Beech
2022 - 2023
Summer 2 2023
This half term has brought lots of fun, including two fantastic trips. We had a wonderful time at the Wessex Wild farm amongst the wildlife. The children also thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Etches Collection of Jurassic Marine Life with Acorns class. They all represented the school brilliantly. We have also enjoyed French Day, where the children explored culture from different French-speaking countries.
In writing, the children have utilised opportunities to produce non-fiction pieces about their experiences. This has included a recount of our trip to Wessex Wild farm and a thank you letter to the Etches Collection. The children also wrote instructions inspired by our DT topics explaining how to make a cushion as well as how to make ice cream! They have been challenged to write at length and to take ownership of editing and improving their work. In SPAG, we have focused on learning common exception words in order to make their spelling more accurate. The children have really enjoyed using the Sounds Write approach this half-term.
In reading lessons, we have continued to explore a range of fiction and non-fiction relating to our oceans topic. The children have become much sharper with their retrieval skills!
In maths this half term, Beech have reviewed the Year 2 maths curriculum, with focus on trickier areas, including fractions and telling the time. We have kept up daily arithmetic practise, including memorisation of the 3 times table.
Our science lessons have focused on healthy lifestyles. The children have learnt about the value of the different food groups as well as the importance of exercise and the impact it has on our body. We enjoyed an experiment where we took our own heart rate before and after running laps around the playground.
In humanities, the children have studied the oceans. They have learnt about the layers of the ocean and the different sea-creatures that live at each level. They have studied coral reefs and they have also studied a brief history of ocean exploration.
In music, the children have enjoyed singing some upbeat songs, including some from the 60s.
Our RE this half term; ‘Green Faith, Green Future?’ has allowed us to reflect on views of the Earth, creation and our duty to the Earth. We have looked at scripture quotes which have informed our understanding of stances of different religious groups. The children have reflected on their personal duty to care for the Earth, creating poems about all the things that find amazing about the world. They incorporated their ideas into a visual piece of art too.
In DT, we have designed and made applique cushions; our theme was sea creatures. First the children learnt how to create a pattern from their original design, how to pin their pattern onto fabric and cut out their design efficiently. They used embroidery thread to sew on their design with embellishments and once the two cushion pieces had been sewn together, the children stuffed them and sewed up the gap. We have also experimented with ice cream making this half term. The children made different flavours and compared their success!
The children have worked very hard and achieved lots in Year 2; I will miss teaching them. I hope they have a fantastic summer holiday and I wish them all luck in Year 3.
Summer 1 2023
Beech have worked extremely hard this half term! They have put lots of work into preparing for their SATS and they should be proud of the progress they have made.
In Writing, the children have used the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach to create poems on a topic of their choice. They used lots of brilliant descriptive language, including similes and metaphors. This half term, we have also used ‘Talk for Writing’ to produce a text inspired by ‘Dear Greenpeace’ by Simon James. This book is comprised of an exchange of letters; Emily writes to Greenpeace to learn about whales after she discovers one in her pond. Greenpeace writes back to explain that there can’t be a whale in her pond! The children wrote some fun versions of this story and we decided to put their work together to make a book. In SPAG, we have revised all topics and we are working on applying our understanding to our writing, for example spelling suffixes correctly.
In Reading, some children have begun to read The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo, others have read a range of texts, including The Storm Whale and Dear Greenpeace as well as some non-fiction texts about sea-life and oceans. We have completed lots of comprehension tasks in preparation for assessments. The children have grown in confidence and they are getting better at retrieving information from texts independently. Furthermore, we have been reading James and the Giant Peach for pleasure in the afternoons; they are really enjoying the story.
In Maths, we have covered lots! The children have learnt to tell the time, they have studied fractions and statistics as well as position and direction. As well as this, the children have continued to work on their arithmetic skills.
In Science, we have studied offspring, noting that some offspring look very similar to their adults, while others significantly differ in appearance. The children have also studied life cycles of animals including humans, noting that certain types of animals lay eggs and others give birth to live young.
In R.E, we have studied Islam. The children have learnt about the 5 Pillars of Islam, with focus on the special pilgrimage: Hajj. We have explored whether completing Hajj makes someone a better Muslim and why.
Our topic this term has been oceans, therefore in Humanities, the children have identified the 5 main oceans and their characteristics. They have also learnt about ocean travel and built a timeline to show the development in ships and boats since the first Egyptian sailboats in 4000BC.
