Maiden Castle Farm Trip - THIS TUESDAY

We are off to the farm on Tuesday 2nd October.  Don't forget your wellies, warm clothing snack and a drink.  We will be leaving after registration and returning in time for lunch.  We hope to find out about Harvest ahead of our Harvest Celebration on Friday.

This week in Numeracy - W/C: 01/10/12

This week in Numeracy we will be thinking all about measures. We will consider which measuring tools to use to find, e.g, how much an object weighs, how tall a child is, how long it takes to run around the edge of the playground, how much water it takes to fill the water tray. We will also be using non-standard units and standard metric units of length, capacity and mass in a range of contexts, e.g. measure a length to the nearest 1/2 cm, read simple scales, e.g. increments of 2, 5 or 10. Why not explore these concepts at home this week and share with your child how you use unit of measure in your house, job, etc?

This week in Literacy - W/C: 01/10/12

This week we will continue our work on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We will explore the story again and consider writing our own version of the story. We will be thinking of our own characters and setting. Help your child in their learning this week by encouraging them to create their own characters using adjectives and similes to bring their character to life. Maybe your child might like to draw their character and bring it in to show Year 2?

Health Care Plans

Please could you return all completed Health Care Plans for your child to the Office. Many Thanks, Mrs Hibberd

Parent View

Please go the link on our website to Ofsted's Parent View link and spend a few minutes to give your views about the school.

One small step for...

There was one small step for a group this afternoon and one giant leap for Year 2 as one group created a fantastic Lego WeDo Robotic football boot. Check out the below video and let the children know what you think of this work using the comments box below:

More Home Learning!

We were really excited to share some more AMAZING HOME LEARNING in Year 2 here at The Prince of Wales First School. The children have clearly been inspired by the work we are doing in class and we would love to hear your comments about what you think of our home learning work. You can listen to pupils share their work by clicking the play button below, alternatively, you can listen direct on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vnKbe9e63o

 

Amazing home learning!

Check out this amazing home learning from pupils in Y.2. Click below to play the video or watch directly at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja51B4_xyEE. We would love to see more examples like this. Please encourage these pupils with your comments on this blog. 

This week in Numeracy - W/C: 24/09/12

This week in Maths we will be adding and subtracting two-digit numbers mentally, e.g. calculate 36 + 19, 63 + 26, and complements to 100 such as 100 - 24. We will also be using mental recall of addition and subtraction facts to 10, e.g. use addition/subtraction facts to 10 and place value to add or subtract multiples of 10, e.g. know3+7=10 and use place value to derive 30 + 70 = 100. Why not explore some similar examples at how this week? We are always pleased to see Maths work completed at home and have some special certificates to give to pupils who share good home learning.

This week in Literacy - W/C: 24/09/12

This week we will begin our first week of work on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We will explore the story this week through lots of reading and acting. On Monday we will take pictures of friends acting out the story which we will use later on in the week to sequence the story using Microsoft PhotoStory. Help your child in their learning this week by encouraging them to recall the story at home. Can they sequence the events correctly? Maybe you would like to photograph your own version or create a film to share with the class?

FANTASTIC NEWS!

I am delighted to confirm that our school film 'Running Blind' has been selected to be screened at the Co-operative Film Festival 2012. Congratulations! The organisers of the Film Festival are currently in the process of creating a programme for the festival and a letter confirming the date and time of our screening (Thursday 1st November or Friday 2nd November) will follow in due course. For more information about the Co-operative Film Festival 2012 please visit: http://www.co-operative.coop/filmfestival/About-the-Festival/. For more information about 'Running Blind' see our previous Blog post at: http://pow-office.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/film-premiere-big-success.html and to watch the film click here: http://pow-office.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/our-paralympic-inspired-film-watch-it.html

Did you miss this morning?

Did you miss our parent information session on Friday morning? If so, you can watch the whole talk now direct on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Hwi_DJm2o. We hope you find this useful.

Today's I.C.T Lesson

Today in I.C.T we have been using Lego WeDo Robotics. WeDo Construction Set enables pupils to build and program simple LEGO models that are plugged into a computer. The set contains more than 150 elements, including a motor, motion and tilt sensors, and the LEGO USB Hub. See the below video for what we have been up to today:

Our Numeracy lesson today!

Today you can not only 'Listen to our lesson' but you can also see Mr. Spracklen's whiteboard as he taught us about adding two 3-digit numbers. Why not watch this together with your child at home and discuss other examples. For video please click the following link: http://www.screenchomp.com/t/mLDhuOhpW

Listen back to our pupils on Wessex FM!

