2 Mendelssohn
Mr Waine is the teacher in 2 Mendelssohn.
Michaelmas 1 2024-2025
What a fantastic start to Year Two we have had! The children have settled in wonderfully and are already producing impressive work from the very first week. The Queen's Nose, our new novel study at Southfield, has truly captivated their imaginations, and we've been writing some exceptional letters, postcards and setting descriptions. In Maths, we reinforced our understanding of place value before tackling more complex addition and subtraction across ten. Children have been looking at their column methods for the first time and have been excited to push their mathematic thinking
We also enjoyed our trip, revisiting the Buddhist Vihara, a unique cultural gem right on our doorstep. The children listened attentively to stories about the life of Buddha and learned how to embody the principles of Buddhism, contextualising our R.E. day, where we delved into the core beliefs of the faith.
In our Maths Through Story lessons, children have been loving the revamped lessons, bring Maths to life in a new way. So far, they have been creating shapes, which they bought and sold for Southfield Pounds and touring the school grounds in their first ever orienteering lesson, using a map of the school, which they previously had seen in our Geography lessons this term.
To top it all off, we celebrated our annual charity week. In Year Two, we focused on the incredible work of the R.N.L.I. who keep our waters safe. We were lucky enough to visit our local Chiswick Lifeboat Station, where the children were reminded about water safety as well as being given a tour of the lifeboats that help protect our community. The children enthusiastically designed and built floating boats, which many were hopefully able to test at home! It has been an eventful and exciting half term, and we can’t wait to see what the next one brings!
Summer 2 2023-2024
Wow! What a busy term we have had in year 2 full of non-stop singing, dancing, acting and rehearsing! We performed our fantastic play ‘Pirates versus Mermaids’, taking our audience on a journey to Me Hearty High School with great success. We had a fantastic trip to Holland Park’s ecology centre where we learnt all about wildlife in the different seasons. We took our checklists around the park, ticking off any of the wonderful wildlife we were lucky enough to see. We then went into the woodland area to learn about dragonflies and make them using natural resources found in the woods. It was a great success and the children loved it. We have learnt about important climate activists such as David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg and how they are using their voices to spread the word about climate change and trying to encourage people to save the planet. We have had lots of interesting discussions about what we can do at home to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle. We have written excellent poems inspired by Ted Hughes’ ‘My brother Bert’, having lots of fun writing about animals and finding words that rhyme with them! In science we have travelled up to space and learnt all about the planets in our Solar System. We have explored the stars in our sky and constellation stories from all over the world, even having a go at joining the stars to make our own constellations and writing our own story to go alongside it! It has been a wonderful final term full of so much fun. What a lovely end to the year!
Summer 1 2023-2024
What a busy term it’s been for Year 2! Following our Tudors unit in History last term., we visited Hampton Court Palace and had a workshop and tour to learn even more about that fascinating period. Our main text for English this half-term has been Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo, in which we have created advertisements for the Peggy Sue yacht, as well as a travel brochure for numerous destinations. We also celebrated Shakespeare Week by studying Twelfth Night and writing a diary as Viola and character description of Malvolio. If that’s not enough, we then spent Poetry Week discussing The Tyger by William Blake, on which we wrote a critical analysis and another poem in the same style.
We have dedicated our Maths this term to introducing fractions, and can now count in quarters, thirds and halves, as well as gaining a comprehensive understanding into what a numerator and denominator represent.
In other news, we have learned all about Scandinavia in Geography, Materials in Science, and Hinduism in R.E. And that’s not even mentioning the enrichment lessons, or Mind, Body and Spirit Week, which culminated in a truly epic Olympic Celebration (in which we paid tribute to the sporting history of New Zealand). See? We told you it’s been a busy term!
Spring 2 2023-2024
Year 2 have had a non-stop half term full of experiments, performances and World Book Day fun!
This half term was Southfield’s first ever Eisteddfod festival and what a fabulous day it was! We were treated to a morning full of dancing, singing and poetry recitals from years 1, 2 and 3. In the lead up to the day, Miss Hayes and Mr Phillips were showered with competition entries of beautiful springtime art, poems and stories. Year 2 also learnt how to do a traditional Scottish country dance which we all had so much fun learning and performing! The effort put in by all children was undoubtedly what made the day so special.
We also celebrated World Book Day! The children came dressed in wonderful costumes ranging from Dogman to Gangsta Granny with many also opting to dress up as characters from our class book: Charlie and the Chocolate factory. We were then fortunate enough to take part in a Willy Wonka themed workshop in which the children were taken on a journey through the chocolate factory. It was so lovely to see the children so engaged with the reading they have been doing both at school and at home and have so much enthusiasm for the day!
