Summer 1 Week 1 - wb 21.04.25

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you had a lovely Easter break – weren’t we lucky with the weather? ☀️ It’s been a short but very busy first week back, and we’ve certainly made the most of our four days in school!

In English, we’ve started our exciting new focus text: The Wind in the Willows. We’ve already read up to Chapter 3 and have been diving into the characters. We began with Mr Mole, exploring his actions using both past and present tense verbs. Then we turned our attention to the eccentric Mr Toad, using clues from the story to predict what kind of character he might be and justifying our ideas with "because" explanations. The children have really enjoyed getting to know these charming characters!

In Maths, we’ve continued our work on fractions. We’ve been learning to recognise and find halves, quarters, and thirds – lots of practical fun and great problem-solving going on!

Over in Science, we’ve launched our new topic all about plants, which we’ll be exploring right through the summer term. This week, we’ve looked at how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants and recapped our learning from Year 1 to help build strong roots for new knowledge to grow! 🌱

In History, our new topic is Historical Heroes and we’ve posed the enquiry question: Who are our local heroes? We started by thinking about who our personal heroes are and what qualities make someone a hero. Then we looked at some significant figures from history, compared their achievements, and even put them in chronological order using our historian skills – impressive work!

In RE, we’ve begun to look at Ascension and Pentecost. This week, we focused on the story of Jesus’ ascension and used our imaginations to describe what we think Heaven looks like. The children’s ideas were thoughtful, creative, and very reflective.

In Art, we’ve been inspired by the amazing work of Romare Bearden. The children loved exploring his unique style and can’t wait to try out some of their own creative interpretations.

In PE, we enjoyed a session with Junior Jam and also a lovely session of Gymnastics with Mrs Winward. We began learning our sequence for our performance. We look amazing already!

And finally – a HUGE well done to everyone who took part in the East Lancashire Hospice Hop, Skip and Jump! Your energy, perseverance and determination were amazing. As a school, we hopped a huge 48.3 miles, skipped an incredible 85.5 miles, and jumped a fantastic 64.5 miles – wow! Thank you so much to everyone who supported and sponsored the children.

We can’t wait for more learning adventures next week – have a restful weekend!

Spring 2 Week 6- wb 31.03.25

What a fantastic week we’ve had in Year 2!

In English, we’ve finished our innovated magic carpet ride chapters for Aladdin. The children worked incredibly hard to make their stories unique, adding their own twists and turns. After publishing their final pieces, we created a wonderful display showcasing all their hard work. It’s looking amazing in the classroom!

In Maths, we’ve started our exciting unit on fractions. This week, we’ve been learning about equal and unequal parts, and we even explored the concept of a half. The children are becoming confident in identifying and working with fractions.

In Music, we had a fantastic time playing the glockenspiels! The children loved making music and learning how to play different notes, which was great fun and a lovely way to develop their rhythm and coordination.

In History, we’ve been learning about seaside holidays both in the past and today. We summarised the key differences and similarities and answered our enquiry question, showing off everything we’ve learned. It was great to see how much the children understood about how holidays have changed over time.

In Science, we concluded our topic on living things and their habitats with an amazing trip to Nightingales Farm. While we were there, we had the joy of seeing two lambs being born right before our eyes! It was a truly special experience, and the children learned so much from it.

In RE, we’ve been learning all about the symbols of Easter and exploring how Easter is celebrated around the world. We also discussed our own Easter traditions and created beautiful Easter cards, which the children were so proud of.

Finally, to top off the week, we enjoyed our assault course behaviour treat on Friday. The children had a blast running, climbing, and completing the course – a great way to celebrate all their hard work!

We hope you all have a lovely, safe Easter break and enjoy some quality time with your families. I look forward to seeing you all when we return on 22nd April.

Happy Easter! 🌸🐰

Spring 2 Week 5 - wb 24.03.25

This week in Year 2 has been action-packed and full of learning!

In English, we've been working hard on using 'when' and 'while' in the past tense to make our sentences even better. We’ve been describing Aladdin and Jasmine's exciting carpet ride through the sky! We've moved on to our extended writing, where we are adding a brand-new chapter to the famous tale of Aladdin. In this chapter, Jasmine and Aladdin are flying over lots of different places, and the vocabulary we’re using is absolutely fantastic!

In Maths, we’ve been getting hands-on with measurements. We’ve been measuring liquids in millilitres and litres, and we’ve even learned how to measure temperature with thermometers. It's been fun exploring how we can measure things all around us!

In History, we’ve taken a journey back in time and looked at stories from the past about seaside holidays. We explored what kind of food and drinks people enjoyed on these holidays, using the stories as clues. Then, we used our creativity to design persuasive posters, trying to convince others to try these delicious seaside treats!

In RE, our lesson was a real treat! We learned about the special foods that symbolise Easter, and we got to taste-test some of them! We enjoyed chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and simnel cake. They were all so tasty, and it was a great way to learn more about Easter traditions.

In DT, we’ve been working on fixing and testing our deck chairs. We discussed their strength, stiffness, and stability, and it was great to evaluate how well our designs were holding up.

In OAL (Outdoor Adventurous Learning), we had an exciting survival challenge, just like Bear Grylls! We imagined being stranded on a deserted island or in the woods and asked ourselves, "How would we survive?" We talked about the essentials for survival: water, food, and air. We then had a go at crafting bows and arrows with bendy sticks and twine. We split into teams and worked together to collect water from a stream, build shelters using lashing and frapping techniques, and even went on a scavenger hunt to find food. It was an amazing adventure, and we learned so much about how to survive in the wild!

Thank you for supporting us with non-uniform day on Thursday and for your generous donations to the Chocolate Bingo for the PTFA. What a week it's been!

Spring 2 Week 4- wb 17.03.25

This week in Year 2, we’ve begun our exciting new Maths topic: Measure. We’ve been busy comparing the mass of different objects, measuring in grams and kilograms, and practicing using the four operations with mass. We’ve also explored volume and capacity, and we’ll be continuing this hands-on learning next week!

In English, we’ve been learning about the key features of persuasive posters. After discussing their elements, we created our own posters, incorporating techniques like commands, exaggeration, and rhetorical questions to make them persuasive.