Every morning this week Wessex FM are playing clips from pupils at the Prince of Wales First School as part of their Breakfast Show feature 'School Report'. This is currently going out each morning on Wessex FM at 6.30am and 8.30am (after the news). If you have missed the first two days, you can now listen back at: http://www.wessexfm.com/school-report.php. For more information about the pupils visit to Wessex FM, check out the Digital Leader Blog at: http://www.dl-pow.blogspot.co.uk/

Animations using the iPads

I have noticed the Year 2 children using the new iPads to make stop go animations. I would love to see some more completed ones!

Mr Farrington

If I were a Superhero...

Listen to our lesson today when we were looking at the poem, 'If I were a Superhero...'. Click on the blog title and then click play to listen to an extract from the lesson. Mr. Spracklen

Reminder - Parent Information Session

Wednesday 19th September, 2011 - 9.00am - Year 2 Parent Information Session. Please come along and hear all about what lies ahead for Year 2 this year with particular emphasis on what is happening in the Autumn term.

This week in Numeracy - W/C: 17/09/12

This week in Numeracy we will be continuing to explore number  and consider our understanding of place value in numbers to 1000. We will be exploring how some numbers can be represented as different arrays and use our understanding of place value to multiply/divide whole numbers by 10 (whole number answers). Why not explore this at home with your child by playing with a calculator. What happens when we times any number by 10? Is there a pattern? What about when we divide a number by 10?

This week in Literacy - W/C: 17/09/12

This week in Literacy we will be working with superheros!!! We will be thinking of adjectives and similes to describe our visitors appearance and actions, this will include some drama work in the hall. On Thursday we will be writing our own superhero poem based on a poem written by Jared Novak. You can read this poem here: http://www.helium.com/items/698004-poetry-poems-for-children.Encourage your child in their learning this week by considering adjectives and similes to describe everyday objects around the home. E.g. The yellow kettle is like the burning sun.

Science - 12/09/12

We had a fantastic session today in Science with four exciting activities happening in and outside the classroom with a focus on our topic for this half-term: 'Electricity'. To find out more listen to the audio recording below made during the lesson by Mr. Spracklen on one of our class iPads:

Pic-Collage

In class yesterday we all completed a problem-based challenge using the iPad App 'Pic-Collage', see picture above for our challenge. The children had some fantastic results from using this App and their work will soon be on display in the classroom. As promised to the pupils yesterday, please see link for pupils to download this free app at home for iPhone/iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/piccollage/id448639966?mt=8 and for Android Devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardinalblue.piccollage.google. We would love to see anything produced at home using this App in school and look forward to seeing some creative work! Mr. Spracklen

This week in Numeracy - W/C: 10/09/12

This week in Numeracy, all children in Year 2 will have be very brave because we will be working with hungry crocodiles! Our learning objective in Numeracy this week will be to: Know where to direct a hungry crocodile! To be successful in their learning the children will have to follow their Must, Should and Could: I must: direct the crocodile to the larger number. I should: share my answer with my partner. I could: create my own questions. The work will encourage the children to consider the mathematical symbols: < and >. Why not play with hungry crocodiles at home this week! We would love to see/hear what you get up to! Mr. Spracklen

WE LOVE A GOOD COMMENT!

We love it when we log in and see that a comment has been made on our blogs! It shows you are reading them and encourages all of us to write more! All comments made on the class blogs, through the school website, can also be read out to the classes during carpet time...which the children love! To make a comment simply click the blog title on the school website and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Fill in the comment box with your comment and sign in with one of several account options or just add your comment as a guest by selecting ‘name/url’. To publish your comment, click ‘publish’. Any questions, please see Mr. Spracklen.

Well done to one family!

Well done to the one family who have already added to our India wall at: http://primarywall.com/exLyR3z05i - it's not too late to join in! Simply click the link to add your post-it note to our wall for everyone to see. 

What does 'courage' mean to you?

Last week and this week coming, Mr. Farrington has been talking to the pupils about COURAGE in assembly time. This week in class (W/C: 10/09/12) we will be thinking more about this word and what it means to us personally. On Thursday, we will be linking courage to our poetry work in Literacy and we will be writing an acrostic poem using the word 'courage'. To support us in this learning, why not have a chat about 'courage' at home. What does word mean to you? Do you know anyone who has shown courage in their life? It would be brilliant if children would like to bring in a picture of someone they think has shown particular courage - we will use these to create a display in class. Mr. Spracklen P.S - If you spot this blog posts before others, why not let them know!

