Our core text half term is 'Islandborn by Junot Diaz. We will be learning about the Dominican Republic culture.  Throughout the half term, children will develop their independence for writing words and sentences, as well as their descriptive writing skills. They will use the text as an inspiration to write a setting description. Children will also learn how to write non-chronological reports and will be researching facts on the Dominican Republic. They will then use this information to write fact files on Dominican culture, focussing on art, food, language and music. 

Our topic in geography this half term is 'seasonal and daily weather patterns'. This closely links in with our English learning journey as we will be making key geographical comparisons between the United Kingdom and the Domincan Republic (the country in which our core text is set). We will be looking at both countries' populations and their very different weather patterns. We will also be exploring how a country being closer to the Equator will make it hotter, which is why the Dominican Republic is ultimately much warmer than the UK. 

In maths this half term, our focus will be on place value, where we will be learning how to represent the tens and ones in a variety of ways using dienes and place value counters. We will be building on our addition and subtraction skills within number bonds and will also be developing our knowledge of counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We will also begin to start counting in 3’s.

In science we will be learning about living things, exploring different microhabitats, then designing our own habitat. 

At the beginning of the half term, each class will be exploring the artist that their class is named after (Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe and Claude Monet) and creating our own art pieces based of their paintings. 

In the latter part of the half term, we will then research the artist Leo Espinosa (the award-winning illustrator of our core text 'Islandborn'). We will initially create a moodboard of his work, where we get to explore his creations and the methods he uses to create them. We will then create our beautiful landscapes using a variety of media, all inspired by his work. 

This half term we will continue to use the phonics scheme 'Little Wandle' to further both our reading and comprehension skills. We will be learning 4 new sounds a week, as well as new high frequency words and we will be consolidating these within our 3 sessions of reading a week. We will also be answering key questions about what we have read, which will help us to develop our comprehension. 

In Year 2, our reading books will be changed on a Monday if they are in a reading group; otherwise, books will be chnaged once completed. Parents can support their children's learning through reading and discussing the books daily, recording in reading journals and by giving children the opportunity to visit the local library to read about and research our topics. We will also be sending out spellings and phonics or maths related activities on a Friday, which are due the following Wednesday. Additionally, there will be a variety of homework activities to choose from at the start of the term relating to our overarching theme.

This half term our topic is about the importance of churches within Christianity. We will be looking at how a church is somewhere where Christians worship together, read the Bible and pray. We will also be exploring the different features of a church, such as the altar and which events happen there, for example, Communions and Baptisms. 

In Year 1/2, our reading books will be changed on a Monday if children are in a reading group; otherwise, reading books will be changed once they are completed. Parents can support their children's learning through reading and discussing the books daily, recording in reading journals and by giving children the opportunity to visit the local library to read about and research our topics. We will also be sending out spellings and phonics or maths related activities on a Friday, which are due the following Wednesday. Additionally, there will be a variety of homework activities to choose from at the start of the term relating to our overarching theme.

This half term the children will be exploring the fabulous book 'The Rainbow Fish.' They will learn about the key messages in the story and make links with their own lives. They will practise writing descriptions of characters and settings, ensuring to extend their sentences and use interesting vocabulary. They will move on sequencing the story in the correct order, ensuring to remember the key events. Then the children will learn to write a persuasive letter as one of the characters in the text. This will allow them to explore formal and informal writing. They will also learn how to write in first person, the correct and also providing a point and explaining their reason behind it. 

In geography this half term the children will continue to explore and learn about maps. They will learn about the countries that make up the United Kingdom and also look at the capital city of England. They will identify which continent England is on before moving on to exploring another country and other continents. They will recap their learning about the hemisphere and the equator. Then they will move on to learning about Australia and learn about the climate and lifestyle there. 

In maths the children will be focussing on their knowledge of number bonds to 10 and 20. They will be using part-whole models, tens frames and rekenreks to support their understanding of how numbers relate to each other. They will also learn about fact families, making links with addition and subtraction. The children will learn strategies to add and subtract correctly. Towards the end of this half term they will explore 2D and 3D shapes. They will learn about the different properties of shapes and identify shapes in their daily environment. 