In science, we have been looking at the life cycle of a plant. We looked at the journey some of our favourite foods take to reach our plates. Did you know that a banana has to travel 4900 miles to reach the UK? We then looked at what a seed needs in order to grow and experimented with this by growing cress in our classroom!
But while all this has been going on, year 2 have fallen victim to a Tudor frenzy as the Terrible Tudors have taken over our classroom! We have had such much fun acting out the reigns of all of the famous Tudor monarchs. From Henry VIII’s six wives to Mary I’s reign of terror to Elizabeth I’s armada interventions! Their enthusiasm has without a doubt been reflected in the outstanding work they have produced (and emphasised by the daily requests for more history!).
On top of all of this we also: created an impressive exhibition about The British Isles using all of our outstanding geography work; became times-table extraordinaires, wrote wonderful autobiographies about our lives and ambitions, journeyed into the world of origami flower making; and have written a range of beautiful stories in creative writing looking at themes of friendship, bravery, loss and love.
Phew! It is safe to say we all deserve a break so that we can return to school and pick up this fantastic work from where we left off!
Spring 1 2023-2024
Year 2 have had an excellent start to the Spring term, applying their skills and knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. In English we have had so much fun studying Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In addition to reading, role playing and hot-seating, the children have also produced a range of fiction texts such as newspaper reports, diary entries and character descriptions.
In Maths, the children have worked on their addition and subtraction skills and can now add and subtract two 2-digit numbers even crossing 10. We have looked at this in the context of money, using these skills to work out which coins to use to pay for items and how to calculate the correct change. We have also started to look at multiplication and using the multiplication sign in our number sentences.
Their Geography topic has continued to take the children around the British Isles and even to South Africa where we were able to compare our local area (London) to the wonderful city that is Cape Town. This term, they learned about the four countries that make up the British Isles and make the distinction between Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
Science has given the children the opportunity to learn about electricity and explore and investigate using circuits. They have used their knowledge of conductors and insulators to choose suitable resources to complete circuits. They had so much fun creating their circuits and grouping materials according to their properties in relation to the flow of electrical energy.
In Art, the children have had a fantastic time creating self-portraits; the children produced beautiful pieces by adding to them each week by applying their new skills. The children also studied famous portrait artists. They also took part in a very exciting DT workshop in which the children got to build castles out of very large wooden sticks.
Autumn 2 2023-2024
Year 2 have had a wonderful second half of the term! All the children have worked extremely hard in all areas of the curriculum and have produced some outstanding work. They should all be feeling very proud of themselves. Thank you to those who were able to join us for our open morning, I know the children were so thrilled to be able to show off their exceptional work.
This term they wrote a range of non-fiction texts, using their previous Science, Geography and History knowledge. The children wrote explanations about how the digestive system works. They also wrote a biography about Edward Jenner’s life and how he pioneered the creation of the smallpox vaccination. The children then used their Geography knowledge and wrote directions for getting to Forest school from Southfield Primary- they used the compass points they had learnt about to make their directions accurate.
In Maths, the children have been learning to add and subtract 1s and 10s from a two-digit number. They have continued to explain their reasoning and are providing evidence of this through using manipulatives and representations. They have also looked at how to recognise and sort 2D and 3D shapes, looking at the number of vertices, faces and edges.
In History, the children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Romans and their invasion into Britain. The children were fascinated to learn about Boudicca’s great battle with the Romans and have been able to find out how the Romans changed Britain. This knowledge was further consolidated by our successful trip to Bath to see the Roman Baths and find out more about the Roman Empire.
In Science, we have been working on our topic of ‘Living things and their Environments’. We have looked at habitats, food chains and symbiotic relationships. The children particularly enjoyed looking at the desert and rainforest ecosystems in detail and learning about the animals and plants that live there.
It has been a fantastic half term and we are so excited to see what January brings us after a well-earned rest.
Autumn 1 2023-2024
What a start to Year Two we have had! The children have settled in beautifully and started producing amazing pieces of work from week one. The Mousehole Cat has really captured their imaginations and we have written some beautiful letters and setting descriptions. In Maths, we consolidated our place value knowledge before moving on to increasingly trickier addition and subtraction across ten. We had our first trip, which was a revisit to the Buddhist Vihara that we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep. The children got to hear about the life of Buddha and how to be a good Buddhist in preparation for our R.E day this half term where we looked at the beliefs fundamental to Buddhism. We have also had two wonderful weeks to celebrate – Design Technology week, where the children designed and created pencil cases! Learning to sew a running stitch was a challenge but a life skill that they now all possess – alongside some very smart pencil cases! We had our annual charity week, where in Year Two we learnt all about the R. N. L. I and their amazing work keeping our waters safe! We even made some messages in a bottle to sell at our charity sale! It’s been a busy and fun half term and we are looking forward to next half term!
