Year 6
Staff: Mrs Kerkham and Mrs Henman
Please click on the items below to find out what Year 6 will be getting up to in the Autumn Term....
Maths and English
Maths:
This half-term Year 6 will continue to work on multiplication and division, after which, we will return to fractions. We will think about multiplication and division of fractions as well as calculating with fractions and finding fractions of an amount. The children will also look at the equivalence between fractions, decimals and percentages and later explore ratio and proportion. We will also look at measures in the context of converting measures and calculating area and volume.
The children will do a ‘Daily Maths Challenge’ (DMC) where they will practise and refine their calculation skills in addition to our ‘Big 25’ arithmetic practice which takes place once a week and a multiplication challenge once a week.
English:
Our English work this half term will revolve around our core text: ‘The Promise’ by Nicola Davies; a story about a young thief who tries to snatch an old woman's bag. She finds she can't have it without promising something in return -to "plant them all". When it turns out the bag is full of acorns, the young thief embarks on a journey that changes her own life and the lives of others for generations to come.
Children will explore the language of the text in order to create a sequel using a synonym of ‘promise’. They will be encouraged to draw upon the figurative language in the book to embed within their own narratives about nature.
We have a Reading lesson every day where we study a piece of text together as a class and practise skills which will help the children to make meaning of the texts that they come across independently. This term our reading text will be ‘Politics for Beginners’ which will link to our work on parliament in Discovery Learning.
Discovery Learning
We will begin to study the biomes of the world and use our reading text ‘Politics for Beginners’ to learn about different types of government and the Parliament.
Science
In science lessons, we will continue to learn about the classification of living things before moving on to explore the ideas of evolution and inheritance. We will look at changes in living things over time, the use of fossil records to inform us of the past and variation and adaptation in plants and animals.
In Woodland sessions, we will consider how to care for our and improve our environment. Our Woodland session will be on a Thursday afternoon. Children wear their Woodland kit and bring a change of outdoor shoes on that day.
General Notices
Reading for Pleasure
We like to nurture a strong ethos of reading for pleasure in the class and encourage regular reading both in and out of school.
We also have a WAW (Wise about Words) story time each day. This may be sharing our class novel or a shorter book from the class collection.
As part of our ongoing drama work with the WAW project, we will be incorporating drama games and techniques to our learning across the curriculum.
Reading is an essential part of every child’s education. We promote reading for pleasure throughout the whole school and encourage the children to read every day. In Year 6, staff members have made a collection of some of their favourite children’s fiction which is available to borrow from the class bookshelves. The children have diary-style planners to keep themselves organised and which are used as reading records for home reading. We also have a ‘library card’ system where children keep a record of the books they have borrowed. The children also have a space within class where they can write recommendations and comments about the books they have read. We expect the children to read regularly at home and to use their Reading Log as a place to reflect on their reading. Reading for pleasure has been proven to benefit children’s mental health and wellbeing and is an indicator for success in later life. We notice in class that children who read more have a wider vocabulary and more ideas for writing as well as being more fluent readers, which really helps with their learning across the curriculum.
An example of some (but not all) of the books we have recommended in the past can be found in the ‘100 book challenge’.
P.E. and Swimming
P.E. lessons on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. They can come to school in their PE kits on those days and bring trainers.
Outdoor Learning
Our woodland work on Monday afternoons will be closely linked to science this half term. Children need to wear their woodland clothes (long sleeves and trousers) to school. Please ensure that they remember to bring in a spare pair of shoes or wellies for outdoor learning.
Class Dojo
Class Dojo will continue to be used this term. It is a great space where you can view photos, videos and information about what is happening in Year 6 and across the school. If you require another invitation, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Home Learning
Homework will be sent home on a Homework Menu and will be linked to the work in class.
Belongings
Please can you ensure that all belongings and named (PE Kits – Wellies – School Uniform – Bags – Coats – Water bottles etc).