Dear Parents/Carers,
Hopefully the attached topic web will provide you with a ‘flavour’ of the activities that the
children in Year 6 will be participating in this half term. If you would like any further
information, please do not hesitate to contact one of the Year 6 team.
Yours,
Mrs Astbury, Miss Hamilton, Mrs. Molyneux and Miss Monaghan
In school:
Journalistic Writing:
Write and present an effective news report on the death of John Lennon, making
appropriate choices regarding language, style, structure and presentation relating
to purpose and audience. This topic will be linked to our geography and ICT
lessons this term.
Action stories: Children will read and discuss a range of action stories. They will
focus on JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” during English sessions, analysing specific
features of the genre including language and plot. The children will work towards
writing their own action story, applying the knowledge they have learnt
throughout the unit.
Grammar:
What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?
What is the difference between a main (independent) and subordinate clause?
How can colons and semi-colons be used to link clauses and organise lists?
Using reported speech (quotes).
At Home:
Children will be asked to conduct their own research on the life and death of John
Lennon. They could also read newspapers and watch children’s news programmes
(for example Newsround) - identifying facts and opinion.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
Children would benefit from reading a range of action stories at home. Here are a
few suggestions: Gangsta Granny by David Walliams, Stormbreaker by Anthony
Horowitz, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
In school:
Children will develop their research skills across the curriculum, carefully selecting
appropriate websites. Children will also have opportunities to develop their word
processing skills.
Children will continue to learn the ‘SMART’ code, understanding the importance
of online safety.
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/
At Home:
Weblink:
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Age 8-10 zone (Cyber Cafe) has games and activities to inform the children about
online safety.
In school:
Artist Study: L.S. Lowry
Children will continue to look at the role of people within paintings. They will
compare the style of Lowry to other artists including Pablo Picasso and Henri
Matisse. Children will study and sketch facial expressions in preparation for their
final piece, which will be based on the artist of their choice.
At Home:
With supervision, children could research a range of artists: LS Lowry, Pablo
Picasso, Henry Matisse, Ben Shahn and Gerry Keon.
English: Activities may require children to talk and work with those at home to
formulate ideas. Also grammar, spelling and punctuation work covered
in school will be consolidated.
Mathematics: Children will receive work that consolidates or extends work
completed during lessons. Children also have access to RM Math.
Spelling: Children will receive weekly word lists to learn for a test every Friday.
Children may also occasionally have spelling activities as part of their
work in English.
Reading: Home reading book to be read daily and brought back in the following
day.
In school:
Key Skills taught during this half term:
- Division: Develop understanding of short and long division. Solve a range of
problems to consolidate and apply knowledge.
- Identify common factors, common multiples and prime numbers.
- Children use their knowledge of the order of operations to carry out
calculations involving the four operations (BIDMAS).
- Fractions: Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions,
understanding relationships between fractions, decimals and percentages.
- Multiplying numbers by decimals.
- Ratio and proportion.
- Algebra: using simple formulae, describing number sequences, express missing
number problems.
At Home:
www.rmeasimaths.com (Or download the app for iPad)
Children have personalised accounts on this website to develop their maths skills.
We would prefer it if children complete these activities independently.
Children should continue to practise their knowledge and understanding of
multiplication and division as inverse operations. There are a range of games and
activities which can be found on www.topmarks.co.uk
In school:
Children will explore the question ‘why is Liverpool a cool place to live in?’ We will
explore the geographical location of the city and the importance of the River
Mersey. There will be a range of cross-curricular links such as English (journalistic
writing: John Lennon) and ICT (gathering research).
At Home:
If you visit Liverpool with your child, point out some of the areas that have
changed as well as discussing what the area was used for and what it is used for
now.
In school:
Children will:
- Learn about pulse, tempo, duration and texture.
- Learn to use their bodies as a percussion instrument.
At Home:
Listen to music at home at identify what instruments they can hear.
In School:
- What are the qualities of a good leader?
- Read the Hindu story of Ramayana and the Sikh story of Khalsa and Guru
Singh.
At Home:
Children could complete some independent research
Weblinks:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/Religion.html
In school:
Light
This unit consolidates and develops children understanding of light. Children will
identify sources of light and recognises that light travels in straight lines. They will
use this idea to explain why shadows have the same shape as objects which cast
them. Children will also explore eyes, reflection, refraction and colour. We will
conduct a range of investigations to allow children to work scientifically.
At Home:
Weblink:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical_processes/light/read/1/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/light_shadows.shtml
www.bootslearningstore.com/ks2/eyesight.html
The Golden Age of Islamic Civilisation
In school:
Children will not have explicit history lessons this term. However, there will be
many links across the curriculum, specifically through Geography (history of
Liverpool).
At Home:
At home, children could explore the history of Liverpool using books or the
internet.
In school:
Dance: The World of Sport
Children will be creating and improving dances with increased control, fluency and
accuracy while evaluating themselves and their peers.
At Home:
Children could research ‘The Haka’. Who does this dance? When? And why?
In School:
A native Spanish speaker will be teaching the children on a weekly basis (Tuesday).
They will begin with basic vocabulary: greeting and numbers.
At Home:
Children could converse with family and friends to practise the vocabulary they
have learnt during their weekly lesson.
In School:
Getting On and Falling Out
- How to respond to criticism;
- Conflict resolution;
- Anti-Bullying.
Puberty and Reproduction
To consider puberty and reproduction.
How their body will change as they approach and move through puberty.
At Home:
Children could design a poster providing children with information about
strategies to use when friends disagree.