Year 6

SPRING TERM 1 - THEME OVERVIEW

In Spring Term 1, our theme is “I Have a Dream...", which is a thematic unit, based on issues of discrimination, particularly apartheid and anti-semitism, with a key subject focus on history. Pupils will learn about the factors that contribute towards discrimination and why different groups have been stereotyped and, as a result, persecuted and badly treated.

The subjects included in this thematic unit are art, geography,  music, science and PSHE. Breadth comes, not only from the range of subjects offered, but also from their careful integration, leading to more connected thinking. Global Dimensions help pupils develop a wider perspective and understand the links between their own lives and those of people around the world.

Here is our curriculum letter which provides an over view for the spring term  which provides an overview of the learning covered in all subjects. 

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Year 6 Curriculum Overview spring term 

Year 6 Spring term Curriculum Letter

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SPELLINGS 

Here is our spelling overview for the first half term of spring (Spring Term 1). Spelling tests are carried out on Wednesdays and the new spellings to be tested for the following week are handed out to the children to take home. Please ensure that your child practices and learns their spellings and pattern/ rule each week. Writing them down will also help to  improve their handwriting which should be joined and have consistency of letter size. Dates are not included in the overview but, as an example, Week 1 will be tested in week 1 of the term and so on. 

Year 6 spring term 1 spellings 2023/2024

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ENGLISH AND READING

Our class novel for the Autumn Term 1 is 'Wonder' by RJ Palacio. The genre is contemporary children's literature (fiction). The themes of the novel are prejudice, self- acceptance, middle school, friendship and bullying. All of our English lessons will be based around this book. 

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Year 6 Five Class Reads

In Year 6, our five class reads for Spring Term 1 are: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson;  The Island by Armin Greder; Humpty Dumpty Lived Near a Wall by Derek  Hughes; Freedom We Sing by Amyra León; and How to live forever by Colin Thompson

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PHOTOGRAPHS

Take a look at some of the fun things that we have done so far in the first half of the spring term. 

ART - Wire sculpting 

We learned all about Pietro D'Angelo and his artwork.  He created some amazing 3D pieces using paperclips.  We practised different techniques following instructions on how to create giraffes.  These techniques will help us when we create our own 3D wire sculptures. 

SCIENCE - Acting pollination process

We have been learning about how the life cycles of different animals and how they produce offspring.  Today, we learned how flowering plants reproduce.  We read about it, placed cards in the correct order, acted out the process and then created storyboards to demonstrate our understanding.  

MATHS - Percentages with poppits

We used 100 bubble poppits to learn about percentages and the connection between decimals, percentages and fractions.  

HISTORY - Nelson Mandela timeline

As part of our learning in theme lessons (history), we have found out about apartheid in South Africa.  We learned about Nelson Mandela and his fight against apartheid.  We researched key events in his life and, in groups, we created posters to create a group timeline. 

AUTUMN TERM 1 - THEME OVERVIEW 

In Autumn Term 1, our theme is "Wars of the World” which is  a thematic unit, based on conflicts past and present, with a key focus on history and geography. Pupils will learn about the root causes of war and have an understanding of its impact, focusing on the two World Wars in particular. They will also learn about civil wars and look at examples, before focusing on present day warfare. pacifism and the importance of peace will also form part of the theme.

CURRICULUM LETTER 

Here is out curriculum letter for the first half term which provides an overview of the children's learning for all subjects. 

Year 6 Curriculum Autumn 2023

SPELLINGS 

Here is our spelling overview for the first half term (Autumn 1).  Spellings tests are carried out on Wednesdays and new spellings are taught and handed out to the children to take home.  Please ensure that your child practices and learns the spelling pattern/rule each week to help improve their general spelling when writing. Please note that dates are not included in the overview.  As an example, week 1 spellings are handed out on week 1 and then children carry out the test on week 2 (the following week) and so on. 

