St Paul's CofE Primary School
Year 2
20 December 2024
This week has been extremely busy as we prepare for christmas! The children sang beautifully during Monday's Nativity performance and I am sure that they will also do a fabulous job during the service in church tonight. We have enjoyed a puppet show and a Pantomime this week and we are looking forward to our christmas party tomorrow followed by carols around the tree.
The children will bring home a Maths and an English Homework activity to complete which is due on Friday 10th January. School finishes at the usual time of 3.15pm tomorrow and resumes on Tuesday7th January.
Wishing you all a wonderful christmas. Enjoy making lasting memories with your little ones and most of all enjoy the magic of christmas!
Thanking you all for your support over the year,
kind regards, Mrs. Clarke.
22nd November
In Year 2 this week, the children have been continuing to learn about our World, in particular the Oceans and Continents. In Science, we explored where our food comes from and the journey of food from the farm to our plates. We particularly explored how living things such as plants and animals provide our food. In RE we searched for Angels in a short video clip taken from Blackburn Cathedral. We discussed how Angels are represented in the Bible and the important messages which the Angels delivered. The children drew pictures of Angels, including features such as golden halos, bright eyes, white gowns and wings. In Maths we have been working hard on subtracting amounts using a variety of different methods and completing our ‘5 a day’ challenge every morning. In PSED we are exploring what makes us unique and special and who our special people are. Another very busy week of learning in Year 2!
15th November
In Year 2 this week the children have been working extremely hard on their handwriting and presentation skills. In English we have been gathering ideas to describe the different illustrations in the story and the various story settings. We have continued to use the column method in maths and ‘rename’ ten ones as one ten when we have too many ones! The children were thrilled to learn about the Angel Gabriel delivering the message about Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. They understand that angels are God’s messengers and we also explored why God chose to send the special message to the shepherds. In Geography we learned that there are 7 continents and identified each continent on a map. We are all working hard on our comprehension as we read ‘The Glassmaker’s Daughter,’ in our ‘Steps to Read’ lessons. A very busy week once again year 2!
8th November
In Year 2 this week, the children have been exploring and using the Column Method in Maths to add amounts together. They have also explored other methods, partitioning amounts into tens and ones and then adding them together. We have also completed a ‘5 a day’ Maths challenges every morning this week. In English we have been analysing the text, ‘The Night Gardener.’ The children analysed how the author organised the text and the language features used throughout, for example similies, suffixes, adverbs and conjunctions. We continued to learn about how good news is shared in the Bible in our RE lesson and discussed how the Angel Gabriel delivered the good news to Mary. We discussed how Mary might have been feeling and thought of some questions that we would like to ask Mary and the Angel Gabriel. We are going to continue to learn about how messages are conveyed and the importance of Angels in the Bible. We started our Computing lessons last week and will focus on computing this half term. In Geography we used an Atlas to locate Wigan on a map of the UK and also the 4 countries and their Capitals which make up the UK. In Science we learned about the importance of Food Chains for the survival of animals. Another very busy and hard working week for all of us!
1st November
This week, the children started new topics in all subjects! We are now learning about Our World in Geography, in particular where we live, in which country and continent. We are revising the names of the countries and their capital cities which make up the UK. In RE, we started to discuss good news and listened to the story of the Angel Gabriel who delivered good news to Zechariah. We imagined that we were unable to speak and had to relay the good news to Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife. We sequenced the story and wrote a letter to Elizabeth, with illustrations to explain what had happened. In Science, we explored animal habitats and researched what types of animals live in different habitats and what they eat to survive. We have now started to immerse ourselves into a new text in English, ‘The Night Gardener,’ by Eric Fan and Terry Fan. We are continuing to work hard on our handwriting, grammar and punctuation. We wrote predictions about the story, a poem using similes and also learned about adverbs, suffixes and conjunctions and how to apply them in our writing. As it is Black History Month this month, we are also learning about Martin Luther King.
