14 May 2020: Home learning
Firstly, we apologise for the difficulties some of you had accessing the reading recording. We have now posted a separate page with all the chapters on.
How many times have you read the fluency text this week? We always read it daily in school.
How many times have you practised your times tables this week?
Information for parents
Remember to try to keep reading for at least twenty minutes per day. If you have run out of your own books to read there is a fab online library of eBooks to read on https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/ Just register on the website, log in and choose what you want to read.
Also, here is new content on BBC Bitesize, with three lessons each day: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize and Oak National Academy (ONA), also with three lessons each day: https://www.thenational.academy/ There’s also White Rose: https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/
Listen to chapter 4 of this week’s story. Just sit back and enjoy!
Task 1
We are going to start our day with some Living and Learning. Here is the statement for this week.
I recognise the importance of money.
This Living and Learning statement helps to introduce the importance of money. First of all, have a go at answering the questions below.
Where does our money come from?
How does money make us feel?
What can we use our money for?
How does our money help people?
How can we look after our money?
Today, we are going to focus on how money makes us feel.
LO: I know that money may make me feel happy or sad.
LO: I can describe the way money makes me feel.
Begin the activity by reading the story of Tom’s coins.
- Discuss what happened to Tom.
- What was the result of Tom losing his money?
- How might Tom have avoided losing his pocket money?
- What would you advise Tom to do next time?
Now, read the story of Annie’s purse.
Talk about what happened to Annie.
Choose an activity to complete. You can do more than one.
- Can you write an ending to Annie’s story?
- Imagine you found Annie’s purse at the swimming pool. Write about what you would do.
- Have you ever lost some money? Have you ever found some money? What did you do?
- Write a list of five things to remember about keeping our money safe.
What is thankfulness?
Thankfulness is an attitude of heart, acknowledging and enjoying all the good things that we have been given.
It is important to say ‘thank you’ when someone is kind or generous to us.
How many times have you said thankyou today?
Task 2
Spelling
Here is a spelling quiz for you.
Task 3
Music
Click on this link and learn how to make music without instruments.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zb9djhv
Have fun!
13 May 2020: Home learning
Hi everyone
First of all, here are the answers to yesterday’s maths.
Mrs Maqbool has been writing a journal during her time at home. She has recorded a beautiful poem and hopes you all enjoy it.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HFuQyEs92KmxFrdsnPaDcKnCBXRQQzu_
Lots to do today! Shall we crack on? 
Yes, I hear you all shout!
Task 1
Maths
LO: To describe turns.
Let’s dance!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/supermovers/42626760
We are going to continue with using positional and directional language. This fits in well with our geography learning. I have explained your learning on the slides below.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mlq3cpeNzx_bCMSM8QDgkokYkMOHlKWI
Using your maths learning, complete this pirate activity.
Task 2
Reading
Listen to chapter 3 of How to NOT go to school.
Chapter 3
What about friends?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WoaTCb3NzpHBy4js8X_fcF256uBJCdFE
LO: I can look for clues in a text.
Here are 3 imaginary friends mentioned in this chapter. Each friend has 2 questions to answer.
Evil Eggbert
He’s about the size of an egg and he sits on my shoulder telling me to do shockingly evil things. Once, he told me to trap my little brother under a laundry basket with three heavy dictionaries on top to stop him escaping. Don’t worry… I almost never do what Eggbert tells me to.
- True or false? Evil Eggbert is a kind, caring friend?
- Explain what type of friend you think he is.
Parsley the Imaginary Guinea-Pig
I invented her before I had any real guinea-pigs. And then it wouldn’t have been fair to get rid of her just because I got real ones. Anyway, the real guinea-pigs don’t mind that she’s imaginary. Also, I named her after myself because I was really young then and didn’t have a very good imagination.
- What is the name of the imaginary guinea-pig?
- Explain why this name was chosen.