The children will continue to explore humans including animals this half term. They will now develop their understanding about life cycles and how humans need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise and a balanced diet. The children will learn about the different life cycles in the animal world and compare this to the human life cycle. They will explore the school lunch menu, deisgn their own healthy food plate and finally carry out a series of exercises to see what happens to their body. 

This half therm the children will be exploring the work of Marcus Pfister, the fabulous author of 'The Rainbow Fish.' The children will learn about his style of art and his inspiration behind the illustrations in the book. 

First they will create a mood board to help them to understand his technique before moving on to learning technical skills of painting and exploring tones and textures. For their final outcome the children will draw their own fish and use watercolour effectively to create a picture. They will also create a shiny, shimmery scale to add to their whole class art piece. 

Year 1 will recap phase 3 & 4 sounds before slowly moving on to phase 5 sounds. These will include digraphs (two letters and one sound) and some trigraphs (three letters and one sound). 

Year 2 will finish recapping phase 5 sounds and then will start to learn spelling patterns appropriate for their age. All children who still need phonics will have daily reading sessions and they will read books linking with the phase they are on. Most children in Year 2 will have reading groups too, which are based around echo reading and strategies for reading to improve fluency and comprehension. 

Year 1 will be given spelling homework once a week, these will be linked to their phonics they are learning. They are expected to read at home for 10 minutes a day. Please ensure children bring their reading records and books in everyday to ensure they are reading in their groups. The books are usually changed on a Tuesday, however if they are not ready they will be kept on the same book. 

Year 2 also have spellings every week, these are based on spelling patterns being learnt that week. Year 2 should aim to read 15 minutes a day. Books will be changed on a Tuesday, however may not be if the children are required to practise again. Please ensure books are brought in to school everyday.

In RE we will continue to further develop our understanding of Christianity and the church. This half term the children will learn about special days in Christianity, recap their prior learning about Jesus and why he is a significant figure in the religion. They will make links with themselves and the community they live in. We will focus on ceremonies that take place inside the church. The children will reflect and think about ceremonies that also happen in their lives. 

This half term the children will be exploring the wonderful book 'The Invisible' written by Tom Percival. The story is based around Isabel and her family who don't have much money but she loves their home and is grateful for all the things they do have. So when they're forced to move across the city to a new neighbourhood, Isabel doesn't feel like she belongs. It's as though she's becoming invisible - nobody seems to see that she's there. The more Isabel goes unseen, the more she begins to see the other invisible people of the city. This is a beautiful, tender story about seeing the everyday beauty in the world and realising we all have the right to belong somewhere.  The children will be writing a descriptive narrative based on this story as well as a detailed dairy.. 

This half term the children are focusing on history. They will be learning about London’s population and how it grew rapidly during the 19th century. This led to major problems with overcrowding and poverty. Victorian children did not have as many toys and clothes as children do today and many of them were homemade. They often had to work to earn money for their family. As a result, many could not go to school. The Victorian era was between 1837-1901. 

In Art the children will be learning draw and sketch landscapes. They will focus on trees and plants. They will focus on the artist Kate Evans and use mixed media to create their whole class outcome. Kate Evans is a Britisg cartoonist, non-fiction author and also a graphic novelist! 

Year 1 will recap phase 3 & 4 sounds before slowly moving on to phase 5 sounds. They will focus on using and applying new sounds when reading new texts or books. 

Year 2 will focus on learning spelling patterns appropriate for their age. All children who still need phonics will have daily reading sessions and they will read books linking with the phase they are on. Year 2 will have reading groups too, which are based around echo reading and strategies for reading to improve fluency and comprehension. 

Year 1 will be given spelling homework once a week, these will be linked to their phonics they are learning. They are expected to read at home for 10 minutes a day. Please ensure children bring their reading records and books in everyday to ensure they are reading in their groups. The books are usually changed on a Tuesday, however if they are not ready they will be kept on the same book. 

Year 2 also have spellings every week, these are based on spelling patterns being learnt that week. Year 2 should aim to read 15 minutes a day. Books will be changed on a Tuesday, however may not be if the children are required to practise again. Please ensure books are brought in to school everyday.

