November Blog for Class 2GC
English and Phonics
Phonics
We have continued to practice our spellings and reading in our phonics groups. We have read lots of different fiction and non-fiction stories and been practicing our phonics sounds. Well done for always being in the top 5 2GC on Spelling Shed! Keep it up!
Well Done to Charlie, Nora, Hadya and Aryas for getting 100% on their spelling tests this month!
In December the children will be sitting their national phonics screening assessment. They have all worked really hard and we look forward to sharing their success soon.
English
This month we have been learning about shape poetry and acrostic poems. We learned about alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm. First, we created acrostic poems about Joseph Cash, then we created some amazing poems ready for Bonfire Night!
We also spent some time reflecting about Remembrance Day and used this to write some acrostic poems. We then used this learning to write our own acrostic poems about Autumn:
We are now learning the Traditional Tale Snow White and have already come up with some amazing character descriptions to describe the wicked Queen and sweet Snow White! We have also written setting descriptions and learned how to use similes.
All of this learning has helped us to write our own fantastic traditional tales!
Well Done to Harley who got the first Snow White selfie! Super story map from Deyala!
Maths
We have continued to learn addition and subtraction.
We have also been learning to use our x2, x5 and x10 table knowledge to solve problems in maths. We have also been learning about Shape, Volume and Capacity.
We also took part in the Times table Rockstar’s year group competition! We were very proud to be the winners for year 2. Keep up the hard work please at home learning this vital life skill.
Creative Curriculum - Whiz, Bang, Plot
We had a bonfire flourish to celebrate our learning about the Gunpowder plot of 1605. We made breadstick sparklers and toasted marshmallows on the fire. We sang the traditional historical song - Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot. Thank you Mrs Burnside for organising the fire for us – we had lots of smoky fun!
We had a Zoom call from Guy Fawkes himself explaining why he thought he was right in planning the treason against King James I. The children all agreed that he was wrong to plan this despite being cross that he couldn't continue to follow his Catholic religion.
We made firework safety posters to remind us of how important it is to be safe and sensible around fires and fireworks.
Once we had learned about the plot the children wrote wanted posters to help catch Guy Fawkes and when he was finally caught they wrote confession letters.
Science - Materials
The children continued this month to learn about the uses of everyday materials. They investigated the suitability of different materials used to make spoons and used Science words such as rigid, opaque, waterproof, bendy, fragile to describe them.
They then listened to the stories of the 'Smartest Giant in town' and the 'Three Little Pigs' and used their Science skills to order the best material for the giant's trousers and test out the best material to build the strongest house for the pigs. They had great fun testing the houses with Mrs Cooper's hairdrier. They learnt how to plan a fair test investigation and how to record their method, results and conclusions.
PE, PSHE and Music
In PE we have been trying to improve our stamina by competing in a class competition. Each week we have tried to improve our own scores in Speed Bounce, Long Jump and Speed Race.
We will find out the who the winners are at the end of term! Good Luck everyone.
In Music we have been learning about South African music, learning the songs, ‘Hands, Feet and Heart’ – ‘The Click song’ and ‘In the jungle’ – this has been so much fun and we are really trying to improve our confidence in performance.
We are now learning the Christmas carol - Away in a manger to sing in this year's virtual Christmas concert.
The children showed their respect on Remembrance Day by making poppies and completing their two minute silence. This ended with the children listening to the Last Post played on a trumpet.
It was Aspirations Week and the children had a few Zoom calls from different professionals including some from the NHS inspiring the children to have good aspirations and goals for their futures.
The annual Children in Need is always keenly supported by the children at Joseph Cash. This year the children could wear gold or their PJs and bring a silver coin in to support this very worthy charity. Some children also made Pudsey Bears for the Headteacher weekly challenge.
The children this month in PSHE and Healthy Living sessions have also learned about celebrating successes, supporting each other's as learners and the importance of having a regular bedtime routine.
RE
In Everybody's Equal/ Interfaith week they read a story about a boy who made friends with a child whose parents were refugees from Somalia. The book was called - My Friend Jamal.
The children discussed similarities and differences between the two friends and discussed the importance of showing kindness and respect to everyone regardless of differences in religions and cultures. Every day that week the children in class assembly learned about children from different faiths and how their beliefs are important to them and celebrated.
The children finished their Judaism Unit by learning about the festival of Hanukkah. They learnt about the traditions followed at this time including the lighting of the menorah candle each evening. They made their own hand-print menorah turning the sinks in the toilet area totally blue! They also learned about the special day each week called Shabbat when the families have a special meal and visit the synagogue for special prayers.
This Month's Challenge
Can you make a Christingle Orange and learn about what each part means for Christian children?
Here is a link to give you some more information.
