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English - sentence building
This week in English, the children have been exploring sentence structure in a practical and engaging way. Working in pairs, they used Colourful Semantics to piece together different sentences and add accurate punctuation. The children really enjoyed collaborating and experimenting with words, and we’ve already seen fantastic progress in their understanding of how sentences are built.
growing together in year 2
To help everyone feel part of Class 2, each child has decorated their own wooden rainbow with their name on it. These colourful rainbows will soon be displayed on our outside tree, which will be lit with gentle lights to create a welcoming focal point for children and families at drop-off and pick-up. This will be the final touch to our entrance area, already brightened with a rainbow on the wall, bunting, and plants, opposite the school garden now thriving after the summer. The tree will stand as a symbol of belonging and togetherness for our class.
art - experimenting with pencils
In Art this half term, our focus is on drawing, with Vincent van Gogh as our inspiration. In this lesson, the children explored how different pencils, such as 2H to 6B, create a variety of effects. They experimented with the marks and tones each pencil could make before moving on to a drawing challenge. Each child carefully sketched a beetle, then used their pencils to practise shading, adding light and dark to bring their drawings to life. The children really enjoyed experimenting and are beginning to develop confidence with their sketching skills.
weekly round-up (WB 15th September)
The children have made a fantastic start to life in Year 2 and are already settling into our new routines with confidence. I’ve been so impressed with their positive attitude and commitment to their learning so far. From building sentences in English and exploring place value in Maths, to discovering different habitats in Science, practising fundamentals and ball skills in PE, and even beginning our focus on African music, the children have shown real curiosity and enthusiasm. In Art, they particularly enjoyed experimenting with pencils to create light and dark shading in their beetle drawings. It has been a wonderful week full of effort, energy, and smiles — and Class 2 are already showing that they are ready to shine this year.
This week, our dolphin learning animal has been on show, with the children diving into new challenges with enthusiasm and enjoying the chance to explore fresh ideas.
Fairlinch farm visit
This week, the children enjoyed a wonderful visit to Fairlinch Farm. We walked sensibly from school to the farm, where Mr Dyer welcomed us to his orchard. The children loved exploring the rows of trees and taking in the peaceful surroundings. Sitting together in the sunshine, everyone enjoyed tasting the delicious apples straight from the orchard. It was a real pleasure to see the children and adults alike making the most of the fresh air, learning outside the classroom, and appreciating this special local experience.
Music - Hands, feet and African rhythms
In music this week, Class 2 began exploring the Charanga autumn module “Hands, Feet, Heart”, with its focus on African music. The children listened to a range of African musical styles and learnt about Miriam Makeba, an influential South African singer who helped share African music with the world and used her voice to stand up for justice.
We then moved on to learning the song Hands, Feet, Heart together as a class. The real highlight was when the children acted as instrumentalists — using glockenspiels to accompany the song. They did a fantastic job staying in time with the music and supporting their singing with tuned notes.
Art- looking closely at leaves
In Art this week, the children developed the skill of observational drawing. Each child carefully selected a leaf from the school woods and used it as the focus for their work. Building on last week’s pencil techniques, they explored tone and shading with different grades of pencil to capture light, dark and texture. It was wonderful to see how much concentration the children gave to the finer details, and some of the results were truly impressive.
Meeting author and illustrator duncan beedie
IAs part of the Appledore Book Festival, KS1 were lucky enough to welcome author and illustrator Duncan Beedie for a special visit. The children were completely captivated as he read two books to them — one he had written and another he had illustrated. A real highlight of the session was when Duncan guided the children step by step in drawing a bush baby character from one of his stories. The children loved this creative challenge and produced some fantastic illustrations of their own. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet a real author and illustrator, and we hope the children left feeling inspired by his passion for stories and art.
weekly round-up (WB 22nd September)
Class 2 have enjoyed another busy and productive week of learning. In phonics, the children have been working hard to apply the graphemes and sounds they know with increasing accuracy in their spellings. In Maths, we continued to explore place value, with a particular focus on understanding the value of each digit in a two-digit number and representing this using mathematical structures.
