Welcome to Beech Class Year 2 Teacher: Mrs Pilling Teaching Assistants: Mrs Woodhead, Mrs Deane, Miss Loughton

Beech Class Topic ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch’ This half-term we will be using the story of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch to help us write stories, poems, book reviews, learn about healthy eating, Grace Darling and computer animation. The knowledge, skills and understanding of each subject will be taught through the topics that we cover throughout the year.

Reading We will aim to hear your child read on a 1:1 basis once every week. Books will normally be changed once a week on a Friday. Please try to listen to your child read every day at home for at least 5-10 minutes. At the back of your child’s reading record and in their homework file, you will find a list of words that they should practise reading and spelling on a regular basis. PLEASE make sure that you write in your child’s diary when you hear them read, including when they have finished reading a book. The new curriculum puts an emphasis on reading and re- reading books, so please encourage your child to read the books again in order to develop fluency and comprehension.

Reading: Questions to ask at home What does …. mean? What happened at the beginning / middle / end? What did the boy / girl / dog do? Which word told you that …? Describe … Why did…..? What does ….. think? Why is …. important? How does the layout help the reader? Why does the author use subheadings / bulletpoints / capital letters? Why is it easier to read information in this way? Reading: It’s not just about decoding the words! Please also ask your child some basic comprehension questions as you read with them. Some examples might include...

Guided Reading Each week your child will read with the teacher in a Guided Reading session. This involves teaching a particular reading technique such as finding information in a text, understanding the features of a text (such as an index or bullet points), comparing and contrasting texts, or giving an opinion.

Phonics At this stage of your child’s education, great emphasis is placed on the learning of letters and sounds to help with spelling, reading and writing. Please check which phase your child is currently working within, and help them to learn the sounds for the current week. This is most effective when carried out for short periods every day. A list of groups and sounds is available on the school’s website. Spelling tests are carried out on Fridays. Please make sure that your child’s test book is in their school bag on this day. Corrections should be written out 3 times at home ready for the following week. Some children will receive phonics homework (phases 4 and beyond). Phonics workbooks are no longer being sent home on a daily basis, so please check your child’s book bag for worksheets.

YEAR 2 SATS TESTS In May 2016, year 2 will take statutory tests in the following subjects: -Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Test. This will be split up into 3 papers: 1) Spelling 2) Punctuation and grammar 3) A short written piece. Children will be provided with a prompt and stimulus for writing, with a clear text type, audience and purpose. -Maths. This will be split up into 2 papers: 1) Arithmetic 2) Mathematical fluency, problem solving and reasoning -Reading Science levels will be based solely on teacher assessment. Children will be graded as working towards, meeting or exceeding the nationally expected level for year 2 children. Any children who failed to reach the expected mark in the year 1 phonics test will need to retake this test in June 2016.

Homework Children in year 2 should spend approximately 20 minutes per week doing homework set by the teacher, plus a minimum of 10 minutes per day reading, times table practice and spelling practice. Homework will usually follow a 2 week rota of numeracy and literacy. Homework is sent out on Fridays in a file. Children will be expected to have completed and returned their homework by the following Wednesday. It is important that children are supported when completing their homework, but it must still be their own work. Children are encouraged to be independent and remember to hand in their own homework.

PE PE on THURSDAY and FRIDAYS Please ensure that your child has ALL of the following which should be labelled with their name: Pumps that fit A white t-shirt Black shorts Black long pants

Targets and Expectations Each child has a target book with their own set of personal targets that they will work towards each half term. The targets will normally be sent home on a report. High expectations are encouraged at all times.

Any Questions? Please feel free to come and chat after the presentation.