liked.

Summer 1 Week 1

We love busy weeks in Year 2 and this week was most definitely an action-packed week!

On Tuesday, we had a fantastic session with an All Stars Cricket coach. We played several games, where we practised our fielding, bowling and batting skills. We also had our first Outdoor Adventure Morning on Wednesday. We loved aiming at different targets in archery and hunting for ‘aliens’ in the woods nearby during orienteering. We can not wait for next week’s session.  We were also lucky enough to have some visitors teaching us about traditional Chinese Lion Dance. We had the opportunity to practise our lion dances, remembering to move our bodies in the correct way whilst we processioned around the hall.

In English, we began exploring the film Mulan. We described Mulan, her feelings and considered questions we would ask her. During our Maths learning, we continued to explore fractions. This week, we looked at quarters. In RE, we listened to the story of the Lost Sheep and created a display on how we can help others who might be considered lost. 

In Computing, we used Scratch to program a character, adding speech and motion. We have also had our first French session with Madame Wardle. We practised some key phrases and introduced ourselves to Madame Wardle. In Music with Mr Richards, we explored pentatonic scales and in Gymnastics we learnt a routine and used different equipment with Mrs Winward.

The Year 2 team and children are really looking forward to this term’s topic, Amazing Asia.

Keep up the hard work, you are ALL superstars!! ⭐️

Spring 2 - Week Commencing 22.03.2021

This week, Year 2 has been busy exploring the outdoors looking for signs of Spring. Using our observations, we completed some wonderful writing in our English learning.  In Maths, we continued to look at fractions by making equal groups and finding half of an amount and shape. In PSHE, will read a story about kindness and thought about how our actions can have a positive and negative impact on others. We thought of ways we could ‘fill our bucket’ with kind words and actions. We considered significant symbols of Easter and made Easter cards. During our Science learning, we recognised some plants we eat and recapped our previous learning of what those plants need to grow.

On Thursday, we loved our session with Tri Kidz (even though it was tiring!) We enjoyed taking part in running, cycling and ‘swimming’ to complete the triathlon.

The Year 2 team hopes you and your families have a very happy Easter and we can’t wait to see you all again in the Summer term! It is set to be a VERY exciting term!

Spring 2 - Week Commencing 15.03.2021

Wow! What a busy week we have had! This week we have celebrated lots of special events. These have included poetry week, Shakespeare week, Comic Relief Day and our long-awaited World Book Day Dress up!

I was blown away by the costumes I saw on Thursday for World Book Day! It was so hard to select best dressed, as all costumes were VERY impressive. You can see these costumes below. Thank you all for the efforts you have put into the costumes.

On Thursday, we listened to one of Miss Marsden’s favourite books, The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson. As a class, we created a story map and retold the story using actions.

During our main English learning, Year 2 explored poems about colour. We listened to ‘What is Pink?’ by Christina Rossetti and then planned our own colour poem. These plans were then used to create our own wonderful colour poem, using our senses to help.

For Shakespeare week, we completed some research about him during our Computing lesson. We found out who William Shakespeare was when he was alive, where he lived and what he is famous for.

In Maths, we continued to explore 3D shape properties and we started our unit on Fractions. During our PSHE lesson, we talked about the importance of listening in friendships. We looked at new strategies to show other people that we are listening and that we are showing interest in what they are saying.

In RE, we made freeze frames to demonstrate our understanding of the Last Supper. In Gymnastics, we continued to practise our skills with Mrs Winward.

Spring 2 - Week Commencing 08.03.2021

It has been wonderful to have all our remote learners back in the classroom and it has been great to see all of Year 2 playing, laughing and learning together. Children have settled back into school routines brilliantly and Miss Wright, Miss Barton and I are INCREDIBLY proud of you all.

In English this week, we have focused on the text ‘The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds. We explored the story and the different feelings of Vashti. We then linked these feelings to our own and created a bright and colourful display by ‘making our mark’. In Maths, we have continued to explore 3D shapes and their properties. With the return back to school for all, we have had a big focus on our wellbeing and we have spent many opportunities exploring our feelings. In Computing, we used PowerPoint to create an instruction presentation and in Science, we recorded the growth of a tomato plant. During our RE learning, we explored the significance of the cross and recognized what it symbolises. In Geography, we explored different types of map and we practised our Gymnastic skills with Mrs Winward.

Spring 1 Week 8

This week has been another great week of fun and learning. In English, Year 2 enjoyed ‘The Pirates Next door’ by Jonny Duddle. We have thought about what it would be like if pirates lived next door, writing for and against reasons. We also created wonderful setting descriptions for Dull-On-Sea. For World Book Day, the children had Miss Wright, Miss Barton and myself thinking very hard as they presented clues for their favourite story which we needed to guess.  You can see some of these examples below! In Maths, we continued looking at shapes by exploring patterns, symmetry and faces of 3D shapes.

In RE, we explored the features of a Paschal candle and designed our own, thinking about significant symbols. During our Science learning, we identified the different parts of trees and flowers. discovered the functions of the different parts of the trees and flowers and how they help the plant to grow. In Geography, we focused on the natural features of a place that might determine where people choose to settle. We also designed our own ideal settlement.

