Hello Year 2, welcome to another week on the blog. You all continue to blow us away and make us incredibly proud from afar with your hard work and kind hearts.
It has been a long time since we saw you last but we want you to know we are thinking about you all and that we miss you very much. We love seeing what you get up to at home, even if it is not from the blog, so please keep in touch via Twitter, The Facebook group and using the homework email.
We know lots of you are really missing your friends at the moment, so try to put some time aside to perhaps talk to them from outside their house, make phone calls or write them a letter. We know it is hard as we miss our own friends lots too, so it is important to try and keep in contact as much as we safely can.
Have a great week Year 2 and remember to spread happiness wherever you go!
Marvellous Makaton
It is lovely to hear how many of you have enjoyed the makaton videos and that you have been practising hard at home. Keep it up!
This week we focussed on colours and added in some animal signs too! Can you sign a rainbow at home? Can you remember some of the signs for the other colours that we haven’t added, such as black and white?
Year 2 Story Time
Please find the next few chapters of our Year 2 text, The Great Fire of London, below. Each chapter is read by one of your teachers or by one of your very brave friends. We hope you enjoy it!
Handwriting
This week our joins are:
oa ri es
Use the sheets below to practise these joins and then see if you can use them in your writing throughout the week! Remember, we have already learnt all the joins so try to join up as many letters as you can when you feel ready đ
Marvellous Monday
Reading
Try to read for 20 minutes every day. Choose books that you have at home or from the links we sent in week 3. These could be story books or non-fiction texts.
Literacy
This week we have a very unusual story.
Watch this short film to find out more!
Sometimes film makers and story tellers leave lots of unanswered questions in their stories to allow their readers to use their imagination to fill in the gaps.
Today we would like you to use your imagination along with your inference skills to answer these questions to tell us more about what you think the story is about.
Numeracy
The first few lessons in numeracy this week we will complete our work on measure, we will then move onto looking at how to tell the time. Once again we will provide the links to the White Rose videos and worksheets each day along with an extra challenge which may focus on another area of mathematics.
We know that many of you prefer the BBC Bitesize resources to the White Rose. Both resources follow the same lesson focus and either (or both) can be used to support your childâs learning.
Here is the link to the BBC Bitesize learning which can be used each day alongside or instead of the White Rose resources
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/z7s22sg/year-2-and-p3-lessons
Lesson 1 â Measuring in Litres
In year 2 children are given a range of opportunities to measure different volumes using different scales. By the end of the year they are expected to be able to mark and read scales in divisions of 1, 2, 5 and 10 (or their multiples e.g. scales of 100) on marked scales and on scales where not all divisions are marked.
Here is a link to the White Rose videos (the link is to all 4 lessons, Mondayâs lesson is lesson 1 â Measuring mass in litres)
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
And here is the worksheet to go along side the video
Today’s numeracy challenge requires you to print off both work sheets and cut up the pictures of orange and blackcurrant squash. Use the clues to place the squash cards in the correct order.
Spellings
In year 2 children should be able to spell all of the common exception words correctly. Each Monday we would like you to practise the common exception words with your child. This can be in the form of a spelling test, they could make a poster, they could use them in sentences, write in coloured pencils, write them in unusual ways using bubble writing etc.
Get creative and have fun with it!
Here are some on line games to help you learn your common exception words:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/5-7-years/words-and-spelling
Can you spot the mistakes in this worksheet? Be careful, some of the Year 1 Common Exception Words have been spelt incorrectly too!
Topic
This week we should have been going on a visit to the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside to find out about an event that not many people know about.
In 1854 there was another great fire, this time in the North East. The fire started in Gateshead and managed to spread across the River Tyne into Newcastle.
The trip would have brought to life this fascinating and little known event that happened hundreds of years after the Great Fire of London and it is such a shame that you will be missing out. The trip was due to be led by Richard Stevenson from “That History Bloke” who is an expert on the event and an excellent story teller.
We didn’t want you to miss out on finding out about what happened though so we have given you some clues. Can you read through them and try to order the events of the night?
So, now that you have had a go at ordering the events lets find out what really happened!
This video is one of the only ones we could find on the event. Here Richard will talk you through what happened.
