Ernest Cook Literacy Trust

Year 2 were lucky to be selected by the National Literacy Trust to take part in a scheme called the Young Readers Program. The aim of the program is to provide children with increased motivation and opportunities to read. As part of our launch we were invited to Leawood for fun Literacy related activities on the farm and in the woods. We had a great day and learnt so much!

WOW Day - Badbury Clumps

Year 2 kicked off their Living and Growing topic by exploring the local woods - Badbury Clump. We found out about the creatures that lived there by doing a bug hunt. We also saw lots of different growing plants in the woods while we searched for flags. We used a map and a compass for an orienteering challenge. We loved being outside and discovering our local area!

Term 5 - Living and Growing

This term, Year 2 will be finding out about all things Living and Growing. In Literacy will read how Christopher Nibble saves Dandeville by planting more dandelions, and think about how plants grow. We will investigate what plants need to survive and discover parts of a plant and what their jobs are. Using what we learn, we will then plant our own beans. In DT we will create our own t-shirts featuring designs of Living and Growing things ready for a fashion show at the end of term. Find out more by reading our Term 5 overview below!

Mexico Fantastic Finish!

We closed our Mexican topic with a traditional fiesta! We listened to salsa music and had a go at learning some of the steps. We ate traditional Mexican food like fajitas, nachos and guacamole dip and washed it down with some cactus juice! We played Mexican games and took turns to crack the pinata! We had so much fun!

Mexican crafts

This week we have been looking at traditional jobs in Mexico. We discovered that traditional crafts included pottery and weaving with fabric. We designed and created clay pots with Mayan decorations. We also learnt that the Huichol Indians of Mexico made a protection symbol for their children called an 'Ojo de dios' (God's eye). Yarn was added to the center eye until the child was 5 when they could wear it to look over them. We had a go at making our own. We think they look great!

World Book Day

Despite the snowy weather, lots of us still made it in this week to celebrate World Book Day. We brought in some of our favourite books to share with our classes and celebrated by dressing up as famous characters from popular books. Can you guess who we are?

WOW day! - The Mayans

For our WOW day, we introduced our Mexico topic by learning all about the Mayans. We rotated around the classrooms to find out about different aspects of Mayan life. We tried traditional Mayan food like tortillas with guacamole and chocolate chicken, and tasted some Mayan hot chocolate which was made by adding spices! We found out that the Mayans liked to play dangerous sports, like a hockey game where the ball was on fire! The winning team were often sacrificed to please the Gods! We watched a game of Pok-ta-pok being played and then had a go ourselves. It was really tricky! We also discovered that the most important Mayans had the biggest headdresses, and then made our own. Look how important we are!

Term 4 - Mexico

This term, Year 2 will be finding out about Mexico! We will use atlases to discover which continent it is on and to learn about their physical features. We will research human features of Mexico and find out more about the ancient Mayan civilisation. In art, we will look at the 7 wonders of the world, including Chichen Itza in Mexico, and use different media to draw them. Find out more by reading our Term 4 overview below!

Fantastic finish! Saving the Lego man

Disaster happened at the Lego plant! One of the workers fell into a balloon of water right before it was frozen. We had to use all of our Scientific knowledge about changing materials to help him escape. Here are some of the methods we investigated. Which do you think was the best way to help rescue the Lego man?

Malleable Materials investigation

We wanted to find a super material for Lego Batman to use to defeat the Joker. The material had to be able to squash, bend, twist and stretch. We tested paper, sponge, tin foil, cloth and blu tack. Here's what we found out!

Waterproof materials investigation

We wanted to find out which materials were waterproof so we could make a new cape for Lego Batman. We used a syringe to squirt water onto 5 different materials. We made sure it was the same amount of water each time so it was a fair test. We then observed how much water was collected in the cup to see which material was the most waterproof. Here's what we found out...

WOW Day! - Lego Challenge

For our WOW day, we challenged each other to make objects out of Lego. We then discussed whether Lego would be a good material to make these objects out of. If it wasn't, we gave reasons why not. Here's what we thought...

Term 3 - Materials

Year 2 have well and truly kicked off their Science topic, trying to answer the question 'Why aren't Polar Bears made of Lego?'. This term, they will be finding out about materials and exploring their different properties and uses. Have a look at our Term 3 overview to find out more about what we will be learning this term.

History WOW day!

Year 2 had great fun researching famous people from the past. On Thursday they had the chance to dress up as a famous historical character. There were so many amazing costumes and lots of fantastic knowledge. Thank you to all who helped make this a great day. 

How many famous people do you recognise?

Term 2 - Exploring History

This term will be researching a range of famous people from throughout history. We will try to answer the question 'Is Neil Armstrong more famous than Scott of the Antarctic' and find out how explorers equipment has changed over the years. Have a look at our Learning Challenge Overview below to find out more about what we will be covering this term.

Reminder - Drop off arrangements Wednesday 18th October

A quick note to remind you that on Wednesday 18th October Year 2 children are to be dropped off at the Infants site at 8.45am for their Fantastic Finish. Please remember to send your child to school in outdoor appropriate clothes, including wellies and a raincoat. We hope many of you are able to make our fun Survival morning and look forward to seeing you there.

Parents Survival Morning - Wednesday 18th October

As part of our Fantastic Finish, the Year 2 children would like to invite their parents/grandparents/carers to their very own Survival morning! Join us on Wednesday 18th October from 9.15 - 10.45 at the Faringdon Infant School site for a fun morning of survival based activities. See the letter below for more details. Don't forget to bring your wellies!

Year 2 Welcome meeting 2017

Thanks to all who joined us for our Year Two Welcome Meeting.

Find the presentation slide from the meeting below along with the links to recommended phonics websites to explore.

Survival WOW day!

Year 2 kicked off their Survival topic with a fantastic WOW day! We had great fun practising survival techniques like building shelters and cleaning water. We even ate bugs! Have a look at some of our photos below.

Term 1 - What do we need to survive?

This term Year 2 will be thinking about survival and staying healthy. Have a look at our Topic Overview below to find out what we will be learning in our classes to help us answer the question 'What do we need to Survive?'.