In History, we’ve been investigating what people wore on seaside holidays in the past, using historical sources to guide our research.

Our Science lessons have been hands-on and engaging, with the highlight being the Glitter Experiment! We also discussed the importance of exercise, balanced nutrition, hygiene, and how all these contribute to healthy living.

In Design Technology, we used our plans to construct deckchairs, experimenting with different cylinder shapes to make them sturdy and functional.

On Thursday, we had a wonderful Spirituality Afternoon, where we focused on learning about The Lord's Prayer and its significance.

And today, we had a blast celebrating Red Nose Day for Comic Relief! The children came dressed in red and made a donation to support this fantastic cause.

It’s been another busy and exciting week in Year 2!

Spring 2 Week 3- wb 10.03.25

Another busy week in Year 2! In English this week, we have written some amazing persuasive letters to Jafar. We have also used some super descriptive language to describe the Cave of Wonders! Towards the end of the week, we have listened to the song, ‘You’ll Never Have a Friend Like Me!’ Then we have worked together to write our own poem called, “You’ll always have a friend like me!’ Using lots of great verbs and adverbs. Mrs Harrison has put a video on Seesaw of us performing it. In Maths this week, we have been engrossed in our length and height measurement unit. We have been using the 4 operations to complete length and height worded questions. In History we have used photographs as sources to see what they tell us about seaside holidays in the past. We also learnt that the term ‘recent’ past means when our grandparents were younger and we used timelines to help us visualise this. In Science we explored human growth from babies, to toddlers, to children, teenagers and adults. In RE, we looked at the symbol of the cross and how the cross looks different around the world. We explored why the cross is an important symbol at Easter. We also explored the importance of the bread and wine. In DT, we explored how we can manipulate materials to make them more stable. 

This week has also been ‘Science Week’ and we have learnt the song, ‘SOS to the Kids.’ We have also created some excellent posters to promote recycling and also limiting the pollution in the ocean based on the story ‘Somebody Swallowed Stanley.’ We joined with Year 1 to make some amazing fish out of recyclable materials. 

Spring 2 Week 2- wb 03.03.25

What a busy and exciting week it's been in Year 2! In English, we've continued our exploration of Aladdin, diving deep into the thoughts and feelings of the characters. The children have enjoyed writing diary entries in role as Aladdin, bringing his adventures to life through their own words.

In Maths, we've begun learning about measurements, using both centimetres and metres to measure objects accurately. Our RE lessons have been thought-provoking as we explored the Easter story, reflecting on the Christian belief that Jesus died to save humankind as part of God's plan for salvation. In Science, we’ve been learning about different animal life cycles and discovering how animals grow and change over time. Our DT lessons have introduced us to the concept of stability, where we’ve been investigating what makes a structure stable and strong. In PSHE, we’ve been exploring how to manage our emotions, especially when we feel like we might "erupt." The children have been practising techniques to stay calm and in control when faced with challenging emotions.

We’ve also had a fantastic time with a variety of curriculum enhancements! Local author Janek Puzon visited the school to read from his new book, Agent Glen, which was a real treat for the children. World Book Day was another highlight, where the children dressed up as their favourite characters and had a blast. They also worked hard on writing character descriptions of Mr. and Mrs. Twit, which will feature in a fantastic whole-school display.

On Wednesday, we had a wonderful time at our Seaside in the Past workshop, where the children dressed up as if they were visiting the seaside several decades ago. It was a fun, hands-on experience that brought the past to life in such a memorable way!

It’s been a week full of learning, fun, and creativity—Year 2 has certainly been busy, and we can’t wait to see what next week brings!

Spring 2 Week 1 - wb 24.02.25

Welcome back to the Spring term. This means we are just past half way through Year 2!

In Maths this week we have been exploring odd and even numbers. We have explored how we know if a number is odd or even and then created odd an even aliens! We have also explored the ten and five times tables and linked multiplication and division facts. In English we have started a new text. It is Aladdin! So far we have done some super descriptive writing describing the setting of the marketplace using expanded noun phrases. We have also described Aladdin and Jasmine, using information from the text to justify our opinions. In Science, we started our new animals including humans topic. We have started by exploring what reproduction and offspring means and using the iPads to research what different animal offspring’s are called. In History we have started to compare holidays in the past and holidays now by sorting different objects into categories. Mrs Harrison has sent home a history challenge too, asking us to look into our grandparents and maybe even great grandparents holidays in the past. Well done to everybody who has already sent theirs in, it has been lovely looking through these! In RE we are going to be looking at Easter. This week we have explored how there are different objects and symbols used to help us explain and understand the meaning of Easter. In DT, we have explored different structures and focused on what makes a good chair.

We also had an exciting poet visit from Ian Bland. He did a super engaging poetry assembly followed by a workshop where we wrote our own animal alliteration poem! We loved it. Then at the end of the day we performed our poems in front of the whole school. What a great experience!

Next week is extremely busy with the holidays in the past work shop as well as world book day, parents evening and an author visit so please keep an eye on the key dates which have been sent home, emailed and published on the newsletter and website.

Spring 1 Week 6- wb 10.02.25

We are officially half way through Year 2! 3 half terms down and 3 to go! 

In English this week, we have written our own amazing, innovated endings of Mulan. In the book, a firework blows Shan-Yu away but in our innovated versions when the smoke clears, Shan Yu is still standing there glaring at Mulan. We have then thought of some great ideas about how Mulan goes on to defeat Shan Yu! See if we can tell you about our story at home. In Maths this week, we have been exploring sharing and grouping to divide. Then we have explored the two times table and dividing by two before making the connections between this and doubling and halving. Our reasoning answers have been phenomenal. In our Science lesson we explored the best materials to make different products and used the properties of materials to explain why we thought this. In RE, we had a really interesting lesson where we researched different Christian charities such as Barnardo's, Christian Aid and The Salvation Army. Then we matched the 'issue' such as medical issues, to the charity, to what Jesus did to help and what we can do to help. Then we used what we had found to write our own 'helpful hand'. In Geography, we enjoyed looking at where major crops are grown across the world. We found the countries and continents using our maps. Then we did an excellent job of answering our enquiry question. In Music, we have composed our own 4 beats of stomp music, then we have put them together to form our own piece of music! In PE we have been perfecting our underarm throws and hitting a ball with a racquet. In Art, we have used tracing paper to go over our character illustrations and outlines from last week to add emotions. 

