Dosbarth Barafundle
Year 2

This term, Dosbarth Barafundle will be exploring the theme “Small Voices, Big Changes”. Our learning will focus on discovering our rights, exploring our local community and thinking about how we can make a positive difference to the world around us. Our main enquiry question will be “How can children make a difference in their community?” Through a range of practical, creative and real-life experiences, the children will develop their curiosity, confidence, empathy and sense of responsibility.

We will begin the term by exploring our local community and thinking about what makes a place a good place for children to live, learn and grow. The children will take part in a community walk, use maps, photographs and surveys, and investigate the places and facilities that are important to them. We will also look at how our community has changed over time, comparing life for children in the past with life today. The children will consider what makes somewhere feel safe, welcoming and inclusive and will begin to think about how they could help to improve their own community.

Children’s rights will be an important part of our learning throughout the term. We will introduce the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and explore the difference between needs, wants and rights. The children will consider rights such as the right to an education, the right to be safe and the right to be with friends and join groups. We will also think about how we can respect the rights of others and how children can use their voice to bring about positive change.

In Language, Literacy and Communication, we will enjoy a range of inspiring texts including I Am Enough by Grace Byers, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers and Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai. These texts will provide opportunities for the children to explore identity, belonging, kindness, hopes and positive change. They will write their own “I am…” poems, create a class book about our school and develop their own stories inspired by the idea of a magic pencil. We will also create a “Pontypool for Children” information guide, sharing information about places and opportunities in our local community that support children’s rights and wellbeing. Alongside this, children will continue to develop their phonics, reading, spelling, handwriting, comprehension and speaking and listening skills through daily activities.

In Mathematics, we will develop our understanding of number and place value, including reading, writing, comparing and ordering numbers and understanding tens and ones. We will practise counting forwards and backwards, odd and even numbers, number bonds, addition and subtraction, doubling and halving, estimation and rounding. Wherever possible, our maths learning will be practical and connected to real-life situations. The children will use resources such as base-ten, Numicon, number lines and counters, as well as collecting and analysing information from around our school and community.

In Science and Technology, we will investigate what helps children to stay healthy and thrive. We will explore the importance of exercise, healthy food, sleep, movement and feeling safe and happy. We will also investigate sound, exploring how sounds are made through vibrations and how sound changes depending on where we are. The children will carry out practical investigations and even conduct a sound survey around the school. Later in the term, they will develop their coding and problem-solving skills by programming Rugged Robots to travel to different places and landmarks within our local area.

Our Humanities learning will continue to develop the children's understanding of their community and the wider world. We will explore maps, local landmarks and places that are important to children, as well as investigating how communities change over time. The children will compare schools and childhood in the past and present, explore old photographs and create simple timelines. We will also explore diversity, identity and our Welsh identity, helping the children to understand that communities are made up of people with different experiences, backgrounds and beliefs.

In Health and Wellbeing, we will explore healthy bodies, healthy minds and healthy relationships. The children will develop their understanding of emotions, empathy, kindness, respect and inclusion, while considering how their choices and actions can affect themselves and others. We will also develop teamwork and cooperation through PE, with opportunities to practise movement, balance, throwing, catching and ball skills. We will also enjoy creating dance sequences inspired by the movement and sounds of fireworks. Online safety will form part of our learning too, including thinking carefully about how technology makes us feel and remembering to pause and think when we are online.

Our Expressive Arts work will be inspired by Zoom by Istvan Banyai. The children will explore the idea that we are all part of something much bigger than ourselves. Their artwork will gradually “zoom out”, beginning with themselves and moving from “My Eye” and “My Face” to “My Class”, “My School”, “Pontypool”, “Wales” and finally “Our World”. We will experiment with drawing, painting, charcoal, photography, collage, printing and digital art. The children will also create a soundscape inspired by the sounds of our community, thinking about which sounds make places feel safe, happy and welcoming.

Welsh will continue to be part of everyday life in Dosbarth Barafundle. We will build confidence in speaking and listening through familiar questions, games, songs and everyday classroom language. The children will also develop their Welsh reading skills through stories and activities from the Criw Clebran resource.

Throughout the term, we will place a strong emphasis on our school values. Our focus will be Respect in September, Equality in October, Kindness in November and Teamwork in December. These values will run through our learning and help us to think about how we treat others, how we work together and how we can contribute positively to our classroom, school and wider community.

We will bring all of our learning together at the end of the term with our “Welcome to Pontypool – A Year 2 Community Expo”. The children will have the opportunity to share their learning through their “Pontypool for Children” guide, artwork, poetry, soundscape and recommendations. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the children to celebrate what they have discovered and demonstrate how their small voices can contribute to positive change in their community.

We are looking forward to a busy and exciting term of discovering, exploring and creating change in Dosbarth Barafundle!