PomPom the Ninja
He’s an imaginary ninja who looks after the imaginary unicorns at the end of my garden. Sometimes the other ninjas make fun of him for liking unicorns so much, but he doesn’t mind because unicorns are AWESOME. (They eat fairy dust and poop RAINBOWS)
- What job does PomPom the Ninja do?
- Does he work inside or outside? Explain how you know.
Finally, choose your favourite imaginary friend. Draw a picture of them and label it.
Task 3
Science
This lesson was posted on Friday. If you have completed it then have a go at some tree art. Be as creative as you like. You could choose do create a full tree or part of one. Here are some ideas.
LO: What is a deciduous and an evergreen tree?
Look through this powerpoint presentation and discuss. https://drive.google.com/open?id=159jboa4ekNsIzEU5meobFZVhchJosY6r
Questions
What does evergreen mean?
What does deciduous mean?
Can you name 3 evergreen trees?
The Acer tree in Mrs Freeman’s photo is a deciduous tree. Describe what will happen to the leaves on my tree.
These photos are of 2 different types of tree in my garden. Can you describe the leaves of each tree? Think about how they might feel. What is the same and what is different?
Now, take a close look at this picture.
The four seasons of the deciduous Oak tree.
The tree is pictured in winter, summer, spring and autumn. Can you work out which part of the tree is in which season?
What season are we in now?
Can you draw your own tree showing all 4 seasons? Splitting it into sections and using colour will help.
When you are out and about, look around at the different types of trees. Take a notebook and record what you see.
Here’s a fun song for you to enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJqy967xs1c
Well done Year 2! 
12 May 2020: Home learning
Good Morning
I hope you all managed to complete some home learning yesterday. Mrs Taylor and Mrs Freeman are always happy to help. Please email if there are any queries about the home learning.
Keep sending your work too! We love seeing what you have been up to.
jackiefreeman@spherefederation.org
carolinetaylor@spherefederation.org
There are 2 more spellings to add to this week’s list.
- are
- our
To help you to learn the homophones, have a go at this activity.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqhpk2p
Let’s start the day with some Cosmic Kids Yoga.
Today’s tasks
Task 1
Reading
Listen to Mrs Taylor reading chapter 2 of How to NOT go to school.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mbuUk-9gWNEteqsfR99hPqFdWR0ZzM
Then, answer the questions.
Task 2
Geography
Home learning focus
Learn about France – its characteristics and landmarks, including an introduction to the wider continent of Europe.
Have a go on the activities here.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/using-a-compass-and-reading-maps/z77tf4j
Can you write down five facts about the Eiffel Tower? 
Let’s get creative!
Have a go at creating your very own Eiffel Tower. You can chose how to do it. Here are some ideas and there is a step by step tutorial below. We have used these in class before.
Task 3
Maths
Do some counting in multiples of 2, 5 and 10. Watch the following video to warm your brains up:
LO: I can use positional language
BBC Position and Direction
Here, there are 10 short clips to help you understand position and direction in relation to the real world!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007zmy7/clips
Please complete the learning attached.
11 May 2020: Home learning
Hello everyone
I hope you have all enjoyed the weekend. Did you celebrate VE Day?
We had a street party. Everyone stayed outside their own houses and we played bingo and took park in a quiz – great fun!
Here is your fluency text for this week.
All about Africa
Africa is a continent which is bigger than the United States of America, Canada and India put together. Africa is home to 54 countries and more
than one billion people. In Northern Africa, you can trek through the Sahara desert; it is the largest and driest hot desert in the world. You can
also visit the world’s longest river, The Nile.
Millions of people visit Africa on holiday to see its famous pyramids and go on animal safaris. In Africa, you will find some of the largest mammals on the planet. Among them are the elephant, the giraffe and the world’s fastest land mammal, the cheetah.
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Today, you have spelling, reading and maths tasks to complete.
Task 1
Spellings
This week, all the words are homophones or near homophones. A homophone is a word which sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. They are often, but not always, spelled differently.
