Year 2 Blog
Spring 2
We have managed to use our History topic 'Food within living memory' as an opportunity to make and try some new foods. We made our own bread from scratch, following a recipe for 'National Loaf'. This bread was a popular bread in Britain during the 1940s and 1950s as it used wholemeal flour, during a time when white bread flour was scarce.
We also had great fun trying Coronation Chicken and Jam Roly Poly with custard as part of our investigation into food and drink from our grandparents era. We also tried a popular drink of the era called Bovril, which I am sure you can imagine was not as popular as the Jam Roly Poly!
British Science Week fell during Spring 2 term, which led us outside to collect natural materials to make a next for a Gentoo Penguin. Gentoos, whose natural habitat is Antarctica, have to build nests that withstand the wind and rain. We built our nests and then investigated whether they would be suitable by pouring on water (rain) and blasting them with an electric fan (wind). The results were impressive with most nests surviving the test!
We really enjoyed creating our own t-shirts inspired by the natural style of William Morris. On the final day of term, we managed to model our creations at our very own fashion show!
Spring 1
Jambo!
Our topic this half term has taken us to Africa, in particular learning about Kenyan geography and culture. We used the web to research information about the people of Kenya, Kenyan food, the Kenyan landscape and any fun facts that we found interesting.
Edward Said Tingatinga, an influential Tanzanian artist, inspired us to paint Tinga Tinga style paintings and make patterned Masaai necklaces.
We also used technology to combine Maths and Computing lessons this half term. We really enjoyed using j2e Data software on both iPads and on the laptops to create bar charts and pictograms. First we made a pictogram using data about mini beasts, then we collected our own data of the class' favourite animals and dinosaurs. In another lesson, we recorded a tally chart of the colours we could see around the classroom and then presented this as a bar chart.
In DT lessons, the children weighed and measured ingredients to make Tunisian Sweet Cous Cous – a breakfast favourite in North Africa. The children had great fun mixing the dry and wet ingredients and loved it when the cous cous changed size after being in water. The overall verdict was a resounding thumbs up.
Autumn 2
We have had a really busy half term in Year 2!
In our Computing lessons, we have been learning about programming. We started in the playground, writing instructions for a partner to travel between two cones. Then, we had great fun programming BeeBots to travel around the classroom by writing simple algorithms for them to follow.
Our History topic has been learning all about the life of the local mill owner Abraham Moon. As part of our topic, we made a clay bust of what we thought Abraham Moon would have looked like. We really enjoyed shaping the clay and using tools to add details.
We also ventured outside in Science, searching for materials around the school and observing what those materials were used for.
Christmas has been in full swing in Year 2. We took part in the Santa Dash: a fancy dress fun-run around the MUGA and really enjoyed the Christmas dinner in the hall. A huge thank you to all the dinner staff who made the really tasty food for us (and some delicious treats for our party too!)
Autumn 1
During Art Week, we were very fortunate to receive a visit from a 'real life' artist, Fern Whittle. Fern, whose artist name is Fern and Moose, weaves beautiful wall hangings. Before her visit, the children thought of lots of questions to ask her about the wall hangings and how she learnt to make them. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to Fern explain her inspiration and the weaving process. They then watched a weaving demonstration before having a go themselves. The finished results are wonderful! We are very grateful to Fern for finding the time to visit us. If you would like to view Fern's work, you can see her wall hangings displayed at Moss and Moor Garden Centre and you will be able to see the children’s creations on the Year 2 Gallery over the next few days.
As part of our topic learning about significant individuals, we learnt that Christopher Columbus brought back many 'new' foods to Europe from his travels to the Americas. This inspired us to practise chopping and cutting skills to make a fresh Salsa. The children used a claw grip and a bridge grip to safely cut tomatoes, onions, limes and coriander.
In addition, the children made models of a vehicle that an explorer might use using recycled materials.
Blue class have had lots of fun during sessions with the coaches from Guiseley Football club. Next half term, Indigo class will have their turn learning multi-sports skills.
To view previous year's information and pictures, please click here.