About this class
Year 6
Year 6 is an exciting year at Thornbury Primary School as we encourage the children to be more responsible and independent in their learning. This year is important in beginning to prepare the children for the transition to secondary school. There is a focus on team building and working co-operatively with their class members. We strongly believe that these skills are vitally important in helping pupils become ready for secondary education and beyond. If you would like to contact your child's class teacher, you are welcome to talk to them at drop off and pick up times or contact them at the school email address.
General Information
What do I need to bring to school?
School Bag:
All children require a school bag which they will need to bring every day.
Water bottle:
All children to bring a clear plastic, medium sized, bottle of water. Please can we ask for no metal bottles.
Fruit & Snack:
All children in Year 6 are invited to bring a piece of fruit from home for their morning playtime snack if they wish. On Fridays, we are happy for this to be a fruit-based snack (yoghurt covered raisins etc) as an end of week treat.
Milk:
If you would like your child to have a carton of milk at snack time, please order this through www.coolmilk.com.
Important information
PE Days:
Tuesday and Thursday
Reading:
In school, we complete a range of reading activities throughout the week, including having a class book/s ongoing and a weekly book club session. The focus for these are continually extending the children’s sight vocabulary, developing reading fluency and comprehension of texts read. We are passionate about children developing a love of reading; we ask that families read with, hear their children read or encourage their child to read independently for the equivalent of approx. 1 and ½ hours weekly. We also value parent/ carer comments and parents signing their child’s reading diary. In KS2 the children should be regularly reflecting on the books they read in their reading diary.
Home Learning:
Home Learning will be sent home every Friday and will need to be returned the following Wednesday. Home learning will be a mixture of Maths, Literacy and Spellings.
Spellings:
Spellings will be given on a Friday and be tested the following Friday.
Numeracy Ninja:
If you wish to practise at home, ‘Numeracy Ninja’ sheets can be found on the right side of this page.
Online Resources:
You will find your login details for the following site at the front of your reading diary.
My Maths: www.mymaths.co.uk
Times Tables Rockstars: www.ttrockstars.com
Spelling Shed: www.spellingshed.com
Language Angels: www.languageangels.com
Curriculum- Yearly overview of topics
Topics Covered Throughout the Year:
- Autumn Term: Just Like Me, Just Like You (mental health) and The World.
- Spring Term: Conflict and Invasion: WW2 and Civilisation: Ancient Greece
- Summer Term: Empire: Victorians and Earth and Space
Autumn Term:
Maths – Place Value, Four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and Fractions.
In English, we will be exploring a range of genres including fact files, character and setting descriptions and poetry.
Our Science focus this term is Forces. We will learn:
- Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object.
- Identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction that act between moving surfaces.
- Recognise that some mechanisms, including levers, pulleys and gears, allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.
Our first Topic this term is ‘Just Like Me, Just Like You’. This is a whole school project where we discover the importance of looking after our mental health. This work will continue in our PSHE sessions where we will be learning about understanding the importance of rest, how we can relax, embracing failure and staying healthy.
In Art we will begin the year by exploring the artist Pablo Picasso and using colour to create our own self portrait.
After half term, our Topic is ‘The World’. Here we will be learning about foods around the world and different regions in the UK.
In Design Technology we will be designing, creating and evaluating pizzas.
In Music, we will be singing and performing
In RE, we will find out about what it means to be a Muslim in Britain today?
In Computing, we will be learning about Computer Science.
In PE, we will be covering Dance and Hockey.
Spring term:
Maths – Fractions, Converting units and order of operations. In the second part of the term we will look at Decimals, and FDP (Fractions, decimals and percentages).
In English, we will be exploring texts based on our WW2 history topic such as Rose Blanche and the Diary of Anne Frank. We will write persuasive letters to the mayor, setting descriptions, narratives and diary entries.
In the second half of the term, we will be looking at Greek myths and how these were important to how the Greeks lived. The children will have their own opportunity to write a myth. Our writing will also be based on the book ‘Who let the Gods out?’
In Science, our unit this term is Electricity. We will be taught how to:
- Associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit.
- Compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches.
- Use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram.
We also be taking part in our Ocean Curriculum Deep Drive Days. Our focus for this term is Principle
Our History topics this term will be:
WWII: Our history unit is based on the impact of WW2 both locally and globally, while exploring what life was like for men, women and children. We will look at the war and discuss how this conflict started. The children will have a chance to research, question and put their historical skills into practice.
Ancient Greece: Our history unit in the second half of the Spring term will be focused on the Ancient Greek civilisation. We will investigate who they were and what their lives were like. The children will be able to see how sources and evidence changes from modern eras of history, while being able to compare different civilisations from previous knowledge and accurately place them on timelines.
In Art we will be exploring how Georgia O’Keeffe uses proportion and perspective to paint flowers. We will be using brush strokes to explore texture and tone. The second part of the term we will be looking at textiles and exploring mixed media.
In Computing, we will learn about creating media and use this to produce videos. We will also learn how to programme.
In Geography, we will be looking at the physical and human features of Greece, using geographical skills such as mapping.
In RE, Why is the Torah so important to Jewish people?
In PSHE, we will be continuing our families and relationships unit. This includes marriage, bullying, stereotyping and challenging stereotypes. We will also be covering our safety and the changing body unit. This includes physical and emotional changes of puberty, conception, pregnancy and birth, first aid choking, alcohol, drugs and tobacco. We will be sending home a letter in the Spring term with more information on this work.
In PE, we will be completing units on hand ball and Outdoor adventure activities.
Summer term:
In Maths, we will be looking at: (Area, perimeter and volume), ratio, statistics, shape, position and direction. Towards the end of the year, the children will have the opportunity to complete an enterprise project to contribute funds to their leaver’s events.
In English, we will be looking at genres including news reports, biographies and poetry. This will be linked to our class story ‘Street child’.
In Science, we will be learning about Earth and Space. We will be taught how to:
- Describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the sun in the solar system.
- Describe the movement of the moon relative to the Earth.
- Describe the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies.
- Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.
In Computing, we will learn about data and information, specifically flat-file databases. In addition to this, we will create media and learn about vector graphics.
In DT we will be focusing on exploring structures based on Brunel bridge.
In Music, we will be looking at theme and variation.
In History this term, we will be looking at the Victorians as a monarchy and how Queen Victoria expanded the British Empire.
In Geography, we will be researching the Amazon rainforest focusing on climate change and how sustainable it is.
In RE, we will look at Christianity and how they live focusing on what Jesus would do. In the second part of the term we will look at humanists and Christians and what matters to them comparing the two religions.
In PSHE, we will be working on our citizenship unit. This includes Breaking the law, Prejudice and discrimination, Protecting the planet, Contributing to the community, Rights and responsibilities, Parliament and national democracy. Then we will move onto our economic and wellbeing unit. This include Borrowing, Income and expenditure, Prioritising spending, Risks with money, Careers, Transition lesson: roles and responsibilities.
In PE, we will be completing units on rounders and ultimate frisbee. In the second half of the term we will be exploring tennis skills with links to Wimbledon. Then Argyle will come in to teach the children football skills.
