Welcome to the fabulous year 2.

Join us on our wonderful adventure as we navigate our way across the sea of successes, over the waves of wonder, through the forests of fascination and beyond the desert of discovery.

This year 2 trip of a lifetime promises an all-inclusive, supportive and nurturing journey full of enriching, exciting learning experiences where every child thrives and succeeds.

Follow our journey regularly and sail amongst the stars that are the children of year 2!

Spring Term 1

In maths the children have been learning about measurement.  We have been learning how to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes on an analogue clock. We have also been learning about money where we combined coins to make different values, added different combinations of coins and notes, and found change by counting on the difference. We have done really well with this and enjoyed our learning. This week, we began learning about measuring temperature. We used glass thermometers to solve a problem involving measuring temperatures of different containers of water. 
 

In geography we have continued our learning about where food comes from by working in groups to locate countries on a map to find out where our fruit is imported from. We are getting really good at us in an atlas and showed great skills using the index to find particular countries.

This week we had a science visitor come in to teach us about sustainability. We carried out lots of investigations and made predictions which material would be the best for a sustainable bag. We considered which was the most environmentally friendly as well as the most durable and gave reasons for our choices. 
 

⭐️⭐️ Our pupils of the week this week were Beau and Denis. Beau you have been supporting one of the children in the class and demonstrated the kind, compassionate and inspiring girl you are. You are such an amazing girl and you're always so empathetic of others. Denis, you are really kind and helpful to your peers and the staff at Brighton Avenue. You always offer a helping hand and ensure that everyone is included when working in a group. ⭐️⭐️

What an amazing day we had on our trip to Peepy Farm in Stocksfield. We were excited to interact with the new calves who just wanted to lick us or nibble on our coats. They were so cute!  Farmer Mark then took us to the pasture to meet the calves’ mothers. When we got to the top of the field, the cows all came over to look at us. They made us all laugh with their mooing and silly behaviour. Next we went back to the farmyard and learnt how to make butter. We had to use our muscles to shake the jars of milk and cream to churn the butter. We did an amazing job. We had a tour of the farm and saw some of the milking lines that we have been learning about in Geography. 
 

After the farm, we were welcomed into Bywell Manor to eat our lunch. After lunch, we got to sample some Peepy Farm milk and cheese and eat some of the butter we churned earlier. It was delicious! To finish the day, we competed in groups on an egg hunt around the grounds. 
 

We had such a fun day. Thanks to the parents and grandparents for helping us on our trip. 

We have had a lovely first week back after half term. We continued with our art unit and drew some fantastic art inspired by maps. 
 

Today was world book day and we’ve had a great day doing a range of activities book related to in our pjs! We took part in a live lesson presented by the illustrator of The Velveteen Rabbit and drew along with him. Take a look at our wonderful drawings above. 

This week, year 2 have been learning basic skills using Microsoft Word. We learnt how to use shortcuts to change fonts, how to resize text and add text boxes, how to insert images from the web and position these in the document to create a Newspaper Report of the Three Little Pigs. 

In art this week, we have been learning different drawing techniques such as cross hatching, stippling, blending and smudging; and exploring how artists use tone and texture in their art. We brought in our favourite teddy from home and and applied our newly learn skills and techniques in observational drawings using pencil and charcoal. Our drawings were sensational!

⭐⭐ Our two pupils of the week are Ishaan and Akeisha. Ishaan, you have demonstrated such resilience and inner strength over these last couple of weeks. You are such an inspirational and amazing boy. Akeisha, you keep wowing me with your creativity and art and craft skills. When Gem arts visited us, you created some amazing artwork of flowers. You are a very talented artist! ⭐⭐

We've had a very creative, arty week this week! We began the week with a visit from Gems Art where the children had to draw close up parts of different plants or flowers and use a range of paints, pastels and pens so that their artwork was colourful. The children’s work will be on display at the Baltic for the Holi festival on Saturday 14th March. 