We are going to start with three words. There will a few more tomorrow.
there
their
they’re
Copy and complete the sentences below. This is a great chance to practise your handwriting too.
Challenge
Create your own pictures (and sentences) to help you remember how to spell these three words. Here are a few ideas.
Task 2
This week, the reading tasks will be based on a new story. We will read a chapter a day and you need to complete the task.
Here is the front cover.
Complete this task by using the front cover only.
LO: I can answer questions.
- How many animals are there in the picture?
- Why is NOT written in capital letters?
- This book has been written by a teacher. Why do you think he has chosen to write it now? Explain your answer.
Now, listen to Mrs Taylor reading the first chapter.
Mike Forde has published the book titled How to NOT go to school, which navigates issues that children might be experiencing like missing friends and feeling cooped up during the coronavirus pandemic. The story follows a character of Parsley Mimblewood who never goes to school. Instead, animal lover Parsley spends her time taking care of three goats, three guinea pigs, two dogs, a cat and a stick insect, whilst solving mysteries with Detective Dracula.
Reahttps://drive.google.com/open?id=1mUESf7TBkpIgU_XN6qsPx4TD4P4jQUxNding
Task 3
Maths
LO: Adding and subtracting two-digit numbers and tens
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbypscw
Challenge
Complete the calculations.
30 + 40 + _ = 100
40 + _ + 20 = 100
36 + 44 +_ = 100
36 + 54 + _ = 100
47 + _ + 20 = 100
47 +_ + 30 = 100
Do you notice any patterns?
08 May 2020: Home learning
Morning, everyone! Today, as you may know, was supposed to be a bank holiday. For consistency for those parents that need it, we’re still going to set some optional tasks.
Before we get going, I thought you might like to see what the Year 2 staff have been up to.
First of all, Mrs Bharath has been busy learning to play the piano on a keyboard and planting some rose bushes.
She has also read a lovely book called The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It is a story of friendship, relationships and life lessons for people of all ages. These unlikely characters discuss life, forgiveness, and the journey we all take on this earth. The characters have hopes and dreams, fears and desires, questions and advice for one another are a quickly becoming four of the most memorable characters in literature. Readers will be able to connect with the boy, the fox, the mole and the horse in many different ways and on different levels. Don’t miss this one, it will make you glow inside.
Mrs Freeman, as you already know, continues to be busy in the garden. I had this Acer tree delivered and I’ve planted it into a huge pot. I wonder if the leaves will stay on the tree all year round? Thank you for all your suggestions about the chimney pots. I have added some lavender to one and some pansies to the other.
A message from Mrs Taylor
Hello Year 2
Hope you and your families are safe and well. We are missing seeing you all in person but thank you for all your messages and photos that you’ve been sending us. They really make our day and it’s great to keep in touch.
Here’s a photo of Abigail’s bedroom window.
We’ve been adding a different figure every day – who can you spot? It’s great to see families stop and look as they pass. Can you also spot what event we will be celebrating?
Until we see you again, keep learning, be active and look after each other.
Right, let’s get on with today’s tasks.
Today, is different to other days and you can choose which tasks you would like to do. Some of us are having VE Day celebrations in our gardens so you can also carry on with some of yesterday’s activities.
- Please ask someone to test you on your spellings, including the 2 extra words.
- Test yourself on the times tables we have been learning. Can you beat the clock? https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
- Science: LO: What is a deciduous and an evergreen tree?
Look through this powerpoint presentation and discuss. https://drive.google.com/open?id=159jboa4ekNsIzEU5meobFZVhchJosY6r
Questions
- What does evergreen mean?
- What does deciduous mean?
- Can you name 3 evergreen trees?
- The Acer tree in Mrs Freeman’s photo is a deciduous tree. Describe what will happen to my tree.
- These photos are of 3 different types of tree in my garden. Can you describe the leaves of each tree? Think about how they might feel. What is the same and what is different?
Now, take a close look at this picture.