Summer 2 2022-2023
This half term has been a busy and enriching period for Year 2. To kick off the term, we participated in a thrilling Sports Day event. We showcased our athletic abilities and sportsmanship, competing in various fun-filled activities to earn valuable house points for our respective houses. It was a fantastic day filled with teamwork, laughter, and healthy competition.
In an effort to spark the imaginations of our young historians, we took a captivating trip to the National Portrait Gallery. We had the chance to explore an array of historical paintings, with a particular focus on the Tudor period. The visit proved to be both educational and inspiring as many of us recognised some of these important figures from our nation's past and recalled our previous learning.
Putting our acting skills to the test, we worked tirelessly to rehearse and bring to life our end-of-year production, "Pirates versus Mermaids." The performance was a great opportunity to display our creativity, teamwork, and confidence on the stage, and we felt very proud of our hard work and dedication.
Embracing the spirit of cultural understanding and diversity, we visited Ealing Gurdwara to learn about Sikhism, which we had already learnt about in RE. We had the privilege of experiencing the Sikh customs and traditions, understanding the importance of community and compassion in this beautiful religion.
In conclusion, this summer term has been filled with educational adventures and joyous accomplishments. We deserve a restful summer holiday, and look forwarding to returning for Year 3!
Summer 1 2022-2023
Since the Easter holidays we have been exploring our new Science topic of Materials and Matter. We have continued to work on our scientific enquiry skills, making observations and predictions of what happens to ice cubes in different environments and understanding what is happening on a molecular level when matter changes from solid to liquid.
In Geography, we have learnt about the different countries that make up Northern Europe. We looked at the physical geography and climate of the area, and how this impacts wildlife, and studied the life of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his epic journeys through extremely cold environments. We again used atlases to help create our own maps that represent geographic information. We made a comparison between Northern Europe and North Africa, and noted the role of seasonal weather in driving animal migration.
For English, we kicked off the summer term with Shakespeare week, in which we studied A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We had a really fun workshop that helped us to better understand this complicated story, after which we wrote an emotive diary entry as Demetrius. Of course we couldn’t end the week without dressing as our favourite Shakespearean characters!
The big highlight of the term was King Charles III Coronation week. We had another incredible workshop to help us learn more about this longstanding tradition, and we celebrated as a year group with our own ‘street party’ outside in the playground.
Spring 2 2022-2023
Over the Spring Term we have been exploring our new Science topics of Electricity and Plants. These have provided us with brilliant opportunities to work on our scientific enquiry skills: in Electricity, we constructed circuits and made observations and predictions of what happens when additional components are added; in Plants, we conducted an investigation to find out which factors are the most important for seeds to grow. In Geography, we have learnt about the different countries that make up the British Isles. We noted the different alliances within the isles, for example Great Britain and the United Kingdom. We have used atlases to help us create our own maps that represent geographic information, both human and physical. We also made a comparison between London and Cape Town and noted the similarities and differences between these two cities on opposite sides of the world from each other. In History, we remained in the British Isles with the Tudor Dynasty. We were extremely interested in learning about the differences between how the rich and the poor lived and how that compares to present day. Additionally, we were thrilled to visit Hampton Court Palace – the home of King Henry VIII – and to take part in numerous workshops around the topic. These topics provided us with a wealth of knowledge to show off in our English writing, which included and instructional text on how to construct a circuit, a biography of Henry VIII, and an information text on the lifecycle of a plant. A big highlight of the term was Reading Festival week. We were busy with workshops, theatre performances, and dressing up as our favourite characters. It was also exciting to be able to show parents and carers all the work we’ve been doing during the open morning and our History Festival on the Romans and Tudors.
