Yeadon Westfield Infant SchoolYear 2: Blog items
Date: 19th Jul 2024 @ 2:37pm
As we near the end of the school year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we have been on in this summer term. It has been an action-packed and memorable time filled with growth, learning, and exciting adventures.
Transition has been a significant focus for us this term, as we prepared the children for their move to the Junior school. We organised visits to the Junior school, allowing the children to meet their new teachers and familiarise themselves with the environment. Additionally, we invited the Junior school teachers to visit us and share story times with our children. These sessions have helped to ease any concerns and build excitement for the next chapter of their journey.
Our children have shown immense enthusiasm for our topic this term—Seas and Oceans. From learning about marine food chains, life cycles, and offspring, along with engaging in plenty of practical experiments, to understanding the history of Scarborough beyond living memory, the children have expanded their horizons and embraced the wonders of our world. They have explored geography by studying the oceans and UK seaside locations. Their creativity has flourished through making 3D ocean shoebox dioramas. So much incredible learning and fun has been had by all!
Writing has been a highlight this term, with the children showcasing their incredible skills and imagination. They have improved their ability to communicate effectively with a focus on making their writing more detailed by using expanded noun phrases and conjunctions. Their non-fiction shark reports have displayed their research skills and given them a deep understanding of ocean animals. We are so proud of their progress!
In recent weeks, we have devoted a lot of time to rehearsing, singing, and acting in preparation for our leavers' performance. The children have poured their hearts into this project, and their dedication and teamwork have been truly fantastic. Watching them shine on stage during the assembly will be a moment of pride for us all. They have shown tremendous growth in confidence!
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout the year. As we say goodbye to Year 2, we want to wish our children all the very best as they embark on their new journey into Year 3 and the Junior school. We have no doubt that they will continue to thrive, and we are excited to see the amazing things they will achieve!
Thank you once again for all your support over the year. We hope you have a fantastic summer break filled with joy, relaxation, and wonderful memories.
Best wishes,
Miss Dales & Mrs Sharp
Date: 24th May 2024 @ 10:08am
Dear Parents,
We hope this blog post finds you well. We can't believe how quickly this half term has flown by! It has been a busy and successful six weeks in Year 2, and we wanted to share some of the highlights with you.
One of the overarching focuses of this half term has been the KS1 SATS. The children have been working incredibly hard, and it has been wonderful to witness their resilience, determination, and concentration as they strived to achieve the best they could. We couldn't be prouder of their efforts, and they should be proud of themselves too!
In maths, we have spent time recapping and consolidating arithmetic and word problems. The children have shown great progress and confidence in their mathematical skills. In English, we have been learning all about the Snail and the Whale. The children have written some interesting newspaper reports detailing the events!
Our topic for this half term was "Oceans and seas". In science, we learnt all about sea animals and their habitats. In Geography, we investigated the oceans of the world and used this in History to track the adventures of Christopher Columbus. In Art, we have made incredible shoe box dioramas showing underwater habitats. The sea creatures that the children made out of clay were fantastic!
Physical education has been focused on developing skipping rope skills. Although it can be a challenging skill to master, every child has made good progress and should be commended for their efforts. Additionally, our classrooms have been transformed into temporary homes tadpoles. We've had a fantastic time watching them grow and we are still waiting on our tadpoles to become froglets!
As we head into the holidays, we hope you all have a super break and take some time to relax and recharge. We are excited about the final half term ahead, which promises even more exciting activities. One of the highlights will be the Year 2 leaver’s assembly, where we will celebrate the wonderful achievements of our amazing students.
Thank you for your continued support throughout this half term. We look forward to working together in the upcoming summer term, which we are confident will be a successful and enjoyable one. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Best wishes,
Year 2 Teachers
Date: 28th Mar 2024 @ 2:46pm
Can you believe it? This half term has flown by faster than a knight charging into battle!
Our castle topic has been taking us on medieval adventures fit for kings and queens. But we didn't stop there - we've also embraced the magic of spring, exploring themes of growth and new life. From towering beanstalks to blossoming flowers (in our role play garden centre), the classroom has been alive with creativity and curiosity.
