TOPICS/CURRICULUM
Spring Term 2
Welcome back! We hope that you had a lovely half term. Mrs Martin and Mrs Lee are very excited to be in Willow Class and are really looking forward to getting to know your children more this half term. Our school value focus for this half term is friendship. We are celebrating good examples of showing this value to one another.
The children loved learning about The Great Fire of London and we know they are equally excited about continuing to explore our ‘Big Question’, in relation to the Titanic this half term. On the first day back, we had an immersive ‘Titanic day where we used drama to retell the events. In due course, we will send out some links for you to continue this learning at home, should your child wish to do so!
At the end of this half term, we are looking forward to our trip to Arundel Castle. Thank you to those parents who have already volunteered to come along!
Spring Term Topic - Discover "Does good come after bad?"
We will be learning about the Titanic:
We are learning that we can learn from history and that historical events lead to change over time. For example, in the past, houses were made out of wood and now they are made out of bricks. For example, in the past, there weren’t enough life boats on the Titanic but now every ship has enough for each passenger.
We will:-
- Create a timeline using some dates and the vocabulary related to the passing of time
- Discuss the effectiveness of sources of information
- Collect and use some relevant material to develop a picture of a past event
- Understand some of the different ways the past can be represented
- We will compare the Titanic and the Great Fire of London and discuss which one we feel had the greatest impact.
Our project concepts for this half term are Community, change and responsibility.
English Learning
In English, we will be writing a variety of text types- narratives, diaries, information brochures, letters and descriptive writing.
We will learn:
- How to use a range of vocabulary to enhance descriptive writing
- To use time adverbials at the beginning of their sentences
- To continue practicing using fullstops, capital letters and finger spaces in their sentences
We will also be reading: Survival Tails. We will be reading this chapter book at the end of each day, pausing to ask questions about how the characters may be feeling, what certain words mean and predicting what could happen next.
Mathematical Learning
This half term we are learning about:
Mutliplication
- We are learning how to recognise, make and add equal groups.
- We will learn about multiplication as repeated addition.
- We are learning about the multiplication symbol for the first time and using it to write multiplication sentences.
- We will look at the 2, 5 and 10 times tables and learn how to divide by these numbers through sharing and grouping
- We will be investigating what happens when you multiply by 1 and 0 and create generalisations.
PSHE Learning
We will be finishing off our safety unit by learning about the difference between secrets and surprises, naming body parts and looking at the concept of privacy, focusing on the NSPCC PANTS rule. We will then be starting our local community topic. Learning about rules outside school, caring for the school and local environment and exploring the roles people have within the local community.
Scientific Learning
We are learning about materials:
During science week, we will be conducting our own investigation about which materials
are the most suitable for certain purposes. We will be building upon our learning from Y1, where the children learnt to name a variety of materials and understand their properties.
- We will investigate what happens when you melt crayons and how this changes their use
- We will investigate which materials you can twist, bend and squash
When working scientifically, pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Measure using simple equipment
- Record results in a table
- Use data to answer a simple question
- Research using secondary sources
Music Learning
We will be learning the song ‘I want to play in a band’. We will learn how to play, improvise, compose and appraise rock songs.
Faith and Wonder Learning
We will be looking at why Easter matters to Christians. We will learn how salvation is part of the “big story” of the Bible and the symbolism of the cross. We will create Easter cards and postcards to share when we visit Church, to share the Good News.
Computing Learning
We will be learning about Data handing. We will be able to design digitally drawn items, create an algorithm and read data.
PE Learning
In outdoor PE, we will be developing children’s skills for throwing and catching. In Dance, we will be enjoying keeping fit with Jump Start Jonny and we will be creating a piece which combines different types of movement, working individually and with a partner.
How can you help?
- Continuing to read regularly at home to an adult, with lots of discussion about the books.
- Supporting your child with learning their spellings, discussing the meanings of words, putting them into sentences and reviewing spellings from previous weeks. Use the
- Continuing to play Numbots at home. In Y3, children will start TTRS and so it would be great for your child to complete Numbots by then.
Events/Trips planned for this half term
- World Book day: 7th March
- British Science week: 10th March
- RNLI visit: 10th March
- Arundel Castle visit: 3rd April
- Mr Jee’s last day: 4th April
Further dates and information may come out from the Office throughout the half term.
If you have any resources you are happy to loan to us or have any particular knowledge about any of our focuses, please let us know.
Class emails:
willow@stmargaretsprimary.org.uk
cherry@stmargaretsprimary.org.uk
The Year 2 team