Mrs C Radcliffe

Hello and welcome to the Curlews class page. My name is Mrs Radcliffe and I am the class teacher. This is my eighth year at Starcross Primary School but this is my first year in Year 2. We have lots of amazing things to learn and I am very excited about the year ahead.

We have two 1:1 support assistants in class, who have also been at our school for a few years. We are really happy to have Mrs Stockham and Mrs Jarratt as part of the team.

In Year 2, the children continue to develop their confidence and fluency in reading and writing, and use phonics, based on Read Write Inc. to support them.

We love seeing the progress the children make in all areas over the year, from their achievements in lessons, to their growing confidence and independence.

Maths
We have daily Maths lessons, and we also have a ’10 minute Maths’ session most days, to help with understanding key facts, confidence and fluency. Our main focus for the term will be ‘Place Value,’ ‘Addition and Subtraction’ and ‘Shape.’

History
The topic ‘Movers and Shakers’ exposes children to historically significant people who have had a major impact on the world. They will learn to use timelines, stories and historical sources to find out about the people featured and use historical models to explore their significance. Our first school trip of the year will be in Brixham, where we will explore Sir Frances Drake’s replica ship, the Golden Hind.

Art
We have two projects this term. We will be ‘Exploring Colours’ and developing our previous understanding, from year 1 about colour theory, by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes an exploration of primary and secondary colours, hues and how artists use colour in their artwork. We will also look at ‘Still Life’ and significant artists and their techniques. We will explore a wide variety of ‘still lifes’ and learn about the use of colour and composition. Children will create still life arrangements and artwork.

Design and Technology
‘Remarkable Recipes’ teaches children about sources of food and tools used for food preparation. They also discover why some foods are cooked and learn to read a simple recipe. The children choose and make a new school meal that fulfils specific design criteria.

Science
Having become experts on humans in Year 1, we shall be developing our thinking on ‘Human survival.’ Children will understand the basic needs of humans for survival, including the importance of exercise, nutrition and good hygiene. They learn how human offspring grow and change over time into adulthood. Autumn Term 2, we will be looking at Habitats. Children will explore local habitats to identify and name living things and begin to understand how they depend on one another for food and shelter.

Geography
Later on, in the second part of the term, we will be ‘Exploring the World.’ We will build on earlier work by using atlases, maps and cardinal compass points. We will learn about the characteristics of the four countries of the United Kingdom and find out why there are hot, temperate and cold places around the world. We will also compare England to Somalia. Children carry out fieldwork, collecting primary data in their locality to answer geographical questions.

PE
The focus for this term’s PE sessions is stretching and curling in gymnastics. In Games, we’ll be looking at moving a ball around obstacles and working on our frisbee skills.

Music
We are exploring instruments and about learning beat, rhythm and tempo.

 

RW
Who do Christians say made the World?

 

Here are come photos of Curlews Classroom: