Welcome to Year 6

Class Teacher:  Miss Shotton

Autumn Term

Welcome to Year 6! I hope you have had a wonderful Summer and are rested and ready for an exciting final year in Primary School! On this page you will find all the information about what we are learning in class and also key information like dates and spellings lists.

Key Dates:

PE - Friday

PGL - Monday 19th October - Wednesday 21st October 

Here are some useful reminders and links to web pages for you:

• TTRockstars for times table practice.
• Reading eggs for online reading and comprehension practice.
• Mymaths for online mathematical activities.

English

During our English learning this half term, we will begin learning from our new text Rose Blanche. The story follows a young German girl living during World War II who begins to question what is happening around her. Throughout this unit, we will explore the thoughts, feelings and experiences of Rose as we develop our understanding of life during wartime. We will use our knowledge to write a diary entry in character as Rose, capturing her experiences and emotions.

Key skills we will be focussing on are:

• Describing a setting using ambitious and descriptive vocabulary
• Using a variety of sentence types for effect
• Writing in character and conveying thoughts and feelings
• Using paragraphs to organise our writing clearly
• Writing a diary entry using the appropriate features and language

We will continually be revising all our Year 6 reading skills through our guided reading sessions this year. This half term, we will be focusing on:

- Using the context of a sentence to work out the meaning of a word

- Retrieving key details from a text 

- Make predictions based on details that have been read

Maths

During our Maths learning this half term, we will begin by developing our understanding of place value and exploring numbers up to 10,000,000. We will use our knowledge of the value of digits to read, write, compare and order numbers, as well as round numbers to different degrees of accuracy. We will then move on to the four operations, developing our fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and applying these skills to solve a range of problems.

Key skills we will be focussing on are:

• Reading, writing and understanding numbers up to 10,000,000
• Understanding the value of each digit in a number
• Comparing and ordering numbers using <, > and =
• Rounding numbers to different powers of 10
• Solving addition and subtraction calculations using formal written methods
• Multiplying multi-digit numbers using a formal written method
• Dividing numbers using short and long division
• Using estimation and checking strategies to identify errors
• Solving multi-step problems involving the four operations
• Applying our calculation skills to a range of real-life problems

Here are some useful websites:

https://ttrockstars.com/

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games

https://nrich.maths.org/

Science

During our Science learning this half term, we will be exploring our new unit, ‘Evolution and Inheritance’. We will investigate how living things have changed over time and explore how fossils provide evidence of evolution. We will learn about the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace and consider how living things have adapted to their environments. We will also explore how characteristics are inherited from parents and how variation can occur within a species.

Key skills we will be focussing on are:

• Understanding how living things have changed over time
• Using fossils as evidence for evolution
• Learning about the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
• Understanding how living things adapt to their environments
• Explaining how characteristics are inherited from parents
• Understanding that offspring are similar to, but not identical to, their parents
• Recognising how variation occurs within species
• Explaining how adaptations can help living things survive
• Using scientific vocabulary to explain ideas clearly
• Making predictions, drawing conclusions and using evidence to support our ideas

Topic

During our Topic learning this half term, we will be exploring the Second World War through both History and Geography. In History, we will learn about the causes of the war, key events and significant people, including Neville Chamberlain. We will explore what life was like during the Blitz and evacuation, and consider the impact the war had on people in Britain and across the world. In Geography, we will use maps to explore the countries and places involved in the conflict, investigate why Britain was difficult to invade and develop our understanding of the geographical impact of the war.

Key skills we will be focussing on are:

• Understanding the main causes and events of the Second World War
• Developing our knowledge of key people and their roles during the war
• Using timelines to understand the chronology of events
• Exploring what life was like during the Blitz and evacuation
• Understanding the impact of the war on Britain and the wider world
• Using maps and atlases to locate countries and places involved in the war
• Understanding how geographical features influenced events during the war
• Using geographical vocabulary to describe and explain locations
• Using historical sources to investigate and interpret the past
• Comparing different perspectives and experiences of people during World War II
• Developing our ability to explain historical events using evidence

RE

In our RE learning this half term, our unit is 'To the Ends of the Earth. We will begin by discussing our gifts and talents and how we can use them for good. We will be learning about the role of a disciple, what happened during Pentecost, the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and how Saints show good discipleship. 

PSHE and Mindfulness

Inter weaved throughout all of our topics is the importance of self-care and reflection. At home we encourage you  to use a  journal to write down our thoughts, feelings and emotions which is key to regulating how we are throughout each day like we do in class. Additionally, we will post some online meditation and yoga you can practice at home.

Homework

Here are the Home Learning tasks that pupils should complete each week. If you need any support accessing these resources, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

1) Reading - Pupils should be reading for 10-15 minutes every night. Pupils can change their books as and when they need to in the Class Library or the KS2 Library. Year 6 pupils are welcome to bring in books from home. Please help your child to record their reading in their Reading Record. Listening to your child read can support their fluency, develop their comprehension skills, and help them to progress. 

2. Reading Eggs – Children have a weekly comprehension assignment to complete on Reading Eggs.

Reading eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.

3. My Maths  - Children have a weekly assignment to complete on MyMaths that will help them to practise the skills we have been learning in school. 

Pupils can also access Mathseeds (using their Reading Eggs login) and TT Rockstars for fluency practice.

4. Spellings – practice daily

Pupils have 10 spellings to learn per week, on which they will be tested every Friday. A PDF copy of the spellings is available below. 

5. Learning logs –  In Autumn 2 (November - December), pupils will have a home learning project to complete. At the end of the half-term, they willl bring in their project to share and celebrate with their peers.