Year 2 Curriculum

 

Please click on the unit titles below to view the Manor Hill Curriculum Plans for Year 2

	Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Year 2	Y2 Twisting Times	Y2 A World of Stories	Y2 Costal Capers

 

English:

Reading

• Your child will work on increasing their fluency using their phonics knowledge (knowledge of how sounds relate to letters).

 Reading Comprehension

Fluency isn’t everything! Children must also understand what they are reading and what is being read to them.

• Children in year 2 will listen to, discuss and give their own thoughts and opinions on a range of books including stories, non-fiction text and a wide range of poetry at a level beyond their own reading ability.
• Whilst reading independently, your child may be asked to check that their reading makes sense, make predictions about the type of book they are reading or the characters within it, answer and ask questions about their reading and make inferences. Inference involves using the clues in the story or picture to make a good guess. It involves figuring something out which isn’t fully explained and draws on a child’s existing knowledge of the world.
• Your child might also be asked to sequence events within a book and retell traditional and fairy stories with more detail.
• Looking at the structure of different non-fiction texts such as

non-chronological reports and instructional texts helps children to use the correct structure in their own writing.

• Reading will help to extend children’s vocabulary and your child may be asked to recite poems expressively, off by heart.

Writing and Spelling

• Your child’s knowledge of graphemes (written form of sounds) will be building and they will be using these to spell words, e.g n-igh-t, b-r-ea-k or ch-a-m-p.
• Trickier words known as homophones may be taught in order for children to be aware that words can sound the same but have different spelling, e.g knew and new.
• Spelling of trickier contracted words (shortened forms) such as ‘we’ve’, ‘they’ll’, ’they’ve’ might be taught with children learning how to use the possessive apostrophe e.g the boy’s bag (the bag belonging to the boy) or Lewis’ pencils (if the word ends in an ‘s’,the apostrophe follows it or sometimes an additional ‘s is added e.g Adam’s pencils). Suffixes can be a letter or groups of letters added to the end of the word to change its meaning, such as: –ness, -ful, -ment, -ly and –less. Your child may learn how to add these suffixes to words and understand how adding can change the meaning of a word completely.

Handwriting

• Children will continue to work on forming lower case letters correctly, making sure they are all of a similar size and spacing between words is good too (this is the same case for capital letters and numbers). Your child may have already started in Year 1, but most children begin being taught how to join up their writing in Year 2.

Writing – Composition

• Children will write a range of stories, non-fiction texts and poetry throughout the year.
• Generally, Year 2 children are encouraged to sustain writing for longer periods of time in comparison to Year 1.
• Before writing, children are reminded to plan what they will write in their head first so that their writing makes sense.
• Children will be encouraged to use more detailed descriptions in their writing and re-read their own and other’s writing, looking for ways to edit and improve it.

Writing – Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

• Your child will begin to learn how two words can be put together to create a new word, e.g play + ground = playground or foot + ball = football, these are known as compound words.
• In Year 2, children are generally encouraged to use more adverbs (describe the verb), by adding the suffix ‘ly’ to certain words, e.g slow-ly, quick-ly, patient-ly.
• They may learn different ways of joining ideas together to make longer, more detailed sentences using words such as when, if, because, or, and, but.
• Your child may work on changing tenses and writing in a specific tense and consistent use of punctuation.

Maths

Number – Number and Place Value (Tens and Ones)

• In Year 2, children will be taught how to count in jumps of 2, 3, 5 and 10, forwards or backwards, starting at any number.
• They will also be able to understand that a two digit number is made up of tens and ones (place value).
• From understanding this concept, children will learn to estimate where numbers might appear on a blank number line, compare and order numbers up to 100 using symbols (<,> and =) and use place value to solve problems, for example 24 > 12 (24 is greater than 12), 9 < 78 (9 is less than 78) or 19 = 19 (the same as). An easy way to remember how to use these symbols is to think of the arrow as a crocodile’s mouth which always likes to point towards the larger number.

• Children should be able to identify odd and even numbers confidently and read and write numbers to 100 in numerals and in words.