In English, our wordsmiths have been hard at work crafting their writing skills. We've been sprinkling adjectives and conjunctions into our sentences, making them a joy to read. The highlight? Our retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk had some seriously imaginative twists and turns! Every child added a unique element into their story.
In Maths, we've been tackling some challenges with enthusiasm, from adding and subtracting two-digit numbers to multiplication and division. These are tricky skills to master but every child has made progress.
In history, we've been time-traveling back to the days of knights and castles. We've explored medieval weapons, how to defend and attack castles, and dived into the fascinating world of King Charles I and King Charles III, comparing similarities and differences between to two kings.
In DT the children have worked hard to make their own castles with a simple pulley system to create a working drawbridge. The lessons have been full of excitement as they all achieved this. Once they finished, we set up the classroom with their castles and characters and had a magnificent role play lesson where they could pretend they were defending their castles from invaders!
As we bid farewell to this half term, we're already gearing up for more excitement ahead. Next stop? Skipton Castle! Plus, get ready to dive into our brand new topic: 'Seas and Oceans'. It's going to be fin-tastic!
We would like to say a huge thank you for your ongoing support. Parents' evening was a wonderful chance to celebrate your children and all their achievements. Please continue to support their learning at home and encourage regular reading - it makes a world of difference!
Wishing you all a fantastic half term break! See you soon for more adventures in Year 2.
Warmest wishes,
Mrs. Sharp and Miss Dales
Date: 9th Feb 2024 @ 1:41pm
Where has time gone? The children settled back into the rhythm of school brilliantly after their Christmas break.
The topic for this term has been ‘Castles’. The children have all been thoroughly engaged so far in this topic. Our areas of provision allow the children to explore what castles look like, what it was like to live in them and they could even make a catapult!
In literacy, we have looked at the traditional stories: ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘The Princess and the Pea’. The children have written their own versions of the stories, using adjectives and using conjunctions (e.g. and/ but/ or/ so) to extend their sentences. Miss Dales and Mrs Sharp have been blown away by their unique and lively stories. We are continuing to work on punctuation, neat handwriting and spelling, particularly ‘common exception words’.
In Topic (science, history, geography, art), we have looked closely at castles. Geography lessons have involved looking at maps and locating Skipton castle. In history, we learnt how to attack and defend a castle and how toilets have changed over time. The children were very grateful we no longer use moss and a stick after we have been to the toilet! Our science lessons have been practical as we learnt about properties of materials and looked at the best materials to use when building a castle. This led us to work in groups to make castles using card, plastic, metal, and fabric. Finally, in art the children have been creating a Coat of Arms that is special and unique to them. They spent 5 weeks developing drawing and painting skills and using texture
In maths, we have been extremely busy. We have covered place value, addition, subtraction, fractions ( ½ and ¼ ), measuring and time! Children have worked practically when covering these skills and we will be consolidating these skills again next half term. Time is a very tricky concept to master so please practise at home too.
In PE, we have been looking at gymnastics; the children have worked individually and in pairs to combine groups of movements to create short routines. The children have also spent several weeks developing their ‘attack, defend, shoot’ skills. During our outdoor PE sessions, the children have been working in pairs and larger groups to attack and defend targets.
The children in Year 2 take part in whole class reading sessions almost daily. These sessions help to develop confidence, pace, fluency, comprehension and reading with expression. Please continue to read at home with your child at least three times a week. Please return reading books on a Monday morning and we will exchange the book and send a new one out on Monday afternoon. Our library day is a Tuesday.
Thank you again for your support this half term. It has been a busy (and quick) one. If you have any questions then please speak to a member of staff in Year 2 and we will be happy to help.
Many thanks,
Mrs Sharp & Miss Dales.
Date: 22nd Dec 2023 @ 12:38pm
The children had a special surprise visitor this morning. Santa chatted to the children and delivered a present to each class. Thank you!
Date: 22nd Dec 2023 @ 10:28am
Hello! Christmas already?!