We have also thoroughly enjoyed our 'The Nerf Guys' behaviour treat! It was fantastic and we all had a lot of fun. The Hoddlesden Heroes also got to wear non-uniform. Well done Hoddlesden Heroes! 

Have a lovely, safe half term break and we will see you all on the 24th. 

Spring 1 Week 5- wb 03.02.25

In English this week, we have written some fantastic instructions all about how to become a warrior. Then we followed instructions to make a Chinese Lantern, before writing our own instructions on how to make one! We used some super adverbs and bossy verbs as well as time words in our instructions. In Maths, we have enjoyed getting stuck into our multiplication and division unit by adding equal groups and looking at multiplication sentences and arrays and what they mean. In Geography, we have looked at where in the UK different foods originate from and located the places using an atlas. In RE we have explored how Jesus was a friend to everyone and how we should also be a friend to all. In Science we explored the uses of different materials and why they are chosen for particular purposes. We focused on the properties of hardness, flexibility, transparency and absorbency. In Art, we have been exploring how to add expressions to illustrate a character. In PE, we practised under arm throwing and also hitting a ball with a racquet at a particular target. In Performing Arts with Junior Jam, we played charades and were working on developing our facial expressions and acting skills. Some children acted and the group tried to guess what they were doing. In Computing we created a story board on strip design. 

This week has also been Children's Mental Health Week. We have explored what this means and how we can look after our mental health. We have focused on less device and screen time and more time being 'present'. We have also looked at grounding ourselves using breathing techniques or stretches. Today, we have worn our scarfs to raise awareness for Children's Mental Health Week. The scarf symbolises, Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship.

Spring 1 Week 4- wb 27.01.25

In English this week we have continued our Mulan text. We have been focusing on writing instructions about 'How to Become a Warrior!' We have explored the features of instructions, planned and acted out our ideas and then started to write them. 

In Maths, we have finished off our money unit by working out some 2 step problems. Then we have started our multiplication and division unit by exploring, recognising and making unequal and equal groups. In Music we have continued learning about Stomp music and we have looked at what features we might want to include in our own piece of music. In Art, we have learnt about sketching and have sketched some teddies using a light hand and focusing on the shapes. In RE we have learnt about Jesus healing the blind man, Bartimaeus and retold the story. In Performing Arts with Junior Jam we enjoyed acting out scenes from Jack and the Beanstalk. In Computing we programmed Scratch Jnr to make a story. In PE we played dodgeball and practise our dribbling and dodging skills. 

We also had a great OAL session! We enjoyed a walk down to the reservoir where we went on a materials hunt to see what we could see and find. Whilst we were there, we looked up at all the different farms and discussed what they were used for? What do they grow or rear for us to eat? This lead us onto discussing cereal crops and we sorted lots of different foods into which crop they are developed from. We also played a matching game in groups. It was surprising to us how many of our staple foods come from cereal crops. Then we walked back up to the woods, where we enjoyed planting some of our oat cereal crops to take home! We also enjoyed a mini mud kitchen where we made some imaginative recipes with cereal crops such as ‘barley brownies’ and ‘oat and corn maize pie!’ We also did some den building and discussed which materials would be best to build a day based on their properties. You can watch a video of our session here Year 2 OAL spring 1 | Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Year 1 and 2 also had a wonderful afternoon celebrating the Lunar New Year! We have thoroughly enjoyed a carousel of super activities. Mrs Harrison has added a video of our celebrations onto Seesaw. 

• We have learnt about The Great Race and researched what zodiac animal the year we were born is! We were either roosters, dogs or pigs! (2017, 2018 and 2019) Then we looked at what they mean and did some crafts linked to our animal.
• We also participated in our own Great Race! We had to use the chopsticks to complete a relay race with gummy snakes! (2025 is the year of the snake!)
• We enjoyed some amazing Chinese lion and ribbon dancing.
• We taste tested some interesting foods from Asia. Such as noodles, spring rolls, prawn crackers and much more! We had to use chop sticks to eat them too, it was very tricky!
• We also created our own Chinese dragons or snakes!

Spring 1 Week 3- wb 20.01.25

In English this week, we have continued exploring our focus text, Mulan. We completed some amazing pieces of writing where we stepped into our magic mirrors to become Mulan’s father and wrote a letter to the ancestors explaining our feelings at Mulan taking his place in the Imperial Army. We have also focused on word classes and up-levelling our work to include powerful verbs and adverbs. Ask us if we can think of any we have used! 

In Maths, we have combined our addition and subtraction learning with our money learning. We have been adding amounts as well as using dashes and dots and number lines to subtract and work out change. 

In Science, we conducted a great investigation where we tested if materials could stretch, bend, twist and squash. We worked scientifically by making predictions first, then collated our results in a table before drawing conclusions. 

In Geography, we explored how animals in the UK are reared for food and plants are grown for food. We explored which foods originate from which animals. 

In Music, we were introduced to Stomp Music! We learnt some facts about it and watched some videos of performances. We focused on finding the pulse in the piece of music and then the ostinato (the rhythm) over the top. Then we split into two groups to perform it. 

In PE, we continued our tennis learning by practising our bat and ball skills. 

In Art, we looked at mark making in different ways such as cross hatching and circular scribbles to represent a texture. 

In RE, we learnt about the story of the ten lepers and how only one was thankful enough to remember to say thank you to Jesus! We wrote thank you letters in role as the leper to thank Jesus and explain how he had changed his life! 

In French, we continued learning about different vegetables and their french names. 

With Junior Jam, we made a bus and had to represent different emotions and everyone had to copy the different emotions in performing arts. In Computing we made a flip book with a stick man and in PE we played basketball and worked on bouncing the ball. 

It was very windy on Friday and there was a yellow and amber weather warning in place. Due to all the trees around school we thought it was safer to stay inside for break and lunch. This was very exciting and meant we could fit in some super sensory circuits! 

