Welcome to Year 2!

Each week we'll be keeping you up to date with our weekly blog. In addition to this, please read our half-termly curriculum map to find out what will be happening in Year 2. 

Important information

PE - Monday and Thursday. Please come to school in your PE kit on these days and these days only. 

Books - Change books on Friday. Your child will come home with a new reading book linked to their phonics sessions that week and a library book every Friday. We will also set an e-book on Oxford Owl. Please read these too, but there is no expectation to complete the quizzes. Please make sure you have been reading at home at least three times a week. Please record any reading you have done in your reading diary. Your reading diary must always be in your book bag so that we can read with you in school. 

Spellings/RWI - New spellings will be sent home every Friday. Please make sure your child's reading record is in their book bag on a Friday so that the new ones can be stuck in.  Please also see our spelling page, where you can easily access this every week. We will try to put your child's score in their reading record after their test so you can see their progress.

We are adding the RWI phonics lessons for you to share with your child at home for extra practice. Please check out our phonics link where we will be adding Set 3 sounds.

 

Year Two End of Year Expectations

This table provides information for parents and carers on the end of year expectations for children in our school. All the objectives will be worked on throughout the year and will be the focus of teaching. Any extra support you can provide in helping your children to achieve this is greatly valued. If you have any queries regarding the content of this booklet, please talk to your child’s teacher.

 

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BLOG

Spring 2

 

Week 6

We have had a very busy and exciting week in Year 2! In our history lessons, we’ve been learning all about castles and the different features that made them strong and safe, like towers, battlements, drawbridges and moats. The children loved discovering what life was like inside a castle and imagining what it would be like to live there. To make our learning even more exciting, we had a very special visitor – a real knight! He came into school wearing his shining armour and brought along lots of fascinating things for us to explore. We had the chance to try on pieces of his armour, hold his shield and even take a closer look at some of the weapons knights used long ago. It was a fantastic hands-on experience and helped bring our learning to life!

As well as our history adventure, we also took part in a fun Easter competition where we designed and decorated our own Easter eggs. The entries were so creative and colourful – it was clear that everyone had worked really hard. We also spent some time this week getting artistic and completed a beautiful piece of collage artwork using lots of different materials. The classroom has never looked so bright and cheerful! It’s been a fantastic week full of learning, creativity and fun.

Week 5

This week, Year 2 have been extremely busy! We have completed our assessment week, and the children have worked incredibly hard. We also had some exciting news as the Filey trip letter was sent home to parents – the children are already looking forward to it! In English, we started our new writing piece, focusing on a recount of George Webster’s visit to our school, which the children have really enjoyed. In History, we have been learning all about William the Conqueror and how he successfully invaded England, defeating Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In DT, the children had great fun designing and creating their very own moving monsters. To round off the week, they enjoyed a well-deserved film evening, choosing between The Plankton Movie or Moana 2. Well done, Year 2, for another fantastic week of learning! 

 

Week 4

This week, Year 2 have been very busy taking part in some exciting activities! We have celebrated Neurodiversity Week by learning all about autism and creating colourful posters to help spread awareness and celebrate differences. We also took part in Comic Relief, which we really enjoyed! One of the highlights was our fun-filled assembly, where we had our very own Westroyd Bake Off—Mr. Clough was a very strict judge! Throughout the day, we completed lots of Comic Relief challenges, including quizzes and poster-making, all while helping to raise a fantastic amount of money for charity. Next week, we are looking forward to getting creative in DT, where we will be making our very own moving monsters!

Week 3

This week in Year 2, we have been busy with lots of exciting learning! In maths, we started exploring mass, capacity, and volume, comparing different objects and measuring amounts carefully. It has also been British Science Week, and we took on a mini-beast adventure, searching for as many creatures as we could! We went for a walk down to the Early Years playground, where we discovered all sorts of mini beasts, including worms, centipedes and snails. As part of our computing lessons and PSHE, we also learnt about staying safe online by watching Jessie & Friends: Episode 3, which helped us understand how to stay safe when gaming. It has been a fantastic week full of fun and learning!

Week 2

Week 2 in Year 2 has been a busy and exciting one! We have continued our fantastic writing all about castles, learning even more interesting facts and improving our skills. In maths, we wrapped up our block on length and height and are now moving on to a brand-new focus—mass, capacity, and temperature, which we are looking forward to exploring. One of the highlights of the week was a special visit on Wednesday from CBeebies presenter George Webster, who came to tell us all about his new book. He even signed some books for us, which was such a wonderful experience! On Thursday, we celebrated World Book Day in style, spending the day feeling cosy in our pyjamas while taking part in lots of fun activities. We enjoyed reading, taking part in a doodle competition where we designed our favourite book characters, and even had Rosie, our lovely school therapy dog, share a story with us. To top it all off, we also had a book swap, giving us the chance to discover new stories to enjoy. Overall, it’s been a fantastic week filled with learning, creativity, and special memories!

