Woodpecker Class
Woodpecker Class 2023 - 2024
Class Team
Class Teacher: Mrs De-Keyzer
Teaching Assistants: Mrs Haywood & Miss Langley
Hello everyone and welcome to the Woodpecker Class page. I am really looking forward to term 5 with you all! I can't believe the year is running away so fast! Please have a look below to find any important information you may need for this term and more. There will always be updates on this page as they are needed and I will add the link to a post on our Class Dojo Page if there is something I think you need to see urgently. I will also post at least weekly on class Dojo to share with you our key areas of learning in Woodpecker Class and what exciting things we are getting up to with photos and snippets of the children's work but there will be important things on this page too.
Mrs De-Keyzer
Our Classroom
Reading
Reading underpins everything we do throughout our curriculum so at this stage it is vital we have underpinned basic phonic skills to be able to access our ever challenging curriculum. I expect you to read everyday, for at least 5 minutes and to discuss what you have read with somebody. There will be key questions that you can get an adult to ask you inside your reading records from week 1. You must also have your reading records signed daily (Our TA's, and I will be checking regularly) so you can move up our Reading Rocket Challenge and receive rewards and prizes! If it is not signed you will not move up. The children must put their books into the box in the classroom daily, it is their responsibility to do this, we will not be chasing them to do it everyday. As a school we are driving mastering the skill of fluency in reading at the moment so books will only be changed 2-3 times a week and they do need to be re-read ( twice through for shorter texts) to build on speed and accuracy of what is being read.The children will also have the opportunity to visit the library on a Friday where they can choose a book of their choice to take home. Please make sure if you take a book out if you want to swap it has to be in school on a Friday. Please do not bring them in earlier than this or just leave them in your bag so they are ready to swap.
In year 2, we expect children to master their phonics and move onto Accelerated Reader where comprehension and fluency can be developed further on our excellent whole school approach to reading. When you get an accelerated reader book you will have your zone, username and password in the back of your reading records. This comes after phonics only when we feel a pupil is secure in phonics and ready. Please do not quiz at home. This needs to be done in school. Once at this stage you choose your own accelerated reader book within your own zones which gives you more ownership of your reading and a larger variety of texts.
Times Tables
This year our focus is learning our 2, 5 and 10 Times Tables, including knowing them in and out of order and the corresponding division facts e.g 2 x 3 = 6, 6 ÷ 2 = 3. It is no longer just counting up in steps ( although we need to know this too).
You will have your Times table rock star logins in your reading records within the first week so please make the most of using these for rapid recall practise. I will set where I think you should be practising in garage mode. This is the only mode that can be set the rest of the games are random selection so do make sure you play in the correct part if you want to focus on the ones I have set.
Maths
At Woodchurch we follow 'White Rose Maths'. In Maths this term we will be learning about Measure including length, height, mass and capacity. Then we will be moving onto fractions.
1 Minute maths - This is a great online tool for practising mental maths skills. Details for this will be at the bottom of the page for you to access all of the time on any device. Please use this to develop maths fluency skills.
Phonics & Spelling
Those who need phonics will still continue to have this daily throughout terms 5 and 6.
As a whole class our main focus now is the year 2 spelling rules where we learn one rule a week using our whole school approach to teaching spelling through Spelling Shed. You will get new spellings every week on a Monday and test on a Friday. We always have time to practise and revise these throughout the week as part of our practise sessions. The children will have spelling shed logins in the back of their reading records by the end of week 1 so that they can practise their spelling rules through interactive games online throughout the week at home. We will be monitoring the progress in spelling as it is part of our whole school agreement for core skills practise.
Your spellings to practise at home for the spelling challenge on a Friday will depend on your child's spelling and phonic knowledge. Again, I will make sure you know which spellings you are doing each week but please do ask if you aren't sure. Reading records and phonics folders must be in school in order for children to receive their spellings or they will go into their bags loose. We will not be checking phonics folders everyday to see if spellings are in there. It is the children's responsibility to ask if they need them if they have not got them after Monday.
Connected Curriculum
This term our main driver topic is Magnificent Monarchs.
This project teaches children about the English and British monarchy from AD 871 to the present day. Using timelines, information about royal palaces, portraits and other historical sources, they build up an understanding of the monarchs and then research six of the most significant sovereigns.
Here are some of the texts we will be using throughout this topic...
In English we will continue to use the video 'Bubbles' as a stimulus for writing that we began last term.
Our PE sessions will be on a Monday afternoon throughout term 5. Again, please continue to come into school in PE kits on those days. This term we will be doing Infant Agility and then Cricket.
Prayers
These are the prayers the children will be learning to recite together before lunch and at the end of the school day as part of our routines.
Lunchtime
End of the day
Our Class Timetable & Curriculum Map
Important documents you may need...
Website links
Below are all links to websites the children will use at home and in school. The children will be familiar with this page if they need to access it during any lessons.
Please only complete quizzes in school.
