Hello and welcome to Year 6!

Class Teacher: Mrs Barley
PPA Cover: Mrs Jones
Class Support: Mrs Jackson and Mrs Trenfield
 

Weekly Timetable

​Spring 2 
Out of This World 
We'll blast off into outer space with this exciting and informative space themed topic. We'll learn more about the solar system, find out about the history of space exploration, explore the lives of astronauts and appreciate the influence of space on art and music. 
Our class read this half term will be Cosmic by Frank Cotterell Boyce. You can read an extract here.
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English
In English, we'll be developing our skills of reporting and using advanced punctuation through a fantastic picture book called Tuesday by David Weisner.
Reading
We are continuing our new scheme Comprehension Express this term.  Comprehension Express is a whole-class teaching programme, specifically built to help children master comprehension. It aims to help all children develop the strategies and skills associated with deep comprehension and the self-regulation involved in being able to use these skills effectively to make sense of the text. The strategies used are recommended in the guidance report, Improving Literacy at Key Stage 2 (Education Endowment Foundation, 2017).
This term we will look at the five different types of comprehension questions and learn how to formulate answers to ensure evidence in the text is used effectively.

Maths
In Maths, we will be looking firstly at  percentages moving on to algebra, measurement and ratio later in the term. All lessons have a practical/pictorial element before moving on to the abstract. Children have opportunities to rehearse a skill before they progress to applying it in problem solving and reasoning challenges. Being able to explain their thoughts and understanding is vital and we always say, 'The answer is only the beginning!' 

Science
In Science this half term, we'll be studying Living Things and their Habitats.  We'll  describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals. We'll also be giving reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
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Spellings - I will be sending home lists of all of the spellings that your child should already know (year 3 &4) and also the year 5 & 6 spellings that they need to know by the end of the year. They will be tested on these during the first few weeks back to identify gaps and where to direct my teaching. Please support your child with these as much as you can. It WILL make a difference. 

Beat The Clock - ​We will continue with our times table challenges regularly. It is essential that your child has a quick recall of their tables and related division facts as nearly all maths is linked back to the knowledge of these.   
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Theme overview

Notices...
Just a reminder to ensure your child STILL reads at least three times a week! If they are highly competent, they don't need to read to you each time, but must discuss what they are reading to ensure understanding. Please encourage them to read a range of books, not just the 'easy' ones, so that they become more familiar with a range of text types. We have expanded our home reading range to include a lot more variety, so there will be something for everyone.
Homework
Homework will be set each week on a Wednesday and needs to be returned into school the following Monday.
Outdoor Learning
Forest school is every other Tuesday morning so please come prepared and don't forget your school uniform to change into afterwards. Dates of forest school sessions for this term are on the classroom window
PE
PE is every Thursday afternoon

 Useful revision links:
Math Antics - an american video that explains percentages really nicely. He does other areas of maths too!
www.mathplayground.com/ From the home page, select the area you'd like to practice and play the game!
​uk.ixl.com_/ Select the area you'd like to work on - limited access on a daily basis 
The Grammarsaurus Blog - this is a facebook page unfortunately, but has some very good information about grammar! He also has some great videos that explain different concepts, such as subordinating conjunctions. These can be found on You Tube
SPAG practice site - this site requires registration, but just sign up for the free trial! Great practice for the SPAG paper.
TopMarks - a site with lots of maths games - just pick an area for practice and play!
BBC Bitesize - lots of help with many different areas

Here are some 'How to' videos to help others with addition. We hope to do some more this year too:

                 Mrs Barley

Photos

Class 6 Trips and Visits

The Holly and the Ivy

Problem Solving 1 - using simpler numbers

Problem Solving 2 - using a table

Pie Charts 1

Pie Charts 2

Animal Diversity Web

Practice your maths:

Have a look at these interactive numeracy games - some are great!!

Yet more practice! Choose your skill and have a go!

Practice your rounding skills here!
Practice ordering numbers here!

 

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