This half term the children are learning about the five pillars of Islam. They five pillars underpin the Muslim belief. They are a statement of faith, praying often, giving charity, performing the holy pilgrimage and fasting during the month of Ramadan. These pillars teach Muslims about discipline and also being the best person they can be. The children will explore what each pillar represents and stands for. The children will make links with their own lives and think about what values they hold. 

Class PE Days - children come in their PE kit.

Monet: Wednesdays & Fridays

O'Keeffe: Mondays & Thursdays

Van Gogh: Wednesdays & Fridays

Reading Records: All reading records and books should be brought into school everyday for reading. Books will be changed on a Tuesday when children are ready to move on. 

Homework: Homework is handed out every Fridays and due on the following Wednesday. Please encourage children to promptly hand in their homework so they can be checked and new homework can be issued. 

The year 1/2 team thank you for your continuous support.

This half term the children are exploring 'Alba and the ocean cleanup.' Alba the fish has spent her entire life collecting precious objects that drift down to the ocean floor. From delicate shells to brightly coloured coral, each year on her birthday she gathers one more precious item. But over the years, Alba notices her collection is losing its sparkle and that the world is changing. The children will be researching facts and information inorder to write their own persuasive poster to keep oceans free from plastic and rubbish. They will then go onto write their version of the story ensuring to use different language features. 

Our focus for this half term is Geography. The children will be exploring oceans, human and physical geography in the our local environment. They will identify various natural features in their local environment and identify how humans have an impact on the natural environment. They will learn to have empathy towards geographical issues such as ocean pollution and land pollution linked to their core text in English. 

Year 1 - this half term the children will be exploring multiplication and division to begin with and then learn about fractions as equal parts. 

Arithmetic focus - rapid recall of number bonds to 20. Learning how to add and subtract 1 digit numbers using fact family knowledge. 

Year 2 - the children will be learning about fractions and equal parts and explore the concept of time as a form of measure. 

Arithmetic focus - knowing their 2, 5 and 10 times table to support calculations, using and applying number bonds to add and subtract with accuracy. 

In science year 1 and 2 will be exploring the different parts of a flowering plant and their functions. They will learn about plants and what they need in order to grow healthy and strong, they will do this through carrying out their own experiment. The children will make links with plants and how it impacts the life cycle for other living things in our environment and world. 

Year 1 will be given spelling homework once a week, these will be linked to their phonics they are learning. They are expected to read at home for 10 minutes a day. Please ensure children bring their reading records and books in everyday to ensure they are reading in their groups. The books are usually changed on a Tuesday, however if they are not ready they will be kept on the same book. 

Year 2 also have spellings every week, these are based on spelling patterns being learnt that week. Year 2 should aim to read 15 minutes a day. Books will be changed on a Tuesday, however may not be if the children are required to practise again. Please ensure books are brought in to school everyday.

Children in Year 1 and 2 will be learning about Sikhism this half term. They will be exploring Sikh values and think about how everyone can apply these values everyday. They will reflect on Elaine values and discuss which values are the most important to them and why. To further deepen their understanding of Sikhism, the children will explore the different aspects of the Gudwara and how the Guru Granth Sahib is respected. 

Class PE Days - children come in their PE kit.

Monet: Wednesdays & Fridays

O'Keeffe: Mondays & Thursdays

Van Gogh: Wednesdays & Fridays

Reading Records: All reading records and books should be brought into school everyday for reading. Books will be changed on a Tuesday when children are ready to move on. 

Homework: Homework is handed out every Fridays and due on the following Wednesday. Please encourage children to promptly hand in their homework so they can be checked and new homework can be issued. 

The year 1/2 team thank you for your continuous support.

This half term the children will explore the book 'Somebody Swallowed Stanley' written and illustrated by the talented Sarah Roberts. Everybody has a taste for Stanley and the other ocean creatures just keep mistaking him for a delicious treat but this is no ordinary jellyfish. Most jellyfish have dangly-gangly tentacles but Stanley has two handles. Other jellyfish have a magical glow but Stanley has stripes because Stanley (spoiler alert) is a plastic bag! The children will start the new term learning about performance poetry, they will explore different poems and then write their own. Towards the end of the half term the children will research and plan to write a fact file based on pollution in the ocean. 