On Wednesday, we went to the Shipley Art Gallery where the children viewed the anrtwork on display before learning about where different fabrics come from. They then used different coloured wool to make their own felt. In the afternoon, the children cut material to make their initials then learnt the skill of  doing a running stitch using a needle and thread. It was challenging at first but we all persevered. Thanks to the parent helpers who accompanied us on our trip!
 

This week we have also learnt about road safety and celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week by carrying out a range of activities. 
 

⭐️⭐️ Well done to our two pupils of the week Mezaque and Deniz. Mezaque, you have been trying really hard in maths working with Miss Helm on your addition skills. We are both very proud of you. Deniz, you are such a kind and helpful girl, always offering a helping hand to keep the classroom tidy. Thank you so much for offering to tidy my drawers; they’re much more organised now thanks to you 😀⭐️⭐️

An artist from Gem Arts came in to teach us some drawing techniques. We drew sections of plants and flowers on a large scale and coloured them using watercolours, acrylic paint pens or oil pastels. The artist was so impressed and said we were a very creative class. 

Our art will be on display in the Baltic for part of the Holi Festival taking place on the 14th March. How amazing!

Last week, we took part in Charlie Rodger’s Day to celebrate the life and work of the local artist who would have been 96 this January.  Charlie Rogers (1930-2020) produced more than 100 paintings of Saltwell Park and lived a few minutes walk away in Westbourne Avenue. We looked at his work then created some masterpieces of our own depicting the local area.
 

In maths we have been learning to understand equivalent fractions and find fractions of amounts. We have also been collecting data as tallies and drawing block diagrams. We have answered a range of questions to compare and interpret information from pictograms and block diagrams. 

In English this week we have been learning about the life and works of the poet Marilyn Singer. We read some of her reverso poems and discussed the effect they had in the reader. We researched her life and worked in small groups to create a collaborative class biography of Marilyn Singer. This was the first time we’ve carried out a collaborative writing task but Miss Dodds was so impressed with how well shared ideas for sentences and how we could make them sound more interesting before one of the group wrote them down.  Our class book now sits proudly in the reading area.  
 

In Science, we are learning about plants and will be observing plant growth over the next few weeks. We carried out a cress seed investigation this week and are very excited to see if they have grown when we come back after the weekend. 
 

⭐️ Our two stars of the week are Fikayo and Ada. Fikayo, you have began making a positive contribution to lessons by answering questions and showing enthusiasm and dedication to learning. Ada since starting year 2, you have grown so much in confidence and proving what an amazing student you are. The work you produce every day is incredible and you are able to see that and feel as proud of yourself as I am. ⭐️
 

⭐️ Gateshead Council School’s Wellbeing Winner ⭐️

Well done to Aidan for being chosen by Gateshead Councils School Heath and Well-being team as the Well-being winner for Autumn term. Aidan was nominated by Miss Dodds and chosen as the winner from all the other schools that entered. Aidan is an extremely kind and helpful boy. During kindness week, the year 2 children carried out acts of kindness for the school staff. After school, Aidan kept the momentum going when he spotted Kerry from nursery in Tesco. He explained that it had been kindness week and asked if he could help load her shopping onto the conveyor belt. What a wonderful thing to do! His empathy and kindness towards others at the young age of 6 is commendable. 
 

Aidan received a certificate and gift voucher from Gateshead council and was over the moon to receive the surprise during Friday’s celebration assembly. Everyone is so proud of him. Well done Aidan. 

Welcome back! We hope you all had a fantastic winter break and New Year. We have had a busy first week back and some exciting news! Some of our children entered a Young Writers' competition before Christmas and they received their certificates and an opportunity for their work to be published in a book. Well done to all our amazing children who entered the competition ... we are so proud of you! 

Our two stars of the week are Ada and Oladoyin.  Ada you have grown so much in confidence this academic year and we are proud to see how much progress you are making. Oladoyin you have really impressed me with your dance skills and ideas in PE... a superstar in the making!. 

Autumn Term 2

Last week we had so much fun decorating our classroom with Christmas decorations. We danced and sang while we decorated and made our own Christmas crafts. 

This week in Design Technology, we got messy and creative making a chair for baby bear. We worked well in teams to make sure our chair was sturdy and strong so baby bear wouldn't fall off.  

