Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – The Castle: Overview Subject Focus – History

Focus Core Skills – Developing Independence and Responsibility Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World History • Time capsule • Questions • Letter returned • Hot seats Lord Lefiette • Castle visit and follow up • What was life like in the castle? (Compare with other countries – Historical)

• Contrast rich and poor • Castle defences • Weapons for attacking the castle • Items to include in a castle design • Assessment Design and Technology • Design and build a castle ICT • Compare fonts • Tape recording and digital photographs • Locate and use Clip Art • Plan castle Science • Catapult investigation Geography • Aerial photographs

Possible Visit • Castle

Possible Starting Point

• Time capsule and a letter from the past

Possible End Product

• Design and make a castle • Visit from ‘Lord Lefiette’ • Hold a tournament and procession • Special assembly

Literacy Links

• Fiction stories • Signs and labels • Instructions • Information booklet • How the past is represented

Speaking and Listening • Asking questions • Group discussion • Would you have liked to live in a castle? • Give and receive instructions • Present their design for a castle

Physical Development Dance

• Marching • Group dance • Sword routine

Games

• Target games • Invasion games • Tug of war • Juggling

Creative Development

Art and Design • Design a flag or banner • Large class collage • Design a coat of arms

Music • Trumpet fanfare • Marching rhythm • Medieval music

Links to Core Values

• Wisdom – good judgement • Responsibility – carrying out a group role • Courage – uncertainty of life in the past (link to

present for many people) • Compassion – caring for one another • Justice – punishments past and present

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Keeping safe • Code of conduct • Comparing castles to homes • Team work

Mathematical Development

• 2 D shapes • 3 D shapes • Investigating pattern

Role play

• Castle/time machine − Writing task − Simple cross stitch − Making salt dough loaves − Weaving at mini looms

Directed play

• Sand and water castles • Making ‘food’ bowls • Designing drawbridges • Experimenting with lever catapults • Building castles from construction kits

Homework and Independent Learning

• Comparing past and present • Practice marching to a rhythm • Teach a parent/carer

Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – Party Planners: Overview Subject Focus – Science/Design and Technology

Focus Core Skills – Learning With Others Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Speaking and Listening

• Group discussion and interaction • The Ugly Sisters debate

Mathematical Development

• Data handling – summary of favourite party food • Money – real-life problems • Measure – length, weight • Time – times we eat, length of time • Shape and space - packages

Role play/directed play

• Party planners office • Weighing • Play dough and plasticine • Materials to sort

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Science • Cooking • Sorting and classifying materials • Properties of materials • Use of materials on basis of properties • Changing the shapes of materials • Some materials change when heated or cooled

Technology • Plan a party lunch for the class • Prepare chocolate/marshmallow/crispie cakes and other foods • Design and make a party hat Geography • Where does food come from? • Draw plans of the classroom/role play area ICT • Simple databases • Use digital cameras/tape recorders • Word processing

Possible Visits/Visitors • Supermarket • School kitchen • Bakery/Baker shop • Greengrocer • Fish shop • Café

Possible Starting Point

• A letter from Cinderella’s father-in-law, the King.

Possible End Product

• A special lunch/party

Literacy Links

• Cinderella • Character profiles • Dictionaries and glossaries • Indexes • Flow charts and explanations • Imaginary recipes

Drama

• Freeze frames • Role play alternative ending

Creative Development

Art

• Fruit printing • Food faces • Fruit and vegetable still life • Party food plate made from recyclable material • Clay/salt dough fruit and vegetables • Party placemats Music

• Listen to a variety of music • Compose a piece of music in honour of the King’s visit • Sing food songs • Invent new lyrics for ‘Oranges and Lemons’

Links to Core Values

• Responsibility – keeping hygiene rules • Justice – everyone taking part • Wisdom – making wise choices of food • Hope – being persistent and confident that party

will be a success • Compassion – poverty in other parts of the world

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

• Safety and hygiene around food • Making healthy choices, food/exercise • Cultural and individual food preferences

Homework and Independent Learning

• Find out family party food preferences • Name fruit and vegetables • Recording exercise • Draw a flow chart to give instructions