Spring 1 Week 7

It’s been a lovely week and the children have settled back really well.  I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable half term.

In our English learning, we have explored non-fiction texts and written a report all about the Great White Shark. 2D and 3D shapes have been our focus in Maths. The week started with us going on a shape hunt around school and around our homes. We have also looked at how many vertices and sides 2D shapes have.

In RE, we have started our new unit by listening to and then sequencing the Easter story and during our worships we focused on how God can give us courage.  In Science, we enjoyed learning about evergreen and deciduous trees. The children in school went on a local walk looking at different trees and some remote learners also did the same.

In Geography, we identified different types of settlements and in PSHE we developed our understanding that as children and adults we have rights. We used this information to create a scroll.

Children have continued to impress me with their fantastic attitudes towards learning and they have made me very proud, once again!

Keep up the hard work, you are ALL superstars!! ⭐️

Spring 1 Week 6

This week, the children’s learning has been out of this world!

Our English started with a special voice note addressed to Year 2. This was a very important mission for the children to complete. They needed to explain everything they know about the moon and what a cleaner on the moon would need to pack. We also explored an image of the main character and thought carefully about the clues we could see. We sequenced the events of ‘Bob, the Man on the Moon’ by Simon Bartram and designed our very own alien, writing a character description to match.

In Maths, we used tally charts and pictograms to interpret data collected. For Online Safety Day, we thought carefully about how to keep ourselves safe and what to do if something gives us a funny feeling. We created a set of rules to help us remember what to do.   In Science, we completed an investigation on materials to see which absorbed liquid and which materials were waterproof and in RE, we thought about all of the stories we have heard this term.

On Friday, we enjoyed a virtual Farm tour as part of our end of Half-term behaviour treat. The children we engrossed when meeting the different animals and found it very tricky to think of just one favourite part of the tour!

Children have worked INCREDIBLY hard this term, both at home and in school. I hope you all have a lovely and relaxing half term! Very well done!

Spring 1 Week 5

Another week of hard work has come to an end. The children’s attitudes towards learning are out of this world and have continued to impress me!

This week in English, children have explored poems about space and continued to practise irregular past tense verbs. We have had several brave banana mindsets in Maths, as we have explored division and applied our skills and understanding to problem-solving and reasoning tasks. In Art, we explored the work of Piet Mondrian and developed his ideas to create our own. During our RE session with Miss Wright, we listened to the bible story of the man lowered through the roof and made links to the different emotions.

This week has been Children’s Mental health week. We have been expressing ourselves through dance, singing and art. In our PSHE lesson, we thought carefully about what makes us special and unique and in History, we continued to explore how music has changed over the last 60 years.

We have also started to read and enjoy ‘The Twits’ by Roald Dahl as our end of the day story. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Spring 1 Week 4 

I cannot believe we have come to the end of week 4 already! It has been a wonderful week of learning, both in school and at home and I am super impressed with the fantastic attitudes of Year 2!

In English, we have been looking at twisted traditional tales. We discussed which we prefer, used a story map to learn parts of a tale and explored the key features of a text.

Once again, we have all been brave bananas in Maths whilst exploring division through grouping and sharing. During our mini daily Science, we observed the growth of our mung beans and thought carefully about why the beans grew better in some conditions. We created a feelings flower in our PSHE lesson and in Music we loved singing along to ‘HEY YOU’ with Mr Richards.

During History, we looked at how music has changed over the last 60 years, including how we listen to music. We also had a sing-along and dance to WHAM!, Marvin Gaye and The Beatles. This week, in RE we listened to the story of Bartimaeus and empathised with him, creating a newspaper report about this miracle.

It has been great to see so many children using Oxford Reading Tree eBooks at home! Keep it up, I love seeing the videos of Year 2 reading  😊

Spring 1 Week 3

We have had a fantastic week and produced some SUPER work.

In English, we have explored the text Supertato by Sue Hendra for our superhero-themed week.  We have completed character descriptions, written questions for an interview and predicted what could happen next. The children have done a fabulous job at applying taught spelling and grammar skills within their writing too. In Maths, we have all been brave bananas and continued to develop our understanding of multiplication. For our afternoon sessions, we considered who our real-life superheroes are, we completed challenges in PE with Miss Crewe and considered how to keep safe when using the internet with Mrs Wardman. During RE, we listened to the story of the ten lepers and wrote a letter to say thank you to Jesus. We also began our Science investigation by planting our seeds and explored food beat patterns in Music.  

Well done Year 2! I cannot wait to see what next week brings!

Spring 1 Week 2

What a busy week we have had in Year 2! All children have worked so incredibly hard and I am so proud of them. The highlight of my day is working with the children in school and seeing all the learning taking place at home on SEESAW.

