Magnificent Monarchs

Topic Summary

In the Magnificent Monarchs project, children will learn about English and British monarchs from AD 871 to the present day and consider how the power of the monarchy has changed over time. They will study six significant sovereigns; Alfred the Great, William the Conqueror, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and the current monarch, Elizabeth II. Finally, they will choose which of the sovereigns that they have studied is the most significant.

Reading and Writing

Throughout the topic we will be looking at different texts to focus on in our reading and writing journeys. Here's a look at some of these texts...

Within our English lessons we will be looking at a range of non fiction texts on the coast and 'The Queen's Knickers.' These will help us work through the composition side of Year 2. The children will be working towards writing different writing outcomes which will help apply skills learnt. These outcomes are...

* Narratives

* Information Leaflets

* Kennings Poems

* Comic Strips

Our Guided Reading journey will focus on texts that coincide with our topic like 'The Queen's Hat.' These texts will help us to work through the word-reading and comprehension side of the Year 2 curriculum by focusing on decoding, predicting, inference, vocabulary and sharing views along with other key skills.

Maths

We begin the Summer term with our 'Measures' Maths journey. Children will look at length, weight, capacity, time and money. As well as this, they will continue to use concrete, pictorial and abstract representations to understand the concept of addition and subtraction and multiplication and division.

As we move further into the Summer term, children will continue to use their reasoning skills to solve problems across the 'Number,' 'Shape' and 'Measures' aspects. This is a great time for children to apply everything that they have learnt to a wide range of contexts! 

Foundation Subjects

As well as the core subject areas, we will also be focusing on key foundation subjects. These foundation subjects provide further breadth into topics surrounding history, geography, science, art etc. The focus will be on the skills which link to our topic. 

History

Magnificent Monarchs is a History based topic. This means that there are very strong cross-curricular links throughout all learning journeys that teaches children about significant people. Children will learn all about English and British monarchs from AD 871 to the present day and consider how the power of the monarchy has changed over time. They will look at: Historical vocabulary; Historical periods; Timelines; Power and rule; Historical artefacts; Significant people - Alfred the Great, William the Conqueror; Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II; Bayeux tapestry; Feudal system; Actions and impact and Historical models.

Geography

In Geography, children will look at significant places like royal residences and the importance of these to the Monarchs. 

Science

Our Science journey teaches children about growth in animals by exploring the life cycles of some familiar animals. They build on learning about the survival of humans by identifying the basic needs of animals for survival, including food, water, air and shelter.

Art

Art will consist of a project called 'Portraits and Poses.' This project teaches children about portraiture. They analyse the portraits of Tudor monarchs and compare Tudor portraits and selfies today. They use photo editing software to create royal portraits.

Design and Technology

Design and technology will consist of an project called 'Cut, Stitch and Join.' Children will learn all about fabric home products and the significant British brand Cath Kidston. As well as this, they learn about sewing patterns and using a running stitch and embellishments before making a sewn bag tag.

Computing

The Summer unit is broken into the following two; Making Music and Presenting Ideas.  This series of three lessons will provide the children with the knowledge and understanding to create simple and more complex animations using 2Sequence. The children can use 2Sequence to explore harmony and build up musical scores on 'Purple Mash.' The children will be shown various different creative ways to present ideas allowing them to explore different concepts. 

PSHE

Children will look at the theme of 'Health and Wellbeing' this term. This will cover the following aspects: physical health and mental wellbeing, growing and changing and keeping safe.

Religious Education

Across the two halves of the Summer term, children will look at two different themes and concepts for their RE learning journey. During the first half of the term the children will be focusing on the concept of 'Story' within the theme of 'Stories from the 6 major religions.' 

Throughout the second half term the children will be able to explore the concept of 'Special' within the theme of 'Ritual.'

Physical Education

Children will focus on attacking and defending skills.  Then will move onto: hitting, striking, rolling and collecting especially when playing tennis games.  In the second half of the Summer term, children will apply skills to athletics and focus on agility skills.

How can you help at home...

There's lots of ways that you can help your child at home. One of them is by reading with them as much as possible. This will encourage your child to apply their phonics and develop their understanding of the text. Please use the online BUGCLUB tool to help encourage your child to read at home as much as possible! Books marks have been sent home with login details. Reading a range of books around your home and visiting the library is another great way to immerse your child with books! 

Alongside this, what would be most helpful is to ensure that your child reads their book and brings it back to school weekly. They will continue to bring home a reading log, please sign and comment where appropriate. This enables us to monitor their progress. Reading at home regularly will help enhance children’s reading skills which will also impact their writing. Your child will bring their library book home weekly too, please use this book as a way to read with your child and enjoy the text together! Remember to send this back with the reading book weekly so your child can swap it for another book in the library as we visit it every Wednesday / Friday afternoon.

Homework will continue to be given out every Friday and need to be returned on a Tuesday.  It will be linked to what your child has been learning about in school that week. Discussing your child's homework with them is a great way to help with consolidating and checking their understanding. Please ensure that your child completes this consistently and sign it to say that you've seen it 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! I'll continue to always try my best to keep you updated through Marv Me and through regular contact day to day.

 Thank you for your wonderful support and engagement. It is HUGELY appreciated