This term we have begun our ‘magnificent monarchs’ topic in English and history, looking in particular at British monarchs from the past one thousand years. We have made a timeline of the royal houses/historical periods from 1066 to the present day, have mapped significant monarchs on to our timelines, have considered how the power of monarchy has changed over the centuries, and we will shortly be looking in more detail at William the Conqueror. We are continuing to learn the year 2 spelling rules in English, as well as focussing this term on extending our use of conjunctions in our written work. We are currently writing an information leaflet about Leeds Castle, incorporating correctly-used conjunctions, in addition to the grammar and punctuation rules we have learnt throughout the year. In class we have enjoyed sharing Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince and Nick Sharratt’s The Cat and the King, as well as Victoria Whelan’s Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine and numerous non-fiction texts. These class books are in addition to our ‘reading practice sessions’ on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, where the children read their phonics books in small groups with guidance and support from a teacher. We hope you have continued to enjoy listening to your child reading their phonics books to you, and that you have valued the opportunity to share their weekly ‘book for pleasure’ at home. Thank you for remembering to return both books each Monday so they can be used by other children.
In maths we have learnt all about fractions (halves, quarters, thirds), and we are continuing to embed the x10, x2 and x5 times tables, including related division facts. We will shortly be moving on to learning how to tell the time (to the hour, half hour and quarter hour) – please support your child’s maths fluency by continuing to practise their times tables regularly at home (ideally daily) via the Times Tables Rock Stars website (log-on details were sent home last term). Children who would also appreciate extra support with their foundational maths skills are still able to access the Numbots website for additional practice with place value, addition and subtraction.
Animal survival is our focus in science this term, observing and recording the life cycle of a box moth, and learning what animals need in order to survive and thrive. We are exploring Islam in RE, are enjoying learning about metre via Shostakovich’s orchestral pieces in music, and in PSHE are exploring relationships, including how to resolve issues with friends. Golf and tennis are our foci in PE, and in computing we have been learning how to use apps to generate and edit music. In DT are learning how to make neat and accurate stitches, and in art we have studied portraiture, both via sketching and digital means.
It has been a very full term! Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support for your child’s learning.