Spring 1 Week 2- wb 13.01.25

In English this week, we have started our new text, Mulan. So far we have been in our reading phase. We have made some predictions about the text as well as focusing on the characters Mulan and her father and how they feel at different points in the text. We have inferred and explored the characters thoughts and feelings through different drama techniques such as hot seating and freeze frames. We have used the film to support our learning and have really enjoyed it! 

In Maths, we have enjoyed continuing our money learning. We have focused on counting money in pounds and pence and have introduced notes. We have had some really interesting problems which we have enjoyed getting our teeth stuck into. Then we have been making larger amounts in different ways using notes and coins as well as using the inequality symbols to compare amounts of money.

In geography this week, we have begun to explore our enquiry question, ‘Where does our food originate from?’ We have explored what food can be bought in our local area and where from. We have also discussed the difference between fresh, frozen and fast foods. 

In RE, we have explored how many of the stories we have learnt about are from the Gospels in the New Testament. We have looked at how Jesus respected and welcomed children by exploring some art work which represented Jesus with children, we discussed and wrote about how the pieces of art made us feel and what they made us think about. Rev Matt also came in to speak to us about how Christians believe the miracles reveal Jesus as the Son of God. He shared the story of the man lowered through the roof. 

On Thursday, we were really lucky and had a Science show as part of our curriculum enhancement opportunities. It was all about different materials and we did some super testing and experiments. This week we have also conducted our own experiment identifying and comparing the suitability of a variety of everyday materials. 

In Art, we have researched the illustrator Quentin Blake. We have looked at some of his pieces of work and some of the texts he has illustrated. We have also found out different facts about him. Then we used charcoal to represent different things through mark making such as the feel of concrete or the sound of thunder. 

In French we have started a new topic. We are learning all about vegetables and we have learnt a story called, The Enormous Potato. le Pomme de Terra Geant. We used drama techniques to act out the story, we were all family members or an animal. 

In PE with Junior Jam we have started learning how to play basketball and in PE with Mrs Harrison we have been learning how to play tennis. We started by seeing if we could balance a tennis ball on our racquet whilst standing still and then when we were moving. Next we tried to use our hands to see if we could bounce and then make contact with the ball, before using the racquets to see if we could make contact with the ball when it was bounced towards us by our partner. 

On Tuesday in performing arts with Junior Jam we learnt about the 4 Ps which are pace, project, pitch and pause. We performed Twinkle, Twinkle, little star using a variety of Pitch and projection of our voices. Then we practiced our breathing exercises and cooled down.  In computing, we made our own flip books on the IPad. We discussed that every page had something different on and the image moves the picture on e.g you might add an arm or leg.

Spring 1 Week 1- wb 06.01.25

Well that was not the first week back we were expecting! Due to snow and extremely dangerous conditions on and around the school grounds we have been unable to attend school for most of the week! I am glad we all got to see each other, albeit briefly on Tuesday. But…that hasn’t stopped us doing some amazing learning! 
 

Tasks have been uploaded to Seesaw and completed with great enthusiasm, well done Year 2. We have built and measured snow men and snow angels. We have used money to purchase items for our snowmen! We have set up a shop with price tags for our families to buy things from and have had to make sure they have given us the right amount or give them some change. We have found instructions around the house and followed some to make a Chinese lantern. We have also followed a set of instructions to make something of our choice, like a cake or some Lego! We have researched the animals in ‘The Great Race’ and looked at what our zodiac animals are. Then we have written our own versions of the story and used different animals. 
 

Thank you to everyone who has uploaded their superb learning ⭐️

Autumn 2 Week 8- wb 16.12.24

And that’s a wrap on 2024…! 

We have had a fantastic week in school, with lots of fun! In English this week we have enjoyed writing our own poems. We innovated the poem, ‘10 Things Found in a Wizards Pocket’ by Ian McMillan and created our own versions called ‘10 Things Found in an Astronaut’s Pocket!’ They are fantastic and we had some great ideas. In Maths this week we have started some of our new money unit. We are super at recognising coins and have been great at making different amounts in different ways. In RE we looked at how in the Old Testament there were prophecies and in the New Testament these prophecies came true! We also wrote some fantastic retells of The Nativity story. In PE, as a treat we tried boxing! 

This week we have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Blackburn Diocese Year of Prayer launch. We have also LOVED our Christmas Party, there was dancing, pass the parcel, musical bumps, snacks and lots of games and fun! Our Christmas dinner was delicious and we even had a special visit from Father Christmas! Later in the week, we were very lucky to watch a virtual story time with Santa! We Zoomed to the North Pole and listened to him read a story and then asked some questions and sang some songs. It was lovely.

This week we have also done a brilliant job of finishing our hand sewn and hand decorated Christmas stockings! We have all tried extremely hard and they look amazing. 

Our Behaviour Treat was a fantastic workshop by Mrs Bead. We made some wonderful snowflake baubles to bring home for our Christmas trees! 

Have a safe, enjoyable and fun Christmas break and I will see you all in 2025! 

Autumn 2 Week 7- wb 09.12.24

What a great penultimate week to the Autumn term we have had! Next week will be our final week in school before we break for the Christmas holidays. The first thing we did Monday morning was work out how much profit our Elf Enterprise stall made at the fair. Drum roll please!!! We made a whopping £114! Go Year 2! 
 

In English this week, we have completed our non-chronological reports all about Neil Armstrong! They are filled with lots of interesting facts. Then we have started our new poetry unit. We have started to learn, ‘Ten Things Found in a Wizard’s Pocket’ and we are going to work towards innovating it to ‘Ten Things Found in an Astronaut’s Pocket.’ I am sure you cannot wait to hear our poems. 
 

In Maths we have concluded our shape unit by making patterns with 2D and 3D shapes. We are going to begin looking at money and different coins over the next week. 
 

In Science, we have enjoyed exploring food chains and using the key vocabulary; predator, prey, consumer and producer. 
 

In History, we had a wonderfully informative lesson where we used our disciplinary skills and became historians comparing Tim Peake and Neil Armstrong’s space missions! We compared their space suits, their space crafts and the footage from the events by examining different sources. Then we combined all the information to create a table comparing the two. We are really beginning to be able to develop a detailed answer to our enquiry question; how has space exploration changed over time? 
 

