Class 5
Year 2
As their final year of infants school, year 2 is a benchmark year for our children and is viewed as a marker to gauge a child’s progress from reception to the end of KS1. It is part of my role to help the children become ready for Junior school and meet the end of year 2 expectations.
Having said this, above everything else, what I want for children in class 5 to be happy, resilient and confident and I place the greatest of importance on their mental well-being. Children learn best when they feel safe, respected and nurtured and when they are having fun. Yes, the work is challenging but I try and make the children’s learning experiences as relevant, meaningful and active as possible.
I like the children to be inquisitive and confident to ask questions and express their thoughts and feelings. A class ‘Zones of Regulation’ board is used daily by the children to express how they are feeling and this enables myself and teaching assistants to support children with their emotions and thus avoid any prolonged feelings of anxiety or upset which can have a detrimental effect on their learning and ability to cope with their school day.
To promote responsibility, the children have extra responsibilities such as lunchtime helpers, playground buddies and ‘Buzzing Buddies’ helpers. All the children enjoy these responsibilities and it fosters a collective respect for us as a class. The children are also heavily involved in developing and promoting the class 5’s expectations regarding attitudes to learning and behaviour towards one another. The expectation on children to organise themselves and take responsibility for their learning is also high.
What are we learning?
Explore what ideas, topics and vocabulary our class will be exploring each half term.
Reading
Many children are fluent readers as they join year 2 but the focus is to support their comprehension skills, are they actually understanding what they are reading? Can they find answers to questions drawing from the text, can they make inferences based on what they have read? Can they pick out key vocabulary and describe its effect on the reader etc.
Year 2 is a voyage of discovery!
Maths
In year 2, children draw on their understanding of number and concepts to solve number and word problems. This requires a deeper level of thinking and children are required to justify their responses and explain their reasoning.
Writing
Children learn to handwrite legibly and some children will start to join their letters. Sentence structure and content is a focus. Children are expected to extend their sentences incorporating more detail, language and vocabulary in to their writing.
Meet our teacher
Ms Carrington
I am Ms Carrington and welcome to Class 5.
It is a privilege to be part of the team here at Netherton Infant and Nursery School where I have had the happiest years of my teaching career, which has been long and varied! Our school is the perfect mix of kind, considerate and hardworking pupils, dedicated staff and supportive parents making a unique school community.
Helping each child progress in all areas of their development both academical and social, is a challenge that I am honoured to accept daily. I strive to create a community of learners that nurtures this growth in a positive, fun environment.
In addition to my class teacher role, I am history and geography lead.
I am the staff member on FONS and thoroughly enjoy building relationships with parents and getting to know families in our community by supporting our lovely school in fundraising and social activities.
In my free time, I enjoy anything creative and having two children living abroad, opportunities to travel are always on the cards!
Our Big Six - books we return to over and over
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The Tear Thief
CAROL ANN DUFFY
Why does the magical Tear Thief catch children's tears as they fall? Find out in this moving tale about how we express our feelings.
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THE OWL WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK
JILL TOMLINSON
Filled with gentle humour and comfort, Jill Tomlinson’s animal stories have been enjoyed by children who want to snuggle down with a good read for decades.
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Something Else
KATHRYN CAVE
A simple story, about a small creature who does his best to join in with the others. But he's different. No matter how he tries, he just doesn't belong.
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How to Hide a Lion
HELEN STEPHENS
It's not easy, but Iris has to do her best, because mums and dads can be funny about having a lion in the house.
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The Koala Who Could
RACHEL BRIGHT
In a wonderful place, at the breaking of dawn, where the breezes were soft and the sunshine was warm, a place where the creatures ran wild and played free ... A Koala called Kevin clung to a tree.
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Where the Wild Things Are
MAURICE SENDAK
One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper.