Topic Overview
Once Upon a Tyne
Key Question?
Where would I build a bridge for the future?
This term, we launch our exciting whole school curriculum topic: NE3 and our City. Across all year groups, children will be exploring the rich geography and history of our local area, deepening their understanding of the community we call home. As part of this journey, every child takes part in a ‘planning and decision making’ challenge—identifying a local issue or gap and proposing thoughtful solutions, whether imagined or actionable. Through this empowering task, we’re helping our young learners realise that although they may be small, their voices matter, their ideas count, and their opinions deserve to be heard.
Geography & History
We will be building on our map work skills from Year 1 by first re-capping the four countries of the UK. The children will be creating their own maps with a key, and will learn how to read the 8 points of a compass. As part of our topic ‘Once Upon a Tyne’ we will develop map reading skills and look at the human and physical features of the land in the North East. The children will use Google Earth to locate specific places along the River Tyne.
We will study aerial photographs and perspectives to recognise famous landmarks and features of the land. The children will study the bridge system currently in place over the River Tyne and carry out fieldwork at the Quayside. Our school trip to the Quayside will give the children an opportunity to see the bridges, draw sketches and take photographs. Using decision making skills they will decide on the location of a new bridge and what it will be used for.
To explore geographical change, we will be looking back in time to when there were no bridges over the River Tyne! The children will study photos from the past and will investigate how the use of the land around the river has changed and why.
Key Vocabulary:
- Bridge
- River
- Source
- Mouth
English
The children will have daily phonic sessions that will help them to recap key spelling rules from Year 1. They will practise their spellings within their phonic sessions using Little Wandle.
Throughout all our literacy work, we will continue to secure the children’s use of full stops, capital letters and finger spaces whilst introducing exclamation and question marks. The children will continue to be encouraged to be brave with their writing and have a go at sounding out unfamiliar words.
This half term the children will be exploring fairy tale texts, including lots of exciting contemporary tales! They will use their knowledge of traditional tales to inspire their own stories. They will write for a variety of different purposes, such as setting descriptions, letter writing and information texts.
Key Vocabulary:
- Full stop
- Capital letter
- Question mark
- Exclamation mark
Maths
This half term our main focus will be to recap the children’s understanding of place value. We will investigate what each digit in a two-digit number represents and look at different ways to represent numbers, such as using dienes, bar models or part-whole models.
The children will learn to count, write and order numbers to 100 and compare numbers using vocabulary such as greater than/smaller than.
Towards the end of the half term children will recap their knowledge of counting in 2s, 5s and 10s and will learn to count in 3s. Counting in multiples at home as you climb stairs etc. is a great way to help your child secure their knowledge. The children will have a weekly maths lesson on shape, space and measure starting with 2d and 3d shape.
Websites: Please log into Times Table Rock Stars - your log ins have been sent home
Key Vocabulary:
- Place value
- Tens and ones
- More than
- Less than
- Equal to
Science
This half term we will be studying the parts of the life cycle, learning associated scientific vocabulary (such as birth, death, growth and reproduction) and comparing these for different creatures.
We will explore how characteristics are passed on from one generation to another and changes from offspring to adulthood, taking into account survival needs.
Key Vocabulary
- Offspring
- Life cycle
- Survive
- Hygiene
Computing
We will start the term with our digital literacy, ensuring we know how to stay safe online. We will then have lots of fun using the Green Screen to transport us to different places.
Art and Design Technology
Each half term the children will have a week dedicated to art and/or DT.
Art: This half term the children will be presented with their new sketchbooks in art and within them will explore ‘What is art?’ We will also be recapping all the fabulous artwork the children have done in Early Years and Year 1.
Design Technology: Within DT the children will be designing and creating their own chair out of card. The chair must be stable and strong enough for baby bear to sit on!
PE
This half term we will develop our ball skills such as throwing and catching, rolling, hitting a target, dribbling and kicking a ball. We will also be practising our fundamental sports skills: running at different speeds, changing direction, dodging, balancing, jumping and skipping.
PSHE and Religious Education
PSHE
We will help the children settle in to their new classrooms and recap our school rules. We will explore of school values; curious, creative, caring and courageous, as well as discussing our emotions and how to understand them. Then we will consider the question ’What makes a good friend?’ and look at how we can support one another. We will also read our first Year 2 No Outsiders book– ‘Amazing’
Religious Education
This half term we will be introducing the idea that religious beliefs require expression, both individually through daily life and collectively in a community.
We will focus first on Christianity and how Christians express their beliefs in practice, through worship and festivals. We will also look at features of a church, Christian artefacts and some of the key stories/teachings from the Bible.
Our Values
Please Instagram us @archibald_1st if you see your child being #AFSCurious #AFSCaring #AFSCreative or #AFSCourageous
If you would like any further details about this half term's curriculum, please speak to your child's teacher.