Y2 Goldfinches

Year 2 Home Learning Offer

Please see the Greenfinch page for Year 2 Home Learning Offer

Goldfinches' Blog

Year 2 Spring Update

Year two have had an amazing Spring 1! We have done some wonderful work on the BFG. We have learnt what a diamante poem is and wrote our own, and learnt the skills to write a non-chronological report. We have also written some disgusting descriptions on the mean giants from the story, soon to be put on display! Along with our writing we have made some beautiful (but scary!) watercolour giant sketches. We have learnt all about use of colour, mixing colour and warm and cool colours in Paragon.

In our Paragon topic, The Age of Discovery, we have become experts on dreamers, explorers and inventors who were around in the Renaissance. We learnt about the journey Ferdinand Magellan made, discovering the Spice Islands, we baked spiced biscuits to try out the amazing flavours he brought back to Europe!

In Science we have learnt all about living things and their habitats. We’ve studied habitats, microhabitats, environmental issues and looked at how we know if something is living, dead or never been alive.

In maths we have improved our multiplication skills as well as getting really good at dividing. Most recently we’ve learnt about telling the time to quarter to, quarter past and to five minutes.

We have been so impressed with Year Two and can’t wait for another brilliant term!

Year 2 Autumn Half Term Update!

Year 2 have had a brilliant first half term! We had so much fun learning about the Stone Age and how Cave people lived. We had a great School trip, saw some real Stone Age tools and found out about how people lived in Whitehawk in the Stone Age! We had a fantastic Paragon event, thanks to all those who came along and helped make our amazing cave paintings and Stone Age necklaces. We have written some amazing informative instructions on how to look after a Stone Age animal, on display in our Pet Shop! Year 2 also wrote some brilliant imaginative portal stories.Please keep signing up and logging onto Maths with Parents to continue our great maths work!In Autumn term two we will be studying the topic; The Middle Ages. We will be learning all about Kindoms and Castles in England and around Europe. We will be creating some amazing drawings of Castles using light and dark shading techniques. We are going to be looking at Materials and their uses in Science. We will find about why we use different materials for different things. We are going to be testing materials to make some strong shields like a Knight would have!We are going to be learning how to write descriptive recounts. We will be having an exciting mini firework display! We will also be doing some Knight training. Then we will and writing a recount all about it!In maths we will continue our work on word problems and using the bar model, then learning all about measuring length. We will be learning how to measure in millimetres, centimetres and metres! We will learn to use meter sticks, rulers and tape measures.

Welcome to the new school year - September 2019

Hello! I am so excited to start teaching at City Academy Whitehawk. I've lived in Brighton for many years working in different schools. I love teaching year 2 and we have lots of really exciting things to learn about. In my spare time I enjoy walking my dog Arnold and swimming, I can't wait to start swimming lessons with Goldfinch class! I'm looking forward to getting to know you all this year!

We are both really excited to get started on our first Year 2 paragon topic, The Stone Age. We will be learning all about woolly mammoths and how people in the Stone Age had to hunt down their food! We think it must have been quite scary! We have lots of fun making some stone age tools out of different natural materials.

In writing, we will be composing and performing a class poem about woolly mammoths, writing some instructions using How To Wash a Woolly Mammoth and creating some exciting and mysterious portal stories using what we've learnt about the Stone Age to imagine what it would be like to be transported back in time!

In maths, we will be learning how to be super mathematicians working with numbers up to 100 and practice adding and taking away in word and number problems using lots of resources to help us.

In science, we will be looking at what people need to survive and this will link to our Stone Age discoveries of how Cave people used to live, we think it will be a bit different now!

Please keep checking the Year 2 page of the website for our latest news, messages and copies of letters.

Miss Jones

Monday 17th June

Year Two have had an incredible start to our last term.

We have kicked off our new paragon topic by visiting Take Shelter at Downs Junior School where they have restored original air raid shelters underneath the playgrounds! This trip was very kindly funded by The Brighton Lions Club and The Lacey A Tate Trust. Here are some of the things the children said about the day:

"We went there to see the air raid shelter, it was underground!"

"We met Allan, he was a child when World War 2 started. He was born in London but moved to Brighton after his house got bombed."

"We saw a gasmask and a pistol! You needed gas masks to save you from poisonous gases. You had to quickly put your mask on when you heard the air raid siren."

"When we went into the air raid shelter it was a little bit dark, we were under the ground, it was exciting! "

"We also enjoyed looking at photographs of the air raid shelters in our school. We’d love to be able to go in them one day."

"It was the best day ever!"

"I can't believe how scary the war was. The children must have been very brave."