The four seasons of the deciduous Oak tree. The tree is pictured in winter, summer,spring and autumn. Can you work out which part of the tree is in which season?
What season are we in now?
Can you draw your own tree showing all 4 seasons? Splitting it into sections and using colour will help.
When you are out and about, look around at the different types of trees. Take a notebook and record what you see.
Well done Year 2!
Another week of home learning completed.
Enjoy the weekend!
07 May 2020: Home learning
Welcome to Thursday’s learning.
Here is today’s short story.
Tomorrow I’ll be Brave
It is read by someone else this time.
I hope you like it.
First of all, please rehearse your spellings. Can you create a rainbow with each word? There will be a test on Friday.
Task 1
Maths
LO: Related Facts
Complete lesson 3.
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
Here are some challenging puzzles.
Task 2
Reading
LO: I can use clues to help me answer questions.
Look at the picture below. Then, answer the questions.
- How many people are in the picture?
- Do you think they are important people? Explain your answer using clues in the picture.
- Why is there no colour in the photo?
- How do you think these people are feeling? Explain your answer.
Task 3
VE DAY
Please read through this with your child. There are some activities to do at the end.
On Friday, lots of people will be celebrating VE Day. 
VE Day: What is it, when is it and why do we remember?
VE Day – or ‘Victory in Europe Day’ – marks the day towards the end of World War Two (WW2) when fighting came to an end.
How was VE Day celebrated?
Tuesday 8 May, 1945, was an emotional day that millions of people had been waiting for. Many people were extremely happy that the fighting had stopped and there were big celebrations and street parties.
Princess Elizabeth and her sister were allowed to leave the palace and celebrate with crowds outside, although they had to do it secretly.
The future Queen described it as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”. Many people also attended church services to thank God for the victory.
06 May 2020: Home learning
Hello Year 2
How is your week going?
Here is your short story for today. This story is read by Mrs Burgess.
The Invisible String 
https://bit.ly/TheInvisibleStringMoortown
Here are your learning tasks for today.
Task 1
Reading
Have you ever read any of the Funnybones books?
They are great! We are going to have some fun with these interesting characters!
They live in a dark dark cellar of a dark dark house on a dark dark hill. The skeletons venture out of their cellar one night to find someone to scare, but everyone is in bed so they amuse themselves by scaring each other and playing with the skeleton animals that live in the zoo.
Listen to these extracts from the story.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfmtpg8
There are 3 activities on the page. You need to complete 2 of them.
Activity 1: Match characters to what they said
Activity 2: Explain your opinion
Activity 3: Creating new ways to scare skeletons
Task 2
Art
This is a fun activity linked to the Funnybones story.
Can you make one of the skeleton characters?
How creative can you be?
Why not listen to these songs while you work.
There are lots of different materials you could use.
- paint
- paper
- pasta
- cotton buds
- buttons
- straws
- paper plates
Or you can print out this template and put the skeleton together.
PLEASE send me your finished skeletons. I’d love to see them!
Task 3
Maths
LO: To compare number sentences.
Please have a go at lesson 2.
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
Challenge
Can you solve the Minecraft calculations?
themed_wordprobs_minecraft (1)
Extra challenge
Make your own problem solving game.
05 May 2020: Home learning
Hello everyone
We hope you are enjoying the videos from your teachers. We have been told, by lots of families, that seeing your teachers helps with your home learning.
Try to keep reading for at least twenty minutes per day. If you have run out of your own books to read there is a super online library of eBooks to read. on https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/
Just register on the website, log in and choose what you want to read.
Tuesday’s short story
Read by Mrs Freeman
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ljMEhelfcZ1pAua_jwc37yyY6HxJo5Ma
Here are your tasks for today.
Task 1
Geography – Explorers
LO: To name and locate the major seas surrounding the United Kingdom.
Over the next few weeks, as explorers, we will be doing all sorts of things to do with oceans and seas, from boats to treasure maps, from coral reefs to sea monsters! We’ll get in the mood today by imagining ourselves taking a journey around our country in a seaplane – a flying boat!
