Zebra (Year 6)

Autumn Term 1

I hope that you all had a relaxing and safe six weeks holiday and are ready for the new school term! I am really excited to be meeting and teaching you all :). This year, the children will have Miss Walker, Mrs Cripps and Mrs Anderson (mornings). On a Wednesday morning, Mrs Davies will be teaching core topics, such as arithmetic, comprehension and writing skills. We have so much to get through this year and will be starting as we mean to go on! 

 

English:     

In English this term,  we will be reading a non-fiction text, 'Shackleton's Journey'. In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his brave crew set out to cross the frozen wastes of Antarctica, in what was to be the last expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Ahead of them lay unimaginable danger: ferocious seas, uncharted mountains, ice and snow. This is the true story of how Shackleton and his companions endured the hardships they faced, and ultimately managed to survive their perilous adventure. 

 We will be focusing on: newspaper reports; writing in role as your specific person within the voyage; letter and diary writing; a personal narrative and a job description. Grammar topics will be taught once a week as a discrete lesson and as starters five times a week. This term, we will be recapping concepts from year 3 - 5, including: nouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, commas in lists, fronted adverbials, synonyms and antonyms and formality/ informality. Finally, spellings will be taught three times a week both in the morning and after lunch, with all practising and testing completed within school. We will be revising the year 3 and 4 spelling rules before moving onto years 5 and 6. 

 

Maths:

In maths this term, Zebra class will be recapping on a number of concepts and learning new topics. This includes: reading, writing, ordering and comparing numbers up to 10,000,000; determining the value of digits up to 10,000,000; rounding whole numbers and decimals; negative numbers; algebra (generating linear sequences, finding all possibilities of combinations); multiplication and division; common factors, prime numbers and estimation. In lessons, children will have the opportunity to practise the 'fluency' of each concept before moving onto reasoning and problem solving. Due to the disruption that children have had in the last eighteen months, some concepts might need to be revised for longer.

Each week, the class will get a chance to use Times Tables Rock Stars at school, as mental calculations are so important in all aspects of maths! Children can also use this website at home to develop their efficiency and accuracy in times tables. 

 

Topic - History: Mayans (civilisation, number and writing system, art, religion, atlas work);

Science: The circulatory system;

Computing: Internet Communications;

Art: creating Mayan masks using ModRoc (children will need to bring their own art t-shirt or apron in);

RE: Is it better to express your religion in arts and architecture or in charity and generosity?

PSHE: Being Me (goals and aspirations).

 

PE will take place twice a week: Monday with Mr Dickinson and Tuesday in Term 1 will be cricket in the afternoon. Children need to bring their PE kit in and leave it at school. Forest School will take place regularly throughout the term: a list of dates will be made available as and when required. 

Homework will be sent home on a Thursday to be returned to school the following Wednesday. The children should complete their work in their homework book. Homework will be arithmetic or calculations practice and reading comprehension. All homework is discussed with the children before they take it home. However, if your child is unsure what to do, please encourage them to ask the class teacher for help before it is due in. 

The children should all be reading regularly at home, particularly if they are not confident readers. It is useful if children are discussing their reading with an adult to develop their comprehension and discussion skills and filling in their reading records with comments about what they are reading. The children are welcome to bring in a suitable reading book from home if they wish. 

 

 

Below, I have attached a range of websites for you to use while children are not in school or as additional homework. 

 

Mathematics

• https://ttrockstars.com/ - Remember to look in your home learning books if you cannot remember your login.
• https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/maths/primary-maths-age-10-11-year-6/ - Clear breakdown and explanation of what children learn in year 6 with activities and suggestions for how to help at home, some printable sheets and game ideas. 
• http://www.snappymaths.com/year6/ - Range of different worksheets to complete. 

 

 

Reading

• https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/ A free e-book library for all primary age children.
• https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/ A free game for children who would benefit from additional practice of phonics, segmenting and blending. The children love it!
• https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks2-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-6-pupils-ks2-age-10-11/ A list of books recommended for 10 and 11-year-olds. If required, look at both the year 5 and year 7 lists for decreased or increased ability. 
• https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-age-10-11-year-6/ - Clear breakdown and explanation of what children learn in year 6 (comprehension and word reading) with activities and suggestions for how to help at home, some printable sheets and additional websites to use. 

 

Writing and spellings, grammar and punctuation (GPS)

• https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-english-year-6-age-10-11/ - Clear breakdown and explanation of the spelling, punctuation and grammar learnt in year 6 with suggestions for how to help at home, some printable sheets and game ideas.
• https://www.pobble365.com/ - Fantastic resources for creative writing with questions relating to a daily image. 
• https://www.literacyshed.com/home.html - A wide range of resources to complement creative writing. 

 

Topic

• https://www.purplemash.com - All children should be aware of their log-in details. Have a look at your 2Do list for some suggested activities for grammar, French and computing. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz0go1pTda8 Watch and join in with PE with Joe Wickes, the Body Coach, live on YouTube daily to help keep you active.
• https://explorify.wellcome.ac.uk/activities - Science experiments that can be completed at home, linked by topic. Why not try electricity or light experiments? 
• https://www.stem.org.uk/ - A range of different activities to complete at home.