In French, we learnt some Christmas traditions in France as well as some parts of the Nativity story. 

On Monday, we showed our generosity by bringing in food and gifts for our Christmas mission. We are supporting 26 families with food parcels and Christmas presents across Blackburn with Darwen. 
 

We also had some special visitors this week who were so impressed with how well we could all articulate our learning. We are a credit to ourselves and our school. We are little superstars that’s for sure! 
 

And finally….undoubtedly the highlight of our week was our Nativity performances! All of the children did exceptionally well and the Year 2 team is immensely proud of them all. You have all learnt your lines and said them with such confidence! It was so lovely to see. Well done everyone! 

Autumn 2 Week 6 - wb 02.12.24

What a busy week in Year 2! This week we have had Elf Enterprise and we cannot wait to sell our final products at the Christmas fair on Sunday. 

First, we discussed what Elf Enterprise is and the difference between mass production and making personalise items. We looked at machinery in factories and then created a design criteria and a design for our product. Next we wrote some fantastic instructions explaining how the stockings are made. We used bossy verbs and adverbs. We also designed some packaging and worked out the coatings and how much profit we could make! Once we had done all the admin side of things, it was time to begin our production line!! We had a cutting team to cut out the stocking shapes, a sewing team sewing the back and front of the stockings together, a decoration team who cut the star appliqué and glued them to the front, the sweet team who added the sweets and the packaging teams who packaged the products. We made a great team!! We created some excellent posters to advertise our product too. Finally, we evaluated our product. 

We can’t wait to sell them at the fair and see how much profit we make! Make sure you come along to buy one! 

As well as all the excitement with Elf Enterprise, this week we have had a ball at the Pantomime. We watched Jack and the Beanstalk at the Empire Theatre. It was spectacular and we were all enthralled. 

We have also been rehearsing our Nativity performance which we can’t wait to show you all next week! We have started our Christmas cards too as well as completing some more of our Big Frieze poster. 

On Friday we had a none uniform day and brought in donations for the fair. Our generosity was wonderful. 

Autumn 2 Week 5- wb 25.11.24

What a great week in Year 2! In Maths this week we have been exploring the properties of 3D shapes. We have been looking how many vertices they have, as well as the edges and the faces. We also learnt how some shapes have a curved surface. In English we have been exploring non-chronological reports and have planned and began to write our own non-chronological reports all about Neil Armstrong! 

On Monday we had an out of this world History day exploring the history of space exploration! We wore our best space themed outfits and learnt all about the significant achievements of Neil Armstrong and he even came to visit us! @AsCreativesEd. 

Our RE this week was also super exciting! We had a joint Outdoor Adventurous Learning adventure with Year 1. We used compasses and maps to journey from the East to find Jesus, just like the Wise Men! Then we created advent wreaths representing the circle of life. We also went on a long journey and imagined how Mary, Joseph and their donkey must have felt. Additionally, we used twigs and logs to create Christmas trees, whittling and cutting them to size.We learnt how Christmas trees represent the gift of Jesus and how they are coniferous representing how He is always with us.

We have also been practising for our Nativity. Many of us have been great at rehearsing our lines! 

In French we have revised our numbers and spotted patterns. 

In DT we have continued to sew our stockings. It is quite tricky so we are making sure we are being resilient and keep persevering. 

Autumn 2 Week 4- wb 18.11.24

This week in Year 2 has been a busy and exciting time with lots of learning across different subjects. In English, we have been working hard on our creative writing. We finished our stories based on the theme of a “Right Royal Disaster,” where we used joining words, adjectives, adverbs, and punctuation to make our writing more detailed and interesting. We focused on making our sentences flow smoothly and making our stories as engaging as possible. We also began our new nonfiction unit on Neil Armstrong, learning about his incredible achievements and his famous journey to the moon. Our grammar focus has been using time subordinates, 'when' and 'before.' See if we can give you an example at home! 

In Maths, we continued to develop our understanding of shapes. We spent time sorting 2D shapes, studying their properties, and learning about lines of symmetry. We practiced folding shapes to find their symmetrical halves. Then, we moved on to 3D shapes, where we explored the faces and edges of different shapes. We’re becoming more confident in identifying and describing both 2D and 3D shapes in our everyday world.

In RE, we studied the response of the shepherds to the good news brought by the Angel Gabriel about the birth of Jesus. We watched a video/song to help us understand how the shepherds felt and discussed how they reacted with joy and surprise. We then thought about how the shepherds spread the good news. 

In Science, we explored how animals have adapted to their environments. We looked at animals like camels, polar bears, and giraffes, and discussed their special features that help them survive in different habitats. For example, we learned how camels store fat in their humps to survive in hot, dry deserts, and how polar bears have thick fur to protect them in cold, icy climates. 

In Design and Technology (DT), we began practicing our skills in cutting materials using tools and templates. We focused on safety and accuracy while using scissors and other equipment. We are excited to put these skills to use during Elf Enterprise Week, where we will apply our creativity and practical abilities to create things we can sell.

In PSHE, we talked about the idea of “special people” in our lives. We discussed who these people are, why they are important to us, and how they make us feel cared for and supported. It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on the people who mean the most to us.

In Music, we explored the term tempo and how it affects the speed of a song. We listened to different pieces of music and identified whether they had a fast or slow tempo. We also spent time practicing our nativity songs, getting better at remembering all the lyrics and preparing for our performance.

Next week, we’re looking forward to Space Day on Monday and some exciting Outdoor Learning on Tuesday. It’s been another fantastic week, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Autumn 2 Week 3

This week in Year 2 has been another fantastic and busy week of learning!

English:
We’ve started working on our innovated stories about Bob and Queen Battleaxe. We’ve made a great start by writing the beginning and building up the story, and we’re excited to continue next week with the problem, resolution, and ending. We can’t wait to share our final versions!

Maths:
We’ve begun learning about 2D shapes, focusing on naming them, drawing them, and exploring their sides and vertices. We are really getting to grips with the different shapes and their properties!

History:
In History, we’ve continued our unit on Space Exploration. This week, we used various sources of evidence to find out about the Space Race. It was great fun exploring how the race between the USA and the Soviet Union led to some amazing milestones in space exploration.

