Welcome to Year 2 - Team Blues

Teacher - Year 2 - Mr Corrigan

Teaching Assistants - Year 2 - Mrs Hopkinson & Miss Hayes

Red Riding Hood Coding Club

We explored a coding game today. We had to give Red Riding Hood instructions to navigate a path and then avoid the wolf. 

A Trip to Conkers

Last week, we set off with Year 1 to explore the national forest at Conkers. We really enjoyed going around the labyrinth, exploring the tower, catching the Conkerchoo, eating our picnic lunches, and then finding out about the secret life of seeds. Our favourite bit though, was going on the adventure playground - oh, and when Year 1 missed their train back and so ended up being 10 minutes late back to school! We thought that was HILARIOUS!

Playdoh Richard Branson

We've been learning all about the adventures of Richard Branson. We've recreated some of them in the medium of Playdoh, which we made this morning. See if you can work out what they're supposed to be.

Wollaton Park Camp

Year 2 set off in the pouring rain last week for our camp at Wollaton Park. We met our camp commander, Frankie, who took us into the forest to make shelters for fairies. We also played a few games of hide and seek. It was raining so much we went to the hall to have a look at all the creatures there. In the evening, we roasted marshmellows by the fire.

Visiting the Wonders

This week in Team Blues we've been learning all about the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, so that we can give our classmates tours and so that we can write an advert. You'll find our incredible adverts below. 

Making Vehicles

In Year 2, we've designed Moon Buggies to carry the astronauts on the moon. We've used tools to cut and stick the chassis together, designed supports for the axles and now made frames to carry the astronauts and keep them safe.

Year 2 is Animating

As part of our transport topic, we've watched Wallace and Gromit A Grand Day Out and watched how Wallace and Gromit designed and built a rocket to get Moon Cheese! We've spent the afternoon experimenting with stop-motion animation ourselves. Cracking!

It's Wheely Good

We've been designing and beginning to make buggies to go on the moon. We've been experimenting with different joins, building a chassis and how to make a frame. After half term, we'll get down to building properly.

Our Newsround Articles

We typed up our Newsround articles about the moon landings and we've managed to make it look like they're on the Newsround home page. We're quite proud of them! What do you think?

Some Transport Learning

Here are just four examples of our work this term. We had to think about what the best way to different places was, and what we would use different transport for. We also wrote a Newsround article as a shared write - thinking and celebrating the Lunar Landings.

Off to the Moon

We've been thinking about the best way to travel to different places. It has been 50 years this year since people first walked on the moon. Mr Corrigan enjoys teaching and learning about, so we pretended today to be Neil Armstrong,  Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on the Apollo 11 mission. We learned all about how scary it would be to travel through space, how close the whole mission came to disaster and how the astronauts were celebrated when they got back to Earth.

Finding Our Way

Team Blues have been learning about how to find their way around - giving each other instructions using the words turn, quarter turn, half turn and clockwise and anti-clockwise. We've played a game this morning - trying to race each other to get to the buried treasure.

We're Buzzing

Tuesday was an exciting day in Year 2, as we learned lots and lots about bees. First of all, we went to the hall and learned some bee facts by doing some dancing and drama. For example, we learned how bees develop from eggs, through larva and pupa stages to adult bees. We also learned that bees tell each other where to find nectar by dancing. 

World Book Day

All across school there have been exciting activities to celebrate World Book Day. Our class book is Charlotte's Web, and so we all tried to dress up as characters from this traditional book. Mrs Newton had lots of exciting jobs for us and here are some photos to show some of the things we got up to.

Science Day

We had an afternoon exploring how shadows could be disguised or camouflaged. We knew that we had to keep some the same and change the way we were disguising our animals. We know that shadows can be made bigger by getting closer to the torch and smaller by getting closer to the screen.

Our New Topic

Well, we're back after a very fast half term holiday and ready for learning again! Our new topic is all about animals in art, dance, music and poetry and we've started off with The Lion King. On Monday, in groups, we painted the outline of animals, having looked at how their markings camouflaged them. We know that lines and patterns break up the outline and make it difficult to see animals in forest or jungle. We also know some animals hide to avoid being eaten and others hide so they can creep up on animals. Stand by for exciting developments in our topic on Monday next week. We have a visitor!

A Day in the Life of Team Blues

We thought we'd let you all know all of the things we get up to in a day at school in Year 2.