In PSHE, the children have focused on relationships, identifying what makes a ‘good friend’.
In P.E, the children have worked on ‘multi-sports’. They have also had lots of fun in their tennis sessions, where they have shown fantastic skill!
Music lessons have involved beginning to understand note values and how to read music. The children had lots of fun doing this.
In our Art lessons, Beech have studied artist Escher, who creates art through tessellating shapes. They have enjoyed created repeating patterns as well as experimenting with printing techniques.
Beech Class Summer Term 1 2023
Spring 2 2023
Beech have crammed lots of hard work into this half-term. They have also had the privilege of several special learning experiences.
This half-term in maths, Beech studied multiplication and division, length and height, as well as mass, capacity and temperature. The children have really enjoyed working on multiplication; their recall of Year 2 multiplication facts is fantastic. Year 2 relished the opportunity to work more practically in their measurement units, which has provided useful context to build their understanding.
In reading, we have studied Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr. This text really captured the children’s imagination and proved their love of reading; they eagerly anticipated the next chapter each day! As a treat, they were able to watch the film of Nim’s Island and notice how it differed to the novel. The children have gained confidence in speaking and writing about their own insights; they are able to explain their thoughts using information they have retrieved from a text.
Beech have used the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach in writing lessons. Our key text this half term was a recount, which was based on Julia Donaldson’s ‘The Everywhere Bear’. The children have developed their understanding of non-fiction writing by producing recounts of real experiences. They have been able to use time conjunctions, first person perspective, adverbs and other features in their writing. In SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) lessons, we have studied sentence types, word classes and suffixes. Beech are able to recall SPAG knowledge and often apply what they have learnt in their writing.
In science, Beech have continued their study of living things and habitats. British Science Week brought about lots of opportunities to work scientifically. The children enjoyed planning, carrying out and discussing the results of investigations. They showed brilliant curiosity and also discovered the close link between maths and science. A highlight for Year 2 was performing their science assembly. They enjoyed speaking so much they wanted to perform all over again! The children have been lucky enough to experience some exciting opportunities to enrich their study of habitats this half term, including an excellent workshop from Wessex Wild and meeting some fascinating animals from Creature Teachers.
In RE this half term, Beech studied Christianity. Their key question was ‘Why does Easter matter to Christians?’. The children have studied the Easter story and created their own map of the story. They have compared and contrasted commercial ideas or symbols of Easter with Christian symbols and reflected on how they overlap. This topic has also allowed the children to reflect on Christian values such as forgiveness, truth and love which, they discovered, are entwined in the Easter story.
Our geography lessons have included study of physical and human features, particularly across the UK. The children have become familiar with the four countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities.
Our PHSE topic this term was ‘Healthy Me’. The children reflected on all the different things that affect our mental and physical health.
In PE, the children have continued to study gymnastics; the children have enjoyed activities connecting to an ‘under the sea’ theme.
In computing, we have studied ‘iprogram’ which has involved understanding the meaning of an instruction and response in the context of technology. Beech have been able to identify items that take instruction, e.g. a washing machine and those that don’t e.g. a shoe.
In music, Year 1 and 2 together have shown they have great listening skills. They were able to identify changes in pitch, rhythm and distinguish between long and short notes. They have also enjoyed lots of performance through singing this half term.
In art, the children have produced work inspired by travel and transport, including portraits inspired by Harry Beck’s tube map. Beech enjoyed responding to ‘My Shadow is Pink’ on world book day, where they learnt different ways to use charcoal and dry pastels. They have also painted some beautiful sunsets to produce a scene of the crosses from the Easter story.
Beech Class Spring term 2 2023
Spring 1 2023
This half-term in maths, Beech studied shape and money. They have proved fun yet challenging topics. The children have shown a great attitude in maths, building their confidence and independence to apply knowledge to solve problems in both topics. The children have begun to learn to use column method for addition and subtraction, which they are beginning to apply effectively to solve maths problems. Finally, we have started our multiplication topic which will be continued next half-term.
In reading, we have used fiction texts including Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever by Michael Morpurgo, Coming to England by Floella Benjamin and Gorilla by Anthony Browne. We have also used non-fiction texts relating to transport and the SS Empire Windrush. The children have taken a great interest in the range of texts and they have produced thoughtful predictions and interpretations. We have focused on providing clear and coherent answers based on information given in the text.
