Year 6 News
I have had a lovely time with Year 6 over the past few weeks, and I look forward to many more weeks to come!
We had an exciting visit to Cragside earlier this week, where we enjoyed exploring the house and grounds. The sun shone down on us, making the trip even more enjoyable. We learnt that the house once belonged to William Armstrong, a Victorian innovator and landscape designer, and that Cragside was the first house in the world to be illuminated with hydroelectricity. How extraordinary to have it right on our doorstep! The house closes on 3rd November until the Spring, so if you fancy a half term visit it’s well worth it, as there’s so much to see and such beautiful scenery. The children’s behaviour was exemplary, and members of the public commented on how polite and respectful they were.
We have been exploring the Victorians in Literacy. The children have researched what life was like in a Victorian workhouse and are in the process of writing some fantastic non-chronological reports. They have enthusiastically used thesauruses and dictionaries to expand their vocabulary – I think we have some journalists in the making!
In Maths, the children have blown me away with their ability to multiply 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers and then apply their knowledge to answer some tricky word problems. They have been adding and subtracting decimals, too, and are looking forward to moving on to fractions after half term.
In Science, the children have been learning about micro-organisms, and grouping animals using classification keys. They have learnt how the grouping of animals has evolved over the years, and could tell you some binomial names!
In History, we have been learning about the Blitz. The children have been fascinated to learn about children their age and younger, who were evacuated from London to Northumberland, and were excited to discover that Mr Everett has an air raid shelter in his garden!
I look forward to meeting you at Parents’ Evening, and to another busy month ahead.
Best wishes, Miss Pink
Year 6 News
The last month has flown by, and Year 6 have been incredibly busy applying new skills across the curriculum and beyond!
We finished last half term with our RE day, where the children sensitively discussed how Science and Religion differed, as well as acknowledging that you can be a scientist and person of faith. They studied the theory of evolution alongside the story of Genesis, and wrote questions to ask a religious scientist. They then worked in pairs, taking turns to ask and answer questions, supporting their answers with research.
The children have shown maturity and sensitivity during their PSHE lessons, where they have been learning how to treat each other, and those around them, with respect. They have learnt how damaging it can be to stereotype, and how to deal with conflict. We also tackled the sensitive topic of grief, and the children showed great resilience when thinking of coping mechanisms and how to manage sadness or stress.
We finished our English unit of work, and the children produced some fantastic non-chronological reports on the Victorian Workhouse. We have now begun some fictional writing, with the focus being figurative language. The children worked in groups to predict events that would follow, based on what they could see in a picture. They independently wrote metaphors and similes using a scene as a stimulus. They also recorded nouns and verbs to help them write excellent sentences containing personification. I can’t wait o read their final drafts!
In Maths, we have been learning about fractions of amounts. So far, the children have found common factors to help them simplify and write equivalent fractions, and we have begun to multiply them, too! Our next step is to divide proper fractions by whole numbers, before converting to decimals and percentages.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a newsletter without giving a big shout out to everyone for taking part in our Talent Show for Children in Need. The School Council asked for a performance, and Year 6 did not disappoint! Children had a great time last week taking part in our class show, and it was lovely for me to see how many talented children we have. From magicians to dancers, to comedians and singers, we had a great time performing and watching.
Well done Year 6!
Miss Pink
Year 6 News - September 2024
Year 6 have made a great start to their final year at primary school and have been very busy indeed.
In English, we have been looking at the idea of “Twisted Tales” in the form of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. We explored their version of Cinderella in comparison to Disney’s version and then used this as inspiration to write our own “twisted” version of Snow White – the more gruesome the better! This idea of alternate versions of stories also links in with our reading text, Another Twist in the Tale by Catherine Bruton. It tells the tale of Oliver Twist’s long-lost sister, Twill. Although the language is tricky, we’re enjoying the variety of characters in the novel.
We have also had the pleasure of being taught an exciting science lesson by Mr Watkins. He showed us how diseases can be spread and but also helped us understand the science behind hand washing and how this slows the spread. We used our working scientifically skill of making a hypothesis, using cause and effect to make a prediction about our experiment.
In history, we have started looking at WW2 and have so far explored the timeline of events leading up to this important moment in history. We have seen how the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression allowed Hitler to promote himself to the German people in order to rise to power. In future weeks, we will be looking at the Battle of Britain, the Blitz as well as evacuation.
Great start and keep up the good work Year 6!