Learning Journey

First of all, we wrote postcards to our Grandma's - we'd practised all sorts of different sentences and conjunctions during the week and today was an opportunity to put all those into independent writing. 

Maths

We spent time in maths reasoning about dividing. We've been practising both grouping and sharing sweets, and we had to think about sharing into 10s and then whether someone was grouping correctly. 

Spelling and Phonics

We practised spelling with apostrophes to shorten words. We wrote sentences with contracted words to match the longer ones on the board.

PE

We have been learning to dance with our outside PE provider. She has also taught us some singing techniques to help us make our voices louder. Watch the video below!

Computing

We've already learned how to program the cat to move around using SCratch Junior on the iPads. Now we're learning to programme an exciting piece of kit called a Micro:Bit. We looked through a programme and predicted what it might do. We looked carefully for mistakes (or bugs!).

Library Time

We spent a chilled-out half an hour in the library listening to stories and exploring books we might like to read next time. We read a book called William's Winter Wonderland in the Narnia-themed library! It was almost like being in the book!

Singing Assembly

Mrs Shelley is teaching the whole school to sing the song The Climb by Miley Cyrus. We have to remember to warm our voices up and practise some scales before she will let us sing along to the song.

A Trip to the Edwardian Seaside (sort-of)

What an exciting start to the term it has been! We're going to be learning all about the seaside, and particularly what it used to be like in the old days. We got on a "steam train" in the playground, and then jumped off when we got the seaside. We were made to change in a bathing machine so that it wasn't cold and we didn't wander about on the beach with no clothes on! The girls had to wear lots of clothes and bonnets or hats to keep their hair dry. On the prom, we carried  parasols but the boys had to wear boaters. Then it was time for a penny-lick - or a little bit of ice cream before strolling along the pier to watch a Punch and Judy show. That's the way to do it!

Cinderella's Party Food

This morning, we all made food. Here are photos of us making fruit kebabs, mini pizzas and banana krispies. We learned to be careful with knives and the fruit skewers. We have already learned how to be hygienic, so we made sure we washed our hands plenty of times. This afternoon, we'll eat all the food at the party.

Our Blues Assembly

This week we've continued to learn about blues music and we performed an assembly on Wednesday for the whole school. We'd made some art work featuring some famous blues musicians and learned a lot about Howlin' Wolf.

Year 2 Sports Festival

We had a great time at the Bulwell Academy Sports Festival. 

Visit sets Key Stage 1 Alight!

To round off our topic all about the Great Fire of London and how we can keep safe in a fire, Key Stage 1 were visited by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue service this morning. As you can see, we had lots of fun finding out about all the tools and equipment the fire service keep on their fire engines. We were even allowed to climb up onto the engine and squirt the hoses. The most important message the fire fighters gave us though, was to make sure we had working smoke detectors in our houses.

The Great Fire of London

Well - we've had an exciting week learning all about the Great Fire of London. It started on Monday when we met Samuel Pepys, Thomas Farriner the baker and King Charles II and retold the story of what happened. We know all about why the fire started, why it spread so quickly and how the people of London put the fire out. See some photos of our experiences, our writing and painting. We're looking forward to meeting, hopefully, some real life fire fighters next week!

Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s

We've been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.

Walk around Bulwell

On Wednesday this week, we went for a quick walk around our local area to look at the different types of environments we could see. We found lots of different types of building and we looked at what had happened to Bulwell Lido and Bulwell Hall.

On Thursday 12th of July, we went with Year 1 to Twycross Zoo.  We had a wonderful time!

"We saw lots of animals and some of them were really interesting," said Archie.

"I saw the spider monkey run," said Riley.

"I had fun at Twycross Zoo," said Olivia.

"I really loved it at Twycross.  My favourite was the flamingo.  Thank you!" said Elycia.

"I liked Twycross Zoo because I loved the penguins," said Kaleb.

"I liked Twycross because the elephants and giraffes were really big," said Summer.

"I liked the leopards because they were all spotty," said Imogen.

"I didn't like it when the monkeys looked like they were eating the other monkey's fleas," said Joseph.

"I liked it at Twycross because even though I have been before, it was still a lot of fun.  My favourite animal was the leopard," said Chloe W. 

