Year 6
English
In English, our class text is ‘The Place for Me: Stories about the Windrush Generation’ by Dame Floella Bejamin et al. With a forward from Dame Floella Bejamin, this book contains twelve stories from the Windrush generation and celebrates how immigrants to Britain have enriched British life and culture. In our writing lessons this half term we will be practising and incorporating our grammar and sentence skills to produce an information leaflet about a period in Black history. Through regular practise, we will be trying to use the following in our extended writing:
- Use expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
- Apply persuasive language
- Use passive verbs
- Link ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive devices
- Use clear organisational features
Mathematics
This half term we will be studying Fractions:
- Simplifying fractions
- Fractions on a number line
- Comparing and ordering fractions
- Adding and subtracting fractions
- Problem solving with fractions
- Plotting coordinates in the first quadrant
- Plotting coordinates
- Plotting translations and reflections
- Reasoning about shapes with coordinates
Fluency skills
Each week, we practise and refine our fluency skills in our ‘Minute Maths’ sessions and complete weekly arithmetic tests every Friday.
Times Tables and TT Rock Stars
Learning and knowing your Times Tables is important because:
- It makes mental arithmetic easier and faster
- It helps children to understand number and number relationships, and to see patterns
- It is fundamental to many maths topics, such as fractions, division, and reasoning
- It can boost their confidence and prepare them for adult life
Pupils are encouraged to practise their multiplication and division skills by regularly logging on to TT Rock Stars to master these vital skills.
At home
At home you could help your child(ren) by encouraging them to log on to TT Rock Stars each evening and practise for 10 minutes each evening. Little and often is key
RE
This half term our topic is Justice. The children will learn that God called the prophets from the Old Testament and learn about the different ways they responded. They will learn that the prophets spoke out against injustice and that some prophets were persecuted because they spoke out.
They will learn that Christians are called to work for justice and find out about individuals who have been persecuted for speaking out against injustice.
The children will learn that Advent is a time of waiting and hoping for the birth of the Messiah at Christmas and understand that the birth of Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies.
At home:
You could help your children by:
• thinking about how your family could support the work of CAFOD • visit www.cafod.org.uk to learn more about CAFOD and its work in the developing world
• include an intention for people fighting injustice in your prayers with the children.
Science
Our topic is Living things and their habitats. This topic will help the children identify kingdoms of life to classify living things within those kingdoms. The children will be introduced to the Linnean system of classification and will be able to develop their practical scientific skills through investigating mould growth on bread and mushroom spore dispersal
Geography
In Geography we will be looking at Why population changes. The children will be able to:
- Identify the most densely and sparsely populated areas
- Describe what might influence the environments people live in
- Define birth and death rates
- Define migration-push and pull factors
- Explain why some people have no choice but to leave their homes
- Discuss causes of climate change and its impact on the global population
Design & Technology
In our DT lessons we are making waistcoats! The children will be designing their own waistcoat in accordance with a specification and design criteria to fit a specific theme. The children will be:
- Annotating designs.
- Using a template when pinning panels onto fabric.
- Marking and cutting fabric accurately, in accordance with a design.
- Sewing a strong running stitch, making small, neat stitches and following the edge.
- Tying strong knots.
- Decorating a waistcoat – attaching objects using thread and adding a secure fastening.
- Learning different decorative stitches.
- Sewing accurately with even regularity of stitches.
- Evaluating work continually as it is created.
Homework
Each Friday, your child will come home with homework tasks based on that week’s learning.
This may consist of:
- Spellings
- A reading comprehension which relates to work already covered in class
- A piece of maths depending on what the current maths focus is
- Grammar
At home
Ways you can support your child(ren)
- Ensure there is a quiet place and set time at home each evening for them to complete/practise homework tasks.
- Discuss the homework tasks with your child