In our English, we have been listening to and enjoying some inspirational stories. We have written character descriptions, used persuasive language during role play and discussed emotions. We have been exploring equal and unequal groups in Maths. As well as this, we have used and created our own arrays.  In Geography, the children have helped Miss Marsden learn some facts about Hoddlesden and Darwen. The children have created some brilliant posters and videos showing places to explore. In Science, we have learnt what plants need to survive. The children also LOVED their gymnastics session with Miss Crewe! In RE, we listened to the bible story 'The Little Children and Jesus' and created a piece of artwork about the story.

It is lovely to see all your smiling faces in school and on Zoom and I look forward to more learning next week!

Blended Learning

Spring 1 Week 1

Hello and Happy New Year to you all!   

We hope you and your family have managed to enjoy the festive break and you all remain safe and well.  

Despite it not being a normal start to the Spring term, Year 2 children have impressed me with their fantastic attitude towards learning and resilience both at school and those at home, remote learning. A huge thank you for your cooperation and understanding during the challenges of this week and for continuing to upload your child’s learning onto SEESAW. It has been lovely to see!

In school, we had a lovely discussion about what they have all been up to during their Christmas break. It certainly sounded like Father Christmas needed extra space on his sleigh for all the wonderful presents he delivered. As well as working hard on our Maths and English, children have been encouraged to enjoy the snow as much as possible.

Autumn 2 - Week 6

What a brilliant week Year 2 have had! The children have planned, prepped and created their enterprise product incorporating their DT skills of using wheels and axles. In computing they put their animation skills to the test and made an advert animation of their snowman product. You can see a few of these on https://www.stpaulshoddlesden.org.uk/year-2-stall/

We also had Christmas dinner on Christmas jumper day! It was so much fun!

Autumn 2- Week 5

What an amazing week we have had! This week we have began to develop our understanding of money in maths, looking at the value of coins and notes and any misconceptions we might have. We also starting our Elf Enterprise planning! The children are focussing on using a DT skill of wheels and axles to create a Christmas product to sell. They’ve spent the week doing lots of research on products that already have wheels and axles before designing ideas we could make.

We had a visit from the Elf!!! The children were so excited to show him all the good choices they’ve been making. It was even more exciting because of all the snow we had! Year 2 loved getting on their wellies and playing in the snow.

Autumn 2- Week 4
We’ve had an incredibly busy week in Year 2 this week! In science we investigated which materials were waterproof so we could start to make an astronaut suit. As it is non fiction November we have been looking at an urban designer- Jan Gehl, and we decided to try his career and design our own sustainable city! We entered a virtual orienteering competition and had lots of fun having to work out and follow routes. 
Look at our pictures below to see what else we’ve been up to!

Autumn 2-Week 3

This week we have been developing our understanding of animations in computing! Year 2 had great fun creating flick books to show how images can move before investigating how to do it taking photographs on the iPads. We also investigated different materials and their properties in science! We became scientists and researchers to explore what properties an astronauts suit needs to have when they’re up in space! We’re then going to experiment which materials will be the best next week!

Autumn 1- Week 8

Year 2 have had a brilliant first half term back to school! Children have developed their mindfulness skills in our MindUP lessons, allowing them to gain a greater insight into their feelings and how our brain creates them!
Have a look at our half term video showing lots of our indoor and outdoor learning focussing on English, Phonics, Maths, Geography, PE, Art, PSHE and so much more!

Autumn 1- Week 7

This week we used our geography and science skills to look at different habitats we might find in Africa and the range of different animals that will live there! We went on a virtual safari through the different areas and then created a giant African continent!
We have been working on our problem solving skills in maths and looking at using our resilience to work out the question in different ways!

Autumn 1-Week 6

We have had a very busy week in Year 2 this week! We’ve been focussing on Black History Month and the life of Claudia Jones in particular! The children learnt all about her life and then created acrostic poems on carnival headdress templates! 
We’ve continued to develop our animal masks in art, looking at using modroc to blend and build materials together.

Our British Value this half term is Individual Liberty. The children have been looking at what it means and they can use it. They expressed their opinions and views to create a den in class!

Autumn 1- Week 4

It’s been another busy week in Year 2 this week! We’ve began looking at how the savannah as a habitat compares to this we found in our local area last week. In art, children have been observing different patterns on an animal and then creating detail by using watercolour paints!
Our focus for English this week has been non fiction information pages. The children have researched all about a hyena and then created their own information pages which look fabulous!

Autumn 1- Week 3

This week Year 2 have been focussing on their place value in maths and being brave bananas to try and solve lots of problems! 
Children have been finding places in our local area on maps and looking at symbols, ready to start comparing it to our African country, Kenya, next week.

In music we began using Djembe drums and practising an old beat called ‘The King Is Coming‘, which used to be played in some African countries when the King was coming to visit towns and cities!

Autumn 1- Week 2

We’ve started to focus on Africa and African animals in particular this week! Moving on from our transient art, children began to look at animal patterns and how to create different lines for their edges. We’ve also been doing lots of outdoor learning, looking at our local habitats and using maps to identify what we have in our local areas.

Autumn 1- Week 1

Year 2 had a brilliant first week back to school! We did lots of outdoor learning and began investigating our new theme, Native Narratives!