On this lovely July afternoon, we decided to take our learning outside.  We listened to 'Carnival of the Animals' as part of our 'What makes us like other animals?' topic and then we took some musical instruments outside to compose our own pieces!  We made music that sounded like birds, elephants, cuckoos, rattlesnakes, wolves and tigers.

"I really liked making lots of different music with my friends," said Chloe S.

"I really enjoyed being with my friends and making them happy," said Chloe W.

"It was fun because we got to use the instruments that we haven't used before," said Archie.

"I liked trying to make a noise like a parrot," said T-J.

"I liked this afternoon because it was fun," said Annatiaga.

"I liked the way me, Archie, Iman, Keelan and David worked together as a team," said Joseph.

"I had fun making the sound of a rattlesnake," said Summerleigh. 

"I liked this work because we did some colouring and added some designs," said Imogen.

"It was really fun and it was the best team work ever," said Archie.

"I had fun because I liked using my imagination with my friends," said Ria.

"Me, Kaison and Reece did a bit of colouring," said Riley.

"Our group was very fun because it was fantastic and beautiful in the end when we did our picture," said Chloe W.

"I liked colouring with my friends because it was fun," said Isabelle.

"I liked my friends helping me because it was hard work," said Maci.

"I liked colouring and I tried hard.  Reece did some good ones," said Kaison.

"I liked colouring because we worked as a team," said Kaleb.

"I liked colouring because all of my friends worked with me," said Summer.

"I gave a lot of ideas and I liked sharing them with my team mates," said Chloe S. 

"It was fun designing the xBox and fruit loop cannon," said Keelan. 

"I liked the way me and my friends worked together," said Joseph.

Visit from Severn Trent

To finish off our topic about water, Year 1 and 2 had a visit from Phil Pearce who works Severn Trent. He talked to us about how water gets to our taps, how water gets cleaned, and most importantly, how to save water. Everyone made a promise to save water by only having a four minute shower, filling our bath only half way or watering the garden using a can instead of a hosepipe. Thanks Phil!

"Stone soup was a very intelligent story because it had lots of tricks in it," said Joseph.

"They asked at every door and everyone said there was no food, so they picked up a rock and got a big black pot and they all put the food in it," said Chloe W.

"I liked the story," said Riley.

"It is a story that shows determination because the travellers who knocked on every door were determined to get some food," said Elycia. 

"The message in the story 'Stone Soup' is to always share," said Keelan. 

"I like it because when the travellers knocked on the door, the people said 'I don't care, I won't share.'  I liked it because at the end, even the dog and the cat and the bird ate all the soup," said Katlynn. 

"I liked it because there were two travellers who were hungry and they got fed," said Kaleb. 

"I loved looking at the plants," said Elycia.

"I like looking after our school," said Maci.

"I like looking after the plants and trees," said Olivia.

"I love the trees," said Kaleb.

"I like the green grass," said Evelyn.

"I like the way the cleaners clean all the classrooms and the corridor," said Kayden.

"I liked standing near the really big cookers in the kitchen," said Archie.

"I like the cleaners because they clean our school and they are kind," said Katlynn. 

Jack and the Beanstalk

This week, we have spent time retelling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  We have been thinking hard about our sentences and we have tried to start them in different ways.  Look at our pictures - we have been working so hard!

Starry Night Topic

We are coming to the end of our second Spring Term Topic, 'Starry Night', in which we have been looking at the paintings of Van Gogh and stories and songs about stars.  We have made our own 'starburst' pictures, rewritten 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and tried to re-create Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' painting to name a few things we have been up to.  Check out our photos below!  You can see Chloe's artwork, Logan's starburst picture, Belle's 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Cat' poem and our classroom display.

Urban Hockey Match!

Today we played our first Urban Hockey Match in real teams!  We had a great time.  Check out our photos below!

"I like it when we get the ball," said Michael.

"I like playing in a team with all my friends," said Rilan.

"I really enjoyed it when we were playing when we had support," said Elycia.

"I like it when I was playing in a team with my friends," said Summer.

"It was fun when my friends helped me score a goal," said Joseph.

"When we played a match I scored the first goal and it was awesome!" said Lewis. 

Mrs Speight and Miss Croft's Spellings for the week beginning 12th March

Here are the spellings for this week.  They will be tested on Monday 19th March.  Everyone is trying very hard to get 12 out of 12 - keep up the hard work!

Urban Hockey!

