Year 2

Learning Link:

London's Burning

We will be very busy in Year 2 this term!  As part of our topic on the Great Fire of London, children will have lots of opportunities for hands on learning including a London’s Burning workshop and a visit to the capital. We will also learn how London has changed as a result of the fire.  We will study the Plague and make links to the importance of staying safe and healthy in Science. Children will learn important skills of colour mixing when painting their portraits and will have the opportunity to make a London landmark with a moving part.  We will also focus on the uses of IT in the world and use a programme to locate London landmarks.

St. Dorothy:

Mrs Della Maestra: mrsdellamaestra@st-thomas.surrey.sch.uk

St. David:

Miss Davis: missdavis@st-thomas.surrey.sch.uk

Curriculum Newsletters for Autumn, Spring and Summer can be accessed here as they become available

The Curriculum Evening Presentation can be accessed here

Year Group reminders

Week Commencing: Monday 8th December 2025

Week B

Monday: If your child has been asked to bring in something to wear for our Advent Service (notes went out in reading records), please ensure it is in school by Monday 8th December.

Tuesday:

Wednesday: Both classes in PE kit today please.  Advent Service at 9am in the Junior Hall.  Please join us if you are able. 

Thursday: Library book to be returned today if your child would like to change it.

Friday:

Cold weather: Please can you send children into school with gloves and hats to wear during break, lunch and PE Lessons please. Base layers for sports are appropriate on PE days and ideally would be Navy blue in colour. School tracksuit trousers are to be worn in the winter to replace PE shorts.

Looking further ahead:

• Monday 15th December London’s Burning SPACE Day.  The children are invited to come dressed as anything with a London theme.  In the past children have come dressed as a character from 1666, a tube station or a London landmark.  Please start to send your child in with any cardboard boxes for an activity we will be undertaking on this day.
• Wednesday 17th December - Christmas Lunch - children are invited to wear Christmas jumpers over their uniform if they wish
• Friday 19th December - School finishes at 2pm - children are invited to wear Christmas jumpers over their uniform if they wish

Reminders:

Please provide your child with a named art apron and glue stick. We have been doing a lot of sticking so glue sticks have run out! Please ensure all items are clearly named so they find their way back to the children (water bottles, snack pots, coats, jumpers, cardigans etc.)

Please return Little Wandle reading book, reading record book and orange spelling book in plastic folder every Monday. Reading book and reading record book to be in your child’s school bag everyday please. Thank you

Homework

Spellings:

Spelling test on Monday.  This will be the final spelling test of this year.  Your child will come home with some spellings to work on over the Christmas holidays but there will be no test on Monday 15th December due to our SPACE Day.  Please follow the instructions on the inside cover and ensure the grid is completed and sentences are written ready for their weekly spelling test on the following Monday. 

Maths:

Your child will come home with a maths booklet on Friday 5th December.  Please ensure they complete Workout 10 only and return their booklet to school by Thursday 11th December  where we will mark it as a class.

Reading for Pleasure

Book of the Week:  Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

RE

Prophecy and Promise

This week we read and reflect on The Magnificat.  The children will think about Mary’s words and how she tried to make the world a fairer place.  Then we will make a pledge about what sort of things we can do to live out Mary’s words.

Later in the week we will retell the story of the birth of John the Baptist and how he was born to be a prophet.

English

This week we will have a focus on the past tense.  By using our master readers class text, we will spot where the author has used the past tense in his writing.

In addition, the children will use all the knowledge they have gathered throughout this first term, to write about the events of the Great Fire of London.

Master Readers (Year 2)

Text: Claude in the City by Alex T Smith.

Focus vocabulary this week: gasped, hauled, groaning, embroidery, rummaged.

Phonics/ spellings

Phase 5 phonic sounds: soft ‘c’ sound, /ve/.

SPAG

Spelling

Depending on the spelling group we will test ‘il’, ‘u_e’ or ‘ur’ ‘y’ for ‘igh’  Then they will learn the spelling rule for ‘y’ for igh; ‘oo’ or ‘ar’.

Grammar

The simple and progressive past tense.

Maths

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION

This week the children will be using their calculation skills to solve missing number problems, representing word problems using single bar models and using the words ‘part’ and ‘whole’ to help them identify whether the calculation is addition or subtraction.

Science

This week the children will be finding out how chocolate changes when  You bend it? You stretch it? You twist it? You press it? You cool it? You heat it?

DT

The children will be applying a chosen mechanism to make a Christmas card.

Computing

The children will be understanding all the keys on a keyboard and starting to learn to touchtype.

Geography

What makes a capital city of the UK a good place to live?

The children will be working in groups to create a poster about the merits of each capital city of the UK countries to decide which would be the best place to live.

French

To say, understand and write 6 words for family members in French.

Music

We will practise songs for our Advent Service and we will identify rests in our songs.

PE

Sending and Receiving

Pass and receive the ball with some control by throwing and kicking with your feet. Track a moving ball. Begin to use equipment for send and receive e.g. rackets.

Ball skills

Track and intercept a moving ball with equipment and different sized balls (GD smaller ball). Beginning to understand simple tactics. Throw overarm with accuracy at a target. Say when someone was successful.

Invasion Games

Pass, receive and shoot the ball with increasing control. Work as part of a team to keep possession and score goals when attacking.

Learning for Life

Today we are reflecting on my own and other people’s feelings.