PSHE:
We had a special focus on Anti-Bullying Week. On Odd Socks Day, we watched a short video that helped us think about kindness and respect. We discussed whether the characters in the video were showing those qualities and learned how important it is to treat others well.  Watch the video here to recap your learning https://www.literacyshed.com/for-the-birds.html

RE:
In RE, we carried on learning about "Good News." We explored how Mary responded to the good news from Angel Gabriel and compared it to Zechariah’s response when he received his own good news. It was interesting to discuss the differences in how they reacted.

Computing:
In Computing, we used Scratch Junior to create our own stories. We enjoyed being creative and bringing their ideas to life using this program.

PE:
In PE, we warmed up by playing games and then practiced our relay race running. We worked hard on teamwork, and supporting each other in the races.  In dance this week we have practiced our actions to the Farmers Jig and added in a few more 'farmer' actions. We can't wait to practice it again next week!

Special Days:
We also had a lot of fun celebrating Children in Need Day and listened to a lovely worship session led by the Vales Committee. And of course, we all enjoyed participating in Odd Socks Day as part of Anti-Bullying Week.

It’s been a fun and busy week filled with learning and special activities! We’re looking forward to next week’s adventures!

Autumn 2 Week 2  04.11.24

This week in Year 2 has been full of exciting learning across the curriculum!

In English, we've been reading A Right Royal Disaster and focusing on using verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and suffixes to improve our writing. We have enjoyed exploring different ways to describe actions and events in the story.

In Maths, we’ve been working on adding and subtracting two 2-digit numbers, with a particular focus on exchanges and we are becoming more confident in solving these types of problems!

In PSHE, we’ve discussed what makes each of us special and unique. The class have been very reflective on their individual qualities and how they contribute to their communities.  We drew pictures of ourselves and surrounded the pictures with things that we have in our lives such as family, church, favourite foods, friends etc

In RE, we’ve learned about the concept of *good news* and explored the story of the Angel Gabriel bringing good news to Zechariah and Elizabeth. This led to some thoughtful discussions about what good news means to us and what good news we have received and how we received it.  In Computing, we’ve started using A.L.E.X to begin our new unit on programming. We have been enjoying learning how to give simple instructions to make things happen on screen.  In our Junior Jam singing lesson, we’ve learned the song Green Green Grass. It’s been fun learning to communicate through signing!  In Music, we’ve been exploring the concept of pitch and have learned a new song called *In The Autumn*. We have all loved singing and experimenting with different sounds and putting actions to the words.  In History, we’ve been learning about the Apollo space missions, the astronauts who have been to the moon, and the incredible achievements of these missions. We were fascinated by the history of space exploration!

Don’t forget to watch our music lesson performance below to see some of the picture highlights from the week! 

Looking forward to another great week of learning next week.

Autumn 2 Week 1- 28.10.24

This week has been a week of lots of new units and new things! It has been a busy one which sets the scene for the remainder of this half term! New dates have been emailed via the office with the class newsletter and the whole school newsletter so please refer to those. A paper copy of the class newsletter as well as home learning grids and an objectives overview, have also been sent home. 

This week we have started our new text in English! It is called A Right Royal Disaster, by Simon Bartram! We have read the first few chapters and we love it! We have written character descriptions of the formidable Queen Battleaxe as well as written to her explaining our ideas for an extravagant birthday party!

In Maths we have continued our addition and subtraction unit by beginning to add and subtract across a ten where exchanging is involved.

In History we explored our enquiry question- How has space exploration developed over time? We looked at the key vocabulary we will explore in this unit and also some primary and secondary sources from when the first humans walked on the moon! We also discussed the difference between within living memory and beyond living memory.

In Music we were introduced to choral singing by listening to the Military Wives Choir. We also learnt how to exercise and warm up our voices and learnt all about the term pitch.

In Science we went on an exciting walk to the reservoir and used our plant and tree identifier to discuss what living organisms were in that area. Then we also discussed the reservoir as a habitat and what might be living in there! 

In DT we have started our new textiles unit. We are going to be creating our own stockings. Today we have retrieved knowledge from our previous textiles unit in Year 1 where we made puppets. Then we have evaluated some existing products and identified some different types of stitches. 

In PSHE we have explored online safety, specifically looking at sending and receiving messages and emails. 

In PE we have started a new dance unit! We are learning a farmers jig to some Irish country music! 

On Thursday afternoon we were lucky to have an amazing Spirituality afternoon. Rev Ben and Rev Matt came to host a special worship then each class has begun to create a piece of artwork representing God's Big Story, inspired by The Big Freize. They are going to look phenomenal! 

Autumn 1 Week 7- wb 14.10.24

What a busy end to the half term we have had in Year 2! 

In English this week we have finished our amazing letters to children in Kenya and also one in role as Anna Hibiscus to her friend Sonny Belafonte telling him all about our trip to the beach. We enjoyed using lots of adjectives in our description of the setting. 

In Maths we have continued learning how to subtract and have completed some really tricky problems! 

On Monday we were treated to a visit from Pets at Home. They brought some different animals into school for us to meet to complement our science learning ! We met a snake, a giant African land snail, a horned frog, an isopod and some hamsters. We even got to hold them. They told us all about what they eat, their habitats and also how we know they are living things. We got to ask lots of questions all about how to look after them! Then we briefly touched on the life cycles and predators and prey which we will build on after half term. 

On Thursday we went to Brungerley Park in Clitheroe. We had a blast visiting with Year 3! We walked around the sculpture park using the map to find the different sculptures, which was an excellent end to our sculptures topic in Art and Design this half term. Then we gave them a score out of ten as well as discussed and noted down what material we thought they were made from. We read about the different artists too. Whilst we were there we looked at what different habitats and micro habitats we could see, one of the sculptures was of a kingfisher so that lead to some great discussions linking to our Science. We also used the map to help us know our way and which sculpture we were looking for and one of the sculptures represented the compass points which links to our Geography learning! Overall, a great day was had by all and we definitely got our steps in! On Friday, we used watercolours to recreate our favourite sculpture. 

