**FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER**
- the incredible audible extravaganza of the Y2B orchestra -
Reading
This week, we have been developing our sequencing skills through our class text The Barnabus Project. We used key sequencing vocabulary—first, next, then, and last—to help us write a clear and structured summary of the story.
Writing
We completed our Hot Task this week by writing our own warning tales, which were proudly published into mini books. Each story was carefully illustrated, and some of us even added a blurb and an “About the Author” section! We reflected on our personal writing targets and considered how much progress we had made.
Maths
Our shape topic came to a creative close as we explored patterns using both 2D and 3D shapes. To celebrate our learning, we completed an end-of-unit assessment—and discovered just how much we’ve learned!
STEAM
During our afternoon sessions, we evaluated our STEAM musical instrument projects. We considered whether our designs produced the intended sounds, identified what went well, and discussed ideas for improvement in future projects.
**FRIDAY 17TH OCTOBER**
- exploring fossils at the Manx Museum -
Reading
We’ve been sharpening our Retrieval skills using our class book The Barnabus Project. The children have been brilliant detectives, hunting for clues and answers in the text.
Writing
Our focus has been on writing dialogue. We learned how to turn speech bubbles into direct speech using speech marks, and explored more creative alternatives to the word said. We also used a Story Hand to help us plan and tell our own stories.
Maths
This week we explored the properties of 3D shapes, learning all about edges, faces and vertices.
Enrichment
We had a blast dancing with Laura, rocking out with RockKidz, and topped off the week with a fantastic trip to the Manx Museum. We were full of wonder as we explored the exhibits and learned more about our island’s amazing history.
**FRIDAY 10TH OCTOBER**
- instrument design, inspired by a flute -
This week, for Stay & Learn, we welcomed lots of grown ups into our classroom to work with us on spelling and handwriting. Thank you for coming!
Reading
Everyone had the chance to read with a grown-up this week, which was a lovely opportunity to share books and practise our explaining skills. We’ve been diving into The Barnabus Project, using both the words and illustrations to answer questions and explain our thoughts and feelings.
Writing
In writing, we’ve been magpie-ing exciting vocabulary from How the Elephant Got His Trunk and retelling the story from memory—no peeking allowed! We’ve also explored the book in more depth through book talk questions and hot seating, thinking carefully about what motivates the characters and how they feel.
Maths
This week in maths, we’ve been drawing 2D shapes accurately using rulers and squared paper to help us. We’ve also learned about lines of symmetry and practised completing unfinished shapes and patterns using vertical lines of symmetry.
Afternoons
In science, we’ve been investigating sound. We explored whether different materials make different sounds and experimented with changing pitch using bottles filled with different amounts of water. Using everything we’ve learned so far, we designed our own musical instruments—ready to build over the next fortnight.
**FRIDAY 3RD OCTOBER**
- What shapes can you see when you're out and about? -
In Reading, we each had the opportunity to read with an adult. We explored our prediction skills by imagining and writing a blurb for a new (hypothetical) book in The Barnabus Project series.
In Writing, we began by setting personal targets based on our Cold Task. We then created story maps to help us retell the narrative, followed by hot-seating the main characters. This activity helped us develop our talking and listening skills, as well as our imaginations. We also collected exciting vocabulary from the story to inspire our own writing in the future.
In Maths, we made a fantastic start on our topic about shapes. During a shape walk around the school, we worked hard to identify and name both 2D and 3D shapes. We focused on counting sides and vertices to deepen our understanding of 2D shapes.
In Science, we explored the fascinating topic of sound waves. We investigated whether we can see sound, by placing rice on clingfilm stretched over a speaker and observing the vibrations caused by different volumes and pitches. We also experimented with tuning forks in water to see how vibrations travel through different materials.
In the afternoons, we concluded our RE topic on Judaism by learning about special celebrations within the religion. We also spent time developing our emotional literacy by learning how to recognise the feelings of others and how these skills can help us navigate friendships and their occasional challenges.
**FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER**
Reading
This week in Year 2, Everyone had the chance to read with a grown-up, and we’ve been sharpening our inference skills by exploring The Barnabus Project. Using both the words and illustrations, we practised answering questions that weren’t directly explained in the story.
Writing
In writing, we reviewed our fact file hot tasks, set personal targets, and worked hard to improve our writing. We also completed a cold task story about an elephant, which led us into our new unit: a warning tale inspired by How the Elephant Got His Trunk.
Maths
In maths, we’ve been comparing and ordering numbers using inequality symbols, revisiting counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, and finishing the week with a fantastic effort on our end-of-unit test.
Afternoons
Our afternoons have been full of creativity as we worked on our Christmas Card artwork, which will be sent to you for approval later this term. Keep your eyes peeled for the final designs!
**FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER**
Reading
This week in Year 2, every child has enjoyed reading with an adult, helping to build fluency and confidence. In our whole-class reading sessions, we focused on vocabulary development, exploring exciting new words from The Barnabus Project. We used these to help us understand more about Barnabus as a character.
Writing
In writing, we revisited adjectives and practised identifying them in sentences. We worked together to create a fact file about a stegosaurus, then developed a toolkit to support us in writing our own fact files about our favourite dinosaurs.
Maths
In maths, we’ve been partitioning numbers and using part-whole models to write number sentences. We explored number lines, learning that they don’t always start at zero, and practised estimating missing numbers using different increments.
Topic – Dinosaurs
Our topic work took us back in time as we discovered how fossils are formed. We used clay to create artwork inspired by the patterns of partial fossils and explored different theories about how dinosaurs became extinct
**FRIDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER**
Reading
Everyone read to a grown-up this week. Please make sure Monkey Books are in school every day so we can keep sharing progress with you. We also enjoyed reading our class book The Barnabus Project by The Fan Bros – it’s a fantastic story with lots to talk about.
Writing
We’ve been polishing our sentence skills, hunting for verbs (which can be sneakier than you’d think!) and creating a Box Up for our Tyrannosaurus rex model text. We also learned how to use bullet points effectively – a handy skill for organising information.
Maths
Daily 10 continues to be a hit in our warm-ups – it’s a great way to build fluency with mental maths and we’ll be using it most days. This week, we explored partitioning numbers to 100 in different ways and got to grips with tens and ones. We’re working on writing numbers to 100 as words – those tricky spellings and hyphens are keeping us on our toes!
Topic – Dinosaurs
Our dinosaur learning took us into the world of habitats and adaptations. We loved discovering how different dinosaurs were suited to their environments, and using QR codes to explore websites was a real highlight – especially the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur pages. We also worked in teams to create collage backgrounds of different habitats, ready to display our fantastic dinosaur drawings – they look brilliant!
DANCE
We had a brilliant dance lesson with Laura this week – the children remembered all their moves from before the summer and danced with real confidence and energy.
**FRIDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER**
- using Base 10 to build the number 28 -
Reading
We started our new class book, The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers. We enjoyed looking closely at the front and back covers, reading the blurb and making predictions about the story. We also spent time reading individually with grown-ups.
Writing
We began our non-chronological report unit with a cold task: writing a fact file about dinosaurs. Then we explored a model text all about Tyrannosaurus Rex. We learned it (almost) off by heart using actions and created a text map to help us remember the structure and key facts.
Maths
Our place value unit is underway! We've been recognising, writing, and building numbers to 100 using a variety of practical equipment.
Topic – Dinosaurs
We launched our new topic by decorating folders to keep our work safe and explored a timeline showing when dinosaurs walked the Earth.
RE
We began learning about Judaism, focusing on the story of Abraham, the founder of the Jewish faith.
PSHE
This week’s theme was families. We discussed how important our families are and how they help and support us to be our best selves.