Rowans (Year 2)

Specialist Pathway 

Below is a summary of what children will be learning in each subject in the Specialist Pathway Curriculum this term. As well as the key knowledge the children should know for each unit. 

In Science, we will explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive. We will identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other. We will identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats and describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food. 

•  Life processes: These are the things that all living things do. They move, breathe, sense, grow, make babies, get rid of waste and get their energy from food.

• Living: Things that are living and have all the life processes. Eg. Animals and plants.

• Dead: Things that are dead were once living. They did have all the life processes but do not anymore. Eg. Dead animals and plants, wood, parts of animals and plants e.g. bones, twigs, flowers, finger nail, shell.

• Never living: Things made out of plastic, metal or rock were never living. They never had the life processes. Eg. Metal, rock (excluding fossils), plastic (this is a simplification as plastic derives from natural materials).

• Habitat: is the natural place where something lives. A habitat provides living things with everything they need to live such as food, water and shelter.

• Habitat types: woodland / forest, desert, marine, polar / tundra, urban, coastal, rainforest.

• Microhabitat: is a very small habitat in places like under a rock, under leaves or on a branch. Minibeasts live in microhabitats. The microhabitats provide everything they need to survive.

• Microhabitat types: short grass, flowers, under leaves, inside rotten wood, under leaves, in and on soil.

• Polar bears - adapted to its environment – thick fur for warmth and oily paw pads to ensure that they don’t freeze to the ice.

• Sharks – smooth skin, streamline shape for quick swimming and gills for breathing underwater.

• Cacti – thick skin keeps a store of water safe, sharp spikes keep animals from stealing the water.

• Pine trees have thick bark and pine cones to protect against cold winters.

• Woodlice live under logs as they need somewhere dark and damp so that they do not dry out.

• Frogs can live in ponds as they need water in which to lay their eggs (frogspawn).

• Food chain: A food chain shows how each animal gets its food. Food chains are one of the ways that living things depend on each other to stay alive.

• Food sources: This is the place a living thing’s food comes from.

• Plants absorb energy from the Sun; this energy is consumed by herbivorous animals; carnivorous animals eat other animals.

• Arrows on a food chain show the direction that the energy travels.

Geography

 In Geography this half term, we will be learning about England and South Africa. We will expand upon our understanding of physical features and understand how the process of erosion can change physical features. We will then compare England to South Africa to further develop our understanding of locational and physical geography. Later on in the half term, we will develop our fieldwork skills and refine our ability to draw a map with a key and accompanying symbols. Likewise, we will  develop our locational and directional vocabulary by using compass points to describe. 

• A physical feature is one that forms naturally, and can change over time due to weather and other forces.

• Erosion is a physical process that involves the weathering and movement of natural materials, such as rock, sand and soil. Erosion is caused by wind and water, including waves, floods, rivers and rainfall.

• A non-European country is a country outside the continent of Europe.  London and Cape Town (South Africa). 

• A map is a picture or drawing of an area of land or sea that can show human and physical features. Maps use symbols and a key. A key is the information needed to read a map and a symbol is a picture or icon used to show a geographical feature. An aerial photograph can be vertical (an image taken directly from above) or oblique (an image taken from above and to the side).

• The four cardinal points on a compass are north, south, east and west. A route is a set of directions that can be used to get from one place to another. 

History

The topic for history is ‘Great Fires.’  We will develop our ability to ask and answer questions, our chronological understanding of key events that have occurred within a certain time period and examine different sources of information to study the Great Fire of London in greater depth. By the end of this half term, we will know about the Great Fire of London and the Great Fire of Market Square and be able to reflect on the similarities and differences between the two. 

Great Fire of London 1666

• Cause: Started in Pudding Lane in a bakery. Baker was called Thomas Farriner. 2nd September 1666. Lasted for 4 whole days. Narrow streets, wooden houses caused fire to spread quickly.

• Water brought from Thames.

• No fire fighters like today so soldiers used gunpowder to clear a gap in the houses so fire could not spread. 

• 70 000 people had homes destroyed. 6 people died. 13 000 homes burnt down. St Paul’s burnt down. 

• Samuel Pepys wrote diary describing the fire

• Effect: King Charles 2 ordered new building regulations - brick on all houses, streets widened

Great Fire of Cambridge Market Square

• September 1849. Started in a textile shop in Market Square. Wooden houses close together caused fire to spread. 

• No fire fighters. Water depot was close by but was locked and no one could find the keys. 

• Residents carried water in buckets from River Camb.

• Josiah Chater wrote a diary describing the fire.

RE

For the first part of the term, we will be exploring the question ‘How do we know some people have a special connection to God?’ The children will identify  how the Christmas story symbolises that Jesus is special and to investigate why Guru Nanak is seen as special from birth within the Sikh worldview. They will also understand that for some believers from different faiths including Christians, Muslims, and Hindus there are some people believed to be important. These individuals from different faiths that the children will learn about include Daniel, Krishna, Muhammed and Jesus. In the second part of the term we will be thinking about the question ‘What is a prophet?’ 

• Some people believe God performed miracles in the past.

• Some people believe there are people who are chosen for a special purpose by God.

• Religious stories can help us to understand religious beliefs.