Week 1

We have had a fantastic first week back in Year 2 and have loved being back in school! We started our new piece of writing all about castles, and to get hooked and excited, we took part in a fun scavenger hunt around the classroom and hall, searching for information about castles. In history, we have begun our new unit on monarchs, which will soon be linked to castles and knights in the coming weeks. We also started our new science topic, Animals Including Humans – Growth, where we began exploring how humans and animals change over time. In DT, we had lots of fun starting our Moving Monsters project, where we will be designing and making our own moving creations. A huge well done to the class for earning their Sheep Point reward—we are excited to celebrate with a non-uniform day on Monday!

 

Spring 1

Week 6

In Week 6, Year 2 has been super busy with lots of exciting learning! We took part in Safer Internet Day, exploring how to stay safe online. We even played a game called Google Interland, which teaches important messages about online safety. You can play it on laptops, phones, or tablets. You can access this game by clicking the link below:

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland/

Later in the week, we dived into the world of habitats, researching amazing ocean animals such as orcas and the fascinating sea slug. Now, we’re ready for a well-deserved half-term break, and we may have some exciting news about a school trip coming next half-term... watch this space! 🚀🌊

Week 5

This week in Year 2, we have been extremely busy! We took part in some wonderful activities for Children’s Mental Health Week, learning how to take care of our minds and support each other. We also had the exciting opportunity to meet our school dog, Rosie, which brought lots of smiles to the classroom. A group of our classmates proudly represented us at Crawshaw High School in a fantastic multi-skills event, showing great teamwork and determination. In our history lessons, we explored not only how humans first learnt to fly, but also how we went from the Wright brothers' first flight all the way to Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. We even did some hot seating - pretending to be Neil Armstrong and taking questions from our classmates. It has been a week full of learning, teamwork, and exciting experiences! 

Week 4

This week, we had a great time learning lots of new things! In computing, we explored programming Bee-Bots and created our own algorithms. We also learnt about another significant figure, Amelia Earhart, and discovered the suspected area where she disappeared. The children enjoyed finding out about her amazing achievements and the mysterious Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. In science, we spent time outside investigating microhabitats in our playground and reported on the different creatures we found. It has been a fun and exciting week of learning! 😊

 

Week 3

This week, Year 2 have been extremely busy! We had a wonderful visit to Farsley Library, where we loaned some exciting books linked to our topic all about learning how to fly and significant individuals like the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart. We also had a fantastic session with Skipping School, who taught us some brilliant new skipping moves. Now we need to keep practising these skills so that we’re ready to take part in the skipping festival in the summer! What a busy and exciting week it has been!

Week 2

This week has been a fantastic week of learning and exploration! In our maths lessons, we have continued to develop our understanding of money, practising how to count and use coins. In writing, we have been diving into the exciting world of Traction Man, using his adventures to inspire our own creative writing. Meanwhile, in PSHE, we have been learning about medicines, discussing what they might be used for, and talking about important people, like doctors and trusted adults, who can help us know when medicine is needed. We also continued our learning about the Wright brothers, and we had great fun creating freeze frames to retell the incredible moment when they finally got into the air for 12 seconds. Well done to everyone for your hard work and enthusiasm this week!

Week 1

Our first week back after Christmas has certainly been eventful, with snow making its mark and our first day back starting later than usual due to the icy conditions. However, nothing has stopped the children from settling back into school life and working incredibly hard. It feels like we’ve picked up right where we left off, and the children have already enjoyed diving into their learning. A particular highlight this week has been our art work, where the children have shown great creativity in designing and creating their very own clay house tiles.

Autumn 2

Week 6

This week, we have enjoyed counting down to Christmas, and the excitement has been building throughout! Our week has been filled with writing, phonics, maths, and, most importantly, our Nativity performance.

We absolutely loved performing to the parents and sharing all of our hard work—it was wonderful to see it all pay off! The children gave it their all, and we are so proud of their efforts.

As we approach the final week of term, we’re looking forward to winding down and enjoying lots of festive activities. We have a trip planned to watch The Snowman orchestra performance, our Christmas party, and our Sparkle Day to round off 2024 in style!

Thank you for all your continued support, and we’re excited for a magical end to the term. 🎄

Week 5

This week in Year 2, we have had so much fun and done lots of learning as we excitedly welcomed December! The festive season has truly begun, and a cheeky surprise came with it—a naughty elf made an appearance in our classroom and even caused a bit of mischief by ripping one of our display pictures! We also took part in the Enterprise Fair, where we had a fantastic time making and selling Grinch and Elf Poo. We were thrilled to raise a big total of £60, which will go towards something special for our class—perhaps some delicious ice cream if we visit the seaside in the summer! What a wonderful start to December!

