Class 2

Welcome to Class 2!

 Miss Clewes and Miss Ridge

Welcome back! We hope that you all have had the most wonderful summer break and enjoyed lots of lovely sunshine with your families. We cannot wait to hear all about all of the wonderful things that you have been up to!

The aim of this letter is to explain some important things to help us all through the upcoming spring term. Please note that lots of the information will be available on our school website: https://www.faber.staffs.sch.uk

English

During the Autumn term, we will be using a range of texts such as Be More Bernard and The Way Home for Wolf to explore the genres of visual texts, setting descriptions, non-chronological reports and a postcard/letter. Through the range of genres, the children will be creating a range of descriptive sentences, writing in a range of tenses and using a variety of conjunctions to develop their sentence structure.

Maths- Year 1

Unit 1 – Numbers to 10

Unit 2 – Part-Whole within 10

Unit 3 – Addition and subtraction within 10 (1)

Unit 4 – Addition and subtraction within 10 (2)

Unit 5 – 2D and 3D shapes

Unit 6 – Numbers to 20

Maths- Year 2

During this term we will be covering: 

Unit 1 – Numbers to 100

Unit 2 –  Addition and subtraction (1)

Unit 3 – Addition and subtraction (2)

Unit 4 – Money

Unit 5 – Multiplication and Division

RE

Our RE units this term starts with Old Testament stories. We look at some classic ones such as Jonah and the Whale, Daniel and the lion’s den and David and Goliath. We then move on to sharing in the life of Jesus where we think about important people in his life and important experiences for him. We also think about how this can have an impact on our own lives and how Jesus wants us to follow the path God sets for us. We will then be thinking about the importance of advent on the lead up the Christmas celebrations, with a focus on the symbols of advent and how we can ensure we are prepared to celebrate Christmas as true Catholics.

Science

In Science, we will learn all about materials. Throughout our learning in the Autumn term, we look at the different properties that materials can have, what makes a material suitable depending on its properties, how the shapes of objects can be changed, learning the difference between natural and man-made materials, what materials are waterproof and using our investigation skills with materials.

History

A Y2 favourite for history- The Great Fire of 1666. We make contrasts between then and now which are so clear. We also gain experience of using historical evidence to reconstruct the past and work on developing our understanding of cause and consequence. We also think carefully about the empathetic element of the great fire.  We must never forget that though the death toll was incredibly low, thousands lost their homes and valued possessions and had to live for years in primitive temporary tented communities while their houses were re-built. We also have a look at how London was redesigned and get children to think about why certain changes were made.

Geography

In Geography we are learning all about coasts. We will start by learning the four countries that make up the United Kingdom along with their physical and human features. We will then be learning about the seas that surround the United Kingdom, the plants/animals that live around the coast of the UK and the differences between where we live and the coastal environment.

Computing

We will be starting the term with thinking about how we can stay safe online, what should and should not be shared online, what a digital footprint is before moving on to searching using the internet and making music.

PE

In PE this term, we will be focusing on a Monday on the Fundamental Movement Skills of co-ordination (footwork), static balance (one leg), dynamic balance to agility (jumping and landing) and static seated balance. On a Tuesday, we will also be developing our invasion games skills and creating a dance around the theme of the Great Fire of London.

Music

We will be investigating pulse, pitch and note duration (long and short).  Our unit focus is: Music that helps us make friends! What music do we like to dance to?  We will be learning songs based around this theme. We will also continue to learn to play the glockenspiel to develop our improvisation and composition skills. 

DT

In Autumn 1, will be making a wallet or purse to keep money safe. We will learn how to thread a needle and then using a fabric cut out, we will use a simple running stitch to join two pieces together before decorating the front of it. After half term, we will investigate how to make a chair using our knowledge and learning of structures.

Art

In Art we are studying the famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh. We will study some of his most famous pieces of artwork such as sunflowers and starry night, experiment with tone and texture through line drawings. We will then be using Van Gogh’s impasto style through expressive and dramatic brushstrokes to create our own self-portraits.

RSHE

During the Autumn term, we will be learning about the story from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus welcomed all of the little children to come to Him. The five-story sessions encourage children to understand that they are created by God out of love and for love. The children will be learning about rules beyond school, our local environment and jobs within our community. During the second half of the Autumn term, the children will be learning about how they are unique, the differences between boys and girls bodies and how they can keep their bodies and teeth healthy.

Reminders:

• The school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and finishes at 3:30p.m.
• Please remember that PE kit should be in school every day – this will be left on children’s pegs. Our PE days for this term are Tuesday and Friday.
• Please ensure that your child is reading as much as possible, as this is especially important at this stage in their learning. This should be written in the child’s diary each night as these are checked each day by a member of staff. Your child will be given a RWI book bag book which will be given out and changed every Monday. This book will link to the level that your child is working at in phonics.
• Please remember that, along with Class Dojo, diaries are a key form of communication between yourselves and us – if you wish to speak to us directly then please get in touch through the school office.
• Homework for RE and English will be given out separately. English homework will be given out on a Monday to be handed in the following Monday and RE homework will be given out on a Thursday to be handed in the following Thursday. Most homework will involve discussion and an explanation, as well as some optional ideas to complete as a family!
• Mini Maths homework will be sent home daily. This should only take 5-10 minutes per night.
• Snacks and Water Bottles – Children in Key Stage 1 are supplied with free fruit. 
• All children need to bring in a bottle of water only to have available in class throughout the day, clearly marked with their name. We ask that the children only bring in water, not juice please.

Please do let us know if there is anything going on at home that will affect your child’s learning, or if you have any questions.  If you have any messages to pass on either catch us on the yard or pop a message onto Class Dojo.  Alternatively, you can telephone the school office who will pass a message on to us for you. 

Thank you for your continuing support.