Beech have used the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach in our writing lessons to each produce a ‘wishing tale’ narrative. This was inspired by Flying Scotsman and The Best Birthday Ever. Once the children completed their stories, we reviewed them by making edits and improvements. Our key focus has been to write consistently in the past tense. To practise, the children wrote stories inspired by a short film, producing fantastic results. Our SPAG (spelling and grammar) lessons have centred on spelling common exception words and using apostrophes for possession and contractions.
In science, Beech have studied living things and habitats. We began by understanding the fundamental differences between something that is alive, dead or has never been alive. We moved on to explore and research a broad range of habitats across the world. The children have observed how different animals are suited to the different conditions each habitat provides. Lastly, we have studied microhabitats; the children have engineered their own by producing a homemade bug hotel.
The children have loved studying Judaism this half term in RE. They have attentively explored why the Torah is so important to Jews. Furthermore, they have taken interest in what life is like for someone who practices Judasim. A highlight has been our Shabbat workshop at the end of the half term, where the children made some delicious Challah bread and learnt more about Jewish traditions.
Our geography lessons have revolved around understanding and using maps online and offline, learning about compass points, as well as becoming familiar with the 7 continents. We have worked on understanding and recalling key vocabulary such as county, country and continent, which are easily confused!
Our PHSE topic has been ‘Dreams and Goals’, which has involved reflecting on our strengths, celebrating achievement and looking to the future.
In PE, the children have worked on balance, control and spatial awareness through gymnastics. They have enjoyed exploring different ways to use their body to create movement.
In computing, we have studied ‘iModel’ which has involved understanding how IT can simulate a multitude of things that happen in real life. This has led to designing our own computer game.
In music, the children have explored dynamics and tempo through listening to and making music. They have paid particular attention to how music makes us feel and why.
In art, the children have produced art inspired by travel and transport. This has included drawing a train in perspective and producing realistic landscapes. We have developed our skills using watercolour paint; learning about different ways to use water and paint to create effects. The children created lovely silhouettes set against watercolour backgrounds, inspired by the idea of travel.
Beech Class Spring term 1 2023
Autumn 2 2022
Another very busy half term has come to an end. The children have worked really hard once again over the last few weeks and produced excellent work in all areas of the curriculum.
Mathematics
In this half term we have focused on addition and subtraction. The children have explored various strategies to solve number problems, and in all lessons had the opportunity to use manipulatives to support their learning. They have also solved mathematical word problems, so have learnt to understand the language of mathematics and what the word problems are asking them to find out.
Reading
We have read a selection of class books this half term, all linking into our Spectacular Space Topic, including Curiosity: The story of the Mars Rover. The children have all really enjoyed engaging in these fun and exciting books, and learnt many interesting facts about space and exploration in the process. The children have been focusing on their retrieval and inference skills through verbal discussions of the text and written questions which they have answered.
Writing/Phonics
Phonics and writing lessons have once again been combined this half term. In the phonics part of the lesson the children have been learning the alternative spellings for a selection of sounds. We have then practiced those spellings in the writing part of our lessons, with the focus being on the correct use of capital letters and full stops when writing sentences both independently and from memory. The children have also been practicing other punctuation such as question marks and exclamation marks in conjunction with exploring different types of sentences such as statements, questions and commands.
Science
In science we have been investigating everyday materials. The children have had the opportunity to identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials and their uses, thinking about why certain materials are appropriate for different purposes. Why are windows made of glass? Why is a toddler’s cup made of plastic? Why aren’t rabbit hunted made of cardboard? The children have also taken part in practical activities exploring how everyday materials can be changed by squashing, twisting or bending them for example.
In P.S.H.E. this half term, our puzzle piece has been about celebrating difference. The children have discussed questions such as why bullying might happen, how we can stand up for ourselves and others and how to make and keep friends. Lessons have been practical with lots of discussion and also many art activities.
In our RE lessons this half term, the children have been learning about the Christmas Story, and the meaning of advent. The children have had the opportunity to talk about the meaning of Christmas and advent, and also produce art work linked to their discussions.
Our history lessons have been focused on our topic of Spectacular Space, with the children learning about the history of space travel and then creating time lines, including timelines about their own lives.
In Computer Science, we have been learning all about animation. This work has included finding out how animation is made and the process of planning including story boards. The children also learnt about the simple animation technique of flip books, and they had the chance to produce their own.
