Chessington Lodge

The Junior School Curriculum


Year 2

Years 1 and 2 make up Key Stage 1 of your child's education.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Pupils may bring in a drink of water and a piece of fruit for playtime in containers which should be clearly named. All pupils should have a waterproof jacket that is left in school for adverse weather conditions.


LITERACY / ENGLISH

Spelling

In J2, children learn between 5 and 14 spellings a week. We encourage the LOOK/COVER/WRITE/CHECK method.
Spelling Test - Friday morning

Reading

Most children are reading in J2 and our emphasis is on the understanding and enjoyment of a story. If you are listening to reading, to help develop understanding, please ask questions about:

  • What your child has read.
  • The meaning of words.
  • What your child thinks will happen next.

Writing

Continue to encourage your child to write independently e.g. birthday cards, diary, stories.
Practise joined-up handwriting.

Library

J2 Library lesson is on Tuesday morning. Please ensure that your child's library book is returned on that day


NUMERACY / MATHEMATICS

In J2, the more practice with numbers that takes place at home the better.

Please practise telling the time and using both digital and analogue clocks. It would be helpful if your child could wear an inexpensive watch to school.

During Year 2, your child should know:

  • o'clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to the hour.
  • The calendar, days, months, seasons.
  • Handling money:
    • Help with shopping
    • Work out change to £1
  • Play number games e.g. snakes and ladders, snap, ludo. This helps with sequencing, ordering and counting on.
  • Help with cooking: estimating and weighing.
  • Hearing the names of shapes, both flat and solid e.g. square, rectangle, circle, triangle, cube, cuboid, cylinder, cone, sphere, triangular prism.

Children should practise using their knowledge skills as much as possible in order to extend their understanding and begin thinking in mathematical terms.


SCIENCE

In J2 we cover the topics of:

  • Keeping healthy
  • Life Cycles
  • Classification
  • Materials
  • Habitats
  • Electricity
  • Forces


GEOGRAPHY

During the school year we study topics on:

  • Water
  • Food
  • The Geography of the Seaside
  • Where we live - Ewell
  • Living in other countries - India


HISTORY

Topics will be:

  • Remembrance Day
  • A Wartime Christmas
  • Fire of London
  • Mary Seacole
  • The History of the Seaside


RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Topics will be:

  • Special times
  • Special people
  • Special places


P.E. / GAMES / SWIMMING

J2 have P.E. (indoors) on Thursday afternoons and Games (outdoors) on Friday afternoons. On these days, children should come to school in their uniform and bring their P.E. kits to change into. Please ensure all clothing that is brought into school is clearly named.

Please remember indoor trainers for indoor lessons and outdoor trainers for outdoor lessons. Both should be worn with white socks.

J2 will swim first thing on a Monday morning. Children should come into school with their swimming costume underneath their school uniform. Please remember underwear and a towel.
The lesson is from 9.00 - 9.30 a.m. The mini bus leaves Chessington Lodge promptly at 8.35 a.m. All pupils will be required to wear a hat. Swimming costumes and hats are available to purchase from the Junior School office.


HOMEWORK

Reading

Your child should spend 5 - 10 minutes reading every night.

Spellings

Spellings will come home once a week for a weekly test on a Friday.

Multiplication Tables

Initially 2 times table, then later 5 and 10 times tables will be sent home to be learnt. Later in the year, 3 and 4 times tables may also be sent home.

A piece of work for English or Maths, which should take no longer than 15 minutes, will be set three times a week to be returned the following day. If your child has an outside activity, do not worry. Please write a message for me in your child's Reading Record book. It would be helpful, but not essential, if this piece of work could be done at a later date.


VISITS/ SPECIAL OCCASIONS

We aim to have a visit each term. This term, J1 & J2 will be visiting the Polka Theatre on Friday 27th November to see 'James and the Giant Peach'.

The Chessington Lodge Christmas Celebration will take place on Friday 11th December at 2.00 p.m. at St Mary's Church.

The Christmas Parties will take place on Wednesday 16th December.

We will give you more details about these events nearer the time.


ASSEMBLIES

Assemblies take place everyday. Once each half term we meet as a whole Junior School at Chessington Lodge. We hold an assembly in the Church for J1-J6 twice a term. The next church assembly is our Harvest Festival on Wednesday 23rd September at 9.00 am. Parents are invited to join us for our Church Assemblies.


If you have any concerns or problems during the year, please do not hesitate to come and see Miss Leadbeter.