Year 2 English
Discover what your child will learn in Year 2 English
In year two, children improve their English skills mainly by using them in critical thinking activities. From diving into books and exploring different points of view, to mastering the use of contractions and possessives, young learners will sharpen their communication skills and gain confidence in expressing their thoughts.
Reading
In Year 2, children are exposed to various writing styles, broadening their vocabulary and getting to know:
- single-syllable words with long and short vowels
- two-syllable words
- prefixes and suffixes
- synonyms and antonyms
- verb tenses
Students are encouraged to read short stories, poetry, informational pieces and other text types, becoming familiar with nuances of each writing style. They are then expected to answer (verbally, and in writing) reading comprehension questions on these texts that begin with "how", "when", "where", "why", and "who".
Reading fluency is a big focus point in year two. As their sight word knowledge grows, children will begin reading more smoothly, enabling them to pace appropriately, and add intonation and emotion during read-aloud activities.
Spelling
In Year 2, children focus on reinforcing their knowledge of phonics, learning new spelling patterns and finding out about alternative spellings for sounds. They're also encouraged to keep working with prefixes ("re-", "un-") and suffixes ("-ed," "-ing," and "-less"), applying basic rules for modifying root words before adding suffixes, such as dropping an end "e" when adding "-ing".
Another area of spelling they focus on is practising their consonant blends, being introduced to the consonant l-e syllable type, and working with r-controlled vowels. Students in Year 2 are encouraged to use dictionaries to check and correct their spellings, as well as to learn abbreviations and compound words, developing independency.
Grammar
Year 2 grammar encourages children to expand their knowledge of different parts of speech, including irregular plural nouns like 'feet' and collective nouns such as 'choir.' Reflexive pronouns (e.g., 'himself,' 'themselves') are introduced to avoid repetition. They also learn about homophones, distinguishing between words like 'to,' 'too,' and 'two.'
Children focus on subject-verb agreement and proper use of different parts of speech, including pronouns. They learn both regular and irregular past tense verbs (e.g., 'walked' vs. 'went'), and begin to understand the difference between adjectives and adverbs.
More complex parts of speech are also introduced. Conjunctions like 'and,' 'but,' and 'because' help children connect ideas in sentences. Prepositions such as 'in,' 'on,' and 'under' describe relationships between words. Interjections like 'Wow!' or 'Oh no!' are explored to express strong emotions in writing.
By mastering these concepts, young learners can create more grammatically sophisticated and expressive sentences.
Punctuation
Year 2 students also focus on building their understanding of basic punctuation, using it consistently and effectively in their writing. At this stage, they should use full stops, question marks, exclamation points, and correct capitalisation to make sure their sentences are structured correctly. They will continue learning about commas, especially in the context of letter writing, where commas are used in dates, greetings, and closings.
Another development in Year 2 is the introduction of apostrophes. Children learn how apostrophes are used to indicate possession (e.g. "Bertie's umbrella"), and in contractions, such as shortening 'does not' to 'doesn’t'.
Writing
Year 2 writing is all about consolidating skills covered in Year 1, especially when it comes to opinion, informative and narrative writing.
In opinion writing, children in Year 2 learn how to state their opinions, support them with reasons, and conclude their arguments effectively. They will be expected to demonstrate logical reasoning, using context clues to strengthen their arguments, and incorporating appropriate conjunctions like 'because' and 'also.'
For informative writing, children should gather and organize information on a topic to write clear and structured articles, often requiring the inclusion of titles, sub-headings, and diagrams, while ensuring their work is composed of complete sentences.
In narrative writing, children are encouraged to craft stories with a clear structure, while adding descriptive details about characters, settings, and emotions. They also begin to make inferences about character motives and plot developments to enrich their stories.
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