Science – Sow and Grow

The children continued their new science unit by investigating our Big Question: Are plants alive? They learned about two important botanists, George Forrest and Charlotte Taylor, and discussed what scientists do when they study plants. Using equipment such as tape measures, rulers, hand lenses, tweezers and iPads, the children practised observing closely and asking simple scientific questions.

Later in the week, we explored the school grounds to find out what plants grow at Chilton. The children identified a variety of flowering plants and trees, compared their features, and began creating simple classification groups. They used key vocabulary such as plant, flower, leaf, stem, habitat and microhabitat to describe what they found.

Oracy skills were woven throughout: active listening, speaking in full sentences and taking turns during discussions.

SPaG

In SPaG, the children revisited vowels and consonants, learning that vowels are a, e, i, o, u and that y can behave as both. They also practised the spelling rule ‘ve’ at the end of a word, helping them to build confidence in reading and spelling. Children practised spotting capital letters and full stops, including proper nouns like Rapunzel. They enjoyed hunting for punctuation in the text and correcting sentences. They also practiced spelling some of our common exception words:

Was

Said

Some

Come

When

What

School

Once

Friend 

Maths – Number and Place Value

In maths, Year 2 worked on recognising tens and ones using base‑ten equipment. They practised using equality symbols and learned to explain numbers such as 34 = 3 tens and 4 ones. This hands‑on work helps build strong foundations for place value. We have also been ordering numbers. We were able to order numicon, base 10 and numerals. We also had a go at ordering numbers written as words.

English

 In English this week we have written character descriptions. At first, we focused on Rapunzel and spent time building simple and compound sentences accurately. We then created our own fairytale character and described them with a range of adjectives.

Next week, we will using verbs and adverbs to describe the witch from the book. Again, we will focus on accurate sentence construction.

Love 2 Learn Task– Sow and Grow: Become a Botanist!

This fortnight’s practical homework invites children to become real botanists and explore the plants in their local environment.

Task: Plant Detectives – What Grows Near Me?

Children should go on a short plant hunt in their garden, local park, or street. Their job is to observe, identify, and record at least three different plants they find.

What to Do

• Observe closely Look carefully at each plant. Notice the leaf shape, flower colour, stem, and size.
• Identify the plant If they know the name, write it. If not, they can describe it using simple features (e.g., “tall stem”, “yellow petals”, “big leaves”).
• Record findings Children can draw each plant or take a photo and add labels.

Please continue reading with your child 3 x per week and record this in your reading record.

Bonus points for practicing spelling our common exception words of the week!

Was

Said

Some

Come

When

What

School

Once

Friend 

 

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Howard, Mrs Barlow and Mr Belsey.