YEAR 6 AUTUMN 1 SPELLINGS 2023

ENGLISH AND READING 

Our class novel for Autumn Term 1 is Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll.  The genre is historical fiction and all of our English lessons will be based around this book. 

Year 6 Five Class Reads

In Year 6, our five class reads for Autumn Term 1 are: If the World Were 100 People by Jackie McCann | Wisp by Zana Fraillon | Dreams of Freedom by Amnesty International | Where the Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Robinson | When I Was a Child by Andy StantonIf the World Were 100 People by Jackie McCann | Wisp by Zana Fraillon | Dreams of Freedom by Amnesty International | Where the Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Robinson | When I Was a Child by Andy Stanton

PHOTOGRAPHS

Take a look at some of the fun and exciting things we have done this half term...

HISTORY - World War workshop 

As part of our theme, we learned about all different wars, including the 2 world wars.  We had a special visitor who came into school to teach us more.  We had the opportunity to hear stories, play games, dress up  and handle a variety of artefacts. 

SCIENCE - Comparative and Fair Test 

We have been learning about light and how it travels and then thought about how reflective materials are.  We placed different t materials inside a 'blackout' bucket and shone a torch inside.  We looked through a 'spy hole' to see how well we could see each materials and rated using a scale of 0 - 10. 

SCIENCE - Exploring. 

We learned about how light travels by setting up a practical  experiment.  We used black cards with holes in the centre and a target.  We aimed a torch through the holes when lined up and were able to light up the target.  When the holes were misaligned, the target was not lit up. We drew diagrams showing how light appears to travel in straight lines. 

MATHS - Practical work with Gattegno charts. 

We were using Gattegno charts to explore multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, 1,000,  10,000 and 100,000.  We used counters to help us work through the chart.

HISTORY AND ENGLISH (Speaking and Listening) 

As part of our learning about World War 2, we researched different people from Bolton who lived during that war.  We then explored their thoughts and feelings through 'hot-seating'  which involves role-playing those people in an interview scenario. 

HISTORY - The American Civil War. 

We learned about what a civil war is and found out about some famous ones that have taken place in history.  We then learned more about The American Civil War and researched some of the key figures involved.  We shared our findings with the rest of the class. 

GEOGRAPHY - Current wars of the world. 

We learned more about war and about current conflicts in the world.  We used a conflict tracker website to find out where there is current conflict and labelled on a world map.  We then found out more details about why the war is happening. 

AUTUMN TERM 2 - THEME OVERVIEW 

Time Team  is a history and geography based unit which involves looking at our local area of Bolton.  The children will be carrying out fieldwork in our local area and will research a famous person from Bolton (Samuel Crompton).  They will also be considering the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Britain and Bolton and Samuel Crompton's role with the invention of the Spinning Mule. 

SPELLINGS 

Here is our spelling overview for the first half term (Autumn 1).  Spellings tests are carried out on Wednesdays and new spellings are taught and handed out to the children to take home.  Please ensure that your child practices and learns the spelling pattern/rule each week to help improve their general spelling when writing. Please note that dates are not included in the overview.  As an example, week 1 spellings are handed out on week 1 and then children carry out the test on week 2 (the following week) and so on. 

AUTUMN_2_OVERVIEW(1).pdf

HOMEWORK

English and maths homework is handed out every week on a Wednesday and should be handed in by the following Monday.  As well as this weekly homework, there is a homework grid with a set of creative challenges, connected with our current theme unit, which children can choose from to complete.  

Homework_Autumn_2-_Out_and_About_and_Time_Team(1).docx

ENGLISH AND READING 

Our class novel for Autumn Term 2 is The Giant's Necklace by Michael Morpurgo.  The genre is ghost story and all of our English lessons will be based around this book. 

Year 6 Five Class Reads

In Year 6, our five class reads for Autumn Term 2 are: 

PHOTOGRAPHS

Take a look at some of the fun and exciting things we have done this half term...

