Dear Parents,
A warm welcome to Year 6! We are looking forward to working with your children this year and hope you find the following information useful.
As well as myself Mrs Bowen, Year 6 will be taught by Mrs Davis on Monday afternoon. Mrs House is our Teacher Assistant. Please continue to use the home-school books for any messages or questions you may have. Please ensure all clothing is clearly labelled. A selection of fruit continues to be sold at breaktimes by Year 6 for 30 pence, or the children are welcome to bring their own. We encourage the children to drink water during the day and they may bring in their own water bottle.
This year the school will continue to promote the initiative of walk a mile to improve their general health and wellbeing. This involves the children walking a mile every morning before lesson start, therefore please ensure the children wear sensible footwear.
Monday – Recorders, violins
Tuesday – Topic homework –in by Thursday
Wednesday – PE Kit needed
Thursday
Friday – P.E – kit needed, Maths homework
P.E Kit –shorts/white t-shirt, suitable footwear. Warm clothing during the colder months.
The homework set will always be linked to what is being learnt in the classroom and frequently the children are required to carry out research for thematic and language work in class. We understand that is is sometime not possible to complete homework, if this is the case can you please let us know via the home school link book or the class dojo website. Children who consistetly fail to complete homework will be required to complete it during their break times.
All the children will benefit from continued reading support, sharing of books and learning of times tables.
Our class author is Michael Morpurgo and the children will enjoy a selection of his books throughout the year.
Many thanks for your continued support,
Mrs Bowen.
Here is some of our work!
Revolution
- Find out about health and medicine in Victorian times, including the deadly diseases such as typhoid, smallpox, influenza and cholera. It was pretty grim!
- Find out about famous women of the Victorian era, such as Betsi Cadwaladr, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the Brontë sisters, George Eliot (whose real name was Mary Ann Evans) and Mrs Beeton.
- Read some abridged Charles Dickens. Write a review to appeal to other children and give them a thumbs-up or star rating.
- Make some simple Victorian recipes including apple Charlotte, Banbury cakes and custard patties. Create a recipe book using photos of your creations.
- Find out about Victorian railways using Bradshaw’s Guide. Read the town descriptions in the original guides and see how much these places have changed using modern information sources.
- Write a newspaper article about the London matchgirls’ strike of 1888. Find out about the gruesome side-effects of phosphorous on the health of the girls in the factory. Why not create a campaign poster to help advertise the strike?
- Dysgwch am iechyd a meddyginiaeth yn oes Fictoria, gan gynnwys yr afiechydon marwol fel teiffoid, y frech wen, ffliw a cholera. Roedd yn eithaf ofnadwy!
- Dysgwch am fenywod enwog oes Fictoria, fel Betsi Cadwaladr, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, y chwiorydd Brontë, George Eliot (ei henw iawn oedd Mary Ann Evans) a Mrs Beeton.
- Darllenwch fersiynau cryno o rai o weithiau Charles Dickens. Ysgrifennwch adolygiad i apelio at blant eraill a rhowch fawd i fyny neu sgôr sêr iddynt.
- Gwnewch ryseitiau Fictoraidd syml gan gynnwys Charlotte afal, cacennau Banbury a phatis cwstard. Crëwch lyfr ryseitiau gan ddefnyddio ffotograffau o’ch creadigaethau.
- Dysgwch am reilffyrdd oes Fictoria gan ddefnyddio Bradshaw’s Guide. Darllenwch y disgrifiadau o’r trefi yn yr arweinlyfrau gwreiddiol a gweld faint mae’r lleoedd hyn wedi newid gan ddefnyddio ffynonellau gwybodaeth modern.
- Ysgrifennwch erthygl bapur newydd am streic merched matsys Llundain yn 1888. Dysgwch am sgil-effeithiau erchyll y ffosfforws ar iechyd y merched yn y ffatri. Beth am greu poster ymgyrchu i helpu i hysbysebu’r streic?
