Year 6 Summer Term
English
In writing, they will be looking at Narrative adventure story writing based on ‘The Girl With the Lost Smile’ by Miranda Hart. They will also complete a piece of writing based on the first chapter of 'The Hobbit - An Unexpected Party'. In addition to this the children will be writing a diary entry based on ‘Zoo; by Anthony Browne as one of the animals in the story. They will also be writing a narrative based on the poem ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe. At the end of Summer 1 they will be writing a newspaper report based on the popular fairy tale, ‘Hansel and Gretel’.
We will also be be looking at the works of William Shakespeare, with a focus on drama, poetry and play scripts. They will be looking at a range of Shakespeare plays: ‘The Tempest’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Romero and Juliet’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Macbeth’.
Reading
The children this term will be reading the class novel ‘The Hobbit’ and will complete weekly guided reading comprehension based on the book. The children will continue to participate in daily guided reading sessions, where they can access and discuss a wider variety of texts and books linked to poetry, fiction and non-fiction. They will analyse and enjoy fiction and non-fiction texts. The children will have weekly reading booster classes and reading interventions to support them with their reading. Please encourage your child to read on a regular basis, both on their own and to an adult.
Spelling
In the summer term, we will continue to revise and extend the children’s knowledge of spelling strategies. As the children progress through the various stages, they will look at common letter strings (affixes: prefixes, suffixes), stressed and unstressed vowels and the background to the words (etymology). Each week the children will study a new set of spellings in class before learning them ready for a test the following week. Some children will also focus on spellings during a weekly intervention session. Children will receive spellings every Friday and will complete a test and dictation the following Friday.
Punctuation and Grammar
During the Summer term, Year 6 will be focussing on SPAG revision and will have daily SPAG starters and investigations revising words classes. Here they will focus on a range of grammar areas e.g. verb tenses, conjunctions, adverbials etc. Children will be sent home fortnightly SPAG homework.
During this term, we will use our knowledge to construct more advanced phrases and clauses, plus use a variety of word order in sentences to look at the effect this has upon the reader. We will continue to revise basic punctuation and how this can be adapted for different genres in English. Then we will use more advanced punctuation (hyphens, ellipsis, brackets, colons, semi-colons) to include parenthesis and passive sentences. Finally, they will look at managing shifts in the formality of writing.
Mathematics
The children will have daily maths starters, which will focus on arithmetic and securing their skills in areas already covered, for revision and consolidation. This term, in maths lessons, we will be looking at:
- Number: Ratio & Proportion
- Measurement: Perimeter, area and volume
- Geometry: Properties of Shape
- Geometry: Position and Direction
- Statistics
- Problem Solving
Maths learning journeys:
All children have their own Numeracy learning journey, which tracks and supports individual progress and provides children with individual targets. Attainment against these targets is monitored and evaluated within school. However, it is vital that children are given as many opportunities as possible to learn, practise and achieve their targets - any extra support you can provide is greatly valued. The children will be working on their Summer Journey – ‘Stratford Upon Avon’ this term.
Science
The children will complete the three final science topics during the Summer term– ‘Animals Including Humans’, ‘Light’ and ‘Electricity’. In Electricity children will learn to represent circuits using symbols in a diagram, they will learn about important scientific inventors- Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, they will get the opportunity to develop their understanding of what electricity is and how to measure it and finally will conduct their own investigation and will create their own torch. In light, the children will learn about how light travels and how this enables us to see objects. They will work to explore how light creates the colours using prisms and design a coded messages. They will learn about Sir Isaac Newton and his theory of light and colour. The children will also learn about he human body looking at the human circulatory system and the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood. In addition why will also look at the ways in which nutrients and water are transported within the body.
History/ Geography:
Our Year 6 topic for the spring term will be focussed on: ‘To be or not to be, that is the question?’
The children will ask and explore the following questions: How would Shakespeare’s play have been performed in his day? What can you find out about the Globe theatre? Who were Shakespeare’s most famous characters and what would you ask them if you met them today? What sort of people went to the theatre in those days? They will also be looking at what type of plays did Shakespeare write, Shakespeare’s world, a day in the life of Shakespeare and The Spanish Armada.
Art/Design
The children will this term create Shakespeare dioramas, focussing on a scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays, will design and make witch masks, linked to the play Macbeth, will make miniature globe theatres. Finally, they will sketch William Shakespeare and Elizabeth 1 portraits, look at Renaissance artists and artwork and the skill of foreshortening.
P.E. (Physical Education)
This term, Year 6 will be playing rounders and athletics. PE lessons will be on Wednesday (6LR) OR Thursday (6TLJ) afternoons.
Homework this term will be sent out every other Friday and is expected back in every other Monday, at the latest. Homework will consist of Maths, SPAG, reading and spellings.
Children will continue to be regularly assessed with weekly formative and summative assessments and testing taking place.