This week also saw the introduction of our first writing focus around the book Stuck, which the children are already responding to with enthusiasm and creativity. Alongside this, they have been learning about the climate of the countries within the Arctic Circle, linking their geographical knowledge with real-world understanding. It has been wonderful to see their excitement across such a wide range of subjects.
This week, our owl learning animal has really stood out, as the children have been reflecting carefully on their work and making thoughtful connections between new and previous learning.
Trip - Tiverton canal horse-drawn barge
This week, Class 2 enjoyed a very special visit to the Tiverton Canal, home to one of only two horse-drawn barges in the whole of England and Wales. The children were fascinated by this unique experience, taking in the peaceful scenery, spotting wildlife along the banks, and learning about the history of how and why barges were once used.
It was a beautiful day, and the children relished the chance to relax in the sunshine and sketch the landscapes around them. A real highlight came when the barge travelled in complete silence — the children listened carefully to the ducks on the water, the rustle of leaves, and the rhythmic sound of the horse’s hooves.
After lunch, the children took part in pond dipping, linking perfectly to our Science learning on animals and their habitats. They were amazed to discover creatures such as freshwater shrimp, pond snails, water boatmen, and even tiny fish and insect larvae living in the canal water. It was wonderful to see their excitement and curiosity as they explored the hidden world beneath the surface.
This trip was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn outdoors, combining history, science, art, and a love of nature all in one memorable day.
computing - the power of passwords
In Computing this term, the children are focusing on Digital Literacy and learning more about what the internet is and how to stay safe online. This week, our focus was on passwords. The children discussed what a password is, why it is important, and explored the difference between strong and weak passwords. They then had a go at creating their own passwords and played guessing games to test how secure they really were.
To end the lesson, I challenged the class with a strong password of my own, telling them they had 24 guesses to crack it in exchange for going off timetable for the rest of the week! Thankfully, it was strong enough to keep them out — and through this fun activity, the children really understood the importance of having a strong password and how it helps to keep us safe online.
Science - Beach and seaside habitats
In Science this week, our focus was on beach and sea habitats. The children were able to describe the features of these habitats and identify some of the animals that might be found there. Working together in groups, they then created their own beach and sea habitats, carefully placing animals into the correct environments. The children really enjoyed this hands-on learning, and it was fantastic to see them working collaboratively and applying their knowledge in such a creative way.
weekly round-up (WB 29th September)
It has been another busy and exciting week in Class 2. Once again, the children had the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom on a special trip, which they thoroughly enjoyed. In English, we continued our focus on the book Stuck. The children loved listening to the story and had fun creating their own silly sentences inspired by the book, as well as ordering and sequencing events to help recall the key moments.
In Maths, we have carried on exploring place value, this time looking at numbers to 100. The children worked on understanding the value of each digit in a two-digit number and practised counting in 10s and 2s from any number — even counting backwards!
In Geography, our focus has remained on the Arctic Circle. This week, we learned about the Inuit people, comparing how they used to live with their lives today. The children were fascinated to discover how storytelling has been an important part of passing on knowledge, values, and understanding of the world.
This week, our school value of curiosity has really shone through, as the children have been eager to explore new knowledge, ask thoughtful questions, and show a real interest in the world around them.
Pe - control, pass and footwork
In PE this week, Class 2 continued their work on fundamentals and ball skills. The children have been developing hand-eye coordination through a variety of games and challenges, and this week shifted their focus to the feet. We practised controlling the ball and passing it accurately using the feet — moving beyond just handling with our hands.
The children relished being out in the sunshine, trying new techniques and applying taught skills. It was fantastic to see them listening well, showing perseverance, and putting those new skills into action. Some children who had never passed with their feet before made impressive progress in just one lesson.
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