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Year 2 Gallery of Events 2021-22

Take a look at some of the fun things we have been doing in Year 2.

Design Technology - May 2022

Today we are in the “skills” part of our sequence.  This is where we practise the skill needed to be successful in our design process. It’s a chance for us to trial and error different techniques. In this lesson we are testing out a wheel and axle mechanism before we make our own secret agent vehicles this week. Lots of great team work going on this morning!

 

RSE Lesson: How we are important to God - May 2022

Today the children have started their RSE lessons where we learn about ourselves, how God created and loves us all equally and our relationships with God and others.  Today our first lesson was about how we are important to God.

Neil Armstrong - May 2022

Delving into the life of another explorer! Neil Armstrong will be under the microscope for the next two weeks as the children explore his life and achievements.  They couldn’t believe that a human being actually landed on the moon but I think they were actually more shocked at the quality of the Tv footage from 1969 

 

Secret Agent Training - May 2022

This week Year 2 have begun preparations for their Secret Agent Training sessions, also known as SATs! 
Of course the first skill we needed to learn how to move like an agent! We had to sneak around and pause when the music stopped so we would blend in.
Our next task was to design our very own gadgets! We had to choose seemingly ordinary objects and give them fantastic features to help us on our spy missions. What a great morning we’ve had!

 

Christopher Columbus - April 2022

Year 2 diving into their History topic about Explorers. They have discussed all about the life of Christopher Columbus. 

Stay and Pray Morning - April 2022

Thank you to all of the parents who attended our  Stay and Pray morning. The children really enjoyed making crafts and saying special prayers together.

 

Giving Thanks - March 2022

As we finish our “Giving Thanks” topic in RE, the children perform their Para Liturgy. They write their own prayers, choose the songs and stories to listen to from the Bible. This time they decided that they wanted to spell out the word “joy” with their bodies, write prayers of thanks to their parents and to God for the beautiful world we live in. We listened to the story of The Last Supper and the children discussed how it made them feel “emotional” as Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks.

 

Mother's Day Assembly - March 2022

Wow!! What a beautiful way to spend a morning! We can't thank you all enough for coming this morning to celebrate our Mother's Day Assembly. The children were incredible and we are two very proud teachers today.  We hope all of our amazing Mums, Aunties, Grandmas, Sisters, Cousins and special female role models have the most wonderful Mother's Day. You all deserve the world and we couldn't do our job without you. Thanks a million!

 

Skipping Workshop - March 2022

Today Year 2 enjoyed their skipping workshop! It was definitely NOT easy and we even had a few tears and “I just can’t do it!” But we always say “I can’t do it YET” and the resilience they showed was amazing! Congratulations to Millie Rose who won the competition with a streak of 17 unbroken skips!

Plants - March 2022

Today we asked “what do plants need to survive?”
The children understood that, like us, a plant is a living thing and needs things to survive. They grew their vocabulary with the words “nutrients” and “oxygen”. Very soon we will be conducting our own experiment into how plants grow!

 

Reading Comprehension - March 2022

W e are almost at the end of our chapter book The Boy Who Grew Dragons  Things are starting to get really exciting! The team now have their own dragons and todays task was to use the description to draw Kai’s dragon. We discussed the vocabulary, highlighted the key points and made links to the colours in peacock feathers. Absolutely brilliant creations from the children today. Drawing what we’ve read is a really useful tool to see if the children can actually visualise what’s happening in the story.

 

Lent - March 2022

Today in a special service at school, Year 2 received their ashes from Father Michael. We have discussed how this is the start of a very special time in our faith called Lent.  The children understand that today marked the start of this celebration and time of preparation. They also talked about how Lent is an opportunity to become closer to God by either giving up something we enjoy or trying to do an extra good deed each day.  

 

Colour Topic - February 2022

Our “colour” topic has really inspired the children to play around with different tones! Today we even created our own stormy sea painting using different tones of blue. The children were amazed that they could create such a brilliant piece with a little paint, a bit of patience and lots of resilience.

Valentine's Day - February 2022

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! The children brought in photos of loved ones from home and we celebrated the origins of Valentine's together in class.

 

Imperative Verbs - February 2022

This week we are working on writing a set of instructions in our English lessons. We are reading "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka.  The wolf in this story told us that he only ever wanted a cup of sugar for his dear old Granny's birthday cake but we did not believe him for a second! Inspired, we decided to create our own birthday cake for Granny wolf with what she really wanted. The children suggested that she'd enjoy the three pigs, rabbits, lambs and other cute animals. Someone even suggested bacon which really made us chuckle!  The children created their own mixture using imperative verbs with their partner such as 'sprinkle/ chop/ mix/ peel/ stir/ slice.

 

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Eco Champions - February 2022

For two weeks in a row Year 2B have won the Eco Trophy! A huge thank you and well done to our Eco Warrior who takes her role very seriously. I'm so proud that all of the children are so passionate about saving our planet and cleaning up the oceans!  