The children are all really enjoying their Urban Hockey lessons this half term.  Have a look at our fabulous skills!

Welcome Back!!

Firstly we would like to welcome you all back after half term. Can you believe we are half way through the year?!

The children have got a fantastic half term to look forward to, our new topic 'Starry Night' is going to allow the children to get creative and develop their artistic and musical skills. We will also be working hard on our movement and dancing in P.E. Watch this space to see what we are learning.

Like last half term, children will be receiving weekly spellings based on the Year 2 Common Exception Words. You may recognise the words that they are being sent home, this is because we are revisiting them. This allows the words to become embedded in the children's mind and hopefully we will start to see them in their everyday writing. We are so pleased with how many of you have been reading with your children over the holidays, and how many more book bags we are seeing in school. It won't be long until many of you are receiving your 'Springy the Bear.'

Finally, don't forget it is World Book Day on Thursday. Children can come to school as their favourite book characters. During the day children will be taking part in lots of 'book' related learning and even get the opportunity to have a visit from a storyteller. It should be a brilliant day.

Mrs Speight and Miss Croft's Phonics Group Spellings, for the week beginning December 4th.  They will be tested on Monday December 11th. 

As the children are spending lots of time and energy learning their lines at home and getting ready for the Christmas Production, we are only sending 6 words home this week.  The words are:

pretty

beautiful

after

fast 

last

past

Key Stage One Drama Session - Auditions for the Christmas Production!

Today (Monday 13th November) we began our drama work for our Christmas Production.  We aren't giving away any spoilers just yet, but it is sure to be a spectacular show! All of the children in Team Malala and Team Elizabeth II had a wonderful time working together and getting into character.  Check out some of the pictures below!

Welcome Back after Half Term everyone!

We hope you all had a fantastic holiday and that you all feel refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of this second half term.  This week, we will be starting our weekly spelling work and we will be sending home spellings for the children in Mrs Speight and Miss Croft's Phonics group, so look out for them in your child's book bag.  We are going to test the spellings on Mondays as part of our Phonics sessions.  Just in case your child loses their sheet, the words can be found below:

Halloween comes early to Year 2!

We have been reading 'Winnie the Witch' by Valerie Thomas and 'The Jolly Witch' by Dick King-Smith over the last two weeks and we decided to have a little fun and make some witches of our own.  What do you think?  We really enjoyed making them!

Team Games in PE, 9th October 2017!

Today, we played some team games in PE.  We had a great time!

"It was fun," said Kaleb.

"It is a nice day because we did PE and it was so fun," said Katlynn.

"PE was fun because we got to throw a ball," said Liam.

"I liked the PE lesson that we did today because it was fun and I caught the ball," said Chloe W.

"I liked it today because I had a really nice team and I had so much fun," said Ria.

"Today, we had good fun because we played Bench Ball," said Keelan. 

"I really like school because my favourite thing to do is be in PE and I love playing games," said Chloe S.

"I liked the team game of Bench Ball," said Lewis.

"I liked my team because we scored a goal and also we played Bench Ball... Chloe W was on the bench," said Summer.

"I liked PE because it was really fun," said Summerleigh. 

Exploring Autumn in the School Grounds!

The children in Team Elizabeth II have been exploring the school grounds to look at the different types of plants we have and how they are changing at this time of year.  We found lots of Evergreen and Deciduous plants and we enjoyed collecting things that showed all the different colours we can see in nature all around us.  We think that Autumn is a very pretty time of year! 

Year 2's fabulous PARACHUTE afternoon!

We decided to have a change in PE today and we used the big parachute to play some fun games.  The children all worked together to get the parachute to do different things and there were lots of smiling faces in Team Elizabeth II!

"Playing Cat and Mouse was fun," said Archie.

"My favourite part was when we played Chinese Whispers under the big bubble," said Ria.

"It was like a big balloon!" said Kaleb.

"When we swapped places, it was fun," said Imogen. 

Welcome to Year 2!

Team Elizabeth II

Teachers: - Mrs Speight and Miss Croft

Teaching Assistant: - Mrs Doyle

Welcome to the Team Elizabeth II web page.  We will be using this page to keep you up to date with all the fun we have learning new things in year 2.

Do you have any ideas for this page? Why not let us know!

Have you seen the Kids' Zone? Play games and visit some cool websites.