YEAR 6SW | finlayschool

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We are a dedicated and hard working team at Finlay and all our staff contribute to the children’s learning and well-being, offering many activities to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum but also to enrich the children’s cultural capital and develop our school SMILE values.

The adults working in our class are: Miss Danielle Sharpe, Miss Charlie Walker and Mrs Jane Blackman.

If you need advice on any information below, get in touch by calling us on 01452 530310 or email: danielle.Sharpe@finlay.gloucs.sch.uk or charlie.walker@finlay.gloucs.sch.uk

What are we learning about in the Autumn Term?

Our theme for the Autumn Term is We’ll Meet Again: World War Two. The children will be developing a chronological awareness of life in Britain since 1066. Throughout this unit of work, the children will look at what life was like during World War Two for men, women and children. They will explore the roles women played when men were away at war, as well as looking at rationing, evacuation and propaganda. The children will visit The Steam Railway for a World War Two experience, where they will dress up as evacuees and have the opportunity to ride on a working Steam Train, giving them the full evacuation experience. This will inspire the children’s writing in Literacy, where they will write a letter from an evacuee, as well as a setting description of The Blitz. The children will also play an important part in leading our Remembrance Day service for the whole school.

This theme is rich in historical knowledge and will help children compare how history has changed, for example, battle during The Romans, The Aztecs and The Vikings compared to that in World War Two. The children will also be able to compare how the roles of men and women have changed, to women playing a crucial role in the war effort.

Throughout this theme, children will have opportunity to develop their Art and DT skills during Enrichment time, where they will be able to create a poppy using craft wire, make do and mend textiles and cook a rationed dish.

In Science, we will be learning about The Circulatory System and how the heart works. We will also be learning about light, understanding how light travels in straight lines and how shadows are formed.

In RE, we are exploring two big questions from the Gloucester Agreed Syllabus: ‘Creation and Science: conflicting or complimentary?’ and ‘Why do some people believe in God and some people do not?’

In PE, we will be developing the skills required to play football and netball, which we will then apply to mini invasion games, as well as developing our practical skills in gymnastics.

In Jigsaw/PSHE and RSE, we will be learning about ‘Being Me in My World’ and ‘Celebrating Difference’.

What are we learning about in the Spring Term?

Our theme for the Spring Term is ‘Ice Explorers’ – a Geography based theme linked to the Arctic and Antarctica. During this theme, the children will be building on their locational knowledge of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, using geographical language to discuss key human and physical features. The children will also be able to describe and understand the impact of human activity and the impact this has caused on the environment, including melting ice caps and global warming. The children will also explore the work of the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton.

In Art and DT, the children will be combing colours, tones and tints to enhance the mood of their acrylic artwork, inspired by David McEown and his famous Arctic Peninsula photography. The children will also be completing some observational drawings, including lines, shadows and movements, of penguins to add to their artwork.

Our learning in Science will see us develop our understanding of chemistry and biology, with a particular focus on electricity and living things and their habitats. The children will: use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram; associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of the cells used in the circuit and compare and give reasons for variations in components’ function, including the brightness of a bulb, loudness of a buzzer and the on/off position of switches.

During the ‘living things and their habitat’ unit of work, children will: describe how things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals and give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.

In RE, we will be exploring another two big questions from the Gloucester Agreed Syllabus, this time answering: ‘Why do Hindus want to be good?’ And ‘What do Christians believe Jesus did to save people?’

In PE, we will be developing our practical skills in gymnastics, as well as refining our invasion game skills when playing hockey and tag rugby.

In Jigsaw/PSHE and RSE, we will be learning about ‘Dreams and Goals’ and ‘Healthy Me’.

Home Learning
Please see a copy of our home learning activity sheet for the Autumn Term (We’ll Meet Again) and Spring Term (Ice Explorers). These grids includes a range of activities for children to complete at home. Evidence of these home learning tasks can be uploaded to Seesaw or completed in home learning books.

The children should also access Times Tables Rockstars and Spelling Shed at least three times a week using their individual log ins.

They also are required to read their reading book to an adult at least three times a week, and record this in their reading logs.

Home Learning – We’ll Meet Again

Home Learning – Ice Explorers

Useful links

Year 6 - useful links for learning from home

Times Table Rockstars:

Children will need their username and password to login from home. https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student

Pobble 365: Can access different days on the calendar.

Download the pdf option. This gives you an image which then has a story starter, questions and sentence level work. http://www.pobble365.com/

Scholastic: 5+ days of reading texts and activities.

Reading levels of the texts can be changed. There are also comprehension/follow up questions for the articles provided. There are options to print the quizzes off too. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/grades-6-12.html

Wild about reading!

If you have a library membership you can borrow ebooks and emagazines for free: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/ebooks-eaudiobooks-and-emagazines/

Oxford owl free SATs worksheets:

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/school-year/free-sats-skills-worksheets

A year 6 site with a range of information and questions – great for revision purposes!

http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/children_sats.htm

A KS2 site with both Maths and English based quizzes which are marked as you go along.

http://www.educationquizzes.com/ks2/maths/

BBC Bitesize has a host of materials for KS2

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/levels/zbr9wmn

Spanish! Learn languages for free.

https://www.duolingo.com