Clifton College - Butcombe

Year 2

Staff
Head of Year 2:	Mr Jay Giebus
Teachers:
	Mrs Helen Spratling
	Mrs Lucy Bird

In Year 2 our topics in the Michaelmas Term are People Who Help Us and Changes. The People Who Help Us topic involves reading, writing and art work on the police, the fire service, paramedics and other rescues services. This year we had two visitors, PC Shaw and Fire Safety Officer Simon Hill, who spoke to us about the police and fire services in Bristol respectively. Our other topic, Changes, is mainly science-based. It examines materials and the effects which pushes, pulls and temperature can have on different items. We also look at the changing seasons around us. This year we are planning a trip to Westonbirt Arboretum where the children will explore the colours of autumn and learn the reasons behind these changes.

In the Lent Term our topics are My World and Knights and Castles. The My World topic has a strong geography focus. It looks at the different countries of the world and children’s experiences in them, the cultures and lifestyles which children and families experience, and then compares them to our own lives here in Bristol. Our very popular Knights and Castles topic focuses on the history, lives and legends of medieval England. Swords are waved and trumpets sound as we visit Chepstow Castle. Later on in the term Year 2 takes part in a medieval workshop hosted in the school hall.

During the Lent term Year 2 also joins Year 3 onstage in the Redgrave Theatre to take part in Butcombe’s school play. It is an exciting opportunity for our children to experience dressing up in costumes, taking part in a dance and being part of a chorus. The spotlights, make-up and applause on a proper stage also serve as a drama apprenticeship for children in Year 2. The following year, when our children are in Year 3, they will then be expected to take the lead roles and make the school play their own.

In the Summer Term our topics are The Rainforest and The Sea. Children love The Rainforest. Classrooms are transformed into jungles as (paper or cardboard) parrots, monkeys and snakes swing from the ceilings. As part of our topic we also walk down the road to Bristol Zoo where, with the help of the staff there, we get to look closely at rainforest creatures, including a chance for the braver souls to hold snakes and spiders. Our topic on The Sea looks at the variety of plants and animals which live on earth and gives children an opportunity to look at contrasting habitats. Over the term children are also encouraged to explore their own interests, from gorillas to sharks, and record what they find in their own learning journals.

Rachel Griffiths
Year 2 Teacher