English

 

This week in English this week, we’ve been diving into the magic of Christmas poetry. We started by reading ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, exploring its rhythm, vivid imagery, and the way the rhyming couplets help bring the story to life. Inspired by the poem’s festive descriptions and playful language, students then created their own rhyming couplets. They experimented with sound patterns, built their vocabulary, and learnt how a simple pair of lines can paint a whole scene. The results were wonderfully imaginative — full of twinkling lights, snowy nights, and plenty of Christmas cheer!

 

 

Our daily phonics sessions continue to play an important role in developing the children’s reading and writing skills. This week, we have been using Fred Fingers to sound out and spell words, especially trickier ones with more sounds. We’ve also spent time blending sounds to read unfamiliar words more fluently and practising our Red Words – these are words that don’t follow regular phonetic rules and need to be remembered by sight, such as “said,” “because,” and “come.”

The children have also been writing sentences independently, working hard to remember their finger spaces, capital letters, and full stops. They are making fantastic progress in becoming more independent and confident writers. If you have a few minutes at home, going over Red Words or encouraging your child to sound out words using their Fred Fingers can make a big difference. Even a short practice each day helps reinforce what we’re doing in school.

 

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.
AR login: Click here
Parent Guide: How to use Accelerated Reader

Please ensure reading folders are placed in the trays each morning so that we can read with your child and update their books when needed.

Chilton Heroes Reading Certificate – Each week, one child per class will be recognised for their fantastic reading in our Chilton Heroes assembly.

 

Maths

In Maths this week, we’ve been delving into the world of money. The children began by exploring a range of coins, learning to recognise their features, compare their values, and combine them to make different amounts. Once they were confident, we moved into role-play, where the classroom transformed into a mini shop. Students practised selecting items, adding up totals, and working out the correct change, while others took on the role of shopkeepers checking coins and giving receipts. These practical activities helped them build real-life problem-solving skills and made learning about money both meaningful and fun.

 

 

Thematic

In our Thematic lessons this week, we’ve been strengthening our oracy skills by sharing our learning about the Great Fire of London. After researching key events and gathering their favourite facts, the children created eye-catching posters to summarise what they’d discovered — from how the fire began in Pudding Lane to the reasons it spread so quickly through the wooden houses. Once their posters were complete, the class practised speaking clearly, organising their ideas, and using confident body language to prepare for a real audience. The highlight of the week was presenting their posters to another year group, where they explained their facts, answered questions, and proudly showcased their hard work. It was wonderful to see their communication skills shine and their historical knowledge come to life.

Home Learning

This week for home learning we would like you to create groups of Christmas themed rhyming words, as always present this in any way you would like to. If you would like to use these words to create your own poem that would be wonderful!

 

Advance warning for our party day…

Red Romans: Sweet treats

Blue Vikings: Fruits and Vegetables

Yellow Saxons: Savoury snacks (Not crisps)

Green Normans: Crisps and dips

 

Dates to Remember

15th December – No PE this week

15th December – Year 1 Nativity at 9am in hall

16th December – Year 3 and 4 Church Performance at 10am and Year 5 and 6 Church Performance at 2pm, both at St Laurence Church

16th December -Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Christmas Parties – children to wear Party Clothes to school

17th December – Year 2 Nativity at 9am in School Hall

17th December – Year 3, 4, 5, and 6 Christmas Party Day – children to wear Party Clothes to school

17th December – Christmas Dinner Day

18th December – Year 2 and 3 to watch the Pantomime at St Lawrence College

18th December – Christmas Jumper Day

18th December – Final day at school; school finishes at 2pm and there will be no after school club

 

Thank you all for your support and we hope you have a lovely weekend! 😊

 

The Year 2 Team

Miss Maddy Kennedy – Team Sapphire – maddy.kennedy@chiltonprimary.co.uk

Mr Josh Belsey - Team Cornflower - joshua.belsey@chiltonprimary.co.uk