Reading is a huge focus in our class and we support children to become fluent, confident readers. Our Year 2 children will continue their phonics journey using the Read, Write, Inc programme until they have completed the scheme. The focus will then shift to developing our comprehension skills in daily reading lessons. Children are also exposed to a range of engaging books and a love of reading is fostered through our daily story time.
Writing is a significant part of our daily timetable as children learn to write narratives and reports inspired by high quality texts. Children will be taught some tricky grammatical terminology, including expanded noun phrases, subordinating conjunctions and adverbs. They will learn to add commas and apostrophes to their writing, as well as continuing to develop their understanding of the range of punctuation they have been introduced to in Year 1. There will be a greater focus on handwriting in Year 2, with correct letter formation being emphasised, helping the children produce clear and well-presented writing.
In maths, children learn a range of strategies to allow them to add and subtract with two-digit numbers. Strategies are introduced using a structured approach that moves from real life resources (concrete) to drawings and diagrams (pictorial) and finally to written methods (abstract), for example, column addition and subtraction. Children are encouraged to apply their skills by solving challenges and real-life problems to deepen their understanding of the number system and their calculation strategies.
In addition to our core subjects, children are taught a diverse range of topics through our foundation subjects in engaging and inspiring lessons.
Science is an important part of our curriculum in which children are encouraged to ask questions and carry out investigations. Children work as scientists to explore: living things and their habitats, plants and uses of everyday materials.
In geography, children will discover more about the world by learning to identify the five oceans, comparing the seven continents and carrying out field work in the local area. History lessons teach the children about significant individuals who made a difference such as Rosa Parks and Florence Nightingale as well as teaching them about past and present English Monarchs.
Children’s creativity will be fostered through our termly art projects which include recreating still life paintings, studying portraiture back to the Tudor period as well as exploring various artistic methods to make flower art. Design and Technology projects teach children to prepare food, create moving mechanisms and begin to develop sewing skills.
Children will also participate in weekly RE lessons to learn about world religions, computing lessons to create code and spreadsheets, music lessons to listen to and appraise different genres and PE lessons to stay active. Our PSHE curriculum teaches children about relationships, to celebrate differences, how to stay healthy, how our bodies change and to understand their feelings.