In RE this week we have been continuing to look at different Holy books. We have explored the Qur’an and how it shows Muslims how to lead a good life. We learnt that when it is not being read it needs to be on a high shelf and covered in a cloth. We also looked at the script and noticed it was a different language. One of our class mates showed us how he has learnt to read some of the Qur’an at his Mosque. We were fascinated. We wrote our own rules for leading a good life. We have also looked at the Guru Granth Sahib which is the holy book in Sikhism. We thought it was brilliant how the holy book as it’s own bed with its own room in the Gurdwara because Sikhs treat the Guru Granth Sahib with as much respect as a real Guru. Then we played a Blooket quiz to see how many facts we could remember! 

We were also really lucky to receive our Behaviour Treat! Professor Slime came in and we all made our own pots of slime! 

Autumn 1 Week 6- wb 07.10.24

In Year 2 we cannot believe we are almost at the end of our first half term! We have done so much learning and we are well and truly enjoying everything we are learning! 

In English this week we have been focusing on letter writing. We have read some letters from the book 'Letters from Africa'. They were from children who live in Kenya. We have looked at the features of the letters such as the address and greetings. We wrote what we learnt about their lives by using conjunctions. Then we discussed what we could write back to them! We have planned some wonderful letters and next week we are going to write a letter to the children in Kenya. 

In Maths we have all been Brave Banana's and Resilient Rebels this week! We have worked really hard to add and subtract by making and crossing the ten. We have put our number bond knowledge to good use. 

On Wednesday we participated in an amazing Outdoor Adventurous Learning with Louise from Wild One Adventures. First we played a game of North, East, South, West where we had to find the correct direction linked to the animals. We worked together to discuss the countries of the UK and we used a jigsaw to make them. We also had signs for the seas of the UK. We found where The English Channel is, the Irish Sea, the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Next we explored habitats. We recapped that they are somewhere a living thing lives. We went on an adventure to see how many worms we could find. We looked on the ground not up trees! We went on a stream walk and found different living things on the way which we discussed, such as fungus and conkers! Louise told us lots of facts about fungus. We collected worms and made our own 'wormery.' What an amazing Science and Geography lesson! Mrs Harrison has put the video and some more pictures onto Seesaw. 

In Art this week we have added colour to our fantastic Ranti Bam inspired clay tiles. 

In French we have continued learning about our families and how to describe them.

In Performing Arts we discussed why it is imported to follow instructions and do good listening. We played lots of games where we had to follow instructions. We also played a game of opposites. 

In Computing, we focused on hip hop. We discussed what we new about urban and hip hop music. We then used garage band to make some hip hop songs. 

In PE we continued with football and we practised tackling each other. Then we played some mini matches. We also thoroughly enjoyed gymnastics. 

For our RE lesson this week, we took part in the Interfaith Panel. People from different faiths came to talk to us and we had lots of opportunity to ask them questions about their life and their religion. We really enjoyed this! 

We have also taken part in 'Hello Yellow' and worn yellow to raise awareness for Young People's Mental Health. 

As part of our Black History Month learning we have produced a list poem all about Ranti Bam. Mrs Harrison has put the video onto Seesaw. 

Autumn 1 Week 5- wb 30.09.24

We have had a lovely week in Year 2! In Maths we have been looking at spotting different patterns and related facts to be able to support us in completing some super problem solving! Ask us about fact families at home and see if we can tell you the related facts for a question like 4+6=10. 

In English we have been completing our extended writing in role as a Wildebeest! We have retold the story but from the perspective of a wildebeest using first person. We have worked incredibly hard and our pieces of writing are extraordinary. 

In Science this week we have been exploring micro habitats. First we looked at what a habitat was, then how different habitats suit different living things. Then we went into the woods to find different micro habitats! We found nests in the trees and even a rabbit hole! 

In Geography we have compared the weather in Kenya to the weather in the UK. They even have different seasons over there! Next week our English learning will look at Kenya too so there will be lots of retrieval opportunities. 

We have also had a visit from the fire service this week who taught us what to do if we were ever involved in a fire. They also made us all promise to check our smoke alarms. 

In French we recapped our learning from last week, and learnt a new word J’ai which means I have. We played a game in groups where we had to match the word to the picture. 

In PE with Junior Jam we worked on our ball control skills. We dribbled the ball half way then passed it to our partner making sure we didn’t kick it too hard. We then had to try get our ball through the ‘gate’ practising our aiming skills.

 In Gymnastics we practiced our forward and backwards rolls. We practiced standing up without putting our hands on the floor. We took it in turn to perfect our form!

In Performing Arts we talked about how it is important to warm our voices up before we perform. We warmed up our voices by repeats after me activity. We then talked about how we can use emotions to control our voices. We had to say a word in an emotion and we had to guess which emotion it was. We then immersed ourselves into a character and performed an emotion in groups. 

In Computing we focused on ‘electric’ music. We listened to some different music and tried to guess what instruments were being played. We then had a turn at making our own music on garage band. 

Autumn 1 Week 4- wb 27.09.24

This week has been a busy one in Year 2! In English we have written and performed some superb riddles about different animals from The Ugly Five! We have also learnt and performed the story using actions and focusing on our tone and intonation. You can watch this on Seesaw. We have been sequencing the story and have been planning an innovated version so that next week we can write our own version from the perspective of the wildebeest! 

In Maths we have been counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 3. We have used equipment to create number lines counting in different steps. We will be starting our addition and subtraction unit next week. 

In Geography, we became meteorologists! We looked at the weather for Darwen as well as the four capital cities of the United Kingdom. Then we worked as a group to put together an amazing weather report! We didn’t forget the yellow weather warning currently in place. 

In Science, we went on a walk to look at human habitats and how they meet our needs. We discussed how they all had a roof for shelter and all had walls for warmth. We discussed our other needs to ensure we survive and how our house meet them. Then we drew pictures of our houses and labelled them with how they meet our needs. 

In RE, we looked at the story of how the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered by a goat herder! We retold the story in role as the goat herder! 

In French, we continued our learning on family members. We described who was in our own families. 

In Art we have used the clay and our tile designs to create some amazing African inspired tiles! They look fantastic! 