In Geography, we have been using atlases to plot a journey on a large, blank map from Antarctica, to Africa then on to America. We are getting really good with our map and atlas skills and knowledge of the world continents and oceans. 

In music, we have been learning to read music and play Christmas songs on the glockenspiel. We are getting really good at memorising the notes. Watch the video below to see how good we are. 

Our pupils of the week were Harper and Mezaque. Mezague, you try hard in all that you do, even when the work gets challenging. Harper, you have had a very positive start to each day since joining breakfast club- it's lovely to see your positivity and cheerfulness each morning. 

Maths: Last week we grew in confidence with our multiplication and division skills and proved that we are great with our 5, 10 and 2 times table and division facts. This week in maths, we have been learning about 2D shapes and their properties. We sorted shapes based on their properties, identified vertical lines of symmetry in shapes and drew shapes using grid paper. 

PE: In PE, we have been continuing to master our ball skills and coordination. We have practiced moving whilst dribbling the ball with our hands and passing using a chest pass. We applied our skills in a mini game of basketball, which we loved. It was so much fun!

Last week was anti-bullying and kindness week. We discussed what we could do if we saw bullying taking place or if we were being bullied; such as, ignoring the bully, talking to an adult or taking the person being bullied off to play. We created a collaborative poster about friendship and anti-bullying. For kindness day, we  ‘compliment cards’ for the staff at Brighton Avenue Primary. They loved them! Our pupil of the week Aidan even continued acts of kindness outside of school. On the weekend he saw one of our teachers in Tesco and told her “It’s kindness week” and asked if he could help her with her shopping. He then loaded all of her food onto the conveyor belt for her. How Sweet!

This Friday has been Design Technology STEAM day. We learnt how axles help wheels move a vehicle and then designed and labelled a working Ferris wheel. We worked in small groups to make the Ferris wheel with s stable structure using a range of materials. of course, we wanted to make it into a competition so stay tuned for the winners... 

Well done to Aidan and Charlie-May our two pupils of the week. Aidan was chosen for his acts of kindness as mentioned earlier. Charlie-May, you always make positive choices in class. You are hard working, kind and a true superstar!

This week in PE, we have been learning to dribble a ball using our hands. 
 

In maths, we have been learning to represent multiplications using arrays and solving multiplication problems. We are getting really good at counting in 5s and are beginning to recall 2, 5 and 10 times tables facts fluently. 

In English, we are learning about the features of fairy tales. We have been expanding our vocabulary by using a range of adjectives to describe the characters in Little Red Riding Hood.  
 

In Geography, we will be focusing on the polar regions. This week we developed our Atlas skills by locating the 7 continents of the world and the oceans and labelling them on a blank map. 
 

in Science, we are learning about materials and their properties. We had great fun competing to find a range of materials and their properties”feeding them” to the material monster munchers. 
 

Miss Dodds and Miss Helm are very proud of how much we are progressing in year 2 and the effort we are all making! 🤩 

⭐️⭐️ Well done to Timmy and Flourish, our pupils of the week.  Timmy, you really impressed Miss Dodds with your enthusiasm in Geography and your skill in locating the continents in an atlas. You are doing amazing in year 2. Keep up the good work!  Flourish, you are such a helpful and kind girl and offer support to everyone. You help wash the dishes in breakfast club, help around the classroom and support your peers with their work. You are an asset to the school. ⭐️⭐️ 

Autumn Term 1

In English, Year 2 have been looking at the features of instructional texts based on the book 'Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao' by Kat Zhang. We helped Amy to put her recipe back together after it'd been accidently cut up. We also text marked instructions to identify the different organisational and language features. 

In maths last week we learnt how to find fractions of shapes and amounts. We had lots of fun doing a range of practical and written activities. This week, we are developing our addition skills by adding ones and multiples of ten to 2-digit numbers. 

We had a fun trip to Gateshead Library on Thursday. A lady from Gateshead Council showed us a story about flooding. She asked us some questions about flooding and  couldn't believe we were only in year 2 with the amazing and insightful answers we gave. Miss Dodds was so proud. Thanks to Beau's mum, Tommy's mum and James's dad for coming with us!

