Welcome to Year 6
We wish your children every success in the year ahead. Please feel free to come and see us with any concerns that you may have.
Term topics
Autumn
The Battle of Britain
This term we will be learning about WWII and specifically the Battle of Britain. We will visit the Wings Museum, build our own shelters and go on a walk around Lindfield where we will look at how our own village was affected by the events of the global event.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg to all the learning we undertake throughout the term.
Maths
In our maths lessons we use the school’s concrete/pictorial/abstract approach to work through a variety of different fluency, reasoning and problem solving tasks on place value, the four functions including the order of operations and fractions. The PSP sets us problems to start every lesson and we love doing our Flashback 4 every morning alongside lots of Fluency Time.
Reading
We read a vast array of different texts in our whole class reading lessons, many of them linked with our Battle of Britain topic. These include Run Rabbit Run, Letters from the Lighthouse, Carrie’s War and Anne Frank’s diary. We also use videos such as The Few to look for key inferences. We use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise) skills when looking at texts to really unpick what is happening
Writing
We, once again, use our Battle of Britain theme to influence some of our writing in the Autumn Term. Starting with newspaper reports about the declaration of World War II, continuing with letters home from evacuees, war poetry and narratives set in the 1940s Germany. We also look at non-fiction reports related to many elements of this conflict.
Science
During the Autumn Term we look at the human body including key systems within in. We look at circulatory system in depth – we even do a dance to explain how it works. We also look at the digestive system – we have great fun finding out what happens to different foods as they pass through the body! It can get a bit icky! We also look at living things and how they are classified.
P.E.
We love indoor athletics in Year 6. We practice hard in events such as speed bounce, vertical jump, broad jump and netball push so we are ready for both intra and inter school competitions. We supplement this with invasion games lessons with a variety of transferable skills. We are also all about Personal Bests in Year 6 – we love competing with ourselves to try and get the best scores we can. We also love to have fun dancing around in our PE lesson and we all love some Jumpstart Johnny every now and then!
History
As you have probably worked out by now, we study the Battle of Britain in Year 6. In our history lessons we look at rationing and how this affected people in the UK in the 1940, how Operation Sea Lion was thwarted in the Battle of Britain, how the war affected different parts of Europe and the world and it shaped Britain and Europe today. We also visit Wings Museum or Newhaven Fort to experience artefacts from the conflict up close.
Design Technology
In our DT lessons we look at structures and how to make a strong one and use this knowledge to make our own Anderson shelters similar to those they used in cities in the UK to protect themselves during The Blitz.
Art
We look at a variety of different artists and techniques in our art sessions, one of our favourites in Picasso and we love using his ideas to create unique self-portraits of ourselves.
Computing
We look at coding a lot in the Autumn Term, using spheroes to create programs. We also look creating blogs alongside important lessons on how to stay safe online.
R.E./PSHE
We look at a number of religions in our RE lessons including how Muslims show commitment towards God and how the Christmas story is important for Christians. In our PSHE lessons we follow the Jigsaw problem looking at setting goals for ourselves and looking out for other people. We have also been looking at a number of areas related to anti-bullying week and how we are all different and unique.
MFL
We continue to improve our listening, writing, speaking and reading in French in Year 6, building on knowledge from previous years.
Spring
Magical mysteries
This term our main focus will be on magic and mystery. One of our key texts will be 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone' by JK Rowling and a lot of our learning will be inspired by this fantastic book. Activities will include a Harry Potter themed day, where we dress up as our favourite character and we also visit Warner Bros. Studios.
However, this is just a taste of all the learning we take part in throughout the term.
Maths
In our maths lessons we use the school’s concrete/pictorial/abstract approach to work through a variety of different fluency, reasoning and problem solving tasks. Our main foci are decimals, percentages, measure, algebra and ratio, as well as a short unit on statistics. As in the autumn term, the Problem Solving Pineapple sets us problems to start every lesson and we love doing our Flashback 4 every morning alongside lots of Fluency Time.
English
Alongside our key text of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone', we read a vast array of different texts during our whole class reading lessons. These range from non-fiction pieces from the ‘Pottermore’ website, looking at creatures within texts such as ‘The Harry Potter Creature Vault’, learning about the history of lighthouses and finding out about more sustainable sources of electricity.