Is it a boat that can also fly – or an aeroplane that can also sail on water?
Seaplane Scene
Close your eyes and imagine boarding the seaplane. I will read to you.
As the journey progresses, explain what you can hear and see as well as how you feel.
Carefully, walk up the steps to the seaplane. Strap on your seatbelts. Listen carefully to the safety announcement. Are you feeling excited? A bit scared? Nervous? Very happy? Listen to the motor of the seaplane. Is it very loud? Thunderous? Grumbly? The seaplane is rocking on the waves. Can you feel the movement? The seaplane is moving quickly, getting ready to take off. It’s going faster and faster… up and up… until you are high above the water, looking through your window at the sea below. The waves seem small. The distant land and all the buildings are tiny. The clouds are close. Now we are flying through the white fog, up and away over the sea, flying swiftly. What do you feel? Our journey takes us over the sea until we decide to fly down, down, down… to land safely back on the sea.
Open Google Earth. https://www.google.com/earth/
Navigate to the UK, hovering well above it so that the children can see the British Isles entirely surrounded by sea.
Can you see UK here? Which part of our image shows water? Which is land? Stress that the UK is really a set of islands, surrounded by sea.
Although all the seas join up into one great body of water, each sea has its own distinct name, a bit like places on land. Look at the names of seas around the country (you may wish to use the simple Labelled UK Outline Map – the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Bristol Channel, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic.
Look at this map.
Answer the following questions.
Has anyone seen any of these seas or travelled across them?
Locate Leeds on the map. Which sea is closest to us?
Which is the next closest?
Which is furthest away?
The UK is one country, but it is made up of 4 individual nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Using the map attached, label the different seas that surround the UK.
Challenge
Why is Northern Ireland a bit different?
Task 2
Now for some music!
LO: I can spot energetic rhythms and repeated words or phrases in a song.
Which sea is mentioned in the song?
Perhaps you can make up your own dance with some actions? Have fun!
Task 3
Reading
LO: I understand what I have read.
Answer the following questions about the sea plane text.
True or false? The sea plane moved very slowly.
Are these instructions in the correct order? Strap on your seatbelts. Listen carefully to the safety announcement. Carefully, walk up the steps to the seaplane. If not, write them out correctly.
Why did the author describe the land as distant and the buildings as tiny?
Where did the sea plane land?
Remember to take regular breaks and stay safe!
04 May 2020: Home learning
Happy Monday Year 2!
We hope that you have all enjoyed your weekend.
Mrs Freeman and Mrs Taylor are alternating (weekly) setting the home learning. Please contact either of us through the week. However, it is likely to be whoever has set the work that will respond. Thank you
Here are some messages from Mrs Freeman. Hope they work! 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MDTQ2ijowEhiBDsZzdUBWV5RB7cVjL8E
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MLe4DnJzla2h_3dCf9PytLmG5i2qTjU-
It is remarkable how well the children have adjusted to the current situation. It has been great to see so much learning going on at home.
Please stay in touch. jackiefreeman@spherefederation.org carolinetaylor@spherefederation.org
First of all here are the answers to the Venus Fly Trap activity.
Today’s tasks are spellings, reading and maths.
Task 1
Spelling
Here are your spellings for the week.
All the words are homophones or near homophones. A homophone is a word which sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. They are often, but not always, spelt differently.
Please copy the words into your home learning book using a staircase.
here hear
quite quiet
one won
hole whole
blue blew
night knight
break brake
our hour
I am giving you two extra words to spell this week. These are words that are misspelt a lot in class.
- because
- with
Task 2
Reading fluency In class, we often have mindfulness sessions. These activities can boost the quality of our lives in many ways. In today’s rush, we all think too much—seek too much—want too much—and forget about the joy of just being.
During these unsettled times, we all have more time to just sit and think.
Why Do We Need Mindfulness?
