Year 2 Autumn Term 2024

Hello everyone!

Welcome to Year 2, 2024- 2025

New Updates:

Some children have moved to Accelerated Reader. If you and your child would like to start accessing the website and attempting some comprehension quizzes, please follow the instructions below.

How to do a reading quiz on AR:

1. Use link on this web page to access log on page (scroll further down)
2. Log on, details in child’s planner
3. Click orange AR labelled icon
4. Enter title of book into search bar that appears
5. Press ‘Take Quiz’
6. Click ‘Start Quiz’

Recommended Maths Practice Books

Hello Year 2! My name is Miss Malcolm and I am so excited to be working with you all this year! I hope you have all enjoyed your Summer holidays and are looking forward to having lots of fun in Year 2.

Our Year 2 team is made up of Mrs Wheetman, Mrs Poulson and myself.

Our day starts at 8.45am when I will greet you at the door. Mrs Wheetman and Miss Poulson will be waiting in the classroom to help you get settled in ready for our day. There will be a spelling or maths activity waiting for you in the classroom to get started on. The school gate is closed at 8.55am, so arrivals after this time need to come through the front door. Our day finishes at 3.15pm.

On a Wednesday afternoon, Mrs Shortland and Mr Ollier will be working with Year 2 whilst I am on PPA. On a Thursday afternoon, Mrs Beresford will be teaching Music. Our PE days will be on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Please come to school in your PE kit on those days.

In the mornings, we will be looking at Spellings/Phonics, English and Maths. When we come in from lunch, we will spend some time reading. Then, for the rest of the afternoon, we will be exploring foundation subjects including: History, Geography, Computing, Music, PE, RE, Science, Art, DT and PSHCE.

Year 2 Curriculum Overview

• Year 2 Curriculum Overview Download

Year 2 Weekly Timetable

• autumn term timetable website copyDownload

Things you need for Year 2

• Labelled uniform
• A water bottle with your child’s name on
• A book bag
• Planner
• Children will need to come to school in their PE kits on TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY

I will be setting My Maths homework on a Monday. This will be due the following Monday. Spellings will also be sent home in planners on a Monday. Please practice these spellings with your child so they are ready for a short quiz the following Friday.

Year 2 Planners

In Year 2, your child will be given a Pikemere Planner.

It is important that your child brings their planner to school everyday so adults can record any reading that has taken place during the school day and or any necessary communication.

Our Special Guest

We will be having a special visitor in our class at the beginning of term. Fluffy will be able to come home with each child at some point during the first term! Our furry friend will be sent home for 2 nights with a class book. In here, your child can write a couple of sentences about what they have been up to with our furry friend! If it is easier, you are welcome to send in photos of your child and Fluffy to admin@pikemere.cheshire.sch.uk and I can share these on our big screen!

Reading in Year 2

********There are a few changes with reading in Year 2 so please read the following carefully and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. *********

Your child will start Year 2 with a Little Wandle Reading book and a corresponding colour banded book. They will read their Little Wandle book in school 3 times in their reading groups. The colour banded book is a reading for pleasure book.

After your child exits the Little Wandle programme, they will start the Accelerated Reading Programme. This programme was introduced to the school last year. Accelerated Reader (AR) gives the children a huge choice in levelled books to choose from.

In our Year 2 Reading Corner, we have labelled, beige baskets full of AR books. The children can pick their own book from a basket which matches their reading level. The books in each range will be challenging enough but not too hard to read. This is because children develop reading skills most effectively when they read appropriately challenging books – difficult enough to keep them engaged but not so difficult that they become frustrated. This is called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

The children will complete a Star Reading test when they have exited the Little Wandle Programme. This test gives children a starting reading range for Accelerated Reader. Your child’s ZPD range will be given to them at the start of term on a bookmark that is for them to keep hold of. The children can use this bookmark in school to help them choose the right AR books for them. Children will have the opportunity to choose two Accelerated Reader (AR) books to read in school time after lunches. These will be kept in their trays. One will be a school reading book and the other AR book they are welcome to take home. At the end of the week, children will take a short quiz online to check their understanding of their book. The quiz will be done in school time. If your child wants to take an AR quiz at home, they are more than welcome to do so. I will send home their login details.

It is recommended that your child reads their AR book twice before changing it. The key purpose of practising the book at home is to increase reading confidence. Please try to read with your child every night and ask ‘book talk’ questions about what they have just read. This will help with their reading comprehension.

At the end of each half term, the children will take a reading assessment. Your child’s reading range may change depending on what is best for them.

*** IMPORTANT ***

Children have the opportunity to change their reading books independently after lunch. I will remind them every day to make sure they have checked if they need to change their book but it is their responsibility. Children should be reading their books at least twice before changing it.

It is fantastic if your child reads their school books at home, however please still encourage a varied diet of books! There is so much to discover through stories and non-fiction texts!

*** This is the link to access your child’s AR login if you would like to take quizzes at home. ***

https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/6699614

How to do a reading quiz on AR:

1. Use link to access log on page
2. Log on, details in child’s planner
3. Click orange AR labelled icon
4. Enter title of book into search bar that appears
5. Press ‘Take Quiz’
6. Click ‘Start Quiz’

PATHWAYS TO READ

The children will receive a whole class reading session every day for 30 minutes called Pathways to Read. This takes place of the Little Wandle Reading sessions that you will be familiar with from Year 1. Your child will still be listened to throughout the week.

Outdoor PE Kit

We really enjoy our PE in Year 2. Our PE days are TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY-so please come to school in your outdoor school PE kit on those days! We will try to be outside as much as possible so make sure you wear your hoodie for cool days and bring a bottle of water for warm days. Ear rings will need to be removed for PE days or you could bring in some tape to cover them.

Year 2 Homework

I will be setting My Maths homework on a Monday. This will be due the following Monday. Spellings will also be sent home in planners on a Monday. Please practice these spellings with your child so they are ready for a short quiz the following Friday.

To access the My Maths tasks you will need to log on to your account and there are email notifications to tell you when a new task is set. Your child will receive a letter with login details.

Maths in Year 2

• There are lots of resources on here to help your learning at home.
• Try and practise your 2x 5x and 10 x tables so that you can use TTRS.
• Try searching ‘Hit the Button’ to practise your maths skills.
• Try searching ‘Daily 10 Top Marks’ to practice your times tables.
• Remember to keep practicing your number bonds to 10, 20 and 100!

There are links at the bottom of this page.

TT ROCKSTARS LINK

Home

Time

In Year 2 we will be learning to tell the time to 5 minutes. If possible, please try and familiarise your child with an analogue clock. Any home learning to do with telling the time is encouraged! There are lots of great games on the online website ‘Top Marks’. It may be helpful to find your child an analogue watch of their own (however, this is not compulsory). We will have a ‘time teller’ each day who will get to wear our class watch and help us tell the time at different points throughout the day!

https://play.ttrockstars.com/

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Year-2-Number-and-Place-Value-Knowledge-OrganiserDownloadYear-2-Addition-and-Subtraction-Knowledge-OrganiserDownload

Year 2 English

These are called ‘Common Exception Words’ because they do not follow the usual spelling rules. For example, ‘sugar’ does not start with ‘sh’.