Week 4

This week in Year 2, we have been busy developing our computing skills by exploring how to take pictures in both landscape and portrait modes, learning the differences and when to use each. In geography, we continued our exciting lessons about hot and cold places on our planet, comparing the climate, wildlife, and way of life in Kenya to those in the UK. We also started preparing for our nativity, thinking about our first dress rehearsal and getting some of the costumes sorted. It’s been a wonderful week filled with creativity, learning, and excitement for the festive season ahead!

Week 3

In Week 3, we’ve had a fantastic time with our Meerkat Mail story! We’ve planned and written postcards from Sunny, and even took them home to share with our families. In preparation for our nativity performance, we’ve stepped up our practice with the songs, as we are only three weeks away from showtime! Please remember, if you have a speaking part, make sure to practice at home. Next week, we’re looking forward to plenty more nativity rehearsals, and we’ll also dive into exciting science lessons about different habitats, such as the rainforest and the ocean. It’s going to be a busy but fun week ahead!

Week 2

This week in Year 2, we have been very busy! We’ve been wearing odd socks to celebrate Anti-Bullying Week and have had fun designing our own creative odd socks in class. We’ve also been enjoying our geography lessons, where we’ve been learning about the coldest places on Earth. We've explored the North and South Poles and had great discussions about what makes these places so unique and cold. It’s been a week full of learning and creativity!

Week 1

In Year 2, our first week back after half term has been amazing! We had a blast going on our first school trip in what feels like forever. We visited Roundhay Park and took part in exciting activities, learning all about woodland habitats. Then we headed into Tropical World, where we explored different animals and habitats from across the globe. We saw everything from playful meerkats and a lurking crocodile to creepy tarantulas and vibrant, poisonous dart frogs. It was an unforgettable experience for everyone!

 

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Autumn 1

Week 8

In Year 2 this week, we’ve had a fantastic time designing and making our very own Baby Bear’s chair in DT — everyone showed great creativity and teamwork! We also had lots of fun dancing and dressing up at the Halloween disco. Now, we’re all looking forward to a well-deserved week off to recharge our batteries and enjoy some time with family. Have a great half term, everyone!

Week 7

This week has been a busy one in Year 2! We had a fantastic time comparing schools from the past to schools today, and after lots of discussion, nearly everyone agreed that they would rather go to school now. We also practiced our own poem called "Harvest at Westroyd" and had the exciting opportunity to perform it in Church for the whole school and our parents – and we absolutely smashed it! Next week, we have lots of Design and Technology fun to look forward to, including making Baby Bear's chair. We're all very excited!

Week 6

In Week 6, Year 2 had an exciting and productive week! We explored how Westroyd Primary School has changed over the years by looking at some fascinating old pictures of the school, which were recently found in the cellar. Thursday was a busy day as we raised money for the Young Minds charity, focusing on mental health awareness. On Friday, we celebrated our School Heritage Day, where we discovered why there's a sheep on our school badge and learned about the importance of Samuel Marsden. We even took a trip to his memorial on Farsley Town Street, where we discussed his life and how he contributed to building the Farsley community.

Week 5

Year 2 have had a fantastic week of learning, especially in maths! We’ve started our addition and subtraction block and are making great progress, recapping key methods and building on our prior knowledge. In addition to our hard work in maths, we’ve been doing lots of singing practice for the upcoming Harvest Festival, and the children are really getting into the festive spirit. On top of that, we had a special visit from Daddy Bear, who thinks someone in Year 2 may have visited his house and broken poor Baby Bear's bed—what a mystery!

Week 4

In Week 4, we tried extremely hard in our maths lessons as we reached the end of our place value block. The children have shown great effort and progress, and we are very proud of their achievements. We also had an exciting PE session with Brad from the Leeds Rhinos, where we learned all about hitting, running, and catching. The children loved getting active and improving their skills, making it a fantastic week of learning and fun!

Week 3

In Week 3, Year 2 had a lot of fun during our science investigation, where we explored how different materials and shapes can help strengthen bridges. The children worked together to build their own bridges, and we were impressed with their creativity and problem-solving skills. We also enjoyed reading 'The Three Little Pigs' revolting rhyme by Roald Dahl, which tied in perfectly with our story writing activities. It’s been a busy and exciting week full of learning and creativity!

Week 2

In Week 2, Year 2 worked incredibly hard, especially during our computing lessons where we explored how we use IT in schools. The children were excited to learn about the different ways technology helps us with our learning. We also had a fantastic time discussing how schools have changed over the years, and the children loved sharing their thoughts and stories with Miss Pashley. It’s been another fun and engaging week as we continue to build on our learning!

Week 1

This week in Year 2, we worked hard to settle back into school after the summer holidays, and we have already made a great start to the new school year. Everyone tried their best, and we are proud of how much effort we’ve shown. We spent time learning about British values and protected characteristics, discussing the importance of celebrating our differences and showing kindness and respect to one another. It’s been a positive and productive first week, and we’re excited for the year ahead!