⭐⭐Our  pupils of the week are Abdullah and Angela. Angela, you are a joy to have in class and show great resilience when working on challenging tasks. You always complete your work with a smile and are making amazing progress. Abdullah, you have shown determination to do your best in your maths and written work. Keep it up, you're doing fantastic. ⭐⭐ 

In history, we have been comparing the Quayside from the past to the present and learning about The Great Fire of Gateshead, which occurred on October 6, 1854. The children spotted buildings from photos they had been looking at in the classroom and named the different bridges.  In the afternoon, we went right to the top of the Baltic Centre and made observational drawings of the bridges over the Tyne. We are amazing artists and paid attention to detail in our sketches. After that, we used problem solving skills to construct a bridge out of card. This was tricky but we showed excellent resilience and didn't give up. We really enjoyed our trip to the Quayside and even got a few compliments from members of the public about our excellent behaviour. 

In maths this week, we have been exploring number sequences and counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.  In science, we went outside to observe micro-habitats and hunt for woodlice. It was very exciting! We gently placed a woodlouse in a bug pot to take into the classroom for an experiment to decide which conditions a woodlouse prefers. We set up a choice chamber with different sections- dark/damp, dark/dry, light/damp and light/dry. We made predictions where the woodlice would prefer then observed and recorded their movements over time. We said goodbye to our new friends the woodlice and returned them carefully to their habitats. 
 

This Friday was European Day of Languages. We listened to a story in French and learnt a French song (see video below). We took part in a variety of activities that involved using an atlas, such as labelling all of the European countries on a map and finding flags on different pages to help with a colouring activity. It was lots of fun. 
 

⭐️Well done to Poppy and Ahmad, our two pupils of the week. Poppy, you have made a very positive start to year 2. You show excellent listening and a great work ethic. The way you help your friends with their work is admirable. Ahmad, you are a pleasure to teach. Your enthusiasm for learning is evident in lessons and you’re always pushing yourself to achieve. Well done ⭐️

This week, in PE, the children had fun developing their gymnastic skills and moving in different ways. Then they worked on ball skills and footwork by learning how to dribble a ball. 
 

In English, we have been looking at the text ‘Look Up!’ by Nathan Byron where we used our inference skills to decide if a statement was true or not and give reasons; developing our speaking and listening skills. We have been learning about expanded noun phrases to make our writing more interesting and writing our own to describe the main character. 
 

In maths, we have been exploring different ways of partitioning two-digit numbers using different apparatus. 

We have also been learning about basic first aid skills and what we should have in a first aid box. We discussed what we would do if we needed first aid and how we could help each other.

In R.E, we learnt that a parable is a comparison of two things, often done through a story that has two meanings.  We listened to and discussed the Christian story ‘The Prodigal Son’ then enjoyed acting it out using puppets. 
 

In history, we began learning about the Great Fire of Gateshead where we compared the quayside in the past to the present. We were very enthusiastic and asked lots of insightful questions.

 ⭐️⭐️Well done to Sofia and Bertram, our two pupils of the week. Sofia  listens well in lessons and ensures she gets on sensibly with her work. She has produced work that is well presented and detailed. Bertram has been an excellent role model in the class showing great enthusiasm for learning and an amazing work ethic. What a fantastic start to the year Sofia and Bertram. Keep up the excellent work. ⭐️⭐️

It has been a wonderful first week back and getting to know your amazing children. They have settled in well and I know we are going to have a brilliant year. 
 

The children have been doing art this week where they learnt about the artist Romare Bearden and his life.  The children created textures using paint and a range of tools and went for a texture hunt in the forest school area. Inspired by the work of Romare Bearden, the children created their own collages which turned out fantastic. 
 

Year 2 have been voting for their school councillors. Those who were interested in the role completed manifestos which were shared with the class. Well done to Tommy and Akeisha who were chosen to be a part of the school councillors team to represent our class.  Another well done to Ada and Bertram who are our new reading champions this year.