Year 6
Welcome to Year 6
Year 6 will be working with Mr Burns (Class Teacher) and Mrs Nattrass (Teaching Assistant). Our classroom will be an a positive and encouraging learning environment, where children are given the tools to support one another and encouraged to show great resilience in their learning. Together, we will support one another and prepare the children for their futures beyond Witton Gilbert Primary School. Our aim is to ensure that the children are happy coming to school and show eagerness in learning about the range of fantastic topics we cover in Year 6.
Year 6 Key InformationYear 6 Class TimetableYear 6 Long Term Curriculum Plan
Classroom Routines
Reading
Reading is an essential part of the curriculum throughout school, and this is no different in Year 6. Doing so consistently will help the children to develop their skills across the breadth of the curriculum, including expanding their vocabulary, the modelling of successful writing, and comprehending a range of texts. The children in Year 6 are encouraged to read regularly, with three times a week being the MINIMUM expectation, both independently and with support from adults at school and at home. To foster a love for reading is our ultimate goal, and with your support this becomes much more realistic – please make sure reading records are signed at least 3 times a week to acknowledge both the children and you have enjoyed reading sessions.
Homework
Homework will be handed out to children on a Friday, with details either in their homework books (most often) or posted on Class Dojo (occasionally). Reading and TT Rockstars is additional to whatever is detailed, however. This will be required to be handed in no later than a Tuesday. Failure to do so will mean children will complete their homework on a Tuesday lunch time. In the event that children have found homework particularly troublesome, then the children can work with Mr Burns and/or Mrs Nattrass on a Monday at break or lunch time to ensure it is still handed in prior to the Tuesday deadline. Similarly, any children that do not have three signatures in their reading record each Tuesday, will be given the opportunity to read in school on a Tuesday break time.
Core number skills are also key to Year 6, including times tables, which can be practised on a range of technology devices via the Times Table Rockstars App/website. This will be a weekly part of the children’s homework, and the aim is to have three 15–30-minute sessions practising their times tables. Having instant recall of key number facts and times tables will assist the children in a range of mathematical topic areas, not to mention in other curriculum areas also.
PE
Physical Education is paramount in promoting the health and well-being of the children. As such, we expect all children to bring their PE kits to school on a Monday morning and take them home at the end of the school week on a Friday. This will allow the children to be prepared for their scheduled PE lessons, as well as allowing for spontaneous outdoor lessons and activities when the weather allows. For example, we may complete orienteering tasks (linked to the curriculum) during the year which will allow the children to develop arithmetic, problem solving and reasoning and SPAG skills.
Statutory Tests in Year 6
In Year 6, we are required to prepare for the statutory key stage 2 national curriculum tests. These tests will take place in May, with a focus on: Reading; Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling; and Maths. Every year 6 pupil takes the key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests (known as SATS) to measure school performance and to make sure individual pupils have the support that they need when they move into secondary school.
The curriculum, homework, targeted interventions, and booster opportunities will be planned to assist children with the expectations around these tests.
Curriculum Areas
English
In English, we will be reading Room 13 (Robert Swindells), Skellig (David Almond), and Holes (Louis Sachar). We will use these rich texts to inspire and influence our skills in spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as well as creating a raft of writing opportunities where we can practise and showcase our writing skills.
Maths
In Maths we will be following the Teaching for Mastery approach via the White Rose Education scheme, and expanding our mathematical knowledge in fluency, problem solving and reasoning in topic areas such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, percentages, and algebra.
Science
We love science lessons and getting to learn and experiment by taking parts in a variety of fun scientific enquires.
In year 6, we concentrate our learning on the following science topics:
- Living things and habitats
- Electricity
- Evolution and inheritance
- Light
- Animals including humans
History
This year we will be focussing on more recent history, namely exploring the Victorians, the British Empire and the Industrial Revolution, and how this has shaped our lives in modern day Durham. Furthermore, we will be looking at World War I, and specifically the experiences of the Bradford Brothers during this time of Britain being under great threat. Last but certainly not least, we will focus on the historical period of World War II, and focussing on how life was like for those who went to war as well as how it was for those left at home.
Geography
In Geography, we focus on learning about Forests of the world, ranging from visiting and analysing our local forests to studying some of the greatest forests of the world. Additionally, we will study and profile Sao Paolo, Brazil, including identifying where in the world it can be found, studying the geographical features of the city, and comparing life in Sao Paolo to that in Durham.
Physical Education
Throughout the year, we take part in a range of sporting activities taught by our class teacher, Mr Burns.
In year 6, we participate in:
- Tag Rugby
- Dance
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Football
- Cricket
Music
Throughout the year, children listen to a range of music and explore pitch, rhythm, singing and composing. We will be composing and performing some adapted songs during our end of year performance.
French
We have our weekly French lessons taught by language specialists at Lingotots! We learn to hold conversations in French, and develop new vocabulary based on classroom instructions, modes of transport and foods. The sessions are lots of fun and are filled with games and activities!
PSHE and RSE
Our PSHE lessons are adaptable based on the needs of our class, however, we do also take inspiration from the Jigsaw units of work which are:
- Being Me
- Celebrating Differences
- Dreams and Goals
- Healthy Me
- Relationships
- Changing Me
In addition, we take part in six weeks of 'Walk and Talk' delivered by the School Sports Partnership, to help us with our emotions and mental health.
Computing
We follow the Teach Computing scheme of work to develop our computing knowledge and skills. At the start of every lesson we focus on an aspect of Online Safety to ensure we are confident in staying safe online.
Our Computing units are:
- Computing Systems
- Data & Information - Spreadsheets
- Creating Media - Web pages
- Programming - Variables in games
- Programming - Sensing Movement
Art and Design
In Art we follow the Access Art scheme of work to build on our skills and knowledge. We get to use a range of art mediums and resources such as clay, paints and oil pastels to explore our creativity and create a range of individual art pieces.
Our art units are:
- 2D Drawing to 3D Making
- Exploring Identity
- Brave Colour
Design and Technology
Every other half term, we undertake a DT project in which we evaluate existing designs to get inspiration, and design our own creation before making and evaluating our final product. We focus on a range of skills throughout the year and often link our projects to other areas of the curriculum.
Our DT projects are:
- Celebrating Culture and Seasonality
- Frame Structures
- Computer aided design (CAD)
Religious Education
Throughout Year 6, we will be looking at how and why do people care about the environment, focusing on a range of different religions and how they consider the environment. Additionally we will look at the religious diversity in our local area, and what do we now know about Christianity - exploration through the concepts.