Year 2 Autumn 2025​​

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• In English, a number of texts are studied through the Autumn Term: ‘Baby Elephant’ by Susan Hellard, ‘Traction Man’ by Mini Grey, ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers, and ‘Mog’s Christmas Calamity’ by Judith Kerr. Pupils will complete a number of written genres based on these stories, including retells, a postcard, and a letter. As pupils finish the RWI programme for teaching phonics, they will begin reading lessons linked to our class text. This is where we use our DERRIC model to decode, explain word meanings, retrieve information to answer questions, interpret characters’ feelings and thoughts, review sections of the text, and discuss why authors have used certain techniques in our choice lessons. This term, our handwriting lessons and daily handwriting starters focus on printing letters using correct formation, orientation, and sizing, before introducing joined writing next term. Finally, SPaG is a key focus within English lessons, emphasizing grammatically correct sentences that begin to use adjectives for description and basic conjunctions or time adverbials to link ideas together. Pupils focus on basic punctuation including full stops, capital letters, question marks, exclamation marks, and commas for lists.
   

• In Year 2, place value as well as addition and subtraction to 100 is explored, including partitioning, comparing, and ordering numbers. Key methods for addition and subtraction are introduced, encouraging understanding of number sentences and the key calculation symbols. Additionally, key terminology and properties relating to 2D and 3D shapes are introduced, including sides, edges, faces, vertices, and lines of symmetry. The final topic is money, where pupils learn to recognize and count coins and notes, calculate totals, and work out change.
   

• In Science, during Autumn 1, the topics of the human body and materials are studied along with a mini project based on seasonal changes. In Autumn 2, we study animals’ and humans’ needs for survival, along with follow-up learning on materials. Pupils also explore through practical investigations, making predictions, selecting materials, recording results, and drawing basic conclusions based on these enquiries.
   

• Through the topic of “Toy Story,” Year 1 and 2 undertake historical and geographical learning. In history, pupils learn about changes within living memory, covering aspects such as toys and music. In geography, in the lead-up to Christmas, children spend time mapping Santa’s routes around the world, learning about different continents, oceans, and countries.
   

• In PE this term, pupils receive lessons on team building and target games through the support of Soccer 2000, and fundamental sporting techniques and ball skills from Miss Walker.
   

• In Art, we complete two units: the first is based on paper sculpture and results in the creation of a paper monster; the second is a drawing unit that focuses on charcoal as a medium, using hatching, stippling, and blending techniques to create a teddy bear portrait.
   

• Computing focuses on the basic skills needed to access our technology, such as logging on and using a mouse, before moving on to creating digital text.
   

• In PSHE (Jigsaw) we cover the topic “Being Me in My World,” where pupils consider their thoughts and feelings as they start Year 2, and explore rights, responsibilities, choices, and consequences. We then move on to “Celebrating Differences,” where pupils learn to challenge assumptions based on gender, make friends, stand up for themselves and their friends, and celebrate everyone’s unique character traits. We use Project Evolve to link this learning to online safety, focusing on self-identity, self-image, and managing online information.
   

• DT this term focuses on mechanisms. Pupils create a moving storybook with a slider mechanism and a moving toy monster using levers, linkages, and pivots. DT explores the design, plan, make, and evaluate model.
   

• In Music, Year 2’s learning focuses on a unit called ‘Hands, Feet, Heart’ in the first half term and a unit titled ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ in the second half term. Pupils listen to and appraise the songs, considering their own likes and preferences, and compare them to other similar songs, focusing on the music, instruments, and lyrics. Pupils learn to sing the songs and play instruments, including glockenspiels and untuned percussion instruments.
   

• In RE, Year 1 and 2 study a unit called ‘How can we find out about Christianity today in Wolverhampton?’ and a second half term unit titled ‘Beginning to learn about Sikhs.’
   

• Our Dovecotes oracy curriculum is based on speaking and listening, and we integrate discussion opportunities and talk tactics into all curricular areas, as well as into homework across the academic year. Reading at home is the main tool for learning development at home in Year 2, alongside “thunk” discussions and Independent Learning topic “big questions” delivered via text. Furthermore, all pupils have access to a Times Tables Rock Stars account, which they can use at home to help learn and recall their times tables.