Day Two in Year 2!

Day Two in Year 2 has been just as exciting as the first with lots of super learning. This morning we sat with our talk partners (that will change on a weekly basis) to share our holiday news. We had to be good listeners to then share with the class what our partner had done over the holidays. We then wrote about our Holiday news and Mr. Spracklen used Tickled Pink and Green for Growth with us to explore our work (see attached poster). We also had Maths, Group Reading (where Mr. Spracklen continued to read a VERY funny story). This afternoon we had our first Rainbow Time and Art lessons with Mrs. Webb!

A fantastic first day!

We have had a fantastic first day in Year 2! This morning in Literacy we thought about our Rights and Responsibilities and began to create our Class Charter (a copy of which will come home at some point). After break, we had our first session on Mathletics and we will each be bringing home a copy of our Mathletics login details tonight to have a go on the website. Mr. Spracklen will be giving a full demonstration of Mathletics on Wednesday 19th September, 2012 at 9.00am in the School Hall as part of our Parent Information Session. If you require further information about Mathletics before this time you can read a parents guide at: http://tinyurl.com/crz8vyo or speak to Mr. Spracklen or Mrs. Webb about the website.

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to Year 2! We are looking forward to making a bright and positive start to the year. The Year 2 team this term are Mr. Spracklen, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Creed and Mrs. Long. Until half term we also have Miss. Boyce who is following the GTP (Graduate Teacher Programme) working alongside myself in my role as class teacher. I am sure you will join me in welcoming Miss. Boyce in the classroom as she supports the children in their learning.

What do you already know about India?

Our main topic this half term is India, including food and culture. We will have an India Day when the teachers and children will dress in traditional Indian outfits (don’t panic - more details to follow nearer the time!) and we will also learn about Mendhi and Rangoli patterns. If anyone has any Indian artefacts, photographs or clothes at home then we would love to see them. We promise to take very good care of them. To get us started on the topic of India, I have set us up a Primary Wall at: http://primarywall.com/exLyR3z05i so we can share what we already know about India. It would be great if you could add to this. Mr. Spracklen

'Running Blind' to be shown in ICCI 360 Cinema

We are excited to announce that our Paralympic inspired film 'Running Blind' will be shown tomorrow (05/09/12) from 3-4.30pm as well as on Saturday (08/09/12) and Sunday (09/09/12) in the ICCI 360 Cinema in Weymouth. The ICCI 360 Cinema is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and more information about the cinema can be found at this link - http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/icci360.

Further information about our film can be seen below:

We have made our own animated film to celebrate a year of Paralympic activities in our school and we are now really proud to share it with the world! Inspired by blind footballer David Clark and ex-pupil and former Paralympic medallist Mark Newton, we have created Running Blind a Paralympic story with an agricultural twist featuring an angry bull, a Dorset farmer and the Team GB Paralympic training camp at Maiden Castle. Children across the school worked with a team of artists to write, draw, animate, voice and direct the three minute film which is being screened during London 2012 Paralympic Games. Blind goalscorer David Clarke faces the challenge of his life as he prepares for the Games. Players are baffled when a lost match ball is mysteriously heard moving around the pre-games venue at Maiden Castle.

With the help of other Paralympians, sharp-eyed schoolchildren help solve the riddle but getting that ball back takes all of the blind striker’s extraordinary skills. Project producer and drama therapist Sharon Hayden said the children had come up with some wonderful story ideas. “Through drama sessions and working with our scriptwriting mentor, they have produced a great story - and done it justice with some lovely drawing and animation. “We are incredibly grateful to funders First Light and West Dorset District Council who have given these children the opportunity to make something which will be seen by thousands of people.”

Assistant head Gary Spracklen said the experience had been one that would live with the children forever. “The team of artists from our production partner Nisbet Media have done a wonderful job and involved the whole school in this project. It has been extraordinary to see the different elements of the film come together.”

Running Blind is funded by the Lottery through the BFI's First Light initiative.

Film:

Making of film:  

We are all getting ready for tomorrow!

Year 2, we are all looking forward to the start of term tomorrow and are busy today preparing the classroom for the exciting year ahead! Click on this Blog title to see a video of what we are all up to. See you all tomorrow, Mr. Spracklen, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Long, Mrs. Creed and Miss. Boyce.