Physical Development

• Fine motor skills – handing tools - handling malleable materials

Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – Mrs Armitage’s Vehicle Subject Focus – Design & Technology, Science

Focus Core Skill – Improving Own Learning and Performance Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Possible Starting Points • ‘Mrs Armitage’ (volunteer) coming to class

Art • Observational drawing • Illustrations of vehicles • Work of Quentin Blake • Bike wheel weaving • Design a vehicle • Design a poster • Design something to keep Mrs Armitage dry • Make a model Mrs Armitage • Kandinsky - circles

Music • Compose a tune for Mrs Armitage’s horn

Imagination/ Role Play area • Inventor’s work

shop • Exploring

wheels and axles

• More experimenting with simple circuits

Speaking & Listening • Prepare questions prior to

visit • Retell story of Mrs

Armitage’s Bicycle • Retell story with different

ending • Safety with electricity talk • Prepare and present

design work for Mrs Armitage

Knowledge and Understanding

Design and Technology • Investigating toy vehicles • Tool skills • Making a prototype chassis • Design a vehicle • Make the vehicle • Evaluate the finished product

Science • Pushes and pulls • Investigate rolling cars down a slope • Everyday electrical appliances • Electrical circuits • Which materials are waterproof • Test the vehicles

ICT • Sorting vehicles • Simple word processing • Roamer/Pixie • Control • Colour magic - circles

History • Henry Ford • Changing designs of cars

Homework/Family Learning Opportunities • Find and bring to school pictures of vehicles • Electrical appliances in the home • Finding resources from home to use in making their vehicles

Links to Core Values • Respect – our different strengths • Hope – for good results • Courage – when things go wrong • Wisdom – designing & making real vehicles • Responsibility – responsible behaviour on our

roads

Links for Mathematical Development • Measure • Data handling – traffic survey • Data handling – science investigation • Sorting numerical problems • Give and follow directions

Physical Development • Pushes and pulls – explaining movement • More pushes and pulls – bean bags and soft

balls

Directed Play • Pushes and pulls in sand and water • Water tray – sailing boats • Squeeze, squash and pummel

Links for Language and Literacy • Character profile of Mrs Armitage • Read other Mrs Armitage stories • Write a different ending to Mrs Armitage’s story

PSHE • Road Safety • Safety with electricity

Possible Outcomes • ‘Mrs Armitage’ revisits to look at designs and

models

Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – The Owl and the Pussycat Overview

Subject Foci – Music, Art, Dance and Drama

Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Creative Development

Art & Sketchbook • Cat art work • Explore mark making • Draw a cat/owl • Develop cat/owl drawing • Observational drawing • Paint the Bong-tree

Music • Comparison – Moonlight Sonata and music from ‘Cats’ • Composition • ‘How charmingly sweet you sing’

Role Play Area • The Owl and the Pussycat area

Possible Starting Points

• Visit from/to live cats/owls • Look at stuffed owl and pictures of cats • Illustrations from the poem and activities • Listen to Moonlight Sonata • Follow any of the above with a reading of the

poem and formulation of enquiry questions

Possible End Products • Choral speaking/dance/music performance /

dramatisation of poem to school/parents • Art ‘Working Wall’ • Review of enquiry questions

Homework / Independent Learning • Learn the poem • Answering enquiry questions

Personal. Social and Emotional (CLS) • Recognising feelings and understanding

emotions • Developing a positive sense of one’s self • Stress Management

Mathematical Development • Explore £5.00

Core Values • Courage • Respect • Wisdom • Responsibility • Compassion

Literacy Links and Speaking & Listening • Read the poem • Illustrate and sequence the poem • Dramatise the poem • Learn the poem • Cat and Owl stories • Description of Bong-tree • Pea-green – naming of colours • Choral performance

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Using resources available:

• Example o Local bee keeper o Honey tasting o Bee life cycle o Pollination o Make honey biscuits

Physical Development • ‘They danced by the light of the moon’ • Constructing a dance • Dance performance

Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – All Creatures Great and Small Subject Focus – Science

Focus Core Skill – Thinking Skills Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Knowledge and Understanding

Science Is it Living?

