Shape, Pizza and Gingerbread Man Dancing!

We have had a big focus on shape in Y2 this week with lots of work on 2D and 3D shapes and symmetry. We made lots of symmetrical shape patterns then turned them into symmetrical minibeasts to put on our wall - do come in and have a look!
In English we have been writing instructions. We spent lots of time thinking about how to make a pizza. We wrote them up into a clear set of instructions, some groups linked their ideas with connectives which really showed that they understood the order the instructions came in. It was really important that we got it right because in the last week of term Y2 will be making pizza with Miss Sainsbury and Miss Marsh and everyone needs to know exactly what they are doing!!!
On Friday we celebrated Storytelling Week by looking at the Storybee website (you can find links to it on the Luckwell website) at having a crazy dance to a musical interpretation of The Gingerbread Man. Unfortunately I can't put any photos up at the moment as I have left the camera's lead at school. I will, however, do this when I am in again on Tuesday.
As they say - watch this space!

School Past and Present

We started our history focus this week by looking at all the wonderful information children had brought in about people who used to attend Luckwell in the distant and not so distant past. We had lots of fun, especially, looking at Grace's mum's photographs of Luckwell in the seventies - do come into the classroom and take a look! We would love some more to put up - thank you Ashley for bringing pictures of her dad in who was at Luckwell in the nineties (and was taught by Mrs Christmas!) We found out a lot of interesting information about how Luckwell has changed (and in some cases stayed the same) and laughed over stories like Jess M-R's neighbour being made to eat spam fritters for school lunch! Yuk!
Today we brought things right into the present by interviewing Miss Fricker from the Y1 classroom. Miss Fricker is training to be a teacher and Y2 generated lots of very sensible questions for her about what her training is like. Take a look at the picture that shows her being interrogated by the Y2 detectives!

Movement, Maths and Mr Magnolia

As you can see in one of these pictures, this week we have started dancing! We worked with Primary Partnership P.E. teacher Debbie Scroggs to create a dance based on the theme of Hawaii. We will take it to a dance festival at Ashton Park School on 12th February to which parents are invited! More details will follow in a letter nearer the time.
We have also been working very hard at maths strategies to add and subtract 9 and 11 - another of the pictures here shows some very enthusiastic people who dashed up after their lunch to carry on working!
Also this week we finished our unit of poetry and had lots of fun changing the Quentin Blake story poem which goes ... Mr Magnolia has only one boot ... into Mr Magnolia has only one SOCK! Here's a picture of one group's work - the rest are on the classroom wall so please come and take a look!

Starting 2009!

Happy New Year to everyone! While it was freezing outside Y2 have been creating lots of warm with the energy coming from their brains because they have worked so hard!

On Thursday Amandine returned from France with Wellington and Antoine who apparantly had a lovely French Christmas. Amandine told us that she got some very strange looks taking photographs of the bears occupying a double seat on the Paris Metro! Here is a picture of Amandine and the bears telling Y2 about Christmas en francais.

We started our slightly different way of afternoon planning this week. This means that instead of fitting a bit of everything in over the week we concentrate on really 'getting our teeth into' a particular subject each week. This week we have been doing P.S.H.E. (Personal, Social and Health Education). We have looked at issues surrounding fairness and have also talked about the emergency services and the circumstances in which they should be phoned. Mrs Hillberg and I were really impressed by the sensible conversations Y2 had with each other while doing role play!

Next week we are concentrating on geography - that's why the children have been asked to draw their journey between home and school on the piece of A3 paper they were sent home with. We will also be looking at plans of the school and the classroom and - at the end of the week - we will be designing our own classroom. That should be fun, watch this space!

Nearly There!

This week was one big roller coaster ride of fun! We finished making our cards and calendars, we had our school Christmas dinner and we had our special party packed lunch followed by our Christmas party. The highlight of our Christmas party was without a doubt the visit by Santa.
Ms Gower and I hope that everyone has a fantastic holiday and we would both like to say a massive thankyou for our lovely presents. We have both had lots of fun teaching Y2 (and Wellington and Antointe) this year and look forward to seeing everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed in January.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Christmas is coming....!

Our big event this year was our Christmas performance, Babushka. The children were fantastic and I was proud of every single one of them - WELL DONE Y2! There are lots of photographs of the performance on the noticeboard outside Y6 but just to put you in the mood I've included one here of our 3 camels (those fantastic suits were worth the hard work it took to actually get the children into them!!!!) Again, thank you parents for all your support with costumes and the learning of lines, it was very appreciated!
The children had a much earned toy afternoon on Friday - there are some pictures here of them enjoying their games. We also had another treat on Friday. Mrs Farr - Jack in Y5's mum - had kindly sent in some beautiful bears from her collection for YR to look at as part of their 'Teddies' topic. We were lucky enough to have 'first look' though! Pictured are some Y2 children with the bears.
Don't forget - next week we have Christmas dinner on Tuesday and KS1 Christmas party on Thursday, Ms Gower and I are very much looking forward to joining in with some party games! On Friday children can, again, bring in a toy of their choice.

Y2 have spent time really getting to grips - in a very 'hands on' way with our Sound topic!
After learning all about the ear on Monday - which bits of it do what - we then started using them in a very big way.
On Wednesday morning our KS2 recorder teacher, Mr Hill, came in with his saxophone, clarinet and recorders. He borrowed a guitar, a trumpet and a tambourine and everyone explored how these instruments make sound. We finished the lesson by all having a 'go' on the recorder.
On Wednesday afernoon Jessie Prewett's mum, Helen, came in with her flute. She played some tunes and showed the children how blowing into a flute is like blowing across the top of a milk bottle. The the children went off in groups with Helen to all try making the flute make music.
Then.... this morning Scott, Chloe's dad, came in with his collection of drums. He showed the children the different drums made different sounds. The children then got up in groups to make some drum sequences - WOW! Our school cooks couldn't believe their ears working behind the shutters in the kitchen!
Many thanks to all our volunteers for making this a very special, interactive two days for the children.
Thanks as well, parents, for the help given to the children to learn their lines. A last push over the weekend and we'll be there!
Talking of performances - our evening performance on Wednesday starts at 6.00pm. We would like the children back in school by 5.30 so we can get them changed. Help doing this would be gratefully received!