Spring 1 2022-2023
Year 2 have had an excellent start to the Spring term. They have had really applied their skills and knowledge in all areas of the curriculum and had much fun doing so. This term, they wrote a range of fiction texts and drew inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to create newspaper reports, diary entries and character descriptions. They have worked on their addition and subtraction skills and can now add and subtract two 2-digit numbers even crossing 10. Their Geography topic has continued to take the children around the British Isles and even to Cape Town where we were able to compare our local area (London) to the wonderful city that is Cape Town. This term, they learned about the four countries that make up the British Isles and make the distinction between Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Science has given the children the opportunity to learn about electricity and explore and investigate using circuits. They have used their knowledge of conductors and insulators to choose suitable resources to complete circuits. They had so much fun creating their circuits and grouping materials according to their properties in relation to the flow of electrical energy. In Art, the children have had a fantastic time creating self-portraits; the children produced beautiful pieces by adding to them each week by applying their new skills. The children also studied famous portrait artists.
Autumn 2 2022-2023
Year 2 have had an amazing second half of the term! All the children have worked extremely hard in all areas of the curriculum and have produced some outstanding work they should all be proud of.
This term, they wrote a range of non-fiction texts, using their previous Science, Geography and History knowledge about living things and their environment, spatial skills and the Roman Empire. The children wrote explanations about how the digestive system works and also wrote about the different habitats they learnt about in science. The children then used their geography knowledge and wrote some directions for getting to Forest school from Southfield Primary- they used the compass points they had learnt about to make their directions accurate.
In Maths, the children have been learning to add and subtract 1s and 10s from a two digit number. They have continued to explain their reasoning and are providing evidence of this through using manipulatives and representations.
In History the children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Romans and their invasion into Britain. The children were fascinated to learn about Boudicca’s great battle with the Romans and have been able to find out how Romans changed Britain.
Forest School has been a wonderful experience for Year 2 as they have been able to delve further into our topic of ‘Living things and their Environments’. They have been able to explore the mini-habitats, discuss the conditions and see the mini-beasts that call these environments home.
It has been a fantastic half term!
Autumn 1 2022-2023
This half term, Year 2 have been studying the book ‘The Mousehole Cat’ in English. They have used the novel to help expand their own vocabulary and enhance their writing. The children have written some wonderful diaries, letters, poems, and short narratives! We learnt about similies and alliteration and wrote acrostic poems describing the storm.
In Maths, we have been focusing on counting forwards and backwards in ones and being able to identify the place value of two digit numbers. We have been using games to enhance our learning and we are gaining so much confidence. Furthermore, we have been comparing and ordering numerals and measurements based on known facts and applying this knowledge to solve a range of reasoning and mastery problems.
In Science, we have explored systems of the human body, including the digestive, circulatory and musculoskeletal systems. We really enjoyed finding out what makes us function! We also learnt why blood is red and about how scientists developed vaccines.
In Geography, we honed our map skills. We learned how to use a map to locate objects in orienteering and we learned how to draw our own map from an aerial view. We also drew our own class map and included a key. We also learnt about the compass points and used these when describing a route from school to a place on a map.
On our RE day we studied the Buddhist religion. We acted out the story of Siddhartha Gautama and learnt what Buddhists believe. We discussed The Five Buddhist Morals and what they meant for Buddhists. By the end of our RE day we had learnt a lot of new information and enjoyed learning about the Buddhists beliefs.
During charities week we learnt about the ‘Royal National Lifeboat Institution’ (RNLI). We learned all about this charity and their dedication to saving people who have become stranded at sea and face the possibility of drowning. Their lifeguards are exceptionally brave! We raised money for them by designing our own boat fridge magnets that we sold at the charity sale.
Summer 2 2021-2022
Year 2 have had a wonderful Summer Term! This term, Year 2 completed their Key Stage One SATs. They worked extremely hard and performed exceptionally well. We are so very proud of them and they should feel incredibly proud of themselves for all that they achieved! The children continued to consolidate their knowledge in their lessons for the duration of the term.
‘Powerful Voices’ was the children’s history topic this term, and we were fortunate enough to attend BFI: Southbank to see Baroness Floella Benjamin talk. She shared her story of coming to a new country at a young age and some of the trials and tribulations she faced. It was an uplifting and inspirational experience. They also went to ‘The Tate Modern’ Art Museum, where they observed beautiful modern pieces of work and had a try at drawing some of them themselves. In addition to this, the children visited ‘The Globe Theatre’ where they were given a tour of the grounds and then participated in their own performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – they really enjoyed using their drama skills.
Both Year 2 classes performed brilliantly in their assemblies. 2 Mozart took their audience through time to the life of Henry VIII and his six wives and 2 Verdi travelled through the digestive system. The children were phenomenal, learning huge amounts of lines, actions and their songs, and it was clearly enjoyed by all.
Year 2 had a fantastic time during our themed weeks of ‘Healthy Lifestyle’s Week’ and ‘Jubilee Week’. Both were jam-packed, full of activities and workshops and the children had a wonderful time celebrating both.
Summer 1 2021-2022
This half term, in English, we have been writing a range of non-fiction texts, directly linked to our Science and Geography topics, ‘Materials and Matter’ and ‘Northern Europe’. The children have used their knowledge to write in a range of genres, including, non-chronological reports, instructions and explanations.
In Maths, we continued to use our knowledge to multiply and divide numbers and explored the relationship between fractions of an amount and division. We learnt about the properties of shape and further explored length, mass and capacity. We also continued to explore the concepts of time and money and solved problems pertaining to them.
Our Science topic this half term saw us learning about Materials and Matter. Building on their understanding of materials and their properties, the children were introduced to the idea that everything we can see is made from many tiny things we cannot see, called atoms. The children also studied how we can change solid objects through actions such as bending, twisting and squeezing.
This term in Geography, year 2 studied Northern Europe. They learnt about its human and physical features and also features that are unique to the region. They also explored how the Sami people have adapted to live in extremely cold regions. They also learned about the migration of animals, building an the understanding that animals move to areas more suited to their needs as the seasons change.
Spring 2 2021-2022
What a brilliant half term Year 2 have had!
For the second half of spring term we focused on non – fiction genres of writing in English lessons, including newspaper reports, information texts and biography writing. This linked directly with our science, history and geography topics. In Maths, we continued to use our place value knowledge to explore other mathematical concepts. The children learnt about measurement, statistics and their 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables, as well as our weekly arithmetic sessions, focusing on the four operations: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.
In Science, the children have been learning about Plants. We looked again at what plants are and what they need to grow and explored seeds and bulbs in great detail. The children learnt that germination is the process where a seed begins to grow and changes into a seedling. They absolutely loved their trip to Kew Gardens and their workshop where they were able to stretch this knowledge even further!
Year 2 have also enjoyed PSHE and RE day this half term. Our PSHE topic was ‘Living in the Wider World.’. We learnt: The difference between wants and needs and to explore life in different countries and we learned how to identify who to talk to if they are worried or scared about something. In RE we participated in discussions about how we mark stages in the human journey. We answered questions such as, ‘Why is life often described as a journey?’, ‘What are the main episodes in human experience?’, ‘What events do we celebrate?’ and ‘What events cause us to struggle or lament?’.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed Art this half term as they learnt about landscapes and symmetry by studying of Turner’s Snowstorm and Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows. They compared the work of these artists, then the children created and evaluated their own seascapes.
One of the highlights for Year 2 this term was their trip to Hampton Court Palace. Tudor times were brought to life for them and they were absolutely fascinated about what life was like in the palace during that era.
Autumn 2 2021-22
Year 2 Mozart have had a brilliant second half of the term! They have worked extremely hard in all areas of the curriculum and been so focused on all of the tasks at hand. This term, they wrote a range of non-fiction texts, using their previous Science, Geography and History knowledge about living things and their environment, spatial skills and the Roman Empire. In Maths, they have continued to explain their reasoning and began to provide evidence of this through using manipulatives and representations. They have also begun to count forwards and backwards in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s and started to link this with repeated addition and multiplication. The children thoroughly enjoyed History day, when Boudicca visited to tell them all about her great battle with the Romans. She showed them how the Romans organised themselves into formations with shields for protection. It was great – they even got to make and eat Roman bread! Forest School has been a wonderful experience for Year 2 as they have been able to delve further into our topic of ‘Living things and their Environments’. They have been able to explore the mini-habitats, discuss the conditions and see the mini-beasts that call these environments home. It has been a fantastic half term!
Autumn 1 2021-22
This half term, Year 2 have been studying the book ‘The Mousehole Cat’ in English. They have used the novel to help expand their own vocabulary and enhance their writing. The children have written some wonderful diaries, letters, poems, short narratives and play scripts!
In Maths, we have been focusing on counting forwards and backwards in ones and being able to identify the place value of two digit numbers. Furthermore, we have been comparing and ordering numerals and measurements based on known facts and applying this knowledge to solve a range of reasoning and mastery problems.
In Science, we have explored systems of the human body, including the digestive, circulatory and musculoskeletal systems. We really enjoyed finding out what makes us function!
In Geography, we honed our map skills. We learned how to use a map to locate objects in orienteering and we learned how to draw our own map from an aerial view.
We also had a PSHE day where we learnt about healthy living and explored the Buddhist religion.
Below are links to our Welcome meeting and current curriculum overviews.