18th October
This week the children have completed their ‘Circular Narrative’ stories. We have worked extremely hard on using our plans to write our stories, using purple pens to edit our stories and include the grammar which we have been working on this half term. We are very proud of our first piece of writing in Year 2! In Maths we have been learning how to add amounts using different methods such as number lines and the Base 10 equipment, adding the ones first before the tens. We are now learning how to add amounts using the column method. Again this reinforces the rule of adding the ones first before the tens! We have been reviewing our knowledge over the half term in History, Science and R.E and discussing what we have learned so far. Thank you for all of your donations of food for the Harvest Festival and of course it was lovely to finally be able to go into the newly refurbished St. Paul’s church.
11th october
This week the children have been working extremely hard on writing their stories using their plans. We have now finished writing our stories and will be working on editing them and writing the completed versions into our extended writing books. In Art, the children have brought their characters to life! They have drawn what they think their characters look like and used facial expressions to reflect how their characters may be feeling as they journey through the different story settings. In Maths we have continued to work on number patterns and sequences. In particular we have focused on how to work out the rule so that the children know what number comes next. In R.E. the children have been learning about how the Bible was initially put together using the Dead Sea Scrolls and we explored how these scrolls were first discovered. On Wednesday we welcomed some very special visitors, Wigan Warriors came into school to show us the Grand Final cup ahead of this week’s game. The children waved flags and recorded a good luck message which the players will listen to on the coach on their way to Old Trafford. Come on Wigan!
4th October
In Maths this week, the children have been exploring number patterns, using the equipment and 100 squares to work out the sequence of numbers and identify the missing numbers in the number pattern. We have been working extremely hard on our plans to write our own ‘Circular Narratives’ in English. We created our own characters and described our journeys along the river through different story settings, based on the book ‘A River.’ I cannot wait to read all of the children’s stories when they are finished! In RE we focused in particular on the New Testament of the Bible. We compared this to the Old Testament and discussed the differences between the two parts. We realised that in the 27 books which are in the New Testament, that there are lots of stories showing Jesus’ compassion towards others, which is also our class value in Year 2. In Science we explored microhabitats and the types of animals which can be found living in microhabitats, in particular ‘Dung Beetles.’ In History we learned about the types of jobs which children endured during the Victorian era and the poor and dangerous conditions. Another very busy week for Year 2, well done everyone for all of your hard work!
27th September
In Year 2 this week the children have been working extremely hard on their handwriting and presentation. We have been contrasting settings in our story, ‘ A River,’ and writing a setting description using lots of new descriptive vocabulary. In RE we have been learning about the parts of the Bible, in particular the Old and New Testaments. We explored stories from the Old Testament, including the story of the Creation, Jonah and the Whale and David and Goliath and completed our Bible designs. In Maths we are exploring number bonds using the Whole, Part, Part model and developing a much greater understanding of place value (Tens and Ones.) We contrasted schools during the Victorian era with schools of today in History. In Science this week we revised ‘Living Thing,’ and started to classify living, non – living and things which have never been alive! We discussed what the main features of living things are – How do we know that it is living? We are working hard on understanding our own feelings in Personal and Social development and beginning to understand how we can recognise how others may be feeling and how we can respond. Another very busy week in Year 2, well done everyone!
Thank you to all of those who attended the ‘Meet the Teacher’ on Tuesday after school. I will attach the power point on class dojo.
20th September
The children are settling extremely well into Year 2. They particularly enjoyed learning about Queen Victoria this week. We discovered that she was tiny, less than 1 metre and a half tall. We used a metre ruler to measure my height. I discovered that I have something in common with Queen Victoria! The children were very amused by this interesting fact! In RE, we explored a variety of different Bibles. We selected and gave reasons for our favourite choices and then designed our own front covers. In Maths we have been comparing numbers using the greater than and less than symbols and further developing our understanding of place value and number bonds. We have been working on our drawing skills in Art and we are learning how to create texture when we draw. I am extremely proud of all of their hard work this week, an amazing week Year 2, well done!
13th September
The children have had a very busy and productive week and are certainly building up their stamina for Year 2! We have been continuing to Immerse ourselves into the text ‘ A River,’ exploring the main character and writing a character description. We are working hard on our sentence accuracy work and grammar. In Maths the children have been building amounts using the Base ten equipment and developing a greater understanding of place value (tens and ones.) We have introduced the ‘Crocodile’ greater and less than symbols to compare amounts. Miss Wilkinson talked to the children during our RE lesson about the Bible which will be our focus over the next few weeks. We began our History topic, ‘The Victorians’ and have started to learn about Victorian Britain. We are working hard as a team to fulfil the pledges which we made last week and earning our blessings treat!