 

Reading Comprehension - January 2022

In Reading Comprehension, it is really important to make sure that we understand what we have read. One of the ways we like to do that is by drawing what we are reading!  Today the children had to find the adjectives used in our story to describe the dragon and build up a picture using them. We loved it! We also had a good chat about the phrases such as 'eyes like diamonds' and what they actually MEAN to a reader. Very impressed with our creations today!

 

Colour Topic - January 2022

Our new Art topic focuses around 'Colour' and we are studying the painting 'Shadows on the Sea' by the artist Monet.  The children explored the primary colour, blue, and experimented with adding black or white to create different light and darker tones. They loved how many different tones they were able to create by simply adding small amounts of each colour!  

The Rebuilding of London - January 2022

Today in History we explored how London was rebuilt from the ashes. We talked about how the people in power made changes to the structure and materials of houses and buildings. The children understood that the new materials needed to be fireproof to avoid another catastrophe.  We also looked in depth at The Monument designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr Robert Hooke.

The Trial of The Big Bad Wolf! - January 2022

We hope you've brought your energy today children! We can't wait to see you soon in our very own courtroom for The Trial of The Big Bad Wolf! Explore the evidence, listen to the witnesses and cast your vote.  Is he innocent or guilty? Today YOU, the jury, decide...
 
What DRAMA we've had in our courtroom this morning! Our jury made notes, listened to the evidence and interviewed our very nervous witness, Grandma!  Once the votes were cast and counted, the final verdict was.....GUILTY!  We are still deciding on his sentence but I've got a feeling this Big Bad Wolf is going away for a long time.

Science - January 2022

We are loving our new topic all about Materials. Today we discussed the physical properties of different materials, we used our senses to describe what they felt like.
The children went on a materials hunt around the school and worked in pairs to give physical properties of what they found.

 

The Plague - January 2022

As our topic comes to a close on The Great Fire of London, today the children discovered something even WORSE than the blazing catastrophe! Today we explored what life in London was like during The Great Plague. Naturally, a lesson all about poo being flung out of windows was disgustingly fun!
They could not believe how dirty the streets of London used to be and how things like vaccines simply did not exist. We talked about how much we have adapted since the 1600's in terms of hygiene and medicine with some help from our friend Ronnie the Rat.
The children even concluded that The Great Fire of London actually had ONE positive impact, that it totally eradicated The Plague once and for all! Definitely one of our most smelly, gross and disgustingly good fun lessons so far :)

Storytime Basket - January 2022

Year 2 had an mysterious package delivered this morning! We wonder which character has delivered our new story this time?

Bag Design Creations - December 2021

Today Year 2 finally got to bring our designs to life in the 'create' part of our Design Technology sequence and we've had such fun! I am blown away with the final products. The children used excellent problem solving skills and resilience to join the fabrics and make handles that would hold the weight of something in their bag. Well done everyone!

Elfie Selfies and Meeting Father Christmas! - December 2021

When one of our beautiful children was asked "What would you like for Christmas?" they replied
"I'd like a present for all of the homeless people so they can have a nice Christmas too"
I almost melted with pride! I'm definitely the luckiest teacher in the world.

DT Bags - December 2021

We’ve moved onto our “skills” lesson in Design Technology today! This is our opportunity to practise the skills we need to create our bags later on. The children had a choice or masking tape or pva glue to join two pieces of fabric. We had to evaluate which technique would be the most effective. It wasn’t as easy as we first thought!

Christmas Concert - December 2021

This afternoon Year 2 were treated to an amazing concert performed by our Year 4 children!  Year 4 have been working so hard with Mrs. Chalk to play different pieces of music. Year 2 were able to spot the difference in pitch and the different dynamics used in the songs!

 

The Great Fire of London - How would we extinguish the fire?  December 2021

Today's History lesson was all about exploring the different equipment that people used to extinguish the fire in 1666. We had to time how long it took to get the bucket of water from one side (The River Thames) to Thomas Farrinor's Bakery. We had great fun trying to put the fire out as fast as we could! The children said " this isn't effective because it takes too long" and "the fire is spreading as we speak! The bucket isn't quick enough."

 

Advent Wreath - December 2021

In this special time of Advent, the children are learning all about the Advent Wreath and why it is shaped as a circle, to reflect God's never ending love for us.

End of the Day Story - December 2021

During December we are now enjoying our end of day story around the Christmas treee, all comfy and cosy!

Final Art Project - December 2021

Wow!! We are so proud of our final Art project. The children have worked so hard on their drawing skills, using different techniques such as blending and smudging to create different effects. They were even able to draw 3D houses! We have some future artists in this room!

North Pole Delivery - November 2021

On this magical, wintery morning we have had a special parcel delivered straight from the North Pole! Our new story is called Katie's London Christmas by James Mahew. We absolutely loved this adventure story and made lots of links to our learning about The Great Fire of London.