Being mindful helps you:
- pay attention better
- be less distractible
- learn more
- stay calm under stress
- avoid getting too upset about things
- slow down instead of rush
- listen better to others
- be more patient
- get along better
- feel happier and enjoy things more
Read the poem below. Make a note of any new words or phrases.
Breathe and Be
I breathe slowly in,
I breathe slowly out. My breath
is a river of peace.
I am here in the world.
Each moment I can breathe and be.
I watch the stream.
Each thought is a floating leaf.
One leaf is worry,
another leaf is sadness.
The leaves drift softly away.
I breathe slowly in,
I breathe slowly out. My breath
is a pathway of peace
moving softly through me.
Each day I can breathe and be.
Please read this poem every day. Try sitting or lying down in different positions or places.
I would like you to send some pictures, or films, of yourselves reading your fluency text out loud. Towards the end of the week, I will put them together for a class news post.
Get reading!
Mrs Freeman
Optional activity
Safari
The Safari exercise is a great way to help kids learn mindfulness. This activity turns an average, everyday walk into an exciting new adventure.
Tell your children that you will be going on a safari: their goal is to notice as many birds, bugs, creepy-crawlies, and any other animals as they can. Anything that walks, crawls, swims, or flies is of interest, and they’ll need to focus all of their senses to find them, especially the little ones.
Adults can do this too! A similar exercise for adults is the mindfulness walk. This exercise provokes the same response in children that a mindful walk elicits in adults: a state of awareness and grounding in the present.
Task 3
Maths
Starter
Write these numbers as words. 99 37 12 54 8 76
LO: Fact families addition and subtraction bonds to 20
Complete this lesson.
https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-2/
Challenges
01 May: Home learning
It’s Friday, the first day of May and the last learning day of the week.
Today, why not combine your physical activity with your mindfulness activity by doing one of the Cosmic Yoga sessions.
Here are your new learning tasks for today.
Task 1 reading
Firstly, here are the answers to the Captain Tom questions from yesterday.
Today’s learning
We’ll start today’s learning with the spelling test. Here’s a reminder of this week’s words. What was the spelling rule? Yes – drop the y for an i. This week, I have recorded the test so get your pencil and paper ready. Click here when you are ready. Remember your neatest handwriting. You could warm up by drawing lazy eight shapes around your eyes, on your hand or on your adult’s back.
For our reading task today, it’s back to the Venus flytrap fluency text to check your understanding.
1.Reread the fluency text – hopefully this time you will be a bit more fluent. Remember to pause at the punctuation like in my reading.
2. Complete the activity here.
Task 2 maths
It’s times table test day and it would be good to start to include some division questions in the test if your child is ready for that. Start the division questions based on the ten times table first of all such as 100 shared by 10, 20 divided by 10.
Today’s learning
The lesson today is all about measuring longer lengths and heights using metres. This follows on from yesterday’s learning (White Rose home learning – Summer Term Week 1 lesson 3) so if you didn’t complete it yesterday, do that lesson first.
1.Start your maths learning by joining in with this length and height Super Movers song.
2. Complete the White Rose lesson and activity sheet – Summer Term Week 1 lesson 4 and check your answers.
Challenge: At the moment, if you do have to go out, the current social distancing recommendation is two metres. Can you measure this out? If you can, what does it compare to in your house? This video gives some suggestions.
Task 3: RE – Ramadan
Our final task of the week is an RE task. Some of our friends in school are one week into the month of Ramadan but what is Ramadan?
1. Look at the information and watch the videos on this Newsround page.
2.What did you learn about Ramadan?
3.What surprised you about Ramadan?
4.Why is Ramadan different this year?
5. Finally, think of a question you would like to ask someone taking part in Ramadan.
If you are taking part in Ramadan at home at the moment, we would love to hear what this involves for you and your family.
Optional extra activity
Finally, we know we’ve got some budding artists in the class so why not try a draw along session led by children’s illustrator, Rob Biddulph.
Have a great weekend – stay safe and stay connected! We’ll be back on Monday.
