Welcome to Year 6

6NB - Mrs Brown and Mrs Lee

6EH - Mrs Heppenstall and Mrs Dodson

Autumn Term - Medieval Mayhem and Terrible Tudors

Our first topic will see us begin on the shores of the UK. Picking up where the children left off their learning in Y5, the children will begin their learning in 1066 before taking a time-machine through the medieval and Tudor periods.  

English: we will use a range of skills to create diaries from the perspective of soldiers at the battle of Hastings and create scripts for a Horrible Histories-style video.  

Science: light

History: children will look at how food, communities, law, health, technologies (including weaponry and engineering), clothing, religion, social structure, transport, crime and punishment, entertainment and homes in Britain have changed over time.

Geography: 

Computing: we will be using editing skills to create a video. 

Art: children will use a range of skills such as Pointillism, Pop Art, Fauvism and Impressionism to create Tudor-inspired portraits.   

DT: children will use food technology skills to participate in a Tudor-themed banquet.

RE: we will explore the cultures and beliefs of the Islamic faith.

Music: our main focus this term will be learning to play the glockenspiel. 

PE: children will develop a range of dance skills and build on their knowledge of tennis and cricket.   

Spring Term: The Wild West

Get ready to saddle up and ride into a world of Wild West-themed learning! This term will see our Y6's delve into the geography and history of North America, with a particular focus on the lives and cultures of the Native American tribes. We will also be looking at the settlement of North America by Europeans and how this impacted on those indigenous tribes. All our learning will be focused on producing a Wild-West-themed board game which crystallises the children's learning throughout the term.  

English: we will be linking our English and Guided Reading lessons to our topic lessons. This will include the children reading a range of Native American stories to use as a springboard to create their own folk tales.   

Science: our illuminating and shocking topics will be light and electricity. 

History: we will research the reasons behind the mass migration of Europeans into North American and the subsequent impact of European settlers on Native American tribes.  

Geography: we will be using atlases and maps to investigate the geography of North America and investigating how different biomes impacted on the tribes living in them.  

Computing: we will be looking at E-safety and coding, programming and debugging.

Art: we will 'draw' on our research into Native American tribes to create a range of artworks, including making masks and buffalo hide stories.  

DT: we will use a range of skills to create teepees, wagons, dream-catchers and a board game.  

RE: we will be discussing and exploring Christianity, focusing on special times, places and words for this religion.

Music: we will be focusing on rhythm and pitch through the song Happy by Pharrell Williams. We will also listen and appraise other songs about being happy.  

PE: In outdoor PE lessons children will develop a range of skills through playing a mix of invasion games, including looking at lacrosse's roots in the Iroquois tribe. Our indoor focus will be on dance, including Native American dances and line-dances.     

Languages: Bonjour! Our children will be learning French this year.  C'est fantastique! 

Summer Term: Into the Jungle

Our second topic will see our children hack their way through a jungle of learning as they flip their focus away from the deserts, plains and woodland of North America to the rainforests of South America. All our learning will build towards the creation of a rainforest museum which will be open to both parents and the rest of the school at the term's end (date TBC).    

English: here we will use our persuasive writing skills to write letters against the deforestation  of the Amazon.

Science: we will be learning about evolution and investigating how this has impacted on the flora and fauna of both South America and the UK.  

History: we will investigate the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilisations and compare them with other civilisations looked at in previous years (Romans, Greeks and Egyptians) and tribes currently living in South America.

Geography: we will use our map-reading skills to locate rainforests around the world before looking at the flora and fauna at the various layers of a rainforest. We will also investigate the many medicinal breakthroughs that have been achieved due to the flora of the rainforest.      

Computing: we will continue to develop our programming and coding skills.

Art: children will research the work of Rousseau before creating collages based on his work.

DT: children will research, design and create a 3-D model of a rainforest insect.  

RE: we will be exploring the culture and beliefs of Sikhism.

Music: we will be learning songs from South America and creating a rainforest soundscape.  

PE: we will be building on our gymnastic skills in indoor PE and developing orienteering skills in outdoor PE.  

Spellings

Children will participate in weekly spelling tests. During the first half term there will be a focus on words learned in prior years to consolidate their knowledge. Spelling lists are provided each half term on the homework page for Year 6. It is highly recommended that children ensure they are familiar with the spelling lists for Y3/4 before focusing on the Y5/6 lists as these words form part of the writing assessment criteria for Year 6.

PE and Games

All Y6 children need their indoor PE kit on Wednesdays.

All Y6 children need their outdoor PE kit on Fridays.