and different forms of energy. We will understand that priorities can appear to shift, for example, in our use of plastics for products needed in the Covid pandemic Finally we will try to make a difference in our school community and contemplate how this will impact the world
In Born Identity after half term, pupils will sequence the changes that have happened in the UK over time. Pupils will develop an understanding of how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of primary and secondary sources We will investigate significant people in British history and pupils will have the opportunity to investigate their own family tree We will consider how the current crisis will be documented for future generations in our technological age
In RS we will continue to explore the beliefs and traditions of Judaism, focusing on the ways in which the commandments from God shape the lives of Jewish people and also major Jewish celebrations Pupils will then find out about rites of passage in the major faiths They will understand that rites of passage mark a person's entry into a new stage of life and include birth, moving on and change. They will consider how ceremonies help people to understand their new roles in society, and can also help others learn to treat people in new ways after they experience certain rites of passage
Language and Communication
In English Year 6 will participate in a variety of activities each week that will allow the children to develop all aspects of their English skills. Weekly spellings will be given and tested the following week Grammar and punctuation skills will generally be taught in context as part of our lessons, although certain topics may be taught discretely as necessary This term, our writing will link to our themes around sustainability and the text types include discussion texts, stories that raise issues and newspapers To support this we will be reading GretaThunberg’s “No-one’s Too Small to Make a Difference” and Quentin Blake’s “A Sailing Boat in the Sky” before half term. Thereafter we will be using poetry to link in particular to our PSHEE theme around diversity and equality
How to help at home:
● Encourage your child to read and share their reading with them when you can Foster a love of reading
● Encourage your children to write in their own words and proofread their work, this is especially important when researching and using other sources from the internet.
● Talk to them about their writing target and encourage them to use it in homework.
● Remind them of the Expectations for Writing inY6 (on Google Classroom)
Pupils will complete independent writing tasks each half term to identify next steps in their learning
In Modern Languages, whilst maintaining a focus on communicative skills, pupils will be looking at and trying out strategies for learning and memorising language in order to boost their active vocabulary and develop good learning habits In French there will be a focus on talking about their families and homes in greater detail and talking about to whom things belong. Pupils will revise and consolidate numbers up to 100 along with basic, everyday vocabulary.They will reinforce their understanding of ER verbs and familiarise themselves with the irregular verbsAVOIR and ETRE In Spanish they will be exploring and learning verbal structures They will also have a cultural focus and learn about key festivals in the Spanish-speaking world, which will lead into learning how to give opinions and justifications in Spanish
Mathematical Understanding
This term we will begin by completing our work on fractions which we started at the end of theAutumn term We will then looking at decimals, including identifying the digits in a number up to 3 decimal places, multiplying and dividing decimal numbers by 10, 100, 1000 and by integers not divisible by 10. We will also relate decimals to fractions and complete word problems relating to this topic including looking at how we use decimals in a real-life context
Our next topic this term is percentages - finding equivalence between fractions, decimals and percentages and also finding percentage of amounts
We will then focus onAlgebra which will be covered in terms of forming expressions, substitution, forming equations and finding one or two unknowns in an equation
Next we move on to measures, specifically converting between different metric units and solving problems relating to different measures. We will also look at some imperial units and focus on relating this work to a real-life context.Then do some work on area, perimeter and volume before moving onto ratio and scale and solving problems relating to these topics
Our final topic is ratio Here we will begin to use relevant vocabulary to describe relationships between amounts such as ‘for every’and ‘in every’and relate this to its mathematical representation including as a fraction. We will also look at scale factors, particularly in the context of shape, to describe enlargements and patterns
Physical Education and Well-being
In PE at Fitzwilliam this term the children will be working on gymnastics and dance.
Netball, hockey and football will form the basis of games lessons for the children this term. Development of key skills, refinement of technique and a focus on integrating tactics into match play will be key features of lessons this term For hockey, pupils will need shin pads,
moulded gum shields and hockey sticks. More information about fixtures can be found at wwwstephenpersesport com or wwwdamebradburyssport com
Do encourage your child to get involved with any of these sports outside of school by joining local clubs, and discuss the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.
In PSHEE, pupils will learn about healthy lifestyles, understanding that there are a range of influences on the choices they make about diet and exercise, including the media, peers and adults They will learn that they have responsibility for making choices to enable them to be physically and mentally healthy. Pupils will also consider mental health and well-being including individual emotions such as boredom, worry and stress and consider the support that is available and how to build confidence Children’s Mental Health Week will focus on ‘expressing ourselves’ and they will take part in a range of activities to support their wellbeing Pupils will continue to address online safety and know what to do if they are worried about anything online. They will also reinforce their understanding of using technology safely and effectively throughout the term, with Safer Internet Day on 9th February having a focus on an internet we can trust, using critical thinking skills to check the reliability of information online Finally, pupils will study financial responsibility and competence, including debt and saving
Creative and PerformingArts
In Music, pupils will continue to study aspects of musical evolution by exploring key features of the elegant Baroque and Classical periods Through studying key works in the musical canon from these periods, pupils will explore more complex musical aspects within composition These will include some of the key harmonic ideas we hear in popular music today which, in fact, originate from the Baroque period. Pupils will explore the Baroque and Classical periods of music through ensemble performances and compositional projects, and will have the opportunity to use their own instruments, where appropriate. Pupils will regularly improvise, and will develop an increasingly broad and mature bank of musical terminology.