There is also a sheet to give you more information about the event.
Terrific Tuesday
Reading
Try to read for 20 minutes every day. Choose books that you have at home or from the links we sent in week 3. These could be story books or non-fiction texts.
Literacy
Yesterday we learnt all about the story of a Blue Alien. Where did you think he was? We thought he had travelled from his home planet to planet Earth to carry out a top secret mission!
Blue Alien made contact with Pink Alien on his mission.
Why do you think this is?
In what ways do you make contact with someone if you can’t see them?
There are many different ways of staying in contact with a loved one; you could write them a letter, give them a call, or see them using a video calling app.
We think that Blue Alien may have emailed Pink Alien, so today we would like you to write an email from Blue Alien to Pink Alien telling her all about Blue Alien’s time on Earth (or wherever you think he landed).
What did he see?
Was anything about life on Earth unusual to him?
Did he make any discoveries?
What did he do?
Remember to make you email sound exciting by using lots of adjectives and by including how Blue Alien is feeling.
As a challenge you could write a reply from Pink Alien.
Numeracy
Lesson 2 â Temperature
In year 2 children are given a range of opportunities to measure temperatures. By the end of the year they are expected to be able to mark and read thermometers where not all of the divisions are labelled.
Here is a link to the White Rose videos (the link is to all 4 lessons, Tuesdayâs lesson is lesson 2 â Temperature)
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
And here is the worksheet to go along side the video.
PSHE
Ruby’s Worry
Ruby has a worry. It starts off so small that she hardly notices it but it grows and grows until it seems too big for Ruby to manage.
Watch this video to learn the story of Ruby and to find out how she deals with her worry:
It is very normal to worry, everyone has worries at some time in their lives.
Soon you will be leaving year 2 and moving onto year 3. This is a time when lots of children start to worry. Do you have any worries about moving into year 3? Some of you haven’t been in school for a very long time so you may have worries about that too.
Just like Ruby learnt in the story, the best thing to do with a worry is to share it and talk about it. This almost always helps the worry to get better. If you would like to share your worries about coming back to school and moving into a new year group with your teachers, parents or friends then use these sheets to help you. You can record your worries on the cloud and all of the things that you are looking forward to on the rainbows.
Topic
Today we would like you to use everything that you learnt about the Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle to produce a storyboard of the events. Use the clues, video and information sheet from yesterday to help you.
Remember a storyboard just outlines the main things that happen in the ‘story’ (or real event in this case). It is supposed to be to help you remember the order to tell someone else about it, it is not supposed to be a detailed story like you would find in a book. One or two good sentences to go with each picture is enough.
Wonderful Wednesday
Reading
Try to read for 20 minutes every day. Choose books that you have at home or from the links we sent in week 3. These could be story books or non-fiction texts.
Literacy
Today we would like you to think about why Blue Alien should visit Newcastle on his next mission.
What makes our city special?
Do we have any landmarks that he might want to visit?
Are there any good sporting teams that he should know about?
What could he do for fun on his visit here?
Where could he go to eat?
We would like you to think about why you think Newcastle would be a good place for Blue Alien to visit. Can you persuade him that Newcastle is a better city than any of the others in England?
Think about what you like to do, where you like to go and everything else that makes our city so wonderful.
Include all of these ideas on a poster to persuade Blue Alien to visit Newcastle.
Remember that this is a literacy lesson so whilst you can definitely include pictures, patterns and colourful bubble writing on your poster you MUST also include some persuasive writing all about Newcastle!
Top Tip – Persuasive writing uses lots of positive language and makes the thing that you are describe sound even better than it really is!
Numeracy
Lesson 3 – Telling Time (O’Clock and Half Past)
This lesson recaps year 1 learning.
Here is a link to the White Rose videos (the link is to all 4 lessons, Wednesdayâs lesson is lesson 3 â O’Clock and Half Past)
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
And here is the worksheet to go along side the video.
PSHE
The Worry Box
This week we are thinking about our worries, especially those linked to coming back to school and meeting our new teachers.
This story is all about a boy called Frankie who is very worries about meeting his new teacher. Are any of Frankie’s worries similar to the worries you wrote about yesterday? How does Frankie deal with his worries? Read the story to find out!
