Caterpillar and Spider Classes

Subject

Content

English

The first week back we will be completing our unit on rags to riches stories and children will get to write their own versions of this type of tale. We spent three weeks looking at stories like Cinderella before half-term and now they get to use the grammar tools we practised, such as suffixes, possessive apostrophes and subordinating conjunctions in their own work.

Our next model text is ‘How to train a pet wolf’ which provides children with a high quality example of an instructional text. We will be learning about compound words and continuing to study the Year 2 spelling and grammar rules.

During this half term, we will be reading Fangs by Malorie Blackman, to develop our VIPERS skills (vocabulary, inference, prediction, evidence, retrieval and summarise).

Maths

This half-term the children will complete their unit on multiplication and division in the first week back.

We will then be learning about measurements for length and height including using centimetres and metres to measure different items. They will also be comparing and sorting items using their dimensions.

Next we move on to other types of measurement – mass, capacity and temperature. The units we will be working with include grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres and Celsius. Again, we will look at ordering and comparing using these units.

For both these topics we will also be practising carrying out the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) using units of measurement, culminating in completing multistep word problems.

Science

In this unit, the children will look at what plants are and what they need to grow. We will learn about seeds and bulbs, including the process of germination where a seed begins to grow and changes into a seedling. The children will spend some time comparing plants that receive light and water and those that don’t. They will understand that healthy plants need light and water to grow.

Geography

In Geography, we are learning about the British Isles, focusing on key terminology such as port, harbour, coastline, and island. The children will become familiar with key geographical features of the British Isles including mountains and valleys in Wales and The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. We will also be comparing Ely with the South African city of Cape Town and looking at its interesting geography including Table Mountain, The Cape of Good Hope and False Bay.

RE

In RE, we will learning about the religion of Islam. We will be looking at the origins of the religion and Islamic beliefs.

Music

In music this half term, we will be learning about Gamelan’ which is a traditional Indonesian percussion orchestra that includes instruments made from metal like metallophones, gongs and drums. As a class, we will learn to play and perform a piece of music for gamelan, in five parts on the glockenspiel and drums. 

Physical Education

Gymnastics: In this unit, pupils learn explore and develop basic gymnastic actions on the floor and using apparatus. They develop gymnastic skills of jumping, rolling, balancing and travelling individually and in combination to create short sequences and movement phrases. Pupils develop an awareness of compositional devices when creating sequences to include the use of shapes, levels and directions. They learn to work safely with and around others and whilst using apparatus. Pupils are given opportunities to provide feedback to others and recognise elements of high quality performance.

Fitness: In this unit, pupils will take part in a range of activities to develop components of fitness. Pupils will begin to explore and develop agility, balance, co-ordination, speed and stamina. Pupils will be given the opportunity to work independently and with others. Pupils will develop perseverance and show determination to work for longer periods of time.

Computing

This unit introduces the learners to the term ‘data’. Learners will begin to understand what data means and how this can be collected in the form of a tally chart. They will learn the term ‘attribute’ and use this to help them organise data. They will then progress onto presenting data in the form of pictograms and finally block diagrams. Learners will use the data presented to answer questions.

PSHE

Our unit this half term is ‘Healthy Me’. We will learning how to make healthy choices through being active, eating a balanced diet and having time for relaxation.

Art

This unit looks at Turner’s Snowstorm and Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows. They compare the methods of Turner and Constable with those of Rousseau in his painting Surprised! Tiger in a Tropical Storm, who created his picture by observing plants in a tropical plant house in Paris and through the study of stuffed animals. The children will create and evaluate their own seascapes, over the course of the half term. They will be learning to use different types of brushstroke, as well as using sponges to create a stormy sea and sky.