Each week, pupils will develop their instrumental technique and ensemble performance skills as members of differentiated flexible performance groups. As a member of each ensemble, pupils will build their confidence and fluency with reading staff notation and learning how to convey expression and more detailed musical markings. Pupils will prepare instrumental and choral repertoire for the much anticipated Spring Concert.
Create Design Engineering
We will develop Rube Goldberg designs, initially on paper and then practically through ideas, trial, error, evaluation and redesign, incorporating complex marble runs, pulley systems, seesaws and other forms of chain reactions We will then study Cubism and create our own drawn and digital cubist self-portraits
In Drama pupils will use improvisation to focus on the use of body language in performance,
altering posture, tension, facial expression and gesture to create a character. Students will build their own unique character by using a hat as stimulus Pupils will learn to make deliberate choices about how a character travels, reacts and freezes in context
In vocal work, they will use deliberately chosen vocabulary, vocal tone and clear audible speech in performance. They will put this into practice by creating their own audiobooks, where they will narrate and create different character voices looking at a target audience of 5-7 year olds
Students will also devise their own scenes based on the theme of climate change for which we will use peer assessment and learn to respond to criticism positively, acting on suggestions for improvement
Year 6 will also have a workshop by practitioners ‘West End in Schools,’ exploring the topic of the environment and devising educational theatre
Towards the end of term, students will start exploring the storyline and characters of their annual production in preparation for their auditions.
Scientific Understanding
This term, in Biology, pupils will learn about Adaptation and Evolution, covering how living organisms can be classified into groups based on their features, what fossils tell us about ancient life and the changes that have happened over millions of years, and what genetics tells us about how characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next.
In Physics, they will learn about Electricity, deepening their understanding of how to construct electrical circuits and how they work, the use of circuit symbols to represent components in circuit diagrams, the variables which affect the amount of current flowing through a circuit and the differences between series and parallel circuits.
In Chemistry, they will learn about Elements, covering how chemical elements are arranged on the periodic table based on their properties and how our understanding of the structure of atoms underpins this cornerstone of modern Chemistry
How you can help:
Visit local museums, such as the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Saffron Walden Museum and Cambridge Science Centre These institutions have extended their online resources since lockdown, as has BBC Bitesize Science. Look out also for science programmes onTV orYouTube.
Digital Coding
The Inner Wheel
With the Google apps at the heart of digital curation our pupils use Google Classroom to complete work digitally and hand in work that is produced in a variety of ways We have identified 7 main apps, our EverGreen apps, that help to showcase our pupils’learning An animation, movie or annotated piece of work provides richer feedback for the teacher and ultimately helps to make greater progress
Explain Everything wwwexplaineverything com
Green Screen wwwdoink com Stop Motion www.cateater.com Strip Design www.vividapps.com/Strip Designer/ Notability www.gingerlabs.com Book Creator www.bookcreator.com Puppet Pals www.polishedplay.com
The Outer Wheel
We have a number of apps that we use consistently throughout our curriculum that lend themselves to our creative approach. We avoid apps that are specific to a particular outcome, preferring content free apps that can help to enhance our pupils work and understanding. Some examples are: Minecraft, iMovie, KeyNote, Pages and Padlet.
Coding
Another aspect of our digital curriculum is the coding/programming skills that are embedded in all subjects or taught discretely inYears 5 and 6 We have
identified a progression of apps that help to develop our pupils ability to code.The apps provide variety and challenge and help to develop the computation skills that are crucial learning in our digital work.
We combine the coding experiences with physical output. Using Spheros, BBC Micro:Bits and Ozobots provides visual outcomes that bring our code to life.As our pupils develop further they transition on to written code.
ThinkingToolkit
Alongside and underpinning our curriculum we ensure that our pupils are developing as active learners and active thinkers Throughout each subject area pupils are encouraged to use their range of thinking tools and reflect on when and how they are using them Pupils are encouraged to reflect on how their thinking tools underpin all aspects of their learning and not just in the more obvious ways How are they creative in maths? How do they enquire in English? How are they critical in Music? How do they think computationally in PE?
Inclusion
This curriculum map outlines the core curriculum for each year group each term but at the heart of our wheel is the individual learner. Each subject area has a progression of skills which enables staff to stretch or support individuals as and when they need a little help, a bit of a push or a just a different way in. Within our classrooms through planning, teacher knowledge and interactions work is differentiated to suit the needs of each individual.