• Nature detective • Categorisation • Observational drawings • Human impact on the

environment.

Animal Families

• How are animals the same?

Animal and Human Care

• Egg pet • Caring for creatures • Keeping the world healthy • Looking after ourselves

Habitats and Humans

• What is a habitat? • Human senses • Animal senses • What’s in our air?

Life Stories

• Parent and young • Animal and human life

stories.

History • Louis Braille

Geography • Animals around the world Design and Technology • A home for the ‘egg pet’ • Clay/salt dough animals • Nodding animals

Literacy and Language Links • Writing letters. • Write own versions of well-known stories. • Compare books by the same author. • Names of animal young. • Create a non-fiction book.

Possible Starting Points • A walk in the school grounds being a ‘nature

detective’.

Possible End Products • Create a non-fiction book entitled ‘All

Creatures Great and Small’.

Creative Development Art and Sketchbook

• Observational drawing • Rubbings • Colour mixing • Camouflage/camouflage patterns • Animal skins Music

• Thunder & lightning • Building a boat

Role Play/Directed Play • Wild life sanctuary.

Specific Speaking & Listening Opportunities • Compare stories by the same author. • Question visitor. • Talk about their design and technology

model. • Dramatise a piece of Noah’s Ark for

performance.

PSHE • Treating animals with care. • Care of an ‘egg pet’. • The role of drugs and medicine.

Homework/Family Learning Opportunities • Collecting items and information for the role-play

area. • Investigate eye colours of family members. • Recycling at home.

Links to Core Values • Responsibility – behaviour outside the classroom

(link to PSHE). • Wisdom – about the natural world. • Respect – duty of care for collected creatures. • Hope – overcoming adversities. • Integrity – man’s responsibility to wild life on the

planet.

RE Links • Noah’s Ark • Babylonian flood story

Physical Development

PE/Dance

Visits/Visitors • Zoo visit • Local wildlife organisation/area • School nurse • RSPCA

Year 2

Copyright © EdisonLearning Ltd 2004 - 2009

Learning Unit – The Seaside Subject Focus – Geography

Focus Core Skill – Speaking and Listening Items written in green italics provide opportunities to develop the global dimension of the curriculum.

Possible Starting Points • ‘Letter’ from tourist information centre • Hot seat ‘visitor’ from tourist information board.

Links to Core Values • Hope – Fulfil expectations • Wisdom – Seaside safety • Respect – Other’s beliefs • Courage – Grace Darling • Responsibility – Keeping themselves safe

PSHE • Ground rules • Seaside safety • Caring for the environment • Courage • Keeping safe

Directed Play • Sand sculptures • Fossil hunt (Link to Science) • Weighing seaside items

Role Play • Tourist information centre • Souvenirs • Seaside items

Knowledge and Understanding

Geography • Weather • Visits and associated activities • Holidays • Hot seating (Link to Speaking & Listening) History

• Now and then • Grace Darling ICT

• Photography • Tape recording • Word processing • Images • Email Science

• Classification • Sorting natural and man-made materials and objects

Art & Sketchbook

• Observational drawing • Beach art • Sand sculptures • Colour mixing • Beach painting/collage • Raoul Dufy • Postcards and billboards

Drama • Imaginary journey • Weather reports • Keeping safe • Comparing stories by the same author

Visits/Visitors • Seaside • Mrs Pilkington (Tourist Information Centre)

Numeracy Links • Capacity • Money • Time • Measurement • Calendar

PE • Bat and ball skills • Beach games

Homework/Independent Learning • Where have you been? • Where have your friends and neighbours been? • Weather • Weather reports

Literacy Links • Stories from the same author • Blue Flag beaches

Possible End Products • Brochure/advertisement for chosen location • Weather report

Speaking and Listening • Hot seating • Tongue Twisters • Talking about holidays/days out • Comparing stories by the same author

RE • Origins of the word holiday – Holy Day

Music

• Seaside songs • Jingle for advertisement