Number – Addition and Subtraction

• In Year 2, your child will be taught how to solve addition and subtraction problems involving measures (e.g length, capacity, weight or time), quantities (e.g money) and numbers both mentally and with written calculations and using pictures or practical equipment to help them.
• In Year 2, most children will work on quick recall of number bonds to 20, and addition and subtraction number bonds to 100, e.g 55 + 45 = 100 / 100 – 63 = 27.
• Using mental maths, pictures or practical equipment, children will practise adding and subtracting a two and one digit number, a two digit number and multiple of ten, 2 two digit numbers and adding three single digits.
• They will understand that addition can be carried out in any order however this isn’t the same for subtraction, for example you can work out 24 + 6 / 6 + 24 and still get 30 but you can’t calculate 30 – 26 = 4 / 26 – 30 = 4!
• Children will work on the idea that addition and subtraction are opposites but we can use them to check calculations or solve missing number problems, e.g 10 – ? = 7, 7 +3 = 10 therefore the missing number must be 3.

 Number – Multiplication and Division.

• Times tables are a bit like Marmite, children either love or hate learning them! Every child picks up times tables at different rates but by the end of Year 2 the national expectation is that your child will be able to use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables, e.g 6 x 2 = 12, 12 ÷ 6 = 2, recording calculations correctly.
• Children will learn that multiplication, as addition, can be done in any order however this rule doesn’t apply to division. Children will be taught to recognise that multiplying by 2 is the same as doubling and dividing by 2 is halving.
• Finally, children will use their knowledge to solve simple word problems, becoming familiar with different words which mean the same as ‘multiply’ and ‘divide’ such as ‘lots of’ or ‘share’.

Number – Fractions

• In Year 2, your child may be taught to name, write and find 1/3, 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 of a shape, length or set, writing and solving calculations such as ½ of 8 = 4.
• Through working on fractions, they will begin to recognise equivalent fractions, such as 2/4 is the same as 1/2.
• Children should be able to order fractions on a number line, understanding that they are part of a whole.

Measurement

• Your child will learn to choose the correct units to estimate and measure mass (g/kg), temperature (°C), height or length in any direction using mm, cm and m and capacity in l or ml.
• From measuring, children will then learn to compare using symbols (<,> and =).
• Time can be tricky, but it will ‘click’ eventually, just like it did for us grown-ups!
• In Year 2, children may learn to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes and be able to make these times on a clock face.
• Children will need to be familiar with how many minutes there are in an hour and how many hours in a day.
• Money wise, your child might investigate different combinations of coins or notes to make a given amount, recognising £ and p symbols.
• They will solve money problems, including giving change.

Geometry – Shape

• Your child may already have a very sound knowledge of shape before entering Year 2 or it may be something they lack confidence with.
• Regardless of ability, children will work on some aspect of shape at some point in Year 2. Your child might learn to describe the number of sides and lines of symmetry for different 2D (flat) shapes and describe the number of vertices (corners), faces and edges for different 3D shapes.
• Your child may then sort 2D and 3D shapes depending on their properties. Children in Year 2 might investigate the faces of 3D shapes, stating their 2D shapes, for example, a triangular prism is made up of two 2D triangular faces at either end.

 

Geometry – Position and Direction

• Your child may work on learning the link between angles and rotations such as right angle turns and three-quarter turns, both clockwise and anti-clockwise.

 

Statistics

• In Year 2, your child is likely to learn how to record, organise and interpret information using tallies, pictograms, block graphs and tables.
• Children will ask and answer questions about their findings.

 

Science

Working Scientifically

• Science is a great way of finding out about the world around us. In lessons, children are encouraged to raise questions about the world around them and from this, take part in a scientific enquiry, learning different ways in which they can answer their initial question. This strand of the Science curriculum is known as ‘Working scientifically’ through which all topics are taught.
• During an investigation, your child may compare living things, materials or objects and group them accordingly.
• They may also observe how things change over time and look for patterns, making simple measurements to gather and record data. They will have the opportunity to discuss what they found out and answer their initial question.

 

Living Things and Their Habitats

• Your child may learn about the differences between living things, things that have died and things that have never been alive.
• Children in Year 2 might also learn about a variety of plant and animal habitats, finding out about how different living things are best suited to their specific habitat. Children may also learn about food chains.

 

Animals, Including Humans

• Children in Year 2 may learn to recognise that animals and humans have babies. They will understand the basic needs of animals and humans in order to grow strong and healthy.
• Your child might also be taught about the importance of exercise, healthy eating and good hygiene.

Plants

• Children might investigate and describe how plants need light, water and a good temperature to be healthy.
• They are likely to observe how bulbs and seeds change over time.

Uses of Everyday Materials

• Children might investigate how solids can change shape e.g. by melting and also investigate the best material for a purpose, understanding that more than one material may be suitable.
• They may learn about developers of new materials and products they have helped to create.