Year 6 Summer Curriculum Newsletter

Summer 2016 – Curriculum Newsletter

YEAR 6

Dear Parents,

At the start of a new term it is useful to know about each year group’s routines and curriculum information. The Summer Term is a pinnacle term for Year 6. It involves the children taking the National Tests and their final levels being submitted. It is, therefore, vital that the children remain focused for the duration of the year to ensure that they achieve their predicted levels.

As such, the first half term will focus on developing and embedding test skills and revising the curriculum that the children have covered in lessons during Spring and Autumn Term. Following this, the children will then have opportunities to demonstrate fully the levels they will receive at the end of the year through different activities across a range of subjects.

The second half term will offer opportunities for focuses on Design and Technology, Art, Sports and project work. Of course, the children will be off to Hilston Park (Monday 6th June) where they will take part in canoeing, archery and orienteering activities, to name but a few. It is during this term, that they will also work on their Leavers’ Concert, which will give them the chance to showcase themselves to their parents, peers and staff.

 

Our main project during the Summer Term will be…

Pick’n’Mix

 

LITERACY – Where appropriate, Literacy is linked to our class project work. This allows us to establish meaningful contexts in which to develop oracy, reading and writing skills. Texts we will be using as part of our ‘Pick’n’Mix’ project include: ‘The Arrival’ and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. We will continue to develop the children’s narrative writing skills and exploring the language features associated with a range of non-fiction genres.

READING: The children will continue to be introduced to a range of reading material through individual books, group guided reading books and whole class shared texts. All children will take part in group guided reading sessions with the class teacher and/or another member of staff. Pupils are expected to read at home under the guidance of parents and can select from books in school and/or their own reading material.

SPELLINGS: Lists are taken from the Literacy Strategy and may also include class or project spellings.

Pupils will normally bring home spellings to learn on a Friday to be tested on the following Friday.

NUMERACY

We follow the teaching objectives outlined in the National Numeracy Strategy. Class lessons include mental maths activities followed by a main teaching activity. During the Summer Term the children will continue to develop their understanding of place value, time, written methods, fractions, decimals and percentages; alongside improving their application of shape, space and measures. Pupils are required to learn their tables on a regular basis. Pupils’ mental maths skills will usually be tested for speed and accuracy on a Friday.  A weekly times table test is also undertaken on a Friday, though this will on occasion be alternated with national test practice (which will be the focus during the first half term).

SCIENCE

Our science curriculum during the first half of Summer Term will be covered through our theme ‘Sid the Slob’. This topic will focus on healthy and unhealthy living and their impact on their body.  Following this, the children will move onto their ‘Wild Woods’ which will look closely at plants, including photosynthesis and reproduction. Throughout the topics, learning will take place through scientific investigation, enabling your child to develop scientific skills alongside knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts.

WELSH

Welsh this term focuses on holidays. The children are working hard on their oracy and will be taking on the roles of a travel agent and customer to organise their own holidays. They will also be writing postcards from their destination.

ICT

Throughout our project the children will use Word and PowerPoint to plan, create, develop and combine information with a sense of purpose and awareness of audience. Additionally, the children are now accessing spreadsheet programs such as Excel. They will also learn how to use the internet for research, following safety guidelines & discussing issues relating to internet safety.

ART

Talking Textiles will be our Art project for the Summer Term: a way of telling their life story using textiles. Additionally, we will also revisit the Ancient Egyptians and work with clay to create cartouches and canopic jars.

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

We will be making sweets/biscuits using a World War 2 recipe. The children will be looking at rationing and calculating budgets.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The children will explore the various religious books used by different religious communities.

HISTORY

History will be led by pupil voice, and a focus will be chosen during group discussion.  This may expand on work we have already covered in key historical periods, such as WWII or may take a new direction.

ESDGC/PSE

Children will be encouraged to empathise with others’ feelings and experiences; understand that there is value both in the similarities and the differences between aspects of life in different countries and understand that the behaviour of individuals has an effect on the lives of others.

MUSIC

The children will be completing their ‘Band’ project, which will end with a performance to the rest of the school. Within the project, the children have created their own soundtracks and lyrics, which has taken a lot of effort and perseverance. The tracks are sounding fantastic and each child will receive a copy of all of their creations on a CD.

PE

P.E. lessons are on a Wednesday afternoon (inside) and a Friday morning (outside). I would be grateful if you would ensure that the children have appropriate kit in school on these days, in particular a warm kit for games outside during the winter months. The children will be reminded of the school health and safety policy of no jewellery being worn during these lessons.

PUPIL VOICE

At Glasllwch School we continue to adapt and improve our school curriculum to encompass the interests and experiences of the children.  We believe that asking pupils about what they would like to learn is fundamental to providing an engaging and inspiring curriculum. Please discuss with your child what they would like to learn about during our project.

HOMEWORK

In addition to learning spellings and practicing multiplication and division facts, we may ask for your support in helping your child with the above projects in different ways.  The homework for this term will focus on preparation for the national tests in May.

It is important that we continue to work in partnership in order for your child to flourish and reach his or her potential. If you have any questions concerning your child’s education, do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Cornelius  and Mrs Logan

(Year 6 Teacher)     (HLTA and Welsh Coordinator)

 

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