6th September
Good afternoon,
It is lovely to be working with your children again in Year 2. They are obviously so much more grown up compared with when I taught them in reception. It is so exciting for me to teach them again and watch them grow and learn!
This week has been a new start for all of us, including myself in Year 2. We have been learning all of the new routines this week and making our pledges for Year 2. We have been extremely busy in Literacy as we started to read 'A River' by Marc Martin and 'Once upon a Wild Wood,' by Chris Riddell. In Maths we have been learning how to count in tens to 100 and making amounts using tens and ones.
Before we start our new topic in History, 'The Victorians' the children completed a knowledge quiz - based on what we had remembered from our History lessons in Year 1. We appear to have a very competitive class who love a quiz!
Our PE days are Mondays and Tuesdays. Please can you ensure that your child brings their PE kit to school on Monday. A polite reminder that earrings are not permitted to be worn at any time as this is stated in the uniform policy. Please can earrings be removed or covered by a small plaster if ears have recently been pierced.
Many thanks, Mrs. Clarke.
Previous Academic Year
15th July
In our last blog of the year, I’d just like to say a massive thank you to absolutely everyone for their support, dedication and hard work. What the children have achieved academically, socially and emotionally is fabulous, and a credit to all who have been by their sides along their learning journey. I wish you all a very peaceful holiday and an even more successful future. X
12th July
Moving up days have been a success this and the children have told me how excited they are to be moving up to Year Three. If there are still questions from yourselves or from the children (I’m sure there will be), please ask.
Along with learning about the life cycle of a frog in Science, we also had a visit from Mad Science on Thursday, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. Also on Thursday, we also watched the Year Six dress rehearsal for their end of year performance. Year Two loved watching this, it was super entertaining and even had a child ask if they’d be doing the same in Year Six. It’s a long time away yet but there’s plenty of time to practice!
5th July
During Wakes Week we have had the opportunity to visit our local park and learn about some of the history of Wigan. It was a lovely morning, and all the children were well-behaved, taking a real interest in everything they saw. A special thank to Mrs Cash for being an informative guide!
In Maths this week, we have been investigating volume, measuring liquids in litres and millilitres and in Geography we have put our map reading skills to the test by comparing how London has changed from the past until the present day.
Well done Year Two for another successful week of learning!
28th June
This week in Science we have been learning about the life-cycle of a chick and investigating what chickens need to grow healthy and produce healthy offspring (we also discovered that eggs come in colours other than brown!). In Geography, we have looked at some of the famous landmarks in London and in Maths, we are measuring volume in litres.
In preparation for Uganda Day next week, we have spent some time learning to skip and once again our children are showing how determined and resilient they by not giving up!
21st June
This term we are learning about Geography, and we are currently locating London on a map, while reviewing the other countries and capital cities in the UK. In Biology we are continuing to learn about life cycles; this week we have learnt about how offspring inherit genes from their parents and in the following weeks we’ll be learning about the life cycle of butterflies and of frogs!
In English, we are continuing to write about our fabulous inventing characters, and I am really enjoying the children’s stories come to life.
Wishing you a peaceful weekend in the sun x
14th June
This week in Year Two, we are continuing to learn all about time and have been focusing on o’clock, half past and quarter past. We did some fabulous learning about fractions last term, so we are able to make some important connections.
In English, we have started to create our own characters and inventions based on our book Rosie Revere, Engineer. We are really enjoying being innovative inventors!
I hope you all have a peaceful weekend and enjoy whatever plans you have made for Father’s Day. Happy weekend!
7th June
Well done Year Two for a wonderful start to our final term. We’ve taken part in and enjoyed some fabulous events this week, including Sport’s Day and the girl’s Disney football.
In Science we have been learning about the importance of exercise and how beneficial it is for our physical and mental well-being so we’ve really been able to put our learning into practice with all our sporting activities this week.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend, thank you for a lovely week.
