Year 6 Curriculum Outline 2018-19
Year 6 Curriculum Outline Autumn 2018 Form Teachers: 6G - Mrs Graham 6D - Mrs Digby 6K - Mr Kohler Subject teachers: Humanities - social understanding Mr Evans Language and Communication Mrs Matthews (English), Mr Kohler (English), Mrs Graham (English and French), Ms Prowse (French), Mrs Foreman (Spanish), Mrs Fernรกndez Smart (Spanish) Mathematical Understanding Mrs Digby (Maths), Mr Newnes (Maths), Mr Kohler (Maths), Mr Hewlett (Coding) Physical Education and Well-being Mr Evans (Games and PE), Mr Godfrey (Games and PE)
Creative and Performing Arts Miss Wynne-Powell (Creative and Design Engineering), Miss Mullaly (Music), Mrs Clark (Drama) Scientific Understanding Mr Hewlett (Biology) Mr West (Biology), Mrs Handford (Chemistry), Mrs McKnight (Physics)
Humanities - Social Understanding Key Topics In their humanities lessons, Year 6 will be studying the Victorians. They will look at royal life, the domestic situations of the rich and the poor, social changes, transport, education and industry. They will use a variety of primary and secondary sources and will be encouraged to do individual and collaborative research. Year 6 will be visiting Audley End, where they will spend the day dressed as Victorians, experiencing what it would have been like to be a domestic servant in a large country house. Using geographical skills, pupils will study the town of Saffron Walden identifying key geographical concepts. Settlement function and patterns will be discussed and the impact of town expansion on residents and businesses will be identified. Pupils will have the opportunity to create their own settlements where critical thinking, town planning and budgeting will all be considered. In RS lessons, pupils will learn about William and Catherine Booth, Victorian Christians who founded the Salvation Army. They will also learn about Judaism, and the Jewish concept of the one God. They will learn about the covenant entered into between God and Abraham, and later Moses, and why Jews may consider themselves God’s ‘chosen people’.
PSHEE Key Topics We will look at the role of parliament in our democracy prior to our visit to the Palace of Westminster. We will also consider the role of the monarch and how that fits into the picture. We are hoping that Kemi Badenoch MP will also visit school to have a discussion and Q&A session with the children as a follow-up, as she did last year. This ties in with the theme of rights and responsibilities in general, and how they also apply at school and in the wider world (global citizenship).
https://www.parliament.uk/ https://youtu.be/RAMbIz3Y2JA We will be looking at how to keep safe and healthy as the teen years approach, and we and to have an open and frank dialogue with our pupils about the temptations and possible dangers they face. Linked to this will be consideration of the importance of mental health, and thinking about how children can find appropriate support. Our final topic for the term will be considering the diversity of the world in which we live and tying that in with one of our learning habits: tolerance. We will also consider what we mean by stereotypes, and the dangers of this. There will also be ongoing reminders about the two key concerns of bullying and e-safety, both for pupils and for parents. See links below for general information or if you want to check out anything about apps or websites your child may be using or want to use at home. https://ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/ https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/ https://www.net-aware.org.uk/#
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, as well as having a dedicated library session with Mrs Rogers, our librarian. 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. Each class will have a class reader which reflects the humanities Victorian theme, and our shared text for lessons will be The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo. Text types this term include biography and autobiography, a focus on character and setting in our shared text, and consideration of themes of Remembrance through Michael Foreman’s War Game and some related poetry. This term pupils will also have a double lesson of exam and study skills, for which groupings will be adapted to accommodate those sitting entrance exams. How to help at home: ● Encourage your child to read most days and share their reading with them when you can. It’s important that they see you interested in reading too! Reading comments will be recorded in homework planners. ● Help your child to identify key information when using the internet, thus avoiding simply cutting and pasting when engaged in research tasks. Assessment: ● Half-termly writing assessment ● Weekly spelling test ● Cognitive Ability Tests ● Standardised reading and spelling assessments at start of term
French Key Topics Pupils will study the formation of regular present tense ER verbs and become familiar with the pronouns and explore links and differences with English verbs. Through songs, conversation, reading and writing, pupils will build on their understanding and confidence. Pupils will learn about articles of clothing and accessories, revisit adjectives in connection to clothing and apply the ER verb “porter� (to wear / to carry ). Through Thematic Learning, pupils will revise and expand their knowledge on The House, using iPads to create a short presentation about their homes. To help at home pupils can practise vocabulary and conversation from the free websites languagesonline.org.uk and Duolingo.
