Our Learning

Year 2 is an exciting year. We are now the  the oldest children in Key stage 1 and are ready to take on lots of new challenges.   We are confident learners, we have developed strong friendships and love learning in lots of different subjects.

In the Autumn term we learn about our place in the world and discover all about Hackney.   We  look closely at the geography of our local area,  develop our map reading skills and explore the uses of water around where we live.  We find out about the local canals and think about what it is like to live on a boat.  We learn the names of capital cities and countries in the UK and are able to locate places on a map of the UK.  We then think about what London was like in the past, going right back to  the 17th century. We discover what happened during The Great Fire of London, learning all about the impact of the fire on the city and how it changed the way we build and plan our cities today.   As historians we investigate what life was like then, and compare it to our current life in London.

In Spring term, our topic ‘Save Us’, teaches us about endangered animals from around the world and how their habitats are being affected by climate change. By researching animals and their habitats, we discover the continents and oceans of the world. During our trip to the zoo we visit animals that are vulnerable or close to extinction, due to human activity and its effect on our planet. This gives us a strong understanding of what is happening to our planet as a result of global warming. The children will look at current research and news around sustainability and how we can live a more eco-friendly life.

During our Summer term we  learn about Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth during our history lessons, learning about how these significant individuals have shaped our life in Britain today. Later on in the term we take advantage of the warmer weather and investigate plants. Through planting our own seeds, we watch plants grow in different conditions whilst tracking progress.  In geography we make comparisons between plants that can grow in our climate and in different climates around the world. We look closely at India through our lovely story, Pattan’s Pumpkin. During this term we try to make the most of the sunshine and do lots of outdoor learning and science experiments. We do local area walks to take note of the geographical features of our surroundings.

Through out the year we continue to develop our fluency in reading.  We read a wide range of books , both fiction and non-fiction.  We have favourite books that we read again and again because we love them so much .  We also use these books to inspire us to write stories, information texts and diaries.  We also enjoy reading poetry and learning poems off by heart.  Our favourite one is The Owl and the Pussy Cat.

See how the curriculum is mapped at Springfield, follow the Topic Overview:

• Year 2 – Topic Yearly Overview