Any year 2 teachers willing to help me please!

[choc27]

I am moving to year 2 in September after being in Nursery for a while. I was hoping some year 2 teachers could share their routines and bits and bobs with me. I am OK with the teaching side, it's the running of the day I would like to hear different ideas on. Eg what monitors do you have? What systems do you have for giving out and collecting books in lessons. What do the children do when they arrive in the morning? How do you organise going out to lunch and break? Homework systems? Hearing readers etc
Anything else you can think of? I won't get much chance to observe in the class before summer and want to hear a few different ideas.
Thanks for any help in advance!

I texted my sister to ask (she taught year 2) and she said:

-children came in in the morning. hung things up on named pegs, then sat down and did the activity on the board (eg: a verbal reasoning problem, spot the difference etc) whilst everyone arrived
-she picked 3 children each week to be book collector, book giver and line leader. she had a sign like this for each responsibility and wrote up the name of the child she had picked each week.
-at break and lunch, she would tell the kids to line up (line leader at the front) by the door. she then would give each child a high five as they went out of the door to break.
-her TA would hear readers during English lessons for 5 minutes each. she had a laminated list with each child's name and used a whiteboard pen to tick next to which child had read that day.

what would you like to know about homework?

all the best x

My DS1 is in year 2. Homework is a worksheet of something they’ve done in class which is put in a cardboard folder in bookbag in a Friday and needs to be in on a Monday. Spellings on a Monday - we get the week lists for the whole half term. Reading folder books changed once a week

about the homework, i'm not sure what you want to know but my sister gave each child one of these wallets which had their name on, and that was their homework folder. they also had a little book like this and they got a printed out spelling list to stick in to their book each week (they got the spellings on a monday and the test was on friday). helped the children learn to glue quickly/not use too much glue etc. the list also had 2 blank spaces at the bottom, where the children added in their own spelling words they wished to learn that week. homework was a half maths, half english sheet (she put a worksheet like this on one side and an english one on the other. not too long but it let the children practice both) it was to do with that they did in class. The homework was given on a friday and had to be in for monday. hope this helped x

Ah thank you for the input, that's great! Yes I was wondering how many days they had to complete homework, that sort of thing.
Thanks again, keep them coming!

As a parent I would request giving adequate time for homework. Some families are really busy at the weekend and some families really busy during the week. Our school did Thursday to Tuesday which was perfect. Enough options for most families to support their child in completing work and time to mark it as well.

I find they love independence at this age. But they also want a mile if given an inch!

Morning activity on board and then group activity - 2 minute shakedown or something. Look up Debbie soo on you tube.

Sit for register.
Good morning to teacher and everyone and state lunch choice. Some use carpet but I think they are better on chairs and then transition to carpet for input of first lesson.
Natural movement breaks and sensory input for those who need it!

Jobs list on board and either laminate and write names or use their picture.

Ideas:
Register monitor
Snack monitor - give it out
Give out books
Collect in books
Washer uppers for snack
Pencil monitor (sharpen at end of day)
Line leader
Back of line
Chair monitors (stack at end of day 2-3 pupils)

You can either rotate or have it as earning responsibility by being responsible.

Also they love class rewards. Marble jar etc.
Make it clear what marbles are for. 3 clear class expectations.

Have a timer on whiteboard. So when you say sit for register the countdown if 2 minutes begins. Marble of all there.

Marble rewards don't need to be costly. It can be watching a favourite band, 5 minutes of funny poems.

Have a clear routine and assume they'll follow it. Clear consequences for not. I hate the cloud and sun because it has more negative sides. But it can be everyone starts in the golden square and have golden time on Friday. Anyone who doesn't follow routine moves to plain square. But they move straight to golden square for following instruction.

I also do quiet talking. So if all are sitting down before lunch I quietly tell a child to line up, then the next etc those who aren't quiet soon cotton on and behave to get in line!!!

@lorisparkle I waa thinking that, alot of our kids go to dad's etc at weekend and don't take homework with them. Thursday to Tuesday sounds perfect.

@youarenotkiddingme thank you for all those ideas. I am writing down everything I like in a nice new notebook!

I'm thrilled to be staying put in year 2 next year, it's my favourite year!

Any tips @waterlemon30?

@Choc27

Moved to year 4 now but spent most of my time with yr 2. A few tips:

1. Sit them boy girl boy girl
2. In the morning I used to put some kind of challenge on the board that they could figure out to keep occupied whilst I did register.
3. Do maths in a morning and English after playtime before they get tired and lose concentration.
4. Reading after lunch.
5. Make it clear you expect them to use the loo during playtime and lunch and you won't let them during remind them of this before playtime and lunchtime ( Always give them a short break in the afternoon if one is not scheduled).

• Won't let them during class.

Great tips, thanks!

@Choc 27

I have also Pm you ! Do you know much about your class yet ? X

Pm'ed you back!