In Computing we focused on rock n roll and blues music and why they can go together. We listened to some old music. We enjoyed the 1954 Elvis Presley song, hound dog and 1964 Chuck Berry - No particular place to go. These made us want to dance. We discussed which instruments we could hear. We then created our own rock n roll or blues songs on garage band.

In Performing Arts our questions for the lesson were. Why is it important to warm up? Why is it important an actor has control over their bodies? How can we use our bodies to create characters without words? We played two games then we turned each other in sculptures and tried to guess what we were. 

We then used one body part to control our bodies round the room, when we froze we had to turn into a character. 

In our Junior Jam PE lesson we played sharks and fishes to warm up. And we started to work on our throwing skills. In Gymnastics with Mrs Winward we revisited all the previous positions and doing a forward roll to standing up. We developed our balancing skills with bean bags. 

Autumn 1 Week 3- wb 16.09.24

What a lovely week in Year 2. We have been enjoying the last of the summer sunshine! 

In English this week we have been gathering the content we will need to write our own riddles. We have been exploring what a riddle is and their features. Then we chose one of the ugly five animals from our focus text before using the iPads to research facts about those animals to help form our clues for our riddles. Then we turned these facts into fact files. Next week we will write our riddles! 

In Maths we have continued our place value unit. We have been focusing on counting in multiples of two, five and ten. Then we have been estimating numbers on a number line. We learnt that an estimate is a brainy guess. We also learnt how to work out the intervals on a number line by checking the start and end points. We have also been comparing objects and numbers by using the inequality symbols. <,>,= 

In Geography we have learnt how the different winds (southern, northerly, easterly, westerly winds) affect the weather in the UK. We went outside and made our own wind sticks and used compasses to see which direction the wind was blowing from. 

In Art we have observed some African prints and then we have designed our own African and Ranti Bam inspired tiles. 

In Gymnastics we focused on different jumps, such as skipping and bunny jumps. 

This week we also enjoyed our first Junior Jam session!  In PE focused on running as well as on warm ups and cool downs. We discussed what a warm up was, we warmed up by jogging around the yellow zone and listened for mr Dyson to give us instructions. We then used the cones as ‘hurdles’ and had to jump over them. To cool down we walked around the playground.

In Performing arts we talked about miming. We introduced ourselves and mimed actions to see if we could guess what each other was feeling. We explored different acting techniques and demonstrated actions. We discussed what ‘actor’ meant. We then recapped our learning. 

In Computing we looked at iGenre - we talked about Genre and discussed if anyone knew what it meant. Louie said - about different music. We looked at different types of music, we had to guess what different genres were. We then had an explore on garage band. We will be developing our understanding of genre and decided which one we like the most. For our Online Safety we looked at some basic rules when using tablets. 

In RE, we looked at some different Bible stories and decided whether they were in the Old or the New Testament. 

In PSHE we have looked at different feelings and emotions and how people show these emotions in different ways. We then created scenarios about what we might say to someone feeling this way. 

In French we learnt the names of different family members such auntie and uncle. We learnt actions for some of the different words too. 

In Music we revisited the round we created last week. Then we used the instruments to copy a call and response song. Then we became composers and created our own call and response songs. 

Autumn 1 Week 2 wb 09.09.24

This week has been our first full week in Year 2 and it has been great! In English, we have continued to become more and more immersed in our focus text, The Ugly Five. We have explored the new vocabulary in the book such as divine and ambled! We have also developed our use of tone and intonation when reciting parts of the story. Then we have focused on using adjectives to describe the animals. 

In Maths, we have continued developing our understanding of place value. We have used place value charts as well as partitioning numbers and writing numbers in expanded form. 

In RE we explored why the Bible is a special book for Christians and how the Bible tells God’s Big Story. 

In Science, we have been categorising items. We have established whether they are living, dead or never been alive. We sorted them into columns on a table that some of us managed to draw independently. 

In Geography we have explored the seasons. We have looked at why the UK has four seasons and what the differences between them are. 

In Art, we have explored the artist Rachel Whiteread. Then we have explored clay! We have used different materials to imprint patterns and texture and looked at how to I use a slip pot to get rid of any mistakes we have made. We really enjoyed our Art this week! Today (Friday) have brought home a letter about a trip we are going on at the end of term to a sculpture park.

In PE we played different team games and races. It was great fun! We also had a game of dodgeball and then did some mindfulness exercises to calm and cool down. 

In French, we learnt the names of different family members. See if we can remember at home! 

Autumn 1 Week 1- wb 02.09.24

Welcome to our Year 2 class blog! Each week we will help Mrs Harrison write an overview of what we have been learning each week. This will help our families at home know what we have been up to and will help spark some after school and weekend discussions about our learning and general school life. 

We have settled into Year 2 exceptionally well and we are enjoying being back at school. We seem to have grown up over the summer and we are so ready for our new challenges! 

This week, we have written some amazing letters to Mrs Harrison, we have told her all about our holidays and what makes us wonderful! 

We have also been on a safari! We found lots of different animals hidden around the playground. Then we used adjectives to describe them. We came up with some super expanded noun phrases. We have started to enjoy our new focus text, The Ugly Five and have written some great descriptions of the animals. 

In our maths learning we have been recapping our place value knowledge of numbers. We have been working on grouping objects into groups of ten to make it easier to count. 

We have also started our new Science topic which is living things and their habitats. We have started this by looking at how we know we are alive! We have looked at how we grow, move, breathe etc. 

In Geography we are exploring the weather and seasons. We watched some weather reports and looked at the clouds to explore how they effect the weather. Then we explored how the weather report predicts the weather. We drew a field sketch of the playground incorporating the sky and used weather symbols to show what the weather was like at that moment. Then we predicted what we thought the weather might be like for the rest of the week!

In French with Madame Wardle, we revisited different French greetings and when each one may be used. 

In PSHE we looked at rules, routines and expectations. We established our rules and made pledges for how we can create a positive classroom. 

In Art we have explored the artist, Ranti Bam. She is going to be our focus artist for our current art unit. We learnt that she is a ceramic artist who is of British-Nigerian heritage. We then chose our favourite piece from her collection and explained why it was our favourite using key vocabulary such as contract, colours, shapes and patterns.