In art and DT, the children had the opportunity to make their own space helmets which they completed at home for a homework project. The results were fantastic! All the children had the chance to show off their amazing work during a worship where they were able to do a parade for the rest of the school so they could admire their hard work.
The focus of PE lessons this half term has been dance. The children have learnt about control and coordination of their movement, linking actions to each other and copying and remembering moves and positions.
Autumn 1 2022
What a fantastic start to the new academic year. All the children have settled in really well to their new classroom, routines and expectations for Year Two. We have completed a huge amount of work over the last few weeks and all children should be proud of the achievements.
Mathematics
In this half term we have focused on place value in our math lessons. In all lessons the children have been encouraged to use manipulatives to support their learning, including the use of Numicon, Diennes and counters. The children have been able to consolidate their previous learning from Year One as well as new learning. Aspects of Place Value which the children have covered this half term have included place value to 100, the representation and comparison of objects and numbers to 100 and partitioning of numbers.
Reading
We have read a selection of class books this half term, all linking into our Spectacular Space Topic, including A Place for Pluto, Toys in Space, Space Poems and Curiosity: The story of the Mars Rover. The children have all really enjoyed engaging in these fun and exciting books. We have also focused on their retrieval and inference skills through verbal discussions of the text and written questions.
Writing/Phonics
Phonics and writing lessons have been combined this half term. In the phonics part of the lesson the children have been learning the alternative spellings for a selection of sounds. We have then practiced those spellings in the writing part of our lessons, with the focus being on the correct use of capital letters and full stops when writing sentences both independently and from memory.
Science
In science we have been investigating everyday materials. The children have had the opportunity to identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials and their uses, thinking about why certain materials are appropriate for different purposes. Why are windows made of glass? Why is a toddler’s cup made of plastic? Why aren’t rabbit hunted made of cardboard? The children have also taken part in practical activities exploring how everyday materials can be changed by squashing, twisting or bending them for example.
In P.S.H.E. this half term, our puzzle piece has been ‘Being me in the World’, where the children have been thinking about how they should be treating each other and how they would like to be treated. They have also discussed how they should behave in our school and community, and thought about rewards and consequences for their behavior and actions.
In our RE lessons this half term the children have been learning about the Creation Story and what Christians believe. These lessons have included both written and drawing activities and also a great deal of discussion as a class.
Our history lessons have been focused on our topic of Spectacular Space, with the children learning about the history of space travel and then creating time lines.
In ICT we have been learning all about algorithms and the importance of clear and ordered instructions, especially if you are a robot! The children have had opportunities to create their own set of pictorial and written instructions on how to create a Lego tower.
In art the children have been developing their painting skills by producing wonderful space pictures, and in music we have been learning all about the melody, rhythm and pulse of music through both listening to and learning to sing a selection of new songs, plus playing musical instruments and learning to improvise.
The focus of PE lessons this half term has been throwing and catching skills, and developing their tactics when playing games, including attacking and defending skills.
Beech Class Autumn term 1 2022
2021 - 2022
Summer 1 2022
What a busy half term!
In History, the children travelled back over 150 years to learn about healthcare and the important people that made a significant impact to nursing and medicine, in particular Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale. The children had to step into their shoes, to imagine what it was like in hospitals in 1840s looking after soldiers in the Crimean War. They then wrote a diary pretending to be Florence Nightingale, recording their experiences and how they transformed nursing and hygiene to make it better for everyone!
Our puzzle piece in PSHE this half term has been on the theme of ‘Relationships’. We have enjoyed discussions and activities about relationships with friends and family, including how to solve problems and issues that may arise from keeping secrets and also learning more about trust and the importance of speaking up if something is not right. The children enjoyed working with Acorns class on some trust activities and thinking about the important people in their trust circle.
In RE we used the Parable of the Lost Son as a stimulus to look at what this tells Christians God is like. We created a ‘hidden meaning box’, as we learnt that a parable is a story with a hidden meaning. Our pictures on the outside show our favourite part of the story and the messages we placed inside the box explain the meaning of the story. Following discussions about what Christians believe about God and what we believe about God, we began a piece of artwork to express our ideas. Some of this work will be entered into the ‘Spirited Arts’ competition, which encourages children to think deeper about key questions in R.E.
