Chestnut Class (Year 2)
Welcome to Chestnut Class 2025/26
In Chestnut Class, we work hard, try our best, and always show kindness and respect to everyone.
Teachers:
Miss India Challis
Teaching Partner:
Class Representatives:
School Council - Theodore and Leo
Eco Team - Bridget and Bella
Summer Term
Summer 1 - Monarchs
This half-term in History, we have had a fantastic time learning about British monarchs. We discovered that a monarch is a king or queen and explored the important roles they play. We learnt about the special coronation ceremony and the main steps involved in crowning a new monarch. We investigated how William the Conqueror became King of England and how he used castles and other methods to maintain control of the country. We also explored how castles have changed over time and discussed how the power of monarchs has developed throughout history, comparing monarchies of the past with the monarchy we have today. As part of our learning, we studied the current Royal Family tree and the relationships between its members, before writing an informative fact file about King Charles III. To celebrate all that we had learnt, we finished the topic by designing and creating our own magnificent crowns, which was a fun and creative way to end a wonderful half-term of History.
Spring Term
Spring 2 - Life Cycles and Health
In this unit, the children were learning about the life cycles of young animals and plants. To engage the children with this science topic, we got some live caterpillars to see how they transformed into a chrysalis and eventually hatch into a butterfly. At the end of the unit, we released the butterflies collectively as a class and watched them fly away. As part of this unit, the children also measured a child from each year group and identified that everyone grows at different rates, irrelevant to their age group.
Spring 1 - Designing and Making Wraps
In this Year 2 Design and Technology unit, the children learnt all about food and nutrition. They explored the different food groups and discussed why it is important to eat a balanced diet. Using this knowledge, the children designed their own healthy wraps, choosing ingredients such as cheese, cucumber and tomatoes. They practised important food preparation skills, including cutting and grating, while working safely and sensibly. The children really enjoyed making their wraps and finished the unit by tasting and evaluating their creations, sharing what they liked and how they could improve their designs next time.
Autumn
Autumn 2 - Map Artwork
In this Year 2 Art unit, the children explored maps and journeys in creative and imaginative ways. They began by sorting and discussing different map images, explaining their ideas and learning that there can be many ways to interpret an image. The children drew maps of their journey to school, using different types of mark-making and including key landmarks. They then explored texture, simple 3D forms and abstract ‘jigsaw’ shapes to recreate maps in new ways. The children designed stained glass–style maps using cellophane and created simple prints, developing their creativity, fine motor skills and confidence.
Autumn 1 - Designing and Building Ferris Wheels!
This half-term, Year 2 have been exploring mechanisms in Design and Technology. The children learnt how wheels and axles work before designing their own Ferris wheels. Working in teams, they used card, dowels, and paper cups to bring their designs to life. Everyone was so proud of their finished models, and we tested each one to make sure it could spin smoothly!