Year 6 Curriculum outline Summer 2022
Year 6 Curriculum Outline Summer 2022 Would I lie to you? ~ Bionic Bodies
Humanities - Social Understanding In humanities our first theme is ‘Would I lie to you?’ which links to WW2. Pupils will compile a research portfolio about WW2, learning to address and devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity, difference and significance. When gathering knowledge from several sources, pupils will consider these carefully to draw conclusions, and the need to create a bibliography to record the sources they use. Pupils will also study propaganda to understand that there is often more than one answer to a question. Bionic Bodies’ will focus on sport through research into the Ancient Olympics and its importance in Ancient Greek culture. With the Commonwealth Games taking place this year in Birmingham we will look at the history of this sports festival and how it has evolved. Our focus on medicine will be looking at the famous people who had a key role in shaping modern day medicine and pupils will have the opportunity to use Ordnance Survey Maps, learning specifically about features, scales and grid references. In RS pupils will use a range of thinking skills to learn about the key aspects of humanism. They will consider humanist views on atheism and agnosticism, celebrations, values, ethics and the importance of happiness.
Language and Communication In English Year 6 will start the term by thinking about persuasion. We will endeavour to persuade people to our way of thinking. After half term we will be reading the novel Holes by Louis Sachar, which will provide the opportunity to write predictions, analyse characters and examine plot. There will be a range of comprehension activities based around the book. Spelling will continue to be taught and tested weekly. In Modern Languages, pupils will consolidate and extend their learning of basic vocabulary and grammar. There will be plenty of opportunity to practise speaking and listening skills as well as to extend written knowledge and better confidence in reading in French. Pupils will explore digital resources and make good use of the many apps and websites explored in lessons. In Spanish, there will be a particular focus on clothes and holidays; pupils will also familiarise themselves with some poetry by the famous poet Antonio Machado. The focus will be on speaking and listening and on applying phonics rules when reading. In addition , pupils will have the chance to learn about a colourful and fun festivity “La feria de abril”. In French, pupils will revise and expand their knowledge of animals, linking with adjectival agreements and the revision of opinions. They will continue to consolidate their understanding of pronouns and conjugate the irregular verb AVOIR, also becoming familiar with certain phrases that use AVOIR.
Mathematical Understanding For Maths, Year 6 will start the term focusing on statistics. This will include interpreting and drawing line graphs (with and without intermediate points) and pie charts. We will also cover how to calculate averages. The topic following this is geometry, specifically position and direction. We will ask pupils to describe positions on all four quadrants of coordinate grids and to draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, reflecting them in the axes. Particularly in the latter part of the summer term, pupils will also be given the opportunity to solve a variety of maths challenges, extended investigations and word problems. This will allow them to develop their reasoning skills by explaining their mathematical thinking and methods and making links between different areas of maths.
Physical Education and Well-being In PE and games this term cricket, athletics and tennis will be the focus. There will be an emphasis on developing and improving tactical awareness and furthering knowledge of rules and laws in these sports. In tennis, pupils will develop tactics for singles and doubles. Athletics lessons will provide the opportunity for pupils to learn and refine technique in a variety of track and field disciplines. The use of digital technology in lessons will provide pupils with the opportunity for self and peer assessment. 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 the pupils will cover the Personal Safety Unit where they will review their trusted adults on their network of support and will be able to define what risk and peer group pressure scenarios with safety planning. They will discuss touches which break personal boundaries and understand that no-one should touch the intimate parts of their bodies. In the Managing Change Unit pupils will consider a range of situations which involve loss and change. They will learn to recognise emotions associated with loss and change, and understand how these feelings can change. They will know how they can access support and how they can support other people and develop strategies for coping with future changes, including transition to secondary school In the Relationships and Sex (RSE) Unit, we will focus on the scientific vocabulary and pupils will be able to describe some emotions associated with the onset of puberty and consider strategies to deal with these positively. Pupils will understand that puberty affects people in different ways both physically and emotionally and understand that the way they behave affects others. They will consider the characteristics of a loving trusting relationship and understand some basic reasons why a couple might choose to have children. They will also be able to show awareness of some family arrangements which are different from their own.
Creative and Performing Arts Each week in Music the pupils will practise their own instruments or recorders to develop their instrumental technique and expand their repertoire. With this regular practice, pupils will build their confidence and fluency with reading staff notation and learn how to convey expression and more detailed musical markings. As part of this process, students will be encouraged to add their own creative ideas and interpretations to their performances. Pupils will regularly submit or perform finished performances for feedback and will be encouraged to evaluate and self reflect upon their work. This process of identifying aspects of their performance which could be improved or refined and then honing in on these areas encourages active listening and increasingly mature musical awareness. During the course of this term, pupils will also continue to study aspects of musical evolution through the exploration of the Romantic and Contemporary periods. Through studying key works in the musical canon from these periods, pupils will explore more complex aspects of composition, particularly song writing. We will focus on the impact of technology, particularly GarageBand, with a focus on how it opens up new and exciting opportunities for modern composers. Most of all, the pupils will enjoy putting together their songs and routines for the Year 6 Production, and further developing their performance skills and stage presence. Fitzwilliam Junior School pupils will showcase their musical endeavours in the West Road Summer Concert. In Drama, pupils will be rehearsing for their Year 6 Production. Whilst working on the production, pupils will learn to develop and maintain suitable voice and body language for the character being portrayed. Pupils will also learn the importance of being able to work as an ensemble and support each other with the use of peer evaluation. In the performance, the cast will learn the importance of maintaining their role and reacting to others. Pupils will have the opportunity to develop acting, dance, physical theatre and singing skills throughout the rehearsal process. The cast will also have the opportunity to contribute ideas for costume, set design and the use of drama techniques throughout the rehearsal process. In Create Design Engineering (CDE), we will be looking at the art of the impossible, in relation to the work of M. C. Escher and the mathematicians he was influenced by. We will learn about and consider the mathematical concepts behind his drawings as we have a go at creating our own studies by hand and digitally, before attempting to create our own impossible drawings. We will then look at how optical illusions in art can be used to create form and movement and develop the impression of 3D in our drawings. Dame B’s pupils will also fit in some work on self-portraits, hopefully working with wire.
Scientific Understanding In Biology, we will be focusing on Human Biology, including the structure of our muscles and the effects upon the body of various fitness and training methods. We will also cover the biological aspects of human reproduction, in a lesson which will complement what the children will be learning in PSHEE. In Physics, we will be investigating how we can calculate the speed of humans and various vehicles by measuring the time taken to cover a set distance and looking at the role of Physics in optimising our performance in sports. In Chemistry, we will be learning about the pH scale, including how it is used to identify substances as acidic, alkaline or neutral, the role of indicators and the various practical uses of acids and alkalis in everyday life. Then, continuing the sports theme, we will look at chemical changes in the body during exercise and the difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration. How you can help: Visit local museums, such as the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, 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 on TV.
Digital
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 www.explaineverything.com Green Screen www.doink.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 in Years 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.
Thinking Toolkit 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.