Welcome to Summer 1!

A very warm welcome to Summer 1 term in Year 6. I hope that you all had restful break and a wonderful Easter. I am so thrilled to be back in the classroom after the break and looking forward to seeing you all. You may still have your worries and concerns about the current situation, but let me assure you that we are still taking every precaution around the school and within our classroom.  The new routines continue to incorporate the advice that schools have been given and will not impact on the children's learning in any way.This half term, we have  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 heroes and villains. To help us immerse ourselves in this exciting genre we will be joining two rival families, the Montagues and the Capulets. In William Shakespeare's famous tragedy, an age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A group of masked Montagues risk further conflict by gatecrashing a Capulet party. A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s choice, the County Paris. With the help of Juliet’s nurse, the women arrange for the couple to marry the next day, but Romeo’s attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of Juliet’s own cousin, Tybalt, for which Romeo is banished. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with Romeo, Juliet follows the Friar’s plot and fakes her own death. The message fails to reach Romeo, and believing Juliet dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes to find Romeo’s corpse beside her and kills herself. The grieving family agree to end their feud.

Throughout the unit, the children will have some wonderful opportunities to immerse themselves in the world of heroes and villains. We will use the class texts to help us to create our own crime villainous stories based on a model text with an innovated plot structure, using plot patterns and shared writing techniques incorporating all our new and old grammar skills as we develop our ideas. Over the half term, we will be creating our very own novels on a theme which we will then present and share with some of our younger children in school. 

We will bring the half term to a close by researching and writing an information text containing a mixture of non-fiction text types in the form of  a speech containing elements of persuasion, recount and report.

In Mathematics, we will be starting the half term by focussing on Geometry - properties of shape. In this area of study we will be concentrating on:

• Drawing 2-D shapes using given dimensions and angles.
• Comparing and classifying geometric shapes based on their properties and sizes and find unknown angles in any triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons.
• Recognising angles where they meet at a point, are on a straight line, or are vertically opposite, and find missing angles.

Towards the end of half term we will shift our focus to Statistics when the children will be using and developing their skills to:

• Illustrate and name parts of circles, including radius, diameter and circumference and know that the diameter is twice the radius.
• Interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems.
• Calculate the mean as an average.

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.

'All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.' (Acts 2: 4-5)

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 Year 6 we will be busy exploring Pentecost and how we can serve the Holy Spirit. We will continue our journey together as disciples of Christ by considering how the belief in the power of the Holy Spirit shapes lives. We will spend lots of time discussing and analysing sources of the courage it takes to witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.

For the entirety of the Summer term in History, we will enjoy conducting an in-depth study in to World war II up to and including the Battle Of Britain. We will journey back to the outbreak of the Second World War and discover the events leading to the outbreak of World War II.We will examine primary and secondary sources of the propaganda used by the allied and enemy forces in WWII and why it was used. We will focus our enquiry skills to construct responses that involve thoughtful selection of historical information to be able to explore rationing during World War II and how people adapted to deal with reduced product availability before bringing the half term to a close by explaining the importance and significance of the role of women during World War II. Next half term we will bring parts of our curriculum together as we celebrate our learning by having a World War II Street party using our healthy eating knowledge from our Design Technology coverage to create a war time rationing spread.

Our Science topic this half term will focus on Biology as we look closely at Animals Including Humans and the Circulatory System. In this unit we will be identifying and naming the main parts of the human circulatory system, and describing the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood. We will build on our previous learning by recognising the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way our bodies function before describing the ways in which nutrients and water are transported within animals, including humans.

 We will work scientifically by carrying out a range of pulse rate investigations by using:

• Fair test - the effect of different activities on my pulse rate
• Pattern seeking - exploring which groups of people may have higher or lower resting pulse rates
• Observation over time - how long does it take our pulse rates to return to resting pulse rates (recovery rates)
• Pattern seeking - exploring recovery rate for different types of people

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In French this half term, we shall be looking at healthy living through Manger et Bouger. In this unit, the children will be focussing on:

• naming and recognising ten foods and drinks that are considered good for a healthy diet
• naming and recognising ten foods and drinks that are considerer part of an unhealthy diet
• following a healthy recipe in French.
• exploring key phrases for activities they do to keep fit

Design Technology this half term will see Year 6 we will be working to understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet  The children will be challenged to:

• prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques 
• understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
• learn about the influences of and similarities between cuisines from other countries
• plan and shop for a meal.

ICT this year is a project that will take us through the whole academic year as we become App. Planners. Our outcome for this half term is a clear piece of market research around the planned app. The children will become market researchers as they think about the types of input and output available on a smartphone e.g. microphone, camera, GPS and the screen, speaker, vibration motor and how smartphones connect to other computers and how they connect to the internet. They will be relying heavily on effective team work this half term as they work together to identify the app market.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education this half term is dedicated to 'People Around Me' In this unit, the class will be encouraged to think about:

• Exploring a range of identities in the UK
• Understanding there are different types of relationships
• Understanding how to work cooperatively
• Recognising and challenge prejudice
• Exploring gender stereotypes
• Identifying different jobs and careers in society

In Music this half term all our learning will focus around 'Music and Me' By developing an understanding of the history of music the children will be able to explain what is meant by identity and culture before creating  performing and evaluating music which reflects their identity.

We will look at world created and performed by inspirational women such as Something Helpful by Anna Meredith O by Shiva Feshareki Heroes & Villains by Eska And! by Afrodeutsche. have a listen at home and discuss what you hear with your child.

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

PE sessions will take place on Wednesday afternoons. This half term our focus will be on Athletics. Remember to arrive in school each Wednesday in full PE kit and trainers or pumps. You will remain in your PE kit for the entire day.

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. 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 make an appointment with Mrs Thompson in the school office.  

Mrs Livesey.