You can use your worry box in whatever way you wish, you wrote down worries about meeting your new teacher and moving into year 3 yesterday so you can use these again if you like or, you can write down different worries that you have. You might even want to save your box and worry sheets and put it in a safe place just in case a worry pops up later.
However you choose to use your worry box please remember that the box is only small and can only store a few worries at a time. Don’t let your worry box overfill, empty it, sort it and share it. This will help your worries to go away or get smaller!
Art
Local Artists
This week we are going to be looking at a local artist called Ben Holland. Ben is a pen and ink illustrator who loves to draw buildings and landmarks from all over Newcastle and the North East of England.
He picks his favourite places and sketches them in pencil first before using pen and ink to add detail. He also often adds colour to the background of his artwork.
Here are some images of Ben’s work to inspire you.
This week we would like you to take inspiration from Ben Holland and create a piece of artwork in his style.
We would like you to choose a building or landmark that means something to you (it doesn’t have to be famous, it could be your Grandma’s house or even your front door). Sketch this special building first and once you are happy go over it in pen or ink. Look closely at how Ben adds detail and texture to his art using lines and shading; can you do this too? You can also add colour if you like.
Good luck and don’t forget to share your art work on Twitter, Facebook or email it to using the school homework address.
DT
This half term we have been looking at and building different structures and thinking about how to make them strong and stable.
Earlier this week you learnt about the Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle. In this fire the Tyne bridge was destroyed. This has now been rebuilt and it is a very famous and well respected design that is also strong and stable. Look closely at these pictures of the New Tyne Bridge.
What do you think makes it so strong and stable?
Your challenge this week is to design and make a bridge out of only newspaper and sticky tape. How will you ensure that your bridge is strong and stable? What will you do to the newspaper to achieve this? Can your bridge hold a heavy weight to prove that it is strong? Does it stand up by itself to prove that it is stable?
Hint – You have completed a similar challenge to this earlier in the year during our “Into the Woods Topic” can you remember how you made your towers and houses strong and stable?
Here are some newspaper bridges to inspire you:
Think-it Thursday
Reading
Try to read for 20 minutes every day. Choose books that you have at home or from the links we sent in week 3. These could be story books or non-fiction texts.
Literacy
Blue Alien made the crop circle at the end of the story to send a message back to Pink Alien.
What do you think this message meant?
Why did he send the message?
We are all missing someone special at the moment so today we would like you to design your own crop circle and to write a message to go with it.
Your crop circle and message can be to anyone you want. It might be someone that you are missing but it might be someone that you see all the time that you care about.
Think carefully about the design, colour and pattern of your crop circle.
Will it show that you care?
Will it show that you miss them?
Will it be in their favourite colour?
The choice is yours.
Here are some real crop circle pictures to inspire you:
What will you write in your message?
Think about how you want the receiver of your message to feel.
Will you make them feel happy?
Will you make them feel loved?
Will you make them feel missed?
Will you make them laugh?
You will have to think carefully about your word choice and what you are going to write to let your person know how special they are to you.
Numeracy
Lesson 4 – Telling Time (Quarter to and Quarter Past)
This lesson links to learning the children completed earlier in the year. In year 2 all children are expected to be able to tell the time to the nearest 15 minutes using the language of quarter to and quarter past the hour.
Here is a link to the White Rose videos (the link is to all 4 lessons, Wednesdayâs lesson is lesson 4 â Quarter to and Quarter Past)
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
And here is the worksheet to go along side the video.
PSHE
All this week we have been thinking about worries and moving into year 3. Believe it or not your teachers are worried too.
Here is what some of our worries are:
“Will my new class like me?” Miss Pearson
“I don’t have a class next year, will the children have forgotten me when I come back?” Mrs Mullick
“What if I forget how to teach over the summer holidays?” Mrs Patrick
“I am worried that my new class will be different” Mrs Tadbeer
“I am worried I won’t know what to do in Year 3” Miss Gowland
Soon will will have a chance to meet your new teachers and they will be excited (and a little bit nervous to meet you). We are all SUPER sad that you are leaving us but we have told everyone just how wonderful you all are.