Goldfinches and Greenfinches have also really enjoyed learning about plastic pollution in English and Arts Week. We researched some facts and wrote persuasive posters about why people need to change their habits to save the oceans. We were so shocked by what is happening! In Arts Week we continued this learning and created a huge ocean themed mural using plastic bottle tops that we collected. It took a long time to stick them all on but we think it looks fabulous. Our skill for the week was collaging so we also created sea creatures from different recycled materials, plastic bottle tops and plastic bags. They took a long time to create but we are really proud of the finished pieces.

We hope you get some ideas of how to keep our sea plastic free by reading our posters next time you are in school.

All children's posters and artwork will be available to view at parents consultation.

Year 2 Reminders:

Please remember to ensure you child has the following every day

- named water bottle

- named book bag or bag

- named PE kit (in every day of the week)

- named school uniform (especially jumpers/cardigans)

Please also continue to support your child by reading with them each night at home and completing the Maths With Parents challenges. This will really help your child prepare for Year 3. If you have any questions please do ask your child's class teacher.

Friday 5th April

Well done to each and every Goldfinch for an amazing Spring Term. Children have impressed all the adults who work with them through their hard work, positive attitudes and kindess. We are really looking forward to a brilliant Summer Term where the hard work and progress can continue.

We have set Year Two 3 super Easter Challenges;

1. Paragon Home Learning

Attached is the new home learning for next term. We are learning all about the Victorians! We love seeing what you get up to and the time you take to complete the challenges. Please contact your child's class teacher if you have any questions.

Home Learning

2. Maths With Parents

There is a new topic uploaded ready to go for your child to show off their shape learning. We hope you enjoy exploring the activities. How many can you complete before the beginning of term?

3. Easter Reading Challenge.

Your child came home with a special Easter reading record and a challenge. If you misplace this or your child was absent then don't fear - you can complete the challenge anyway! Children have been given the mission to read 18 times over the Easter break and fill up a reading record. If you'd like to keep a note of the reads seperately and bring that in, that is fine!

We really appreciate all the ongoing support Y2 parents have given and thank you in advance for giving your child these opportunites to progress.

Happy Easter!

Spring 2 Home Learning

Please find here the Spring 2 Home Learning for Year 2.

Y2 Spring Home Learning

February 2019

Year 2 have been enjoying getting as disgustingly descriptive as possible and creating artwork to match! We have been reading the BFG and writing character descriptions about the mean, cruel and dishevelled giants. Children have used amazing words like vile, despicable and gargantuan to describe them and, in Paragon, used our sketching and painting skills to create illustrations to match.

In maths Year 2 have been learning to tell the time and improving their multiplication and division skills. Have you asked your child about their Maths Target Time? Every morning children are working in special maths partners to learn to confidently count in 2s, 5s, 10s and 3s or to learn multiplication facts. When they have mastered one of these they move onto a new challenge. Purple challenge lies in wait for children who complete all of the others. We have been incredibly impressed by the effort children are putting in to learning their counting and their progress is showing that.

There have been many children who are putting a lot of resilience into their maths learning and continuing it at home using Maths With Parents. We are so amazed by how many Mathscots have earned new outfits! Look out for special certificates for children trying hard to practice their maths.

In science we have been learning about habitats and adaptation. This song about it has been a real hit! We hope you enjoy listening to it with your child:

Camel Adaptation Song w/LYRICS

Most recently we searched for and made our own micro habitats. Can your child remember what a micro habitat is?

Many children are also continuing to make a huge effort in their reading at home - well done you! Children are making great progress through the colours and we would love to see even more children reading regularly at home. Do speak to your child's class teacher if you have any questions about this.

Finally, we have, again, been impressed with the beautiful home learning that has been arriving all term. Mrs Baker's display is full of wonderful dream catchers and children in Miss Scozzafava's class have created some lovely artwork. The home learning challenge is on the website for anyone who would still like to complete an extra challenge.

Thank you for all your support this term.

Miss Scozzafava and Mrs Baker

January 2019

Year 2 have had an incredible autumn term. Everyone in the Year 2 teaching team were really impressed with children’s hard work and determination across all areas of the curriculum.

One highlight was our DT and Paragon learning where we planned, designed, made and tested Middle Ages shields. We had a lot of fun but found we had to use a lot of perseverance, resilience and effort to make the final product and really enjoyed showing them off in the assembly.

This term we are looking forward to learning all about talented artists, brave explorers and creative inventions from the Renaissance. We will be painting, sketching self-portraits and baking biscuits using spices discovered by a famous explorer. We will also be learning new geography skills like naming continents and oceans. Watch this space for some exciting videos and games to help your child learn them.

In English we will be reading Roald Dahl’s BFG. This is a firm favourite for Year 2 and we know the children will love hearing about the gruesome giants and the magical dreams. Has your child read anything else by Roald Dahl? We would love to hear about it! In maths we are continuing to learn about multiplication and division and then moving on to telling the time and understanding fractions.

Watch this space for updates from the teachers – we will be putting up lots of helpful home learning links as we learn our new skills.