24th May
What another fabulous term! I am so proud of all our Year Two children, they are absolute superstars. I hope you all have a wonderful, well-deserved and relaxing holiday.
Thank you for your continued support, it really is appreciated. Happy holidays everyone!
17th May
I’d like to start this week by saying a huge well done to all the children in Year Two for all the hard work and concentration they have put in during our assessment period so far. This week we have been tackling our reading assessments and next week we will be completing our arithmetic and reasoning papers.
In Maths this week we have been learning all about time, and of course the children have been asking about the important times in the day; break time, lunch time, tea time and home time! In History we are continuing to learn about the Great Fire of London, discussing what houses were made of and how this contributed to the spread of the fire.
Well done Year Two, I hope you enjoy your very well deserved warm weekend.
10th May
We have done some fabulous learning so far this term! In Maths we are tackling fractions, which the children have a good grasp of (especially when we are talking about fractions of cake 😊). In English we are enjoying writing a persuasive letter about why the dark is so important to us; how will Santa come down the chimney if there’s no night time?
In History there’s been lots of enthusiasm whilst learning about the Great Fire of London and we are currently in the process of creating our own model version of a street in 1666. Oh, and the sun has been out, which has made playtime even more enjoyable!
28th March
It may only have been a short term but that doesn’t mean there was any less learning! Year Two have worked really hard and continue to make us all very proud.
With an eye on next term, we will be learning about the fire of London in History, which I know some children are already excited about! In Maths we will start to look at fractions and in R.E. we will be learning about how Jesus was a friend to all.
Until then, I hope you all have a peaceful and pleasant holiday!
22nd March
In Year Two Maths this week, we have been looking at the properties of 3D shape and the shapes we would need to build 3D structures. In Science we are continuing to look at what plants need to grow and have spotted some roots growing on the baby Spider plant in our class experiment. Finally, we have created some beautiful Easter cards ahead of next week’s card competition. Thank you to everyone for your contributions and thank you to the children for showing kindness by sharing their resources. Well done everyone.
15th March
In Year Two this week, we have been comparing the similarities and differences between Liverpool and New York in our Geography lesson, looking at climate and geological features. In Science we are looking at what plants need to grow strong and healthy and will conducting an in-class experiment to see how plants grow in different conditions. Finally, as we have come to end of the assessments for this term, I just wanted to say well done to everyone for their positive attitudes and dedication to learning. Well done everyone.
8th March
It’s been another busy week in Year Two! We had a fabulous day on Thursday celebrating World Book Day; the children made a real effort with their costumes and enjoyed being in school in their pyjamas, we put aside lots of time to read our favourite books to the class and listened to talk from the author and illustrator John Patrick Green. We also took part in a live Science lesson with Developing experts in celebration of World Science Day where we followed the theme of time by exploring the life of insects.
Well done to everyone in Year Two, you’re amazing.
1st March
In Year Two this week, we have started reading our new book that forms the basis of our English lessons and extended write. Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies sees Syd and his Grandad discover a secret door to a faraway world. Both the story and illustrations are wonderful, and the children have enjoyed being immersed in the story.
Well done to everyone in Year Two for a fabulous return to school after the holiday – it’s lovely to see you all again!
16th February
In Year Two this week, we have completed our unit of learning In R.E. where we have been looking at symbolism within the church. This has also connected with the symbolism of lent this week, where Reverend Mark explained the significance of Ash Wednesday in Collective Worship and where the children were given the opportunity to receive the ashes if they wanted to. Building on this next term in R.E., we will be looking more in depth at the symbolism surrounding the period of Lent.
Well done to everyone in Year Two, you all continue to make us proud! I hope you all have a fabulous and well-deserved holiday x
9th February
This week in Year Two we have started to look at money in Maths. We have talked about the value of pounds and pence and had a go at adding money together. In History we have continued to learn about the Titanic and have used our inquisitive minds to discuss who or what was to blame for the sinking of the Titanic. Finally, in English we have started to write the first draft of our instructional writing explaining how to build a habitat for our fictional creatures, using some fantastic Writer’s Knowledge including commands and sequencing words.