To help your new teachers get to know you a little better fill in this activity booklet. You can take it along when you meet them or give it to one of your Year 2 teachers and we will pass it on for you!
Music
This week we would like you to take inspiration from someone who you might recognise!
Annabelle, her brother and their mum decided to use their knowledge of the Great Fire of London to create lyrics for a song. They used a famous song as the tune but sang their own words – How clever!
Can you take inspiration from Annabelle and her family to have a go at writing your own Great Fire of London (or you may wish to use the Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle) song?
You can use any song you like as the tune.
Share your creations with us using Twitter, Facebook or by emailing it to us. We can’t wait to see them!
Science
Colour Changing Milk!
For this experiment you will need:
Milk
Dinner plate
Food colouring
Liquid soap
Cotton buds
Method:
1. Pour enough milk in the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom. Allow the milk to settle.
2. Add one drop of each of the colours of food colouring you have chosen to the milk.
3. Find a clean cotton bud for the next part of the experiment. Predict what will happen when you touch the tip of the cotton swab to the centre of the milk. It’s important not to stir the mix. Just touch it with the tip of the cotton bud. Try it. Did anything happen?
4. Now place a drop of liquid dish soap on the other end of the cotton bud. Place the soapy end of the cotton swab back in the middle of the milk and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds. What happened this time?
5. Add another drop of soap to the tip of the cotton swab and try it again.
Experiment with placing the cotton bud at different places in the milk. Notice that the colours in the milk continue to move even when the cotton bud is removed.
What makes the food colouring in the milk move?
Does it matter where the food colouring drops are?
Does a different type of milk give a different result?
Keep experimenting to find out how to get the best results.
Want to know the science behind this experiment? Watch the video to find out more!
Fabulous Fri-Yay
Reading
Try to read for 20 minutes every day. Choose books that you have at home or from the links we sent in week 3. These could be story books or non-fiction texts.
SPAG
(spelling, punctuation and grammar)
This week we are going to look at how to put lists of words into alphabetical order. Using alphabetical order comes in handy for many things such as using the index and glossary in non fiction books and looking up the meaning or spelling of a word in a dictionary.
BBC Bitesize has a video and some activities for you to have a go at completing which can be found here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsv6wnb
Once you have watched the video and completed the activities have a go at this worksheet:
Numeracy
Friday is maths challenge day. The maths challenge is provided by BBC Bitesize.
Here is a link to the Friday challenge:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/z7s22sg/year-2-and-p3-lessons
Spellings
Compound Words
When two smaller words are pushed together to form a new word with its own meaning, a compound word is made.
In year 2 children are expected to use a range of compound words in their writing.
Follow the activities on BBC Bitesize to find out more about compound words:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zcgv39q/articles/z38t6fr
Now have a go at this activity:
PE
The Figure of Eight (or side to side)
This weekâs skip is called the âFigure of Eightâ this time you need to a sideways number 8 with your ropes before your jump through, you need to make this ‘8’ pattern before every jump!
This is by far the hardest skip that we learn in learn 2 so don’t worry if it takes you a while to master!
Top tip â make sure you make the full 8 before you jump through the rope; it is very easy to just do half an 8 by mistake!
Here is a video of Miss Watson and some helpers demonstrating how to complete the ‘Figure of Eight’:
RE
Eid and Ramadan
Eid al Fitr is a Muslim holiday celebrated when Ramadan, the month of fasting, finishes. Eid ul-Fitr lasts three days. During this festival, children accept gifts and eidi in form of money from adults. It is an occasion intended for enjoyment, forgiveness, and feasting.
Watch this video to find out more:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/puzzles/lets-celebrate-eid
Now have a look at this information sheet and read the story to find out even more!
Now find out how much you know by completing this quiz:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/puzzles/ramadan-quiz
and finally…. have a go at completing these worksheets and activities!
This is your last blog based around our topic, Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Fire and our second last year 2 blog đ so we hope you all have lots of fun completing the activities and being the fantastic historians that we know you are!
Sending lots of hugs and best wishes to you all,
Love from Miss. Pearson, Mrs, Mullick, Mrs. Patrick, Mrs. Tadbeer and Miss Gowland xx
