Ash Class

Welcome back!

A very warm welcome to Spring 1 term in Year 6. This half term, we have a lots to look forward to as we continue on our learning journey, working and worshipping together. Attached below is a summary of the subject focuses we will be looking this half term.

English

In English, this half term, we will be basing our outcomes around the Crime Fiction genre. To help us immerse ourselves in this exciting topic we will be reading the excellent 'The London Eye Mystery' by Siobhan Dowd as a class novel.

Synopsis:

11.32 am

Ted and his sister, Kat, watch their cousin Salim board the London Eye. The pod rises from the ground, high above the city.

12.02pm

The pod lands and the doors open. Everyone exits - everyone but Salim.

Has he spontaneously combusted? (Ted's theory)

Has he been kidnapped? (Aunt Gloria's theory)

Is he even still alive? (The family's unspoken fear)

Even the police are baffled. So it's up to Ted, whose brain runs on its own unique operating system. to solve this mystery. Together with Kat, ted follows a trail of clues across London - while time ticks dangerously by...

Throughout the unit the children will have some wonderful opportunities to immerse themselves in the world of super sleuths and crime fiction. We will use the class texts to help us to write a detective story to entertain and intrigue children in another class
using plot patterns and shared writing techniques incorporating all our new and old grammar skills as we develop our ideas.

Following this, we will turn our attention to Explanation texts. In this unit we will read and view a selection of explanation texts in different forms to analyse the conventions of such writing including techniques to engage the reader and how specific information is organised within an explanation text. This will enable us to carry out our own research and write an explanation text based on our learning in our History topic (see below) before presenting them to an audience.

In Mathematics we will be start the half term by focussing on decimals and percentages. To succeed in this area the children will need to be able to:

Identify the value of each digit in numbers given to 3 decimal places and multiply numbers by 10, 100 and 1,000 giving answers up to 3 decimal places.
Multiply one-digit numbers with up to 2 decimal places by whole numbers.
Use written division methods in cases where the answer has up to 2 decimal places.
Solve problems which require answers to be rounded to specified degrees of accuracy.
Solve problems involving the calculation of percentages [for example, of measures and such as 15% of 360] and the use of percentages for comparison.
Recall and use equivalences between simple fractions, decimals and percentages including in different contexts.

Following this, we will turn our attention to Algebra where we will be developing and consolidating our knowledge to be able to:

Use simple formulae
Generate and describe linear number sequences.
Express missing number problems algebraically.
Find pairs of numbers that satisfy an equation with two unknowns.
Enumerate possibilities of combinations of two variables.

You can help your child at home by helping them to practice their times tables and division facts. Just ten minutes a day will make all the difference to their rapid recall.

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.” (Colossians 3: 12-15)

At Sacred Heart, Religious Education is at the core of the core curriculum, it is embedded in everything we do and say. This half term in Ash Class we will be exploring the Mass and the concept of being called to serve. Through looking at Jesus as the bread of life, we will analyse the difference between our physical and spiritual needs. We will go on then to explain why it is important to nourish not only our bodies but our souls and explain how a friendship with Jesus can enable us to do this.

Our History based topic this half term focusses on the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings. We will transport ourselves back in time to explore: what life was like during Anglo Saxon times; how Anglo Saxon society was structured; who the Vikings were and why they came to England; how the Vikings fought and the Viking invasion to 1066. We will embark on a fascinating journey back in time as we find out more about the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the kingdom of England and how England became a unified country. We will explore where the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings came from, how they fought for territory and power, and how their fighting ultimately led to the kingdom of England we know today. Along the way, we will also find out what life was like for everyday people living in Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain, exploring things such as Viking runes and Anglo-Saxon stories like Beowulf. Extra Design Technology homework will be designated to the children this half term as they design and create their own Viking helmet.

Our Science topic this half term will see us enter the world of physics as we explore the world of light. The children will be working scientifically to recognise and prove that light appears to travel in straight lines. The children will use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye. We will go forward to explain that we see things because the light that travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects them to our eyes. From this, we will use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.

General Class information

Reading

By Year 6, children are confident with reading, the task now is to ensure that children understand what they are reading. It is important that they read a wide variety of genres and text types. Fiction, non-fiction, leaflets, websites, newsletters etc. The more children read and discuss the deeper their understanding becomes. Encourage the children to explain what they have read, ask them questions and describe how they know the answers. On occasion allow them just to read for pleasure, because they want to and they are enjoying it. Read with them and continue to read to them. Love books together!

PE sessions will take place on Monday afternoons. Please ensure children's PE kits are in school on this day and clearly labelled.

Snack & Water

Toast is available to children for snack. Children must pay £1 at the beginning of the week for a slice of toast each day. Children are able to bring in their own snack for playtime. This can be a cereal/breakfast bar, fruit or veg. Water will be available to the children throughout the day. If you would like your child to bring in their own bottle, please ensure the bottle is clearly labelled with the child's name.

If you have any queries or just want to chat about your child's progress, feel free to catch me in the playground at the end of the school day, or alternatively make an appointment with Mrs Thompson in the school office.

Mrs Livesey.