Well done to everyone in Year Two for another fabulous week!
2nd February
Happy Friday everyone!
We’ve had another fabulous week of learning in Year Two. In English next week, we will be writing instructions on how to create a habitat for our imaginary creatures, based on the story of the Bog Baby. In preparation for this, we have role-played making an instructional video and even created a mock habitat in the classroom.
In R.E. we are learning all about why the church is a special place for Christians and we have been talking about the function of the various artifacts and furniture found in our church, and why they are important to us.
Finally, in Science we have been carrying out experiments on various materials to discover their stretch limit, how waterproof materials are and how certain material properties make them suitable for a specific purpose.
Well done Year Two!
26th January
Over the past few weeks, we have been reading our new book, The Bog Baby. This book is about two girls who go on an adventure and discover a new and unusual creature. The book has given us the opportunity to write about our own adventure and create our own new creatures. It has also shown us the importance of ensuring that wildlife remain in their natural environments and how essential their natural habitats are.
We have also been learning all about the Titanic, which the children have really enjoyed – someone even brought in a real piece of coal that was recovered from the ship’s wreck!
All that’s left to say is well done Year Two for another fabulous week of learning.
22nd December
This week we have been busy with all things Christmas. Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who came to watch our Nativity performance – the children worked really hard to make sure they performed their best and they really did us proud. We have been creative whilst making Christmas cards and Christmas crackers and done plenty of Christmas colouring. On Thursday we enjoyed our Christmas party and on Friday we had even more fun when the puppets came to visit! It’s certainly been another busy week!
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your support this term and wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Merry Christmas!!
15th December
We have definitely felt the excitement of Christmas in Year Two this week, with the fabulous Sleeping Beauty Pantomime on Thursday afternoon. It was an amazing performance and all the children joined in enthusiastically with plenty of shouting, singing and laughter!
In Science we have enjoyed completing our habitats (see Class Dojo for individual pictures) and the results have been wonderful. The children really took their time to create beautiful habitats, using their knowledge of this term’s learning.
In English we are writing a diary entry for the main character of our book The Night Gardener, giving us the opportunity to bring together all of the rich vocabulary we have been learning. We have really enjoyed talking about the spectacular trees animals our character creates and imagining what it would be like to see them for ourselves in real life.
Well done Year Two for another successful week of learning!
8th December
Thank you to everyone for bringing in shoe boxes for our Science project! The children have really enjoyed planning and creating their habitat backgrounds, next week we will be thinking about the types of animals and plants that we will making using in our models and putting the finishing touches to our masterpieces.
We have also been working hard to learn all our songs for the Christmas Nativity and we are very proud of the effort and enthusiasm the children have shown so far. All our rehearsals have reinforced our learning and knowledge of our R.E. topic for this term , which is the Christmas story. It has really helped the children to recall all these important events.
Well done Year Two for another fabulous week of learning!
1st December
This week in Science we have been learning about the different animals we can find in the Arctic and the Antarctic. We have been talking about why they are suitable for living in these places and about the impact we are having on these environments. As a recap on our Science learning so far, we will be creating our own 3D models of the different habitats we have been learning about, I’m looking forward to seeing the results! This Science topic links well with our Geography learning, where we have been looking at how countries are hot or cold in relation to the how close they are to the equator.
Another fabulous week of learning in Year Two! Oh, I wonder if that pesky elf will make an appearance in the class. I hope he’s ready to learn!
24th November
As we continue our month of kindness in Year Two, we have been looking at how to care for our environment by creating welcoming microhabitats for insects. This connects perfectly with our Science topic for this term where we have been learning about habitats around the world and how our actions as humans affect these habitats. We have also been learning about how we can try to reduce our negative impact on the environment, a real act of kindness for everyone. Thank you Year Two for another amazing week and don’t forget about all the kindness challenges from the Kindness Coach!
17th November
This week in Year Two we have been writing the final draft of our descriptive writing piece and there have been some really wonderful pieces of writing. In R.E. this week we retold the story of when Angel Gabriel came to Mary and had fun acting out the story for ourselves, there definitely some budding actors in Year two! This week sees the start of our Kindness Matters month, where we have a daily kindness challenge to complete. Some of our challenges this week have included wiping our feet when we come inside, washing our hands properly and not pushing our friends in the dinner hall. Well done Year Two for another fabulous week of learning!