The Great Fire of London Art - November 2021

Our Art lesson this week has been focused around smudging as an effect during drawing.  We looked at the painting of The Great Fire of London by Lieve Verschuier and used oil pastels to smudge the colours of the fire together.

'Big Write'  World War I - November 2021

For the last few weeks the children have been reading stories about the war. Today our learning culminated in their 'Big Write' lesson where they were tasked with writing a war diary of a soldier in the trenches.
When I tell you that we are BLOWN away we really mean it! Words cannot describe how impressed we are with the quality of their writing this week. Everyone tried so hard to include our new vocabulary words, adjectives and emotions! A huge well done to everyone!

One Kind Word - November 2021

As part of our learning around Anti Bullying Week, our School Council and Wellbeing Ambassadors have distributed 'one kind word' envelopes.  Each day contains one kind word that we as a class will try to bring into the world that day.  Today's word is 'joy' and I can't think of a better bunch to spread some joy around St. Mary's!

Our differences are what make us unique! - November 2021

All of our odd socks remind us today that things that might seem 'odd' 'weird' or 'strange' to others are exactly the things that make us special and are the things that we should celebrate in one another.

Remembrance Day - November 2021

Year 2 created some beautiful art work around remembrance day. In their English lessons, the children have been thinking about how the soliders in the war miust have felt in the trenches.  We learnt how to say a special prayer called 'an eternal rest' to remember all of our loved ones in heaven during November.

Diary Entry - November 2021

We found a curious object waiting for us in class this morning. The children decided it must have been a diary entry from a soldier in the past! We were very excited to open it and read what the solider had to say.

S.H.A.P.E. - November 2021

Year 2 enjoyed playing 'would you rather' to pracitse our new S.H.A.P.E regime. S.H.A.P.E helps us to learn to be great speakers and listeners. We are learning to keep eye contact with our speaker and atriculate the words we want to say.

Spooky Skeletons - October 2021

Spooky skeleton costumes for Dead of the Dead celebrations!

Dia de los Muertos Booklets - October 2021

This morning we have created information booklets all about 'Dia de los Muertos' and the children really enjoyed exploring the traditions of the festival. We talked about how it originates from Mexico and how it is a chance to be happy and celebrate the lives of our loved ones in heaven. We also looked at how people create altars to celebrate their loved ones and make the day a really happy, thoughtful one.

Day of the Day Shrines - October 2021

We made alters to remember our loved ones.

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Day of the Dead Celebrations - Ocotber 2021

Year 2 have had a great day celebrating Day of the Dead. We made wreaths for our doors.

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Day of the Dead Celebrations - October 2021

To kick start our Day of the Dead celebrations, the whole school were tasked with making a wreath for the classroom doors. The children all worked as a team to create this masterpiece! The flowers were tricky and tested our fine motor skills but we are so impressed and proud of our hard work.

Gender Stereotypes - October 2021

Today in class Year 2 explored a very important life lesson all about gender stereotypes.  The children were shocked to learn that some people think certain jobs are for boys and certain jobs are for girls!  This afternoon we smashed gender stereotypes out of the water and we all agreed that it doesn't matter what gender you are. If you work hard and try your best you can do any job that you want to!

Music Lesson - October 2021

This week in music, we listened to a very different genre! The piece is called "The Night Ferry" written by Anne Clyne. Our focus this week was to listen out for the crescendo within the piece and create a visual score using symbols. The children loved it and made links between the music and a boat on the stormy seas. They generated adjectives for the music such as "spooky" "mysterious" "dangerous" and "adventure".

Forest School - October 2021

Year 2 have loved searching in the forest school for minibeasts and microhabitats.

Holy Rosary - October 2021

As October marks the month of the Holy Rosary, Year 2 have begun to say special prayers in class using the rosary beads. The children say the Hail Mary, The Our Father and a Glory Be together as we think of loved ones.

Wet Playtime Equipment - October 2021

Year 2 have never been so happy to see rain so we could play with our brand new wet playtime equipment! We gave our suggestions to our School Council Reo last week and we were so happy to receive so many new games and things to play with. Thank you School Council!

 

African Patterns - October 2021

This term in Art, the children are exploring the strand of 'Printing' and have been looking at the structure of African patterns. They worked very hard to create some intricate, brightly coloured beautiful patterns of their own.

 

Special Gift - September 2021

What a surprise we had waiting for us this morning! The children walked into class to find another furry creature had brought us a special gift! A tiny lion had left us a present wrapped up on our story telling chair.
Our text this week will be How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens. The class have already made some great links between this story and other books and films.

Music Lesson: Can I critique a song? - September 2021

This week in Music, our Learning Challenge was "Can I critique a song?"
The children listened to The Beatles 'With a Little Help from my Friends' and we talked about emotions that the lyrics made us feel. The children said that it made them feel 'happy' 'joyful' and 'full of love' for their friends in class. There was lots of dancing and grooving!

Osebo the leopard! - September 2021

Year 2 had a very exciting morning with a furry friend that came to play!  A gift had been left for us by our newest story character, Osebo the leopard!