We explore the themes of light and dark, the ordinary and the extraordinary through a number of other texts such as: ‘Northern Lights’ by Philip Pullman, ‘The Wee Free Men’ by Terry Pratchett, ‘The Dark is Rising’ by Susan Cooper and ‘Eric’ by Shaun Tan, to mention a few. We look at a variety of poetry too such as poems from ‘The Lost Words’ where we explore the magic of nature and we even get dramatic with some great narrative poetry like ‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes.
We continue to use our VIPERS skills (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, Summary) when looking at texts to really unpick what a text is about and to support children to make connections between the various texts we read in class as well as the texts children read for pleasure.
Within our writing sessions we move to a more independent writing style with children choosing their own text purposes throughout the term. We use the themes we explore during reading sessions to inform and inspire our writing sessions. This also supports children to use great authors and writing as a model for their own writing. By the end of the spring term, children will have written for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Science
During the Spring Term we look at two units of work. In the first half of the term we look at light including how the eye works and how and why shadows are formed. We also look at how light is split up. We also look at electricity and create various circuits along with looking at safety elements.
P.E.
We focus on invasion games in the first half of the term, mainly through hockey. We learn to pass with control and accuracy along with developing our attacking and defending skills. In the second half of the term we continue to work on control but this time through gymnastics where we create routines involving balances, jumps, rolls and transition. We are also all about Personal Bests in Year 6 – we love competing with ourselves to try and get the best scores we can. We also love to have fun dancing around in our PE lesson and we all love some Jumpstart Johnny every now and then!
History
Our focus in the Spring Term moves towards the Ancient Mayans. We look at various aspects of their culture and how they lived. We also look at what parts of the world they located whilst comparing their lives to those of a European culture around the same time.
Design Technology
In our DT lessons we look at the art of Chindogu and various ‘useless’ or ‘useful’ inventions. We look at some that have been created and try to design and create our own.
Art
Our art focus is on drawing skills and techniques. We explore tonal shading for effect and to create the appearance of 3D shape. This involves refining our use of light, medium and dark tones, being creative in the placement of tones and blending tones together for effect. We take our inspriation from the Chiaroscuro style of art.
Computing
We look at data handling in our computing sessions in the spring term. Children begin to independently select, use and combine a variety of software to collect, analyse, evaluate and present data and information and learn where it would be useful for them to use and present data. We also continue to look at how we stay safe online by being more discerning when evaluating digital content and children are able to identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact in and out of the academy.
R.E./PSHE
In our RE lessons in the spring term, we focus on Christianity and look at the enquiry question - Is Christianity still a strong religion 2000 years after Jesus was on earth?
In our PSHE lessons we follow the Jigsaw problem looking at setting goals for ourselves and looking out for other people.
MFL
We continue to improve our listening, writing, speaking and reading in French in Year 6, building on knowledge from previous years. We try to build up to writing short passages in French based on body parts.
Geography
Towards the end of the spring term we begin to start thinking about our residential to the Isle of Wight. We look at the location of the island and some of its key features. We also compare the tourist activities on the island to another island in Europe and discuss its sustainability as a tourist destination.
Summer
Legacy
This term our theme is ‘Legacy’. We are looking back on our time at Lindfield Primary Academy and reflecting on everything we have achieved. This theme will be influencing many of our lessons.
Maths
In our maths lessons we use the school’s concrete/pictorial/abstract approach to work through a variety of different fluency, reasoning and problem solving tasks. Our main foci in the Summer Term are ratio and geometry as well as revisiting key concepts from earlier in the year such as percentages, decimals and fractions. As in the autumn term, the Problem Solving Pineapple sets us problems to start every lesson and we love doing our Flashback 4 every morning alongside lots of Fluency Time.
During our ‘Legacy’ unit, children will have the opportunity to reflect on their time at primary school, the things they learned and the people who had an impact on their lives. This will serve as preparation for them to create their own ‘Here We Are’ books, based on Oliver Jeffers’ ‘Here We Are’ that will be a reflection and celebration of: their time at primary school, the legacy they will leave behind and the confident, secure, caring individuals they have become, who will continue to achieve personal success and remain lifelong learners.
We will be reading the abridged version of ‘Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom’ and ‘Malala’s Magic Pencil’. Both these texts will help children explore the concept of ‘legacy’ and how one person can have a huge impact on the world. Children will also use their VIPERS skills to help them investigate and consider a wide range of historical sources to help them answer the question: ‘How have the medical breakthroughs of the last 250 years affected the lives of people in Britain?’
