Online Safety - Memes
They’re everywhere online, but do you really know what memes are saying? ???? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explores the role of memes in youth culture - and why they’re not always as harmless as they seem. From hidden messages to misinformation, we break it down ???????? Plus, we share four simple ways parents and educators can guide young people to engage more safely with memes - encouraging empathy, critical thinking and healthier digital habits ????????
KS1 Kurling Club
It’s our second week of KS1 Kurling Club, and the children are already showing fantastic progress! They’ve been practising aiming for the target and learning how to control the force they use when pushing the stones. We’ve seen lots of perseverance as they refine their technique and friendship as they cheer each other on and celebrate every good shot. It’s brilliant to see their confidence growing with each session — all great preparation for our competition in December!
Year 2 - Maths - Adding and Subtracting 1s
Year 2 have been working hard in maths, learning how to add and subtract ones. This lesson was extra special because it was the first time we used Google Classroom on the Chromebooks! The children did a great job navigating the new technology. We also focused on presentation, learning how to use the squares in our books to set out our work neatly instead of using worksheets. A big well done to Year 2 for embracing these new skills!
Year 2 - English - Features of Non-Fiction Texts
Year 2 - Non-Fiction Detectives! Year 2 have been learning about non-fiction texts, discovering that this type of writing is all about real and true facts! To explore this, we became detectives, moving around the classroom in groups to annotate pages from non-fiction books. The children were brilliant at spotting important features like headings, sub-headings, pictures, and exciting "Did You Know?" facts. This hands-on session helped us understand how non-fiction books are organised to help us learn!
Year 2 - English - Story Maps
Year 2 have been enjoying the book 'The Way Home Wolf' in English. To deepen their understanding, they created detailed story maps to help them sequence and orally retell the story to their classmates. This activity helped them build confidence and memory skills.
Year 2 - History - What was Darwen St James like in the past?
In our history lessons, we've been exploring what schools looked like in the past. To uncover the unique history of our own Darwen St James, our pupils prepared a list of questions for a very special guest: Miss Sears, a teacher at our school and also a former pupil! As someone who once walked these same hallways as a student, Miss Sears was the perfect person to bring our school's history to life. She shared personal memories, old photographs, and fascinating newspaper clippings. Thanks to the children's thoughtful questions and brilliant listening, it was a truly memorable and inspiring lesson.
Year 2 - Art - Exploring Composition
Our Year 2 artists took their learning outside for an exciting project on composition. After collecting a variety of natural objects, the children thoughtfully arranged them into beautiful and creative patterns. They then photographed their temporary masterpieces, and we can’t wait to use the images as a guide for our next project: a fabulous collage!
Year 2 - Science - Life Cycles
In Year 2, we have been learning about animal life cycles! We discovered that some animals, like chickens, hatch from an egg, while others, like puppies, are born as live young. To show what we've learned, we created our very own life cycle wheels to illustrate the amazing journeys of different animals. It's been so exciting to learn about how animals grow and change throughout their lives!
Year 2 - Maths - Flexible Partitioning
Year 2 have been busy in maths, extending our knowledge of partitioning numbers! We've moved beyond just tens and ones to discover that there are so many more ways to split a number. This is called flexible partitioning. Instead of only thinking of 23 as 20 and 3, we now know it can also be 10 and 13, or even 15 and 8. We're getting much more confident with this new skill, which helps us with our mental maths and problem-solving!
Year 2 - English - Freeze Frames
In our English lessons, we have been enjoying the book 'The Way Home Wolf.' We focused on the descriptive words the author used to show how the wolves moved. We acted out these scenes and wrote our own sentences. We used the word 'and' to connect our ideas and make our writing more detailed.
Year 2 - Worship - Special Buildings
In our Picture News worship, Year 2 explored the idea of special buildings. This led to a wonderful discussion where the children shared a building that is special to them and explained why. One child shared that their local library is important to them because "It's a calm place where I can sit and read for hours. It reminds me that a book can take you anywhere!"
Year 2 - Maths - Partitioning Numbers to 100
In maths, Year 2 have been mastering the skill of partitioning numbers up to 100 using part-whole models. This approach helps children to see how a whole number is made up of smaller parts. For example, they can see that the number 42 is made of two parts: 40 (four tens) and 2 (two ones). This activity is building a strong understanding of place value and preparing them for more complex maths.
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