Year 6 – Rowan Class
What We’ve Been Up To This Term
How can we find out if the spider and the fly are related?
Beginning with Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical world Around You by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, we will be investigating the world of living things and their habitats.
Books your child could read at home:
- The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson
What are we doing at the moment?
In Rowan Class, we have started the Autumn term by celebrating the natural world. In Science, we are learning about living things and their habitats: from micro-organisms to the blue whale. As part of an Art project, we drew spiders and flies in pen using a continuous line technique. We are exploring a world of extraordinary creatures by reading ‘Arthur Spiderwick’s Guide to the Fantastical World Around You’ during our English lessons. We are working hard as we meet new challenges and solve word problems in our Number topic in Maths.
Autumn Term 1 – Rowan Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core text Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical world Around You by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. During shared class reading sessions, the children will analyse and explain the impact of authors’ techniques and use of language. The children will be given opportunities to create a range of text types for different audiences and purposes, including a warning poster, a free-verse poem, a recount, a live-action news report, a character description, an explanation text and non-chronological report in the style of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide. The children will make precise vocabulary choices to persuade the reader, creating vivid imagery through expressive and figurative language and employing a wide range of clause structures, sometimes varying their position within the sentence.
Maths
Number and Place Value: The children will be developing their knowledge in relation to place value to ten million, including representing, rounding and comparing numbers. They will revisit formal written methods of addition, subtraction multiplication and division. All sessions will allocate some time to practising word problems.
RE
The children will be considering the key question ’Creation and Science: conflicting or complimentary?’ To do this, they will make connections between biblical texts and God as Creator. They will identify key ideas from texts and comment on how far these are helpful or inspiring. Children will weigh up how the creation narrative is in conflict or complementary with a scientific account.
Science
We will be focusing on the topic, Living things and their habitats. The children will be exploring the classification system. They will be introduced to the idea that broad groupings, such as micro-organisms, plants and animals can be subdivided. They will classify animals into commonly-found invertebrates (such as insects, spiders, snails, worms) and vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). They will discuss reasons why living things are placed in one group and not another. The children will find out about the significance of the work of scientists such as Carl Linnaeus, a pioneer of classification.
PE
The children will be focusing on developing their passing and shooting skills. This will include dribbling, attacking and defending. There will also be a focus on agility and co-ordination.
PSHE
The children will be considering the qualities of healthy relationships and what it means to be attracted to someone. They will identify and explore feelings and emotions and how to value differences.
Art
In a project linked to our Science topic, the children will create, design and draw “mini-beasts”, using a variety of materials and techniques, such as a continuous line, and graphite and oil pastel.
Autumn Term 2 – Rowan Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core text Journey to Jo’burg They will consider the different plot patterns for narrative stories. Vocabulary will be a key focus with children discussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination. They will consider how the choices authors make influence the reader how to infer meaning form text. The children will have opportunity to apply independent writing skills to write letters and a persuasive argument. The focus will be on proof reading and editing text, application and use of commas, cohesion, prefix and suffixes and handwriting. The children will be learning to spell words from the Year 5/6 spelling list alongside root words.
Maths
The children will be reinforcing their knowledge in
simplifying fractions, comparing and ordering fractions, + – x and dividing fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers, showing fractions in their simplest form, dividing proper fractions by whole numbers, associating fractions to decimal equivalences and percentages and applying to different contexts. They will also consider Position and Direction on the full coordinate grid (four Quadrants). They will draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, and reflect them in the axes.
simplifying fractions, comparing and ordering fractions, + – x and dividing fractions with different denominators and mixed numbers, showing fractions in their simplest form, dividing proper fractions by whole numbers, associating fractions to decimal equivalences and percentages and applying to different contexts. They will also consider Position and Direction on the full coordinate grid (four Quadrants). They will draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, and reflect them in the axes.
RE
The children will be considering the key question ‘Was Jesus the Messiah?’ They will have the opportunity to identify gospel and prophecy texts and explain connections between biblical texts using theological terms. The children will weigh up how far the idea that Jesus is the Messiah is important in the world today and, if it is true what different that might make to people’s lives.
Geography/ History
The children will focus on the events of apartheid and the slave trade as a theme in British history that extends beyond 1066.They will consider how Britain was involved and why it is so important to learn about this even though slavery has been abolished. The children will learn how Britain was involved in triangular trade. They will also consider the prominent historical and political figures who helped in the abolition of apartheid.
PE
The children will be developing flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance through gymnastics.
They will compare explore and improve their work to achieve their personal best.
They will compare explore and improve their work to achieve their personal best.
PSHE
The children will be focusing on caring friendships, which will be a theme across the school. Their learning will be about on developing strategies to resolve disputes, to recognise how their behaviour affects others and build on their learning about positive relationships.
DT
The children will explore design, make taste and evaluate a traditional African meal. They will understand how key events have made an impact on the food choices we make.
Spring Term 1 – Rowan Class
English
The children’s learning will be linked to the core poem The Spider and the Fly. The children will learn that different text types need different sentence structures and techniques, different word and language choices and different levels of formality. They will know about the purpose of the writing and the effect on the reader. The overall aim will be to develop a tool kit for writing, taking into account: structure, organisation including presentational devices, techniques, language choices, technical/specific word choices and point of view. We will be writing poetry focused on living things.
Maths
The children will recap their understanding of numbers with up to 3 decimal places and this this to their understanding of fractions and percentages. They will look at the value of each place value column and describe its value in words and digits and the related fractions and percentages. Children will also be learning the new topic of Algebra by exploring simple one-step function machines. They will understand that for each number they put into a function machine, there is an output.
RE
The children will be considering the key question of how can following God bring freedom and justice? The children will learn to explain the connections between the story of Moses and the concepts of freedom and salvation, using theological terms. They will make connections between Bible texts studied and what Christians believe about being the People of God and how they should behave.
Science
We will be focusing on living things and their habitats. The children will focus on describing how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including micro-organisms, plants and animals. They will also learn to give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
Their learning will focus on use relevant scientific language and illustrations to discuss, communicate and justify their scientific ideas and they will learn to talk about how scientific ideas have developed over time. They will devise classification systems and keys to identify some animals and plants in the immediate environment.
Their learning will focus on use relevant scientific language and illustrations to discuss, communicate and justify their scientific ideas and they will learn to talk about how scientific ideas have developed over time. They will devise classification systems and keys to identify some animals and plants in the immediate environment.
PE
Gymnastics and movement. The children will be continuing to develop the skills they learnt last term in gymnastic and will apply their balancing and movement skills to equipment.
Art
The children will observe the anatomy of a spider and learn to draw anatomically correct images. They will then learn to draw in the style of the illustrator. They key skill will be developing pencil and shading skill.
DT
The children will use their art designs and make a 3D model of a spider. They will consider the materials to be used and evaluate the completed product.
