This week in Science we have been looking at why water is so important. We carried out an investigation to see how much water we could save by turning off the tap when we wash our hands. We were amazed to find out that we nearly doubled the amount of water we used when we left the on! Following on from this we looked at how we could be more water wise both at school and at home.

In Topic we were thinking about plastic pollution and how it is impacting the environment. We found out that there is a large 'Trash Island' in the pacific ocean and how this is making both animals and plants sick. We decided to write a letter to our local supermarket to explain the problems with using too much plastic and how it is effecting our planet. We tried hard to persuade them to reduce the amount of plastic they use. In Art we used objects from within the classroom to make imprints within playdough to make patterns like William Morris. Next week we will be using our ideas to produce our own print.

This week Year 2 have written a non-chronological report about a Wild Thing.  In their report they told us what the creature looked like, ate, did, lived and how we can protect them.  They used some interesting adjectives, verbs and adverbs and used questions as their sub-headings to interest the reader.  I'm not sure we would like to meet some of these creatures!

In Maths, we have been finding fractions of amount.  We have used drawings to help us find 1/4, 2/4 and 3/4's of different amounts.  We then investigated which numbers up to 20 we could find a third of. We encouraged the children to look for patterns in the esults of their investigation and some of them noticed that every third number could be split equally into thirds and some noticed that the numbers were in the three times table.

In Art, we really enjoyed designing our own repeating pattern like those of William Morris that we have looked at.  We drew one design and used tracing paper to repeat the pattern several times to create a tile.

In Science, we carried out an investigation to find out which materials would biodegrade if we buried them in the soil.  We made predictions and then buried a piece of plastic, an apple core and a piece of cardboard.  We are waiting patiently to dig them up and see if our predictions were correct!

This week Year 2 have had fun exploring more about our environment and David Attenborough.

In Topic, we found out more about David Attenborough's life and used a world map to locate countries that he had visited during his career.  We used the maps to identify the continent that each of the countries was found on.  We then chose a county that we were interested in and used iPads to research some interesting facts about the climate and features we might find in that particular place.

In Science, we were thinking about rubbish!  We collected rubbish from our lunches and then sorted it into things that we could recycle, reuse or try to reduce.  We found out that we had a lot of items that we could recycle, such as plastic and paper and lots that we could compost.  We thought about how we could reduce our impact on the environment by doing things like using a reusable water bottle or not wrapping our sandwiches in clingfilm.  The children were very knowledgeable about which items could be recycled and which they might also like to reuse to make something new!

In English, we have started looking at non-chronological reports.  We identified the important features of a report such as: an introduction, sub-headings, technical vocabulary, writing in the third person and including pictures or diagrams.  We then chose a monster from our book 'Where the Wild Things Are' to write a report about.  We used our imagination to plan what our monster might eat, where it lived, what it likes to do and how we could protect it.  Next week, we will be writing a report about our creature.

In Art, we looked for natural and man-made patterns that we could find around the school.  We learnt how to use the iPads to take detailed, close up photos of our patterns.  We worked really hard to get them in focus!

We have been really pleased to have the children back after the Easter holidays and have enjoyed hearing all about their adventures.  This week, we have enjoyed reading our new story 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak.  We learnt the story and then write our own version, adding in detail about the wild things and their rumpus!

In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting two digit numbers by counting on and back in tens and ones.  We have ordered numbers above 100 and found numbers in between two 3-digit numbers.

In Science, we have begun our new topic learning about the environment.  We carried out an experiment to find out more about climate change.  We put one ice cube in a tray with clingfilm over the top and one with nothing and left them in the sun.  We measured how long each ice cube took to melt.  We discovered that the clingfilm acts like a greenhouse, trapping the heat from the sun and it made the ice cube melt faster.  We learnt that the same thing happens in the atmosphere where greenhouse gases trap the heat and are warming up the Earth.

In Art, we have found out about the artist and designer William Morris.  We looked at some of his prints and found symmetry and repeating patterns.