Caterpillar and Spider Classes

Subject

Content

English

Children will learn about poetry and ‘finding tales’ using the Talk4Writing approach beginning with a cold write and then moving through the imitation, innovation and independent stages. Our model text is ‘The Magic Paintbrush’ which provides children with a high quality example. We will be focusing on ensuring we use the spelling rules which have been taught and spelling common exception words correctly.

In our SPINE comprehension lessons, we will be reading and answering questions on Flat Stanley and Mr Majecka. This will help the children become more fluent and active readers, ensuring they understand what they are reading and therefore get more enjoyment from books.

Maths

In maths this half-term we will begin by looking at fractions. Building on the learning the children did in Year 1 we will recap half and quarter of shapes, groups of objects and numbers. We will then introduce the children to three-quarters and thirds before looking at which fractions make a whole and simple calculations using fractions.

After this, we will move onto time. Again, we will start by revisiting the Year 1 learning - o’clock and half past - before moving on to quarter past, quarter to and telling the time to the nearest five minutes. We will also learn how many minutes are in an hour and how many hours in a day before looking at simple word problems relating to time.

We will end the half-term by learning about statistics and specifically tally charts, tables, block diagrams and pictograms.

Science

This unit builds on directly from Year 1 – Materials and Magnets. In Year One, pupils learned about the names of everyday materials. They began to consider simple properties of everyday materials and learned about John Dunlop and his work on developing a suitable material for wheels. This unit offers another opportunity to reinforce the names and uses of every day materials, developing the conceptual understanding that all materials are used for a purpose based on their properties. In this unit, building on their knowledge of John Dunlop and his work, pupils will study George de Mestral and will find out how he developed Velcro after noticing how the shape of burdock seeds allowed them to grip onto his clothes and his dog’s fur whilst out walking. Pupils will learn how he needed to test the properties of materials in order to find something suitable for his invention. They will look at images of a variety of materials under a microscope and be introduced to the idea that there are somethings that are too small for us to see with our eyes and even with a microscope.

History  

This half term we are focusing on ‘The Bronze Age’. This unit builds on from ‘Discovering History’ in Year 1 which introduces children to the idea of ‘prehistory’. It is important that all children understand that ‘prehistory’ means a time before written records, and they know that archaeologists find out about the past from what people left behind. The unit focuses on the discovery of Must Farm, Burwell. The children will learn about what was discovered at the site and the importance of the discovery.

Religious Education

This half-term we will be looking at Christian festivals in more detail and the importance of Jesus to Christians. Specifically, we will explore the baptism of Jesus, Christmas, Easter (including Lent) and harvest festivals.

Design and Technology

In DT, the children will design and make a fabric pouch. They will: sew a running stitch with regular-sized stitches and understand that both ends must be knotted. Prepare and cut fabric to make a pouch from a template. Use a running stitch to join the two pieces of fabric together. Decorate their pouch using the materials provided.

Music

In music this half term we will be learning about the British Isles and the different sounds that can heard in the British Isles. The children will be creating soundscapes of all the different sounds that are typical in the British Isles using their bodies first and then progressing onto instruments. We will also continue our Rocksteady online lessons which are proving very popular and give us a chance to consolidate lots of our learning from previous music lessons.

Physical Education

In Monday’s PE lessons, the children will be learning about fitness. We will be thinking about how our bodies feel during and after exercise, what we can do to improve our performance and stamina e.g. when we run should be always run at full speed or are there times when we need to conserve energy and if so how do we adapt our technique.

In their PE lessons with Mr Smith, the children will be learning skills relating to games that use nets and walls e.g. tennis, badminton, squash and volleyball. They will extend their understanding of attack and defence principles and develop their throwing and catching skills.

Computing

In computing, the children will develop the following skills: Developing confidence with the keyboard and the basics of touch typing. Creating and labelling images. Collecting and inputting data into a spreadsheet. Interpreting data from a spreadsheet. Learning how computers are used  in the wider world.

Art

This unit starts by looking at the difference between portraits and a self-portraits by considering three renowned paintings: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Holbein’s portrait of Edward VI as a child and Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Bonito. The children go on to consider the self-portraits of Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Gentileschi using all these works to think about how a portrait can show much more than just how a person looks: an artist can choose to represent a person’s personality, emotions and status. The children will paint their own self-portrait, using mirrors, learning about the proportions of the face, and how to recreate skin-tones. They will consider how they can represent themselves, by the expression they show and by what they choose to put in the background of their portrait. They will evaluate what they think of the self-portrait they have created.

Personal, Social and Health Education

In PSHE this half term we will be focusing on being healthy, including; what my body needs to be healthy, different ways to be relaxed, medicines and how they work, how to use medicine safely, healthy foods and the different food groups and which foods give my body energy.