Autumn Term 2022

A huge welcome back to school to all our Year 6 children, we hope you're all well rested and prepared for a super busy term!  

English

Texts at the heart of our English curriculum this term are the wonderful Skellig by David Almond.  The story of a 10-year old boy called Michael.  When Michael moves into a crumbling, old house with an ancient garage, he encounters a mysterious creature named Skellig.  Slowly, they come to trust and care for each other and help each other through difficult phases of their lives.  A beautifully written book which will inspire the children to consider complex themes and  explore narrative writing in depth.  Our 2nd text is the iconic love story, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.  Drama will be an essential starting point for this unit of work, but also the exploration of language (particularly the history of language) structure on the page and themes.  Writing outcomes will be varied but will include:

Poetry

Persuasion 

Character/Setting Description

Suspense Narrative

Report Writing

Monologue

Maths

In Maths, we will be extending our knowledge of the number system. This term, we will be focusing on: place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division and fractions.  

Children will also be regularly challenged with a selection of reasoning and problem solving activities to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the term. 

History and Geography

This term our History and Geography topic is centred around Elizabethan England.  The children will learn via an enquiry based approach:

What do we understand by Elizabethan times?

Elizabethan times: How safe was it?

Does the story of Sir Francis Drake tell us all we need to know about the Tudor World?  Beyond Elizabeth’s Court? What was it like to live in Elizabethan times?

The children will have the opportunity to question and think like true historians and geographers, comparing Tudor maps to modern OS maps, studying chronology pre-Elizabethan times to develop an understanding of family politics and religious turmoil. Meet Mary Queen of Scots and discover why she had so many enemies!  Explore The Spanish Armada and study the role of women in Elizabethan times.   

5.10.22

Grinshill Class - Artefacts Museum

The children had the opportunity to make predictions about and study Elizabethan artefacts. 

This supported rich discussion around society, the class system, religion, exploration and the economy. 

Science

This term our science unit is Evolution and Inheritance.  The children will learn:

• Types of fossil and how they are formed
• What fossils tell us about how living things have changed
• How characteristics are passed from parents to offspring
• How animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment
• How adaptation may lead to evolution
• The work of key palaeontologists and scientists, including Darwin

Music

This term the children in year 6 have been given the exciting opportunity to learn to play the ukulele.  Shropshire Music Service are offering a weekly lesson and the children have already learnt 2 chords! They are all really enjoying learning and playing. 

ART

In art this term, children have been focusing on drawing and sketching skills.  Linking to our history studies this term, the children have loved exploring Elizabethan portraits and how they were used as propaganda in particular, the 'Armada Portrait'.  They have used different grades of pencil and charcoal to create their own interpretations of Queen Elizabeth I 

Reading

All children will read their individual books in school and at home. They will also have daily guided reading sessions, using VIPERS aimed at developing comprehension skills in preparation for Year 6 SATs.   Please support your child when reading at home - pop a note in your child's home link book to let us know how they are getting on reading at home. 

Don’t forget!

· Reading books and Home Link Books (every day)

· Spellings - Practice sheet sent home on a Monday - test on Friday (Your child's test and score will be available for you to see in their Home Link Books

· PE is on Monday and Thursday 

Homework

We will be setting regular homework throughout the term.  This will increase after Christmas as we approach Year 6 SATs testing.  There is an expectation it is completed and handed in at the required time.  If your child is struggling with any aspect of homework set, please contact us as soon as possible. 

Times Tables Rockstars are active and we encourage frequent use of this online activity. Log in details are in the children’s Home Link Book.  Please speak to us if you have problems accessing this.