The children have enjoyed exploring different media in Art this half term. They have been looking at beach scenes and used the IPads to create digital beach scenes, and then created another using collage and compared the two.
In Science we were very lucky to have a visit from Ali at Monkey World, and learnt all about the needs of the Monkeys. The children designed their own enclosures thinking about what they had learnt and what the monkeys needed in their habitat.
Also, we had a fluffy visit from some chicks! The children asked lots of interesting questions about how to care for chicks and what they needed to grow and stay healthy.
Well done to year 2 for excellent effort with their SATS this half term, and Good Luck to year 1 for their Phonics Screening after half term. Lots of hard work has gone into both from the children.
Enjoy the Jubilee celebrations and we will see you for the last leg in June!
Spring 2 2022
What a busy half term Beech class have had! They have enjoyed their learning across all subjects. With particular highlights being our visit from Conservationist Will Fox, who gave up his time to come and WOW the children with his stories from working abroad with big cats in the wild. This was particularly special for Beech class as they are all very passionate about supporting and helping endangered animals and protecting our environment, and Will was able to offer advice and answer all their very varied questions!
Another highlight was Science Week when all the class got to design their own gym workout, and everyone got the opportunity to demonstrate their moves and try each other’s. They also got to flex their hand muscles with some fantastic virus and anti-body origami. Finishing off the day learning about Gentoo penguins and collaborating with year 6 to create their own nests and have their strength and stability tested in windy and rainy conditions. Brilliant to see the children working outside together, sharing ideas and problem solving as a team.
Other areas they have been working hard in this half term include completing their topic learning 'Into the Wild', where the children have taken inspiration from their geography learning about Africa in Geography in order to create their own beautiful bunting triangle, in design technology lessons. They worked hard to build up their design in many stages; first they coloured the fabric using fabric glue and paint in a batik style, they then glued sequins on and finally practiced their sewing skills by adding some stitching detail. They have also enjoyed researching, gaining knowledge and writing non-chronological reports on their favourite African or Arctic animal. They had to find out about how they live, eat and survive and organise their facts into paragraphs in their fact file.
In our P.S.H.E. lessons, we have been learning about how to keep ourselves healthy. We have talked about the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, sleep and recognising when different feelings, so we can learn to cope with different emotions. We always enjoy some fun 'brain breaks' too! Whilst in RE, our key question has been 'Why does Easter matter to Christians?' We have reflected on different parts of the Easter story and what how they all connect. The children decorated some Easter crosses, which showed the different emotions felt on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
The half term was finished with a fantastic Easter Service that displayed imaginative artwork and highlighted how far they have come this year so far with confident performances of their Spring song and Easter poems. It was very apt that to celebrate new life this Spring they were able to release their class butterflies in the last week during a sunny spell, after tending and monitoring them. All children were very excited for the big release! Well done Beech class, great term.
Spring 1 2022
It's been a busy start to the year in Beech class! The children have engrossed in their new topic 'Into the Wild', which has really captured their love for animals. They have located continents and oceans around the world as well as discovering the animals that live in different locations depending on the climate, including an African safari. We have celebrated Australia day and learnt facts comparing the North Pole in the Arctic and the South Pole in Antarctica. We couldn't quite believe that penguins and polar bears have never met other than in Zoos!
The children enjoyed our Materials Science Day this half term. They spent the day experimenting with different types of materials, they looked at the properties and investigated what objects would sink and which would float. 
Year 2 developed their own hypothesis’s around balls and year 1 also explored around the school identifying materials and their uses. 
The children especially liked making their own houses from different materials, inspired by the classic Three Little Pigs. They took great pleasure in seeing which house would stand up against the big bad hairdryer!
In PSHE, our learning objectives have been on the theme of 'Dreams and Goals'. We have enjoyed talking about our own dreams and goals, why they are important and what we might need to achieve them. Our final activity involved creating a 'dream bird', which allowed us to work in small groups and learn more about the importance of effective teamwork. The children have worked so well together and we enjoyed listening to each group present their work to the rest of the class. We have talked about our 'internal treasure chests', where we can store our feelings of success.
Our work in English had been influenced by the book 'Lila and the Secret of the Rain' set in a Kenyan village, in Africa. The children investigated what it was like to live there, before writing their own versions of the story. This has also motivated our design technology learning; where the children have begun designing and creating their African bunting, which they will continue to develop as the topic continues after half term.
Miss Bower and Mrs Tennant,