Spanish Key Topics In Spanish, the focus continues to be on speaking and listening and on establishing a good accent. Linking to the Humanities topic of Victorians the children will continue to focus on talking about themselves and their families. There will be an opportunity to learn the transactional vocabulary required to order food or drink and practise pronunciation by reading menus. The culture of Spanish speaking countries will be studied, in particular by learning about Day of the Dead in Mexico and as Christmas approaches they will learn a Christmas song. Pupils can consolidate their learning by using the Linguascope or Grow Story Grow websites or by using one of the free websites which have been used in class.
Mathematical Understanding Our approach in mathematics is based on a number of key ideas: daily mathematics lessons; direct, interactive teaching; the systematic development of mental calculation; use of manipulatives and visual representations to help pupils breakdown maths problems; subscription websites such as MyMaths and Mathspace to consolidate learning; use of apps such as Explain Everything and iMovie to explain reasoning plus weekly maths investigations, as a year group, using websites such as Nrich*, to encourage collaboration and deepen mathematical understanding. In the Autumn Term Year 6 have six forty minutes lessons of core maths per week and two forty minutes lessons devoted to either preparation for entrance tests or problem-solving using applied maths for pupils not sitting exams. Mrs Digby, Mr Kohler and Mr Newnes will share the teaching for the core mathematics lessons plus Mrs Digby will teach the exam group and Mr Kohler and Mr Newnes the non-exam groups. Key Learning Topics for the Autumn term are:
Place value Addition and subtraction Multiplication and division Fractions Coordinates Reflection and translation There will also be maths clubs running for Years 3 - 6 at various times in the week. Do encourage your child/children to come along and have some maths fun! *Please check out the Nrich website for maths resources and games that you can play with your children https://nrich.maths.org/9086 Assessment In-class topic tests Cognitive Ability Tests
Physical Education and Well-being Key Topics Pupils will be involved in numerous team sports this first term having the opportunity to play, coach and officiate in lessons. They will look at various training methods during fitness whilst learning more about team sports including hockey, rugby and badminton throughout the term. Greater emphasis is placed on analysis and an ability to refine performance is key to pupil development. Please encourage practical involvement in sport outside of school and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Promote healthy eating at home and encourage pupils to watch live sport or sport on the TV.
Creative and Performing Arts Key Topics In music lessons, pupils will focus on Elgar’s Enigma Variations and learn the theory and cultural context behind the theme and variations method. In a practical setting, they will listen to and appraise a number of renowned Theme and Variation compositions, ranging from Mozart to Mahler. After performing extracts in their original state, pupils will do their best to vary the melodic contours by using a range of taught methods. Pupils will have the
opportunity to compose and perform their own theme and variations project, digitally and acoustically. They will develop a sound understanding of the Programme Music genre and the various musical characters depicted throughout one single piece. In drama we will be starting the year exploring the ideas of autobiography creating our own ‘This Is Your Life’, helping to develop an understanding of character and how to sustain a role. As we move through the term, we will then be looking at the shared text The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo continuing to work alongside the Language and Communication lessons. We will use improvisation to develop dialogue and look closely at screen adaptations of books. Using the iPads we will learn about the conventions of script writing, create our own adaptation of The Snow Spider and then film the scenes written. A nimble start to our year together, we will be taming wire and attempting to create a likeness of ourselves, conquering the mastery of pliers and building muscles in our fingers! This project will also include a digital element. As we approach the second half of term we will take a look at Sacred Geometry with the mathematical knots and rosettes drawn by Da Vinci. Here we will master the use of a compass and discover sets of mathematical rules as we draw. If time allows, we will try some Lino-cutting on the theme of William Morris designs and link in with those Victorians.
Scientific Understanding Key Topics The children experience the three disciplines of science: biology, physics and chemistry for the first time in isolation. It allows for a greater focus on specific scientific knowledge. In Year 6, the children are taught by either Mr Hewlett or Mr West (biology), Mrs Handford (chemistry) and Mrs McKnight (physics). Mrs McKnight joins us for one morning a week offering subject specialism and a valuable link for our students with science beyond primary. Mr West joins us from the Junior School where he has taught science for many years. The topics this term include evolution, fossils, reversible/irreversible reactions and electricity: changing circuits, brightness, series and parallel circuits. How you can help: Encourage your children to visit http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk Explore some of the projects...there is a wealth of information!