CHRISTMAS PARTY 

After a very busy term, we ended with our Christmas party.  We ate lots of food and played games.  It was a great end to the autumn term. 

HISTORY - MUSEUM VISIT 

We have been learning about Samuel Crompton and his invention, the Spinning Mule. We went to Bolton Museum to find out more about him and the  impact of the Industrial Revolution on Bolton.  We had a great time.  Whilst we were there, we visited the aquarium and the 'moon'.  We also went in to town to visit Samuel Crompton's grave and find the statue of him in the town centre. 

SCIENCE - REFRACTION (OBSERVING OVER TIME) 

We investigated refraction of light.  First of all, we used torches to create rainbows by shining through different prisms.  We then placed an object in a glass of water to see what happened to the image once refracted through the water. We drew diagrams to show our observations. 

ART - Sewing (making poppies) 

We were practising sewing skills to make poppies.  We started off with a simple stitching technique to join materials and add a button and then moved on to making miniature poppy cushions.  We think they look great. 

SATs practice - following this link enables you to download previous SATs papers which your child can use to revise. 

KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers

EXTRA LEARNING:

Here are some apps our children have logins for at home. These apps will help support their learning in school. The times tables are particularly helpful to help improve speed at their times tables, ready for the Year 4 test in June.

MATHSFLEX                                                         TIMESTABLE ROCKSTARS                                             READING EGGS                                                                    

https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/login?c=0   |        https://ttrockstars.com/                             |          https://readingeggs.co.uk/

We have put together some useful websites that will help support your learning.

Click on the picture and it will take you directly to the website.

TAKE A LOOK AT LAST YEAR 

WEEKLY SPELLINGS

Year 6 Spring 2 Spellings Overview

PE DAYS

PE is now on a Tuesday with Commando Joe and on a Friday with the 6S team. Please make sure you have the correct PE kit in school on both days.

In the first couple of weeks of Spring 1 the children revisited invasion games and practised the skills of attacking and defending. Here are a few photo's of what they got upto.

READING

We are currently embracing the love of reading for pleasure, and as such are enjoying being read to by your children every day in school. For this to continue - please ensure your child brings their reading book to school every day and take every opportunity to listen to them read at home too. This could be reading to grown-ups or even sharing a bedtime story with a younger sibling. 

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS TERM

Year 6 Summer Curriculum Letter

THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

We are currently learning about the circulatory system and the different components of blood. To help the children visualise what this might look like, we made blood using a range of household items, including; food colouring, cereal, mini marshmallows and water! Who knew blood could be so tasty!

Y6S Science Experiment - Making blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHITE BLOOD CELL SUPERHEROES

The children have been getting creative to showcase their understanding of how white blood cells act as 'superheroes' in our bodies, keeping us healthy by fighting viruses and bacteria.

Y6S White Blood Cells Comic Strips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PE HAS TAKEN US BACK IN TIME TO WWII

Year 6 have been transported back in time to WWII where they have learned the Lambeth Walk. They all thoroughly enjoyed this and got into the team spirit. Doing the Lambeth Walk......Hey!

Y6S PE - Lambeth Walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READING AFTERNOON

On Monday our wonderful parents came into school to read with us in the library.  Here are some photos of our lovely afternoon.

CHRISTMAS FUN!

In preparation for Christmas we have been making cards for the elderly.  These will be delivered to homes across the local area in December.

PE - AUTUMN 2

In PE in Autumn 2 we have been looking at invasion games.  Here are some pictures of us getting to grips with hockey sticks, basketballs and footballs.

Y6 PE AUT 2

 

 

 

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Although it wasn't Sunday, Year 6 walked to Bolton town hall for the annual remembrance of those who fought in the wars.

MUSEUM TRIP

As part of our theme topic 'War of the Worlds' we enjoyed a trip to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.  We saw thousands of genuine artifacts from the war.  It was fascinating!