Year 2 topic page WB: 11/01/21

Welcome to our topic page for this week. We have lots of exciting lessons and activities planned for you! We are going to be learning about our Queen (Queen Elizabeth II). You will have the chance to watch her coronation and to find out some facts about her. We are also going to be learning about the UK. This will involve exploring maps and plotting cities onto a blank map. Our art lesson this week, will focus on developing our sketching skills. You will be designing a beautiful new carriage for the Queen! Hillstone Lifeskills will focus on looking at similarities and differences between us and understanding that it is good to be different. We are super lucky to have a weekly lesson with Bhav where you will be using drama to explore poems. You will also be able to take part in two PE lessons and a music lesson. In addition to this, Joe Wicks is continuing to deliver half an hour daily exercise lessons which you can access here.

Today, we are going to be learning all about the Queen of the UK. Her name is Queen Elizabeth II and she has been our Queen for 65 years. You can watch part of the Queen’s coronation below. This was such a special ceremony, as it is when Elizabeth officially became the Queen.

You are now going to become ‘History Detectives’ and find out some fun facts about our Queen. You could use this website to find out some information.

Below are some statements. Some of the statements are true and some of them are false. It’s your job to find the true statements and write them down. Four of the statements below are true and four are false. Be sure to read each sentence carefully! The website link above will help you with this activity.

1. Elizabeth was crowned Queen on the 21st April 1926.
2. Her favourite type of dog is a Corgi.
3. She is the only person in the UK who can drive without a license.
4. The Queen is 90 years old!
5. The Queen has two birthdays each year!
6. One of her hobbies is horse riding.
7. The Queen has sent 50 Christmas cards throughout her life.
8. The Queen owns a shark.

If you have time, we would love for you to teach us a fun fact about the Queen that you do not think we will know already. You could ask a grown to help you to find a fact using the internet. These two websites, link one and link two, could be useful. If you find a fact, leave a comment for us and help us to learn something new!

It made me feel really sad when the other animals were mean to Buttercup about the way that she looks. The world would be extremely dull if we were all the same. Your task this afternoon, will be to choose somebody else who lives in your household. You will need to make two lists. The first list will be to find ways that you are similar to that person. You both may have the same colour hair, enjoy the same hobbies or like the same foods. Your second list will focus on ways that you are different to that person. This could be that you look different, that you enjoy different hobbies or foods. If there is time, you could draw a picture of yourself and your chosen person and label similarities and differences around the edge.

You will always be given a choice of activities to complete for your PE lessons. You can complete one activity or a few different ones depending on the resources you have available at home.

Games

Battleships- click on this link to access the instructions for playing this game. You will need a partner to play this game with and some objects to play with. This could simply be: socks, balls, soft toys etc. Here is a link to a video which will show you how to play the game.

Battleships level two- Once you are confident playing battleships, why not challenge yourself to complete level two? Here is the link to the instructions and here is the link to the video.

You could also follow this link to Coach’s PE page to access some other PE activities and games.

Yoga

Here is a link to a ‘Cosmic Kids Adventure’. The theme of this yoga links with our Hillstone Lifeskills lesson as it is all about celebrating differences.

Today, we are going to be learning about the four different countries that make up the United Kingdom and we will be learning the names of their capital cities. Let’s start by listening to and joining in with the ‘UK Song’ below.

Now, listen to the song again and make a note of the four countries within the UK and the capital cities. Pause the video if you need to and listen to it as many times as you like.

Follow this link to download a blank map of the UK. If you do not have a printer at home then have a go at sketching the outline of the UK. You are going to be writing the names of the four countries onto the map first. It’s important that we put them in the correct place. You could have a look at the video to see where the countries are or you could use the map below to find the names of the countries.

Now see if you can place the capital cities onto your map in the correct places. Once you have plotted the countries and capital cities onto your map, you can shade the four countries in different colours. You could also label the seas and oceans and colour them in. There is a map below, showing you how you may colour the different parts. You can use different colours. However, seas and oceans are usually coloured in blue on maps.

If there is time, you could add more cities onto your map. Can you spot Birmingham? That is a really important city to place onto your map as this is where we live!

Today, we are going to be designing a brand new carriage for the Queen. It will need to be really special and our very best work. Below are some pictures of the carriages that she currently has.

Below are two videos that will give you a step-by-step guide for how to sketch two different carriages. At school, we normally produce two sketches. The first sketch is our practise and we then aim to improve our work by completing a second sketch. Remember to press very lightly with your pencil! Click the pictures below, to view the videos.

Now that you have created the outline for your carriage, you can add your finer details. Remember that the Queen will want a stylish and classy design! You could colour in your sketch if you have time or label your sketch with which colours you would use. We would love to see your designs so please send us a picture via email or through the school cloud.

We are so lucky to have a drama lesson each week with Bhav. This week our drama session will focus on the poem ‘There go the Feet’. Click this link to access the video. Perhaps your grown up could record a video or send some pictures to us of your fabulous acting.

Games

Bowling- Everyone loves a good game of bowling! While we can’t go to our local bowling alley, why not have a game at home? You can play this game by yourself or with a partner. Follow this link for instructions for how to play. Here is a link to a video for a demonstration.

Climb the ladder- This is a great activity if you want to challenge yourself and put your throwing skills to the test. This game will support you to improve your throwing accuracy. Here is a link to the instructions and here is a link to the video demonstration.

Visit Coach’s PE page for more PE activities and games by clicking here.

Yoga

What better way to finish the week than with a disco? Here is a link to a cosmic kids yoga disco! Get ready to boogie in time to the music and have a lovely time! Your grown up could record a video or take some pictures to send to us.

Follow this link to visit Mr Farr’s music page. There are instructions on this page for how to access and use Charanga which is the website that you will use to access your music lessons. If you have lost your username and password, just let us know and we can send them to you. There are also guitar lessons on this page for those children who normally attend Mr Farr’s club.

Musical Instrument

At school, we created our own musical instruments using a cup and rice to use during music lessons. Below are some instructions for making a simple shaker that you could use at home when taking part in your weekly music lesson. Not only are they beautiful but they are also super fun to make!

You will need: a paper plate, a handful of dried pasta, coloured pencils or felt tips, PVA glue or a stapler and any other decorations you may have at home.

Instructions:

1. Decorate one side of your paper plate using coloured pencils or felt tips.
2. Fold your paper plate in half and place a handful of pasta inside.
3. Use PVA glue or a staple to secure your paper plate together preventing the pasta from falling out.
4. Enjoy using your shaker to make some beautiful music!

Try Everything

Here is a link to one of our favourite assembly songs ‘Try Everything’. Why not end the week by joining in with a lovely song?