Birch Class 2024 - 2025

WELCOME TO BIRCH

Mrs Savage is the class teacher

Mrs Feast is our teaching assistant, with Mrs Metcalf on a Friday

Miss Daniels teaches on a Wednesday and Mrs Turner on a Monday afternoon

Mr Parrish teaches PE on a Thursday morning

Follow us on Twitter @WhitegateBirch

In Birch class, the children begin to develop their independence as they grow academically, socially and personally. The children grow in wisdom by building on their previous knowledge through our exciting topics and areas of learning. There will be many opportunities for them to shine through assemblies, worships, practical learning opportunities, trips and experiences over the course of the year. Our current topic is...

English and Maths

In English lessons we are focusing on writing longer peices which include all the key elements of writing for year 2. The main focus will be recapping known writing skills such as use of conjunctions, range of vocabulary and time words to structure and organise their writing. This will extend to looking at how our writing can have an effect on the reader and a key focus on audience and purpose. We will be recapping writing postcards, recounts and poetry and extending our narrative writing with descriptive writing and story writing. We will be continuing to developing our editing skills through proofreading, revising and peer editing.    

Maths will focus on fractions and shape then moving onto measures including length, mass, capacity and statistics. We will also be focusing on time through daily telling of the time, discrete lessons and homework tasks. 

Reading continues plays a fundamental part in all areas of the curriculum. We have our reading display already jam packed with the many, high quality texts we have already read. We will be reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books including poetry, within our English, guided reading and topic sessions, as well as our end of the day class read. We have a spotlight author who has been chosen for their high-quality texts. We will have to opportunity to listen to, read and learn more about these fantastic authors.

Anne Fine is our spotlight author at the moment. Anne Fine’s books introduce the children to longer texts but which still have content and language appropriate for their level of reading. Having this literacy-rich environment will encourage a positive culture of reading within our class and promote the children's enjoyment of reading. 

Our theme of ‘Beside the Seaside’ will see us find out about the coastline of Britain and identify the seas that surround the UK, in Geography. We will be identifying similarities and differences between different UK beaches and use appropriate geographical vocabulary to describe their features. Linked to our residential visit, we will be identifying human and physical features in Llandudno and comparing and contrasting Llandudno with our local area and other coastal regions using maps, aerial image and photographs.

In History we will be comparing and contrasting holiday pictures of Llandudno in the Victorian times with now. This will lead us on to discussing causes for the changes e.g. development of transport, describing how clothing and entertainment has changed over the years at seaside resorts and how we know. We will also be looking at timelines or boats and trains based on our residential visits.

In art, we will be continuing with the theme of paint, using it in an abstract and explorative way including scaffito and impasto painting techniques. With a focus on our residential visit to the RNLI, our art project will link to this and our one unselfish act this term. Watch this space parent's as we may need your help! In music, we will be learning about folk music, extending this with our music and movement unit where the children will be dancing around the maypole and continuing to develop our composition skills. 

Our Religious Education focus will be on exploring Ascension and Pentecost, following on from the children's learning about Easter. We will also look at the Church and explore why people gather in the church and why it is a special place for Christians. This unit will also allow us to explore other faiths and their places of worship. In PSHE we will continue to look at the topics of relationships and focus on wellbeing and the differences between boys and girls, male and female. Our No Outsiders text explores respect and communication. 

Computing will continue to look at internet safety. Finally we will be publishing some of our writing using simple programmes on the laptops; developing the children's typing skills and use of Microsoft programmes.

Homework

Homework will be set each Friday and will be due in the following Thursday. Please ensure the children's homework books are returned on a Thursday so they can be marked and the children's new homework added. Homework will consist of a personalised spelling list in their red books and a link to their maths tasks on Education City. Please also encourage your child to access the Numbots programme, which really helps to support their basic skills in addition and subtraction.   

Please ensure your child reads at home at least 4 times per week.  In Birch, we expect the children to be reading aloud to someone at home and for this to be recorded in their Home – School contact books.  

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. 

Mrs Savage 

Below is an example timetable. Please note this is subject to change. Please note during Summer 1and 2, PE continues to be on Tuesday and Thursday.