Computing

For the first part of the term, we will be studying the unit digital photography. We will learn to recognise that different devices can be used to capture photographs and will gain experience capturing, editing, and improving photos. Finally, we will use this knowledge to recognise that images we see may not be real. For the second part of the term, we will be learning about programming. We will develop our understanding of instructions in sequences and the use of logical reasoning to predict outcomes. We will use given commands in different orders to investigate how the order affects the outcome. We will also learn about design in programming and will develop artwork and test it for use in a program. 

Knowledge Digital Photography:

• Digital devices can take photographs

• To know the features of a good photograph and how they could be improved

• Photographs can be changed after they have been taken 

• Photographs may may not be accurate

Knowledge Programming:

• A series of instructions is a sequence 

• Know what happens when we change the order of instructions 

• A series of instructions can be issued before they are enacted

• You can predict the outcome of a program

DT

 In DT this term, we will be exploring wheel mechanisms and designing our own Ferris wheel which we will construct ourselves. We will select all the appropriate materials needed to build and test that it moves accordingly to our own design. 

• I know how to explore wheel mechanisms and design a wheel. 

• I know how axles help wheels to move a vehicle. 

• I know how to  evaluate different designs. 

• I understand the properties of different materials.

• I know how to communicate my ideas to someone else. 

• I know how to  select appropriate materials for my wheel.

• I know how to build a stable structure. 

• I know how to test elements of my design.

• I know how to adapt my design as necessary.

• I know how to make the wheel rotate.

• I know how to ensure that my pod stays upright whilst being rotated around a fixed point.

Art

This half term, we will be developing our painting skills as we experiment with creating tints and shades with both water colour and ready mixed paints. We will be studying and comparing the work of Elaine Allison and Georgia O’Keefe. The second part of the term, we will be looking at the work of two ceramic artists whose work is influenced by nature. We will then be developing our observational drawing skills and clay work as we use shells to influence our work. 

• Paula Armstrong is an English ceramic artist.  Alison Ballard is an American ceramic artist. Both inspired by nature.

• Soft pencils create darker lines and are marked B for black. Hard pencils create lighter lines and are marked with an H

• When making observational drawings, we need to look closely at objects.

• Pinch pots are a way of making pottery by pinching the clay into shape by using the thumb and fingers. When wet, clay is easy to shape. When clay is dry, it is hard.

• Tints are made by adding white to a colour

• Shades are made by adding black to a colour

• Botany is the study of plants. Botanic art is the drawing or painting of flowers. Artists that paint flowers in a realistic style are called botanic artists.

• Hyper-realism is paintings that look more real than photographs.

• Georgia Totto O’Keeffe was born in 1887 in Wisconsin, USA - Georgia began experimenting with painting close up views of flowers. She used oil paints in vibrant, bold colours. Painting the flowers at such a close range makes the viewer see the object in a completely different way. She painted over 900 paintings but started to go blind when she was 84. 

• Elaine Allison is an artist highly regarded for her eye for detail. She specialises in botanical watercolour paintings which often include great detail. Elaine paints with scientific accuracy and incredible patience.

PE

In the dance unit, we will explore space and how our body can move to express an idea, mood, character or feeling. We will expand our knowledge of travelling actions and use them in relation to a stimulus. We will build on our understanding of dynamics and expression. We will use counts of 8 consistently to keep in time with the music and a partner. We will also explore pathways, levels, shapes, directions, speeds and timing. In the net and wall games unit, we will develop the basic skills involved in net and wall games. We will develop our understanding of the principles of net and wall games such as using the ready position to defend our space and sending the ball away from an opponent to maximise our chances of scoring. We will learn to play games honestly, abiding by the rules and showing respect towards our opponents and teammates. 

Dance unit:

• Actions: know that sequencing actions in a particular order will help me to tell the story of my dance.

• Dynamics: understand that I can change the way I perform actions to show an idea.

• Space: know that I can use different directions, pathways and levels in my dance.

• Relationships: know that using counts of 8 will help me to stay in time with my partner and the music.

• Performance: know that using facial expressions helps to show the mood of my dance.

• Strategy: know that if I practice my dance my performance will improve.

Net and wall games

• Hitting: know to watch the ball as it comes towards me to help me to prepare to hit it.

• Feeding: know to place enough power on a ball to let it bounce once but not too much so that my partner can't return it.

• Rallying: know that sending the ball towards my partner will help me to keep a rally going.

• Footwork: know that using a ready position helps me to react quickly and return/catch a ball.

• Tactics: understand that applying simple tactics makes it difficult for my opponent.

• Rules: know how to score points and follow simple rules. 

Music

In the first unit of this term  - Our Musical Names - we will be composing simple rhythms using our names and those of famous faces. We will be using the chimes to develop these rhythms into melodies and finally combining these motifs to make a class performance. After half term, we will be creating a soundscape using our voices and instruments. We will be looking at how famous composers have achieved this in their own work and developing our musical vocabulary in order to discuss key elements. 

• Knowledge (‘Our Musical Names’):

• : Tempo means how fast or slow a piece of music is;

• : Melody is another word for 'tune';

• : Words are comprised of syllables;

• : Syllables expressed at varying tempos give us rhythms;

• : Melodies can be improvised, improved, remembered, and finally notated;

• : An accompaniment supports a melody.
  
  

• Knowledge (‘Into Space’):

• : A ‘soundscape’ is a landscape created with sounds;

• : A composer is someone who creates original music;

• : A motif is a ‘sound idea’ that can be repeated throughout a piece of music.