Year 6
Team
Hello and welcome to Year 6!
We are really excited to welcome you to our Year 6 page. Here you will find lots of information about the curriculum, our learning in Year 6 and our expectations. As part of the curriculum, children in Year Six are expected to be able to confidently spell a range of words including all of the Year 5/6 spellings. Each week, your child will receive their weekly spellings on Friday and will be tested on these on the following Friday. Please ensure your child is dedicating time to this at home.
Your child’s reading skills are key to their success in school and reading for at least 10 minutes every night – whether this is your child reading independently or through shared experiences – is important. Please sign their reading diary noting what they have read, any comments and perhaps any words that they found difficult.
Homework will also be sent out weekly every Friday and will be expected to be returned the following Thursday. This will be a piece of English and Maths which will help consolidate their learning from that week. The children should be able to complete this independently, but of course support can be given if required.
PE:
Children in 6M and 6CH have PE on a Tuesday afternoon.
Children in 6H and 6V have PE on a Thursday afternoon.
Children are expected to come to school in their PE kits on the day they have PE.
Autumn Term:
Reading – We will be reading Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’.
‘A boy is wrongfully sent to a brutal camp, where the camp warden and her staff force the children in their care to mysteriously dig holes all day long in the desert. Their rehabilitation is questioned, as they think something sinister is involved.’
We will be reading Polly Ho Yen’s ‘Boy in the Tower’.
‘When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down. Now their tower isn't safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there's no way out...’
English – We look at Alfred Noyes’ narrative poem ‘The Highwayman’. We learn the poem as a class and explore the archaic language used. From that, we create a diary entry and a newspaper report.
The poem, set in 18th-century rural England, tells the story of an unnamed highwayman who is in love with Bess, an innkeeper's daughter. Betrayed to the authorities by Tim, a jealous ostler, the highwayman escapes ambush when Bess sacrifices her life to warn him. Learning of her death, he is killed in a futile attempt at revenge.
We then look to our Geography unit on the ‘Galapagos’ to provide inspiration for the creation of a non-chronological report about the infamous Galapagos marine iguana.
Finally, we finish the term by exploring the short film of ‘Alma’ to inspire a piece of narrative writing about a little girl called Alma who ventures into town in the snow. She is drawn to a shop window by a familiar looking doll. Upon entering the shop, she quickly realises it is no ordinary toyshop and that escape may not be an option…
History – We take a chronological journey back in time to learn about crime and punishment through the ages from the brutality of the Anglo Saxons, to Henry VIII’s terrifying Tudor reign to modern day Britain’s use of the police and court systems.
Geography – We are travelling to the South American continent to study the Galapagos Islands and Charles Darwin’s historic ‘Voyage of the Beagle’.
Science –
Light up your World – Children will be expanding on content they learnt in Year3 ad will answer questions such as: How does light travel? What happens when light is reflected? Can we see around corners? What is darkness? How are shadows formed?
Nature Library – Children will learn to classify plants and animals based on the characteristics they possess.
Art – We create 3D structures of dome volcanoes much like the ones found on the Galapagos Islands.
DT – We will be using cams to design and create a mechanical, interactive children’s toy.
RE – ‘Can religions help people when times get hard?’ Year 6 will be tackling this question and looking in depth at Christian, Hindu and non-religious responses to this. Pupils will endeavour to explore ‘What can we learn from religion about temptation?’ focusing on both Christian and Muslim teachings and beliefs.
PSHE – In PSHE, Year 6 are discussing Families and Friendships (to include the subjects of: attraction to others; romantic relationships; and civil partnerships and marriage), Safe Relationships (recognising and managing pressure and consent in different situations) and Respecting Ourselves and Others (expressing opinions an respecting others’ points of view).
Computing – In Computing, children will spend time revisiting ‘Online Safety’ looking at: the benefits and risks of using the internet and devices, the meaning of a digital footprint, appropriate online behaviour and the importance of balancing screen time with other parts of their lives to ensure a healthy lifestyle.
