Summer Week 4: by Mr Garbutt

 Dear Class 2 parents,

Hopefully all is well and you’ve had a positive week.

Science.
This week the children learnt more about habitats, with our learning objective: “To learn about different ocean animals and understand how an ocean habitat meets their basic needs.”  All pupils engaged deeply with this lesson, showing tremendous care and effort in both their learning and their final outcomes.

We explored how big the ocean is, how deep it can be, and the variety of ecosystems found around the world. The children uncovered different animals that live in British waters ,  for example, the basking shark, known as the “gentle giant”. It is the second‑largest living fish in the ocean (after the whale shark) and is famous for swimming slowly near the surface with its huge mouth wide open to filter‑feed on plankton. We also looked at the creatures that live on the sea floor, with the class favourite being the unsung hero of the dogfish. Children then worked in groups to create posters of an ocean ecosystem, thinking carefully about coral, surface‑dwelling animals, bottom‑dwelling creatures, and the plants that grow in these environments.

If your child would like to learn more at home, I highly recommend Blue Planet II (2017). It’s a fantastic series showcasing the incredible variety of marine life and ocean ecosystems across the world.

Maths:

Year 1: Our focus this week has been counting equal groups and adding them together. As usual, the children showed high levels of attainment. It was a tricky topic, but everyone contributed brilliantly and showed real effort ; well done Year 1, top‑notch work.

To keep building confidence at home, biscuits can be surprisingly helpful. Many types — fig rolls, Jammie Dodgers mini‑packs, chocolate fingers — are already arranged in equal groups inside the packet. Children can look at the biscuits and say:
“There are ___ groups of ___ biscuits. There are ___ altogether.”

This turns an everyday snack into a quick moment of counting equal groups and repeated addition.

Year 2: This week I’ve seen a lot of character, especially perseverance. Our learning objective was “Finding three‑quarters of shapes, objects and quantities.” There was some confusion at first, but the children’s determination to keep going was a real testament to their work ethic. Their progress has been phenomenal — well done Year 2.

At home, items like ice‑cube trays and egg boxes are perfect for practising finding ¾. Children can count the total spaces, divide them into four equal groups, and then fill three of those groups. Using the stem sentence helps: “One quarter is __. Three‑quarters is __.”

Year 2 spellings:  This week we focused on when the letter ‘o’ makes the short ‘u’ sound, often before v, n, m, or th. We explored words such as monkey, honey, done, and dozen.

Year 1 phonics: we are really beginning practice for the phonics screening check now, so the children have been reading lots of alien and real words using the graphemes they already know. 

Hopefully, if you scan the QR code below it will take you to some practice:

A note from me: 
As next week will be my last week, I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all the children and staff.

The children have been so accommodating and cooperative throughout my placement. Their optimism, high spirits and positivity have made each day a joy, and it has been a refreshing environment to learn in. Getting to know them and seeing how the school nurtures character, learning and inclusivity has been a truly enlightening experience.

Coming to Little Houghton has also brought back many fond memories, as I attended a small mixed‑age village school in Northamptonshire myself. This placement has reminded me how important small schools are in creating supportive environments and building confidence and positivity in young children.

Thank you again for making my placement such a rewarding and memorable experience.

Mr Garbutt