Year 2

Year 2 is a very exciting year where we cover the topics ‘The Great Fire of London’, ‘Marvellous Maps’ and ‘The Victorians’. We make sure we have lots of fun while we learn and undertake lots of practical work in groups and pairs but we are also starting to begin more independent and structured learning.

Reading is hugely important and we are developing fluency, understanding and most importantly, we are learning to love books! In writing, we are beginning to write a little more. We love to get really stuck into a good book and then we use this to give us exciting ideas for our own stories, instructions, recounts and poems. Phonics is still very important and we use the sounds we have learnt to help us with spelling. In maths we are continuing to develop our mental arithmetic skills and we also learn how to write down some other methods. Maths is very hands on and we use lots of resources to help us. We enjoy practical work in all of our other subjects and we try to link these with other areas of the curriculum.

Year 2 is the last year of Key Stage One and we take this responsibility very seriously as we know we are role models for younger pupils. We are also excited to be getting ready for Key Stage Two!

Curriculum Intent

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a unique and special place where our faith is at the heart of all we do. Our children     learn to live the Gospel values of love, forgiveness and peace.  Within our federation of Aspire London we use the National Curriculum and believe that our children deserve for it to be tailored to their needs.  With this in mind we have prioritised the things we want our children to enjoy, experience and remember during their time with us. 

Our curriculum at Aspire London has a set of ‘drivers’ developed from the deep knowledge of the pupils and their families within our School community.

The drivers which shape our curriculum ensure we give our pupils aspirational opportunities throughout their primary school years.  We provide our children with the wealth of knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community and wider world.  The breadth of our curriculum encourages pupils to be ambitious, develop an inquiring mind and a life-long love of learning.

Curriculum Drivers

Significant People: Aspire London will: Develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and people, past and present, who shape it Provide identifiable role models to raise ambition and aspiration

Community: Aspire London will: Immerse the children in the historically rich and diverse nature of London Give pupils an understanding of the positive impact of migration and a cultural appreciation of our community

Equality & Justice: Aspire London will: Empower pupils to be advocates who address issues of prejudice and discrimination Ensure pupils value fairness and resolve differences through positive discussion

Environmental Responsibility: Aspire London will: Educate children of the need to protect God’s planet from environmental damage Create eco- friendly citizens who are aware of the impact of their individual actions and those of the wider world.

Summer Term 2024

English In English, we will begin the summer term by learning about Queen Victoria. We will use her own personal journals to hear about key events in her life and will use these to write in the role as a famous Victorian. We will read many other stories written during the Victorian period and will focus on Alice in Wonderland which will give the children many interesting and unusual ideas for their own writing. We will also read some Roald Dhal classics but will spend more time on The Magic Finger. The children will develop their written comprehension skills by answering questions about the story and they will use their imagination to decide on their own Magic Finger stories! During this term, pupils will be expected to write clearly and coherently for longer pieces of writing. These should be correctly punctuated and include interesting vocabulary.

Maths This term will involve revision of previous topics such as place value, addition and subtraction and multiplication and division. We will also learn about different measures including using different equipment and resources to measure height, length, mass, weight, temperature and capacity.   Pupils will learn about different directions and positions and this will be a very practical topic! We will consolidate knowledge of telling the time to ‘o’clock’, ‘half past’, ‘quarter past’ and ‘quarter to’. We will also look at telling the time to five-minute intervals.

RE We will be learning about Eastertide, and know and be able retell the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. We will be reflecting on times when we remember saying ‘Good bye’ to someone we love and what it was like when they had gone. We will be thinking about the Holy Spirit and how it was sent to help and guide us. We will be learning about the Church and the early Christian Community and how are part of that community. We will understand that when the apostles received the Holy Spirit they spread the Good News that Jesus is alive, and that we can spread the Good News that Jesus is alive and wants us to love one another.

Science We will be learning about plants and be able to name the parts of a plant. We will understand what deciduous and evergreen plants and trees are, and identify and name some deciduous and evergreen plants and trees. We will learn how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy. We will also be learning about animals and be able to explain how animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults. We will find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air), and be able to describe the importance of eating the right amounts of different types of food for humans.

History/ Geography Victorians – we will be learning about the reign of Queen Victoria, and look at differences and similarities of daily life in Victorian times compared to today. We will learn about school during the Victorian era and compare it to school today. We will learn about and understand the importance of Victorian inventions, for example, the postage stamp, the light bulb, and some of the inventors such as Thomas Edison.

Computing We will be learning about how inputs can affect outputs, and exploring editing and combining sounds using music production software. We will be creating quizzes using quizzing software, and create a multi-media presentation by including appropriate media.

PE Gymnastics – we learn how to link actions to make a sequence, individually and with others, and how to compose a co-ordinated sequence. Dance – we will learn how to copy, remember and repeat actions, and use what we see to improve own performance. Athletics – we will learn how to select the most suitable pace and speed for distance when running, we will understand how to choose the most appropriate jumps to cover different distances. We will also be learning which muscles are used when performing different actions.

Art Printing and Textiles – we will learn what a print is, and know that prints are made from a range of materials e.g. sponges, fruit or blocks, using different techniques. We will be creating our own prints by rolling, pressing, stamping and rubbing. We will also alter textiles colour. We will learn about the works of different printmakers including William Morris.

DT Based on research into Victorian toys, children will be learning about moving pictures in the form of flick books and zoetropes. Children will research, design and make their own flick books. They will then work as part of a small group and use a range of collage materials to produce their own moving pictures in the form of a zoetrope. They will follow a simple plan and once completed, evaluate their final product.

Music We will be learning about 3 and 4 beat time signatures, and learn to move in time to a beat. We will be learning about music in Victorian London, and important London venues, such as The Royal Albert Hall and The Crystal Palace. We will learn the Victorian School Song and the Street Children Song, and begin to understand the impact of changing keys within a song. We will also learn about Sir Henry Wood and the Proms.

PSHE/RSE Being my best – we will be learning about positive mind-sets and strategies to support this. We will understand that some choices are healthy and some unhealthy and what difference these make to our health. We will also learn that money can be saved for a future time and understand the reasons why people might do this. Growing and changing – we will be learning about our bodies and understanding the natural life stages from birth to death. We will learn and name some parts of our bodies. We will understand our bodies are good and how we need to look after them.

Summer Term Knowledge Organisers

Useful links:

For speech and language resources and advice and tips for parents working at home with children who have SLCN visit:

https://speechandlanguage.info/parents

BBC Bitesize and Purple Mash are excellent resources for you to use. Click on the icon, have a look and see what you can learn!