Autumn 1

Reading

This term, children will continue to develop their reading skills through a range of stories.

Children will explore the different features of texts, including characters, settings and the sequence of events in stories. They will practise retelling stories, identifying key information and answering questions by finding evidence in the text.

As their comprehension skills develop, children will learn to make predictions, infer characters' thoughts and feelings, and discuss themes and important messages in stories. They will also explore how authors use language, including rhyme and alliteration, to make texts memorable and enjoyable.

Throughout the term, children will be encouraged to read accurately, think carefully about what they have read and develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

Writing

This half term, children will enjoy reading Paddington by Michael Bond and A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubbino. They will learn how authors describe characters and places, using these texts as inspiration for their own writing.

Children will write a character description of Paddington Bear, focusing on his appearance, personality and behaviour. They will also create a travel guide about Southampton, learning how to share information clearly with a reader.

Alongside this, children will develop their use of adjectives, conjunctions such as and and but, and contractions such as can't and don't. They will be encouraged to reread and improve their writing, helping them become confident and purposeful writers.

Maths

This term, children will develop their understanding of numbers to 100. They will practise reading, writing, counting, ordering and comparing numbers, using the symbols <, > and = to explain their thinking.

Children will explore place value by identifying tens and ones, representing numbers in different ways and partitioning numbers into tens and ones. They will also count in tens and use their place value knowledge to find 10 more and 10 less than a number.

To build fluency, children will recall number bonds to 10 and 20 and begin applying this understanding to multiples of 10 up to 100. Throughout the unit, they will be encouraged to explain their reasoning, use mathematical vocabulary and develop confidence in their problem-solving skills.

Science

This half term in science the children will begin by learning about materials. They will learn to identify a variety of everyday materials and compare their suitability for different tasks, before exploring how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.

History

The Year Two History learning journey begins with the concept of Chronology. As a hook, the children will experience an aeroplane flight and speak to a real pilot before learning about the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart. They will then identify where these people and associated events fit within a chronological framework.  The children will use the context of air travel to identify similarities and differences between different historical periods and build upon what they already know about changes within living memory. 

 Geography

The children will begin the year by learning about simple compass directions. They will then use this new knowledge to I am learning to Name, and locate the 4 countries within the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas, before building on this knowledge to learn about each of the countries

Design and Technology

The children will learn about different types of vegetables including where they come from and how they contribute to a healthy, balanced diet. They will learn how to prepare vegetables using the methods of cutting, peeling and grating so that in Autumn 2, they can follow a recipe to make a healthy wraps for Paddington.

RE

In RE this half term, the children will learn about bread as a symbol.  This learning will be contextualised by building upon their Year One knowledge of Harvest, whereby the children will learn how Christians use bread as a symbol at Harvest.

PSHE

This half term the children will learn about respectful relationships, both within school and in their home lives.

Music

The Music this half term focusses on dynamics and tempo.  Children will listen to different pieces of music and identify loud and quiet parts of them as well as fast and slow. They will then use their knowledge of these terms when singing songs and playing instruments. They will be able to sing/play at different dynamics and tempos in a piece of music which they compose.

Computing

Computing this half term focusses on the domain of Information Technology. As with all learning journeys, the children will begin by learning how to keep themselves safe online. They will then go on to explore the concept of information technology and how this is used in the wider world.

Art

This half term, we will looking at two artists: Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani and their work on self-portraits. We will be learning to draw to develop and share my ideas, experiences and imagination. We will also learn to develop our techniques within line and space. We will plan, curate and evaluate our final pieces with inspiration from our focus artists.