In the second half term, we will be looking at the plays of William Shakespeare and children will have a go at retelling his stories in their own, unique way. We will end our summer term by working on our end of year production film…light, camera, ACTION!
Science
The summer term programme of study involves Evolution and Inheritance and investigating offspring, variations, characteristics, adaptation and traits in living things. The children will learn to recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago. They will also recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents. Lastly, children will learn to identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.
For the second part of the term a review module, designed to revisit and reinforce key concepts learned in previous year groups. In addition, this module encourages children to connect science to the world around them as it links scientific concepts to everyday problem solving.
P.E.
We love getting outside for our PE in the Summer Term. In our striking and fielding games lessons we learn a variety of skills through various mini games linked to rounders and cricket. In our athletics sessions we look at throwing, running and jumping. We build on our skills throughout the term in preparation for various competitions including Sports Day. We are also all about Personal Bests in Year 6 – we love competing with ourselves to try and get the best scores we can. We keep active and have frequent opportunities to ‘get moving’ during the school day whether it be a short run or a Jumpstart Johnny every now and then!
Geography
Our focus in the Spring Term moves towards comparing and contrasting different parts of the world. Our enquiry questions look at Florida and what the Sunshine State is really like. We compare various aspects of climate and culture with the Isle of Wight in the build up to our annual residential there in June. In the second half of the term we look at coasts and how they are formed.
Art
With our focus of Legacy, we look at book art and appreciate the skill of repurposing an old text into something new and beautiful, something can be enjoyed for years to come. We will explore and critique the works of other artists and try to copy the techniques and skills that they mastered. Next we plan and produce individual pieces of book art to showcase all our new learning.
Once the 2D image has been mastered we will move to a 3-dimensional piece involving sculpture of paper. These works will also link to our theme of legacy and be inspired by our time at Lindfield Primary Academy.
Throughout the term we will be dipping into the art and culture of some of the great individuals that we are studying; the children should expect learning about African batik and Indian mendhi designs.
Computing
We look at combining a few computing skills in the summer term. Children will be creating their own ‘choose your adventure’ stories using PurpleMash. Children will plan their stories using a variety of different software programs and they will then need to design and code their stories so that others can follow and enjoy what they have created. They will then write about the creation process in the blogs they started earlier this year. We will also continue to look at how we stay safe online by being more discerning when evaluating digital content and children will be able to identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact in and out of the academy.
R.E.
The summer term RE sessions lead with enquiry questions; Does belief in Akhirah (life after death) help Muslims lead good lives? Should religious people be sad when someone dies? Do religious people lead better lives? Do all religious beliefs influence people to behave well towards others?
To explore these questions the children will learn to identify ways in which Muslims try to lead good lives and how their belief in Akhirah influences this. They will also challenge stereotyping through understanding different Muslim interpretations of Jihad and how this links to getting to Heaven.
PHSE
In our PSHE lessons we follow the Jigsaw program and the first half of term is about relations. The children learn to identify when people may be experiencing feelings associated with loss and also recognise when people are trying to gain power or control. Children will also learn to explain the feelings they might experience if they lose somebody special and when they need to stand up for themselves and their friends in real or online situations. The children will also offer their own ideas and strategies to help them manage these feelings and situations.
The second half of the term is called, ‘changing me’. The children compare how they are now to when they were a baby and explain some of the changes that will happen to them as they get older. The class will be introduced to the correct and formal names to body parts, and give reasons why they are private. The children will learn to explain why some changes they might experience might feel better than others.
MFL
We continue to improve our listening, writing, speaking and reading in French in Year 6, building on knowledge from previous years. Children will learn about Café culture in France and learn vocabulary that allows them to ask for food and drinks from a menu. The children will also use their vocabulary to express an opinion and be to talk about themselves and their likes and dislikes.
Music
In music, we will look at the work of British composer Kerry Andrew. Her work will inspire us to produce our very own body percussion piece that we will use in our end of year production.
Who are our Year 6 teachers?
Ash
Mr Smyth
Elm
Mrs Hall
Oak
Mrs Bland
Year Group Teaching Assistants
Mrs Redd, Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Phelan
Welcome to Year 6
Useful websites
Usernames and passwords can be found in children’s home school diaries.