This half term the children will continue to explore pollution in the environment. They will further develop their understanding of pollution on land and air. They will be visiting Whitsable beach to learn about coastal features and make links with tourism and pollution in their local environment. The children have already explored the different oceans and will now explore how pollution travels around the world. They will research the great pacific garbage patch and think about how this can be stopped. Finally they will explore plastic in the ocean, closely linked to their core text 'Somebody swallowed Stanley.' 

Year 1 - This half term the children will extend their knowledge of place value, explore money and then complete their learning of time as a form of measure. 

Arithmetic focus - Number bonds to 100, number bonds from any 2 digit number to 100, recall of 10 times tables. 

Year 2 - The children will begin their maths learning journey by focusing on statistics such as interpreting and reading graphs and charts. They will then move on to position and direction. Finally the children will complete real life problem solving tasks to consolidate the four operations in maths. 

Arithmetic focus - Using empty number line strategies to add, subtract, divide and multiply. Rapid recall of their 2, 5 and 10 times table. 

In science year 1 and 2 will recap their prior knowledge of seasonal changes. This half term they will further explore the different features of seasons. The children will identify the ever changing weather conditions and make links between the four seasons. They will also explore how the length of the day varies in different countries and will learn about the change in temperature in different countries. 

This half term the children will take part in DT week. Year 1 and 2 will be researching, designing and making their own baguettes. The children will learn about their chosen country France and research facts and information about it. We look forward to designing and making our own baguettes! 

Year 1 will continue to revise sounds up to phase 5 and will focus on segmenting and blending nonsense words in preparation for the official phonics screening check this half term. 

Year 2 will continue to explore spelling patterns this half term as well as learn and use common exception words more consistently. 

Year 1 will be given spelling homework once a week, these will be linked to their phonics they are learning. They are expected to read at home for 10 minutes a day. Please ensure children bring their reading records and books in everyday to ensure they are reading in their groups. The books are usually changed on a Tuesday, however if they are not ready they will be kept on the same book. 

Year 2 also have spellings every week, these are based on spelling patterns being learnt that week. Year 2 should aim to read 15 minutes a day. Books will be changed on a Tuesday, however may not be if the children are required to practise again. Please ensure books are brought in to school everyday.

This half term the children will be learning about Hinduism. They will learn how people show respect for all living things as part of the Hindu religion. The children will learn about showing care for others, being honest and truthful. They will also learn about the festival of Raksha Bandhan and explore the importance of stories in Hinduism and what it teaches. Finally, they will explore the Mandir, a place of prayer for Hindus and where many sacred Gods and Goddesses are housed. 

This half term children will be looking closely at ocean pollution. They will be creating emotive art based on the great pacific garbage patch. They will practise drawing and sketching effectively before creating a mixed media piece of art. The children will explore many different environmental artists who produce thought provoking art work. 

In computing this half term, the children will learn about staying safe online. They will learn about keeping passwords safe and how to report anything unsafe to adults. They will also learn about coding and algorithms. The children will design their own set of commands in a particular sequence for a programme of their design. They will create their background with moving objects based on their commands. 

Year 1 and 2 will be learning about economic well being. They will learn about jobs and how different strengths and interests are needed to do different jobs. They will identify matters that are important to themselves and others. The children will think about people who work to serve the community and the impact it has on society. Finally they will explore jobs for their future and think about how it will help the community they live in. 

Class PE Days - children come in their PE kit.

Monet: Wednesdays & Fridays

O'Keeffe: Mondays & Thursdays

Van Gogh: Wednesdays & Fridays

Reading Records: All reading records and books should be brought into school everyday for reading. Books will be changed on a Tuesday when children are ready to move on. 

Homework: Homework is handed out every Fridays and due on the following Wednesday. Please encourage children to promptly hand in their homework so they can be checked and new homework can be issued. 

The year 1/2 team thank you for your continuous support.