10th November
This week in Year Two we have been learning our 2, 5 and 10 times tables and I have been impressed by the resilience and enthusiasm the children have shown, well done to everyone for having a go and not giving up! In English, we are continuing our descriptive wring based on the book The Night Gardner. We have had some really fabulous descriptions and the children are becoming much more confident writers. This term we are also studying Geography and looking at map reading and identifying where Wigan is in relation the rest of world. Another successful week of learning in Year Two!
3rd November
A wonderful start to the new term this week with some really fantastic learning. This week we have started to learn our two and five-times tables, which we are all enjoying! Next week we will also be learning our ten times tables. In English, we have been reading our beautiful new book for this term, The Night Gardener and looking at how we can make our writing even more interesting using expanded noun phrases and similes. Of course, we have had Halloween and there was much excitement about costumes and how many sweets we collected. Well done Year Two on a superb first week back!
20th October
As we come to end of our first half term together, I’d just like to say how proud I am of Year Two. They have been so eager to learn and have really stepped up to the challenges of a new academic year.
We have now completed our second piece of extended writing in English, based on the book A River. In this piece we wrote about the dangers of being in the forest and gave our character some advice on how to stay safe, the children definitely let their imaginations run wild! Next term we have a brand-new book, which looks to be really engaging and I’m sure will continue to capture the children’s imaginations. Also next term, in Maths we will be looking at multiplication, we’ll be swapping History for Geography and Art for Computing but for now, I wish you all a peaceful and happy half-term holiday.
13th October
We have had another fabulous week of learning in Year Two. In Art this week we have been working on creating our own characters and looking at illustrating their different emotions. We are continuing with our column method in Maths this week and we are definitely becoming more confident! In English we discovered a letter from Tom that had sailed along the river and reached us in school. Tom needs some advice on the dangers he might face in the jungle, so we will be writing a letter to him with our advice. Well done Year Two!
6th October
Well done for another fabulous week in Year Two. In History this week we have been plotting key dates from Victorian times on a timeline and learning all about Queen Victoria’s life. In English, we have been writing up our final piece, with some really wonderful results. Finally, our Harvest Festival was a success and the children performed their songs beautifully.
29th October
This week in Year Two we continued to talk about microhabitats in Science. We designed our own microhabitat and used our scientific vocabulary to talk about the conditions animals would need to survive in the habitats we designed. In Maths we are becoming column addition experts and in English we have started to write our own stories of adventure using our writer’s knowledge. We are also having fun getting ready for our Harvest Festival next week, I have heard some beautiful singing voices! Well done for another super week of learning.
22nd September
We’ve had another busy but fun week in Year Two. In Science this week we have been learning about habitats and microhabitats and our favourite insect that we learnt about was the Dung Beetle! In English we have really accelerated our learning and have been using similes and expanded noun phrases to make our writing more interesting. We talked about World Peace Day on Thursday and we have filled our kindness tree with all the kind things we’ve been doing at home and in school. Well done everyone for successful week!
15th September
This week in Year Two we have had fun learning all about things that are living, dead or have never been alive, in Science. In English, we have immersed ourselves in our class reading book, A River by Marc Martin and have learnt some fabulous new descriptive vocabulary. In R.E, we are learning about the Bible and have talked about our own favourite books. In Maths, we are reviewing counting within 100 and looking at place value. It’s been a super busy week and all the Year Two children have really tried their best in all lessons, well done everyone!
8th September
Firstly, I’d like to say well done to all the Year Two children for a fabulous start to the new term. I have been really impressed by their wonderful behaviour, their politeness and their enthusiasm for learning. I’d also like to say thank you to the whole class for making me feel so welcome during my first week at St Paul’s.
This week we learnt about how important it is to be ready to learn. We learnt about how our kindness is infectious and not only makes us happy at school but outside in our communities as well. Finally, we spent time completing learning quizzes in History, Geography and Science, showing how much we had learnt and could remember from Year One.