Willow Class 2025 - 2026

Miss Jackson

Welcome to Willow Class!

Miss Jackson welcomes you to Willow Class.

We are a mixed class of Year 1 and 2 children. We are fun, curious and love our learning. In Willow class we are supported by Mrs Gardener and Julia.

Welcome back to our second term.

This term we have a new big question to focus on, 'How do maps help us?’ This term our geography topic is all about where we live. We will be exploring the question, What is it like here?’ and designing our own areas of the playground to improve. In science, we will be finding out about materials, identifying properties of each and testing suitability. In DT, the children will be looking at food groups to plan and design their own smoothies. As part of Explore and Learn we will be looking at different play projects. This consists of four main areas; create, construct, draw and write and the children can work in any of these areas depending on what they decide to do. All children will also be working towards earning their sewing licenses this term. In English this term we will be exploring the text ‘The Dragon Machine’ by Helen Ward. We will be looking at the text carefully constructing sentences about the key themes and characters of the book. Year 2 children will be using the Talk 4 Writing approach to learn the text map and write an explanation text creating their own animal trapping machine. We will also be writing a recount of our visit to Bristol Aerospace.

Reading books and spellings

Reading books will be changed each Friday. Each child has been given a book linked to the phonics scheme and the sounds we are learning. Year 1 children are continuing to learn Level 5 sounds and Year 2 are consolidating their phonics knowledge by looking closely at different spelling patterns and Level 6 sounds. Reading is to be recorded in the children’s reading record. This can be a note of the book read but also include any comments or questions you may have. The book and reading record should be in school every day as the children will be asked to read to an adult throughout the week.

Children will be sent spellings home on a Friday to practise throughout the week. These are examples of words containing the spelling rule we are learning. This will also include two common exception words from the week. The spellings will be tested the following Friday. Spelling books need to be in school each Friday to receive new spellings and to be checked.

Year 1 reading fluency sessions will continue with a selection of picture books. Year 2 will begin an early chapter book ‘A twist of tales’ by Julia Donaldson.

Maths

Year 1

Year 1 will begin this term by looking at place value and the structure of numbers to 100. We will then move onto looking at number bonds of 7 to 11 before finishing the term by looking at 3D shapes.

Year 2

Year 2 will begin this term by looking at subtraction before moving onto multiplication through arrays and division through sharing and grouping. Children will be coming home with their TTRS login to practise their multiplication facts once these have been learnt. I will first set the 2x table to practise before adding additional facts as we cover them within class.

P.E.

PE will be on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Please can children wear their full P.E. kit to school every Tuesday and Wednesday. Please note that no jewellery is to be worn during P.E. and earrings should be removed before the lesson or will have to be covered with medical tape. Also, long hair will need to be tied back on PE days, so it might be worthwhile having a couple of spare hairbands in their bag just in case.

Forest school

We will continue to be going to Forest school on a Wednesday. Please can Year 2s come to school in waterproofs to save time getting changed.

Christmas

With Christmas quickly coming upon us, we have planned lots of fun Christmas activities including the nativity. This year we will be perfoming ‘Bethlehem Bake off'. Children have now received their scripts to practise at home. Please ensure these are put back into book wallets as we will be practising in small groups daily. Costumes need to be in school by Friday 28th November. Any questions regarding the nativity or costumes please let me know.

Reminders:
PE takes place on a Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon with Miss Taylor from Atlas Sports and with Miss Jackson we will be learning handball.

My PPA time takes place on Tuesday afternoons, when the class will be covered by Mrs Paxford and Mrs Gardener.

Miss Jackson's SENCO time is on Thursday afternoon, when the class is covered by Mr Batchelor and Mrs Gardener.

Please ensure your child has clothes for all weathers in school (including a coat), we try to get outside as much as we can!