Wow! What a wonderfully busy week we have had in Year 2! Although it has been a shorter week, the children have continued to amaze us with their sparkling enthusiasm, fabulous focus and super attitudes towards their learning. Every classroom has been buzzing with excitement, and we are so proud of all the hard work, determination and creativity the children have shown throughout the week.

English
This week, we completed our final week exploring Emily Brown and the Thing. We have absolutely loved diving into this exciting story and the children have shown such a brilliant understanding of the characters, plot and themes throughout our learning.

To draw all of our fantastic learning together, we focused on summarising the story and discussing the important skills needed to do this successfully. The children worked incredibly hard to identify the key events and important moments from the story, making sure they were not simply retelling every detail. We were so impressed with how maturely they approached this challenge and how confidently they explained which parts of the story were most important.

We also continued developing our wonderful comprehension skills by answering questions about the text and discussing what adventures Emily Brown and the Thing might get up to next. The children shared some wonderfully imaginative ideas and enjoyed using clues from the story to support their thinking.

In writing, we have been focusing on bringing action and excitement to life! The children explored using onomatopoeias to make their writing more dramatic and engaging, as well as direct speech to help bring characters to life. “The children picked this up brilliantly!” Miss Kennedy exclaimed. The classrooms were filled with exciting sound words, adventurous ideas and lots of enthusiastic writers!

To showcase their amazing writing skills, the children created their very own problem for the Thing and wrote a brand-new adventure for Emily and Stanley. We were completely immersed in their zesty and imaginative stories! Their use of verbs and adverbs really shone through and helped make their writing exciting, detailed and engaging to read. We were especially impressed by the children’s confidence when using direct speech and how creatively they developed tension and action within their stories.

Next week, we are very excited to begin our brand-new text, The Lonely Beast, and we cannot wait to see where our learning takes us next!

 

Reading

Reading at 3: Every Friday at 3, our doors will open for you to come in and enjoy a quiet read with your child. This will be for the full 15 minutes, and we kindly ask that children are not taken home early during this time. Reading folders: Some children are bringing home two books – one of these will be a Read Write Inc (RWI) home book, which we ask them to read three times throughout the week to help build fluency. These books will be changed by an adult. The second book (with the coloured sticker) should be changed independently by your child – ideally first thing in the morning. Some children have moved onto the Accelerated Reader programme and will be able to change their books once they’ve completed the quiz online.

 

Maths

In maths this week, we have been learning all about measurement, with a particular focus on mass.

The children became magnificent measurers as they explored how to use scales accurately to measure objects in both grams and kilograms. They approached every activity with fantastic enthusiasm and showed great care when reading the scales carefully.

We explored the important fact that 1000g is equal to 1kg and practised comparing and ordering different masses using mathematical vocabulary such as heavier, lighter and equal to. The children impressed us with how confidently they applied their understanding during practical activities.

To finish the week, the children worked collaboratively to measure a variety of classroom objects before ordering them from lightest to heaviest. They loved investigating different items around the classroom and enjoyed discussing their predictions before measuring. It was wonderful to see such fantastic teamwork and mathematical thinking taking place.

Next week, we will continue exploring mass alongside the four operations.

 

Thematic
This week in thematic, we put on our DT hats and became material-joining masters!

The children focused on developing their sewing skills and explored different techniques including running stitch and over stitch. This was a tricky skill that required lots of patience, perseverance and careful concentration, but the children tackled the challenge brilliantly.

We were so impressed by the resilience and determination they showed whilst learning these new techniques. Threading needles, controlling stitches and joining materials carefully certainly tested their perseverance, but the children continued to encourage themselves and each other throughout the week.

It has been lovely watching their confidence grow as they practised and refined their sewing skills. Their final pieces looked fantastic and we are incredibly proud of the care and effort they put into their work.

Next week, we will continue exploring different ways to join materials and begin thinking about how these skills can be used within our own designs.

 

Home Learning
In English this week, we have been focusing on action and adventure writing.

For your home learning challenge, we would love you to put yourself into a story! Perhaps you have lost something important on a remote island, discovered a hidden treasure map or travelled to the moon to rescue somebody in danger!

Use your imagination to create a thrilling adventure and remember to bring your writing to life using powerful verbs, exciting adverbs, direct speech and onomatopoeias.

We cannot wait to read all of your wonderful and imaginative ideas!

Be as creative and have fun!

 

Red words of the week

poor, pretty, prove, should, steak

Dates to Remember

Monday 11th to Thursday 14th May – Year 6 SATS taking place

Friday 15th May – Year 6 London Trip

Monday 18th May – Year 5 and 6 Viking Games at Upton (packed lunched required for year 5 and 6 and these children to wear sports kit)

Tuesday 19t May - Year 3 and 4 Viking Games at Upton (packed lunched required for year 3 and 4 and these children to wear sports kit)

Wednesday 20th May – Year 1 and 2 Viking games at Chilton (year 1 and 2 children to wear sports kit)

Wednesday 20th May – Year 4 class assembly at 2.50pm (parents invited)

Thursday 21st May – Reception Viking Games at Ramsgate Arts Primary School (Reception children to wear sports kit)

Friday 22nd May – Be here, be you, belong parade on top field from 2pm. Children to wear clothes that they feel express who they are, this could be from an outfit from a hobby they have, to bright colourful clothing. All parents invited to watch.

 

We hope you have a lovely weekend and we can’t wait to see you on Monday!

The Year 2 Team 
Miss Maddy Kennedy – Team Sapphire – maddy.kennedy@chiltonprimary.co.uk 
Mr Josh Belsey – Team Cornflower – joshua.belsey@chiltonprimary.co.uk