What an amazing half term we have had! The children have settled right into year 2 now and we are having a great time.
In literacy, we have looked at the fiction and non-fiction texts. The children have continued to use adjectives to enhance their own versions of stories and have worked hard on writing skills. We are continuing to work hard on the presentation of writing and accuracy in spelling.
In Topic (science, history, geography, art, DT), we have focused on Guy Fawkes and Remembrance Day and have become quite the historians!
This half term in maths, we have looked at multiplication, division, 3D Shape and time. We continue to use practical games and methods to work out the answers.
In PE, we have been looking at gymnastic movements and particularly rolls. Miss Worton and Mrs Sharp are now confident in teddy rolls after much practise! We have also been working on team work skills and games in our outdoor P.E lessons. It has been a little chilly but the children love going outside and so we have wrapped up and got stuck in!
We have had lots of other busy and exciting events this half term including our trip to the theatre, the Santa dash, Christmas Fair and, of course, our nativity. Thank you to all the parents who showed their support and came to watch the performance. How well the children did! We are so very proud of them and they thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for your support this half term. If you have any questions then please speak to a member of staff in Year 2 and we will be happy to help.
Many thanks,
Miss Worton & Mrs Sharp
Date: 8th Nov 2023 @ 2:59pm
Date: 27th Oct 2023 @ 9:46am
Welcome to the first Year 2 blog of the year! This first half term has gone incredibly fast as we have all been very busy settling into a new year. Year 2 comes with more responsibility for the children who are now the role models of the school! There are lots of weekly jobs the children can volunteer for such as playground friends, bell ringers, door openers, chair monitors and more. Those who have school dinners are given the opportunity to be servers and help at lunch time. We have found that the children have risen to these roles brilliantly. Well done children!
The topic for this half term is Space. It is such an interesting and engaging topic and will run through until the end of the next half term too.
In literacy, we have looked at the stories, ‘Here Come the Aliens’, ‘Wanda’s Space Party’ and ‘Toys in Space’. The children have used their imagination, creativity and lots of adjectives to enhance their own versions of these stories. We have been impressed with their originality and unique ideas. We are working hard on the presentation of writing and beginning to model the use of joined up writing.
In Topic (science, history, geography, art, DT), we have learned so many fascinating facts about what can be seen from space, what can survive in space and who has been to space! The children have been thoroughly engaged during these lessons and have enhanced the sessions by adding in their own thoughts and space facts. The Wonder Dome experience was a real highlight for the children and brought all our learning to life. In art, the children spent three weeks creating a wonderful space scene where they used different paint, collage and pastel techniques. In DT they had the opportunity to design, make and evaluate their own 3D space rockets using recycled materials. They could all talk about what features they liked, what they would improve and how they could make their models stronger and sturdier.
In maths, the children have impressed us with their understanding of key concepts. This half term we have looked at place value, counting in 2, 5, 10s, naming familiar 2D shapes, doubling, halving, addition and subtraction. We continue to use practical games and methods to work out the answers. We have a bank of favourite maths songs on YouTube, ask your child to show you these!
In PE, we have been looking at body management and how to control our bodies. The children have spent several weeks developing their ‘send and return’ ball skills. Rolling, pushing, bouncing, catching and working out which is their dominant and non-dominant side. We stress the importance of being physically active in school and encourage the children to develop these key skills at home. If you don’t have a ball to hand, you could play catch with a pair of socks!
The children in Year 2 take part in whole class reading sessions. These sessions help to develop confidence, pace, fluency and reading with expression. Please continue to read at home with your child at least three times a week. Please return reading books on a Monday morning and we will exchange the book and send a new one out on Monday afternoon.
Thank you so much for your support this half term. It has been a great start to a busy and fun year. If you have any questions then please speak to a member of staff in Year 2 and we will be happy to help.
Many thanks,
Mrs Sharp & Miss Worton
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 4:01pm
In our Computing yesterday the children looked at fictional planets and whether they would be in the Goldilocks Zone. They then designed their own planet along with a fact file. The children went outside and created their own galaxy. Well done Year 2 Red!
