This term our class text is The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. The children will be studying the story in our Whole Class Reading sessions, as well as English. We will continue to delve into narrative writing, learning how an author creates a hook to keep the reader interested at the beginning of the story. 

We will explore writing direct speech within a text and how we can use speech to advance the story and inform the reader. The children will continue to practise using the correct punctuation, as well as discovering synonyms for ‘said’ within the reporting clause. 

Alongside this, the children will also consider some non-fiction writing, creating a factual report about our History topic from last term, the Tudors. We will look into how we structure a report, creating subheadings and paragraphs to direct the reader’s attention. 

In Maths this term Beech Class will be learning about multiplication and division, particularly looking at the 2, 5, 10 and 3 times tables. As well as practising counting in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s, they will learn how to read and create arrays to help them support their understanding and calculations. Underpinning this, they will learn how to share amounts into equal groups and why this is important when multiplying and dividing. They will also look at how to double and half a given number, relating this to their understanding of the 2 times table. The children will also come across the concept of commutativity, the idea that 2 x 5 is equal to 5 x 2. 

Our Science topic this term is Materials and Matter, building on learning that began last year for our current Year 2s. We will find out that different materials contain different properties, which may make them suitable for different purposes. The children will investigate George De Mestral and discover how he came to invent Velcro after noticing that the shape of burdock seeds meant they were able to cling to his clothes and the fur of his dog. They will find out how he had to study and test different materials to find the one with the right properties for his invention. We will also look at Velcro under a microscope. 

Building on their understanding of materials and their properties, we will be introduced to the idea that everything we can see is made from many tiny things we cannot see called atoms. Moving on from this concept that atoms are tiny building blocks, the children will study how we can change solid objects through actions such as bending, twisting and squeezing.

We will hopefully recognise that the shape of some, but not all, solids can be changed. To offer a comparison with solids and how we can, or cannot, change their shape, Beech Class will then study the properties of liquids. The children will learn that it is difficult for us to hold a liquid in our hands. 

Geography this term focusses on Northern Europe, particularly the countries of Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, some of which are known collectively as Scandinavia. We will learn about the human and physical features of each country, their capital cities and flags, as well as how being so far from the equator affects the climate and lifestyles of the population. A particular focus will be placed on migration and adaptation, both of birds and humans according to the demands of the climate. We will also shine a spotlight on the exploration of Roald Amundsen.

In Art, our topic is History Painting; this refers to paintings that show stories from classical history, mythology and the Bible. To explore the idea of history painting, the children will look at mythological art, studying in detail the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. The paintings they study range from frescos found at Pompei and in ancient Rome to 20th century paintings. They will consider how history paintings show different settings and characters, and explore how artists can show different characteristics or personalities by the way they draw. The children will then make a detailed study of the work of Picasso that shows the minotaur and create their own work in mixed media incorporating the minotaur and the maze.

In RE, we will be examining the question, ‘What is my view of the world?’. This unit will introduce pupils to the idea that ‘no-one stands nowhere’. It explores the ways in which context affects our ways of seeing and understanding the world, each other and ourselves. The children will engage with the concepts of ‘worldview’, ‘empathy’ and ‘context’. They will explore what it means to be part of an ‘organised’ worldview’ and what it means to have an ‘individual worldview’. Using what they have learned, pupils will explore their own worldviews, considering how context has influenced their ways of believing, living and thinking.