Year 2 Summer Term
English
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation and Phonics
This summer term we continue to embed phonic knowledge of alternative grapheme learnt in Year 1 through spelling rules and patterns. Fortnightly homework continues to cover the spelling rule that is being taught in class each week.
Those children that did not pass the phonics screening at the end of Year One will continue to practise their sounds and blending linked to the phase most appropriate for them. They will complete the phonics screening again in June.
Children should be practising the spelling of words that are sent home each week. These include Year 2 common exception words.
Writing
We will continue to embed knowledge of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs ensuring that the children can recognise each of these word groups and use them in their work when developing sentences. We will also recap statements, commands, questions or exclamations. The children will use commas to list words, apostrophes to show possession and for contraction. We will explore past and present tense.
This term, the children will be writing poetry, narratives and non-chronological reports that link to the seaside. They will be encouraged to read through their writing to check that it makes sense. At this stage in the year we encourage children to include plenty of detail and description in their writing to engage the reader including through the use of; adjectives, precise verbs and adverbs. They should extend their sentences using a variety of conjunctions (and, but, so, because, if, when, etc.) and explore starting sentences using a variety of openers. We will also recap statement, command, question and exclamation sentences. Through the different genres of writing the children will consolidate their skills of using commas to list words and apostrophes to show possession and for contraction. There will also be an emphasis on presentation and handwriting, ensuring that all letters are formed correctly and they are correctly orientated. The children will also be given the opportunity to self-assess their work and edit it to make improvements.
Reading
Each child will be provided with a reading book from school. They also have weekly Guided Reading sessions where the children focus on predicting, summarising, developing reading with pace and fluency and improving comprehension skills. To help embed the children’s reading skills and build confidence, we recommend that children read at home for at least 10 minutes every day. This could be their school book or another book that they enjoy reading. It is also important to ask your child questions about the text to ensure that they have understood what they have read. Please see attached our list of recommended books for Year 2. These are all high quality texts that have been chosen specifically for their suitability for children in Year 2.
Maths
This term we will be looking at; Length and Height, Mass, capacity and temperature, Fractions, Time, Problem solving and efficient methods, Position and direction, and Statistics.. Fortnightly, homework tasks will be set so you can support your child’s learning in maths. We will also set games for them to play on Power Maths to provide them with a fun way of practising and consolidating skills. We practise mental calculations at the start of each day. We alternate between ‘Securing Skills’ one week and ‘Operation Challenge’ the next. Through these tasks we place a strong emphasis on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division number facts. We will also continue to focus on problem solving and reasoning across all areas of the maths curriculum.
History
Our new topic is ‘What is a Monarch?’ During this topic, we will cover lots of History knowledge and skills. We will describe what a monarch is and explain why coronations take place. We will learn how William the Conqueror became King of England and identify how he built castles while ruling England. We will then explore how castles have changed and identify features of a castle that would be effective when defending against attacks.
Science
Science this term will focus on Plants. The children will observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants. They will investigate and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy. We will do this by making close observations of seeds and bulbs, classifying seeds and bulbs, researching and planning when and how to plant a range of seeds and bulbs, looking after the plants as they grow – weeding, thinning, watering etc., making close observations and measurements of their plants growing from seeds and bulbs, and making comparisons between plants as they grow.
RE (Religious Education)
Over the year, Year 2 discover and explore the religious beliefs, traditions and customs linked to; Christians, Muslims and Jewish people. This Summer Term we will start to look at the holy books linked to the religions previously taught and compare how they are similar and how they are different. We will look at how they are treated in their places of worship and what messages their stories teach us.
Computing
This term we focus on communicating and the way we do this using a computer. The children will learn how to send, read and reply to emails. They will also learn how to attach pictures. They will learn how to create slideshow presentation with text, pictures and animation. Alongside this, they will learn how to keep themselves on the internet using our SMART rules.
PSHRE
This term the children will be learning about the human life cycle and labelling the parts of our bodies. They will continue to look at what humans need to survive and stay healthy; and how to keep themselves safe.
Art
In Art, there are two more units to cover. Firstly, we will be exploring the mixed media of clay. The children will investigate how to use impressing and joining techniques before designing and creating a house tile.
Drawing -
DT
Structures – fairground wheel
PE
Over the year the children will take part in gymnastics, team games, ball skills and dance. They will be developing their fine and gross motor skills, balancing and moving at different levels and linking movement together. The children will also practise working together in teams, listening to and supporting each other, and develop their ball skills. They will be practising using their listening skills during PE lessons in order to follow simple instructions and rules. They will learn the rules for a variety of warm-up games which they can then adapt and use on the playground during play times.
If you require any further information regarding the curriculum for Year 2 please speak to your child's class teacher.