Frozen Kingdom
Welcome to the planet’s coldest lands, which are incredibly beautiful, yet often deadly. This half term, we’ll start by making and observing icebergs. We’ll then find out more about them using non-fiction books. We’ll learn technical vocabulary so we can write reports in the role of engineers. Using globes and maps, we’ll identify the polar regions, comparing the Arctic and Antarctic. We’ll also think about how we can protect the polar environment. Then, we’ll investigate the tragic story of the RMS Titanic, and find out about the people on board. We’ll download images of polar features and save our information in digital folders. When we’re more familiar with the polar regions, we’ll write exciting stories, poems and diary entries from the perspective of brave explorers. Researching our favourite polar animals will be fun, and we’ll create animal artwork inspired by the Inuit people. We’ll experiment with digital photography and create amazing effects using paints and dyes. At the end of the ILP, we’ll present what we have learned and construct a large-scale model of an igloo!
Help your child prepare for their project
This half term, we’re going to learn about the coldest places on Earth. Why not watch a documentary such as the BBC Frozen Planet series together? You could also freeze pieces of fruit with fruit juice in lolly moulds, to create frozen treats with a hidden surprise. Alternatively, work together to create a snowy collage.
Darwin’s Delights
Ship ahoy! We’re off on an exciting journey with Charles Darwin and his crew on the HMS Beagle. During this half term, we’re going to investigate a range of animal specimens, describing the characteristics of the creatures, and labelling their body parts using software. We’ll use a range of non-fiction books to investigate adaptation, natural selection, variation and inheritance. After examining letters and journal entries written by Darwin, we’ll write our own examples. We’ll collect natural items and discover what plants live around our school. We’ll retrace Darwin’s steps using maps and create sketchbooks to record the plants, flowers and trees we encounter. Using maps and globes, we’ll plan an expedition. What will the weather be like and what physical and man-made features might we encounter? At the end of the ILP, we’ll think about why the Galapagos Islands developed such diverse animal life, and why they might be under threat. We’ll also think about what Darwin would have worked on if he were alive today. How would he use our technology?
Help your child prepare for their project
Darwin was a world-renowned naturalist, geologist and physicist, and we’re going to follow in his footsteps. Why not collect samples of plant life from your garden and see if you can identify them? You could make detailed sketches of the plants you find, just like Darwin. Alternatively, visit a museum that has fossils on display. What can you learn about the animals from which they were formed?
Test Information
REASONING
Here are sample questions from Reasoning Papers.
PROCEDURE
Here are sample questions from Procedure Papers.
Reading
Here are sample questions from Reading Papers.
Alchemy Island
WE’RE GOING ON A MAGICAL JOURNEY TO FIND THE GOLD HIDDEN SOMEWHERE ON ALCHEMY ISLAND.
This half term, a mysterious visitor will arrive to present us with artefacts from the island. Reading stories set in fantasy worlds will inspire our story openings. We’ll manipulate digital photographs, adding fantastical special effects. Our geography skills will improve as we look closely at maps of Alchemy Island, plotting routes and using coordinates. We’ll examine samples from the island, explore the properties of materials and experiment with changes of state. If we’re going to find gold, we’d better find out all about it! In English we’ll write soliloquies and poems inspired by the island’s magical powers and dramatic landscape. The coding programme Scratch will help us to plot and correct errors in our route, and we’ll use technology to create beautiful digital images. We’ll compose raps and use sound effects and mood music to reflect the atmosphere on Alchemy Island.
At the end of the project, we’ll perform songs about our amazing adventure and present what we have learned. We’ll design a map for a new app and a board game based on our adventures.
| ILP focus | Expressive arts |
| Languages, literacy and communication | Fantasy narrative, non-chronological reports, soliloquies, poetry, lyrics |
| Expressive arts | Composing, recording and editing software, atmospheric music, graphic scores |
| Science and technology | Electrical circuits, designing a board game, digital photography, debugging programs, gaming, properties and changes of materials, working scientifically |
| Humanities | Map reading, using co-ordinates, using human and physical features |
| Mathematics and numeracy | Using co-ordinates, measurement |
Help your child prepare for their project
Start your mysterious journey to Alchemy Island at home! Why not investigate foods together that change state when they are heated or cooled? You could also visit the library to find a book to read together which is set in a fantasy world. Alternatively, create a map of your own fantasy island – what landmarks will you include?
