Year 6
Welcome to Year 6!
2023-24
In Year 6, our teachers are Miss Cryer, Mrs Oswald, Mr Davison and Miss King. We are also supported by our dedicated Learning Support Assistant (LSA): Mrs Bridgeman.
If you have any questions, please speak with your child's class teacher. You can speak to your child’s class teacher by phoning the school and requesting an appointment if they are not around at pick-up.
Keep referring back to this page for regular updates about the children's learning.
Curriculum Newsletters
Update - Friday 19th April 2024
History
We kicked off our week in year six by looking at our next unit in History: Britain At War. To start the unit, we looked at some key phrases used in war and understood what war actually is. To complement this, we started reading Once, a book based on WW2 and will be attempting to write some WW2 letters.
Art
In art, we also started looking at our new unit, Bees, Beetles, and Butterflies. To start this unit, we have looked at artist Lucy Arnold and started to create a sketch book of her vibrant art.
Update - Thursday 28th March 2024
PSHE
This week, we discussed different situations that cause us stress and delved into that feeling and what that involves. We then looked at physical and mental strategies that would be useful to help manage stress. We come up with the solution of creating our very own 'pick me up' boxes. We decorated the box to promote positive mental and then wrote a list of items that we wanted to fill our box with.
Geography
The children had been 'asked' to write a magazine article for 'Pole to Polar', a company specialising in Arctic Circle cruises. They used all their knowledge of the polar region and further online research to ensure that their article is interesting and informative!
Update - Friday 22nd March 2024
Design and Technology
Using all of the knowledge that we have learned about bridges, in small groups, we designed our very own bridges to build the strongest one out of the materials we were given. We were very successful and worked brilliantly as a team to create such sturdy structures. We used our knowledge from the previous lesson where we learnt that triangles were a really strong shape as they ensured that the forces at play were balanced.
English
We are writing a newspaper report about one of Sir Ernest Shackleton's expeditions, during which he rescued all of his crew members. We have focused on tenses and learned when to write in the progressive test if the action is still continuing into the future or past if it has already happened and doesn't happen anymore. We have also looked more deeply into passive and active voice and when to use them in the correct context.
Update - Friday 15th March 2024
Art
We started the lesson by watching the ocean plastics video. We discussed the issues raised and linked these to our geographical knowledge of oceans and climate change. We then focused on the artwork and looked at the different types of materials they used to create their pieces. They were then asked: What could you do to raise awareness of ocean plastics?
Many children created a collage made entirely from recycled plastic bags to create a picture of an ocean animal.
English
We have moved on to our last English writing unit of this term, which is focused on Shackelton! We will use the knowledge we learned from our geography unit and merge it with our English to create the best newspaper article about one of Shackleton's failed exhibitions!
Update - Friday 8th March 2024
Art
In Art, we have researched a variety of environmental artists. This week, we have used this inspiration to create our artwork made out of the junk we bought from home! The children loved getting stuck in and being creative to make whatever they liked out of the rubbish they had, and we were very impressed by their creativity and teamwork!
Production
In preparation for our production at the Haymarket Theatre, we have been practising the songs from the musical, so we are ready for our best show ever! We have also been doing vocal warm-ups to ensure our voices are ready!
English
We have finished our Dream Giver unit and are practising writing to advance action! The children have experimented with writing multi-clause sentences and punctuating them correctly to create more suspense and get our readers to read it faster. It has also been World Book Day this week, and it has been incredible seeing the children bring the classics to life and perform small extracts from Oliver Twist!
Update - Friday 1st March 2024
Science
Investigation 1: Lava Lamps
In this investigation, we made our very own lava lamps!
We noticed that the water and the oil molecules do not mix. We then added an Alka-Seltzer tablet to the solution. This reaction produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles which stuck to the water droplets. The water/gas combination is less dense than the vegetable oil, so they rise to the top. The gas bubbles then break and are released into the air, and water sinks back down to the bottom to start over again!
Investigation 2: Rainbow skittles In this investigation, we placed skittles around the edge of the plate and then carefully added warm water to the skittles which resulted in all of the colours merging!
Investigation 3: The Egg Drop We were given materials to design a way of preventing the egg from breaking when dropped from the castle. We discussed how gravity is the force pulling the egg towards the ground. The egg dropped on the floor stopped very quickly, and the contents inside the egg were still moving, which means the force on the egg was large, so it broke. Also, the arch structure at either end of the egg is stronger than its sides. Pressure is distributed down (or up) the arches so that less pressure acts on any one point. Orientating the arch downwards will increase the egg’s survival.
Reading
In reading, we have found an incredible plot twist in our shared book, Nevermoor! Lots of discussion was had around how we think the story will end. In preparation for our SATs assessments, which are approaching soon, we have had lots of mini reading comprehensions to boost our confidence and ensure we're reading often and widely!
Update - Friday 23rd February 2024
English
In English, we have started our new topic called the 'Dream Giver.' It is inspired by the following clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k1gUaJvK-4. We have experimented with writing multi-clause sentences and discussing when to use them, for example, during an action part of the story, as we want our reader to speed up when reading to create more tension! We were then given a zone of relevance where we discussed the type of story, generating lots of useful conversation.
PSHE
In PSHE, we have started our new topic, 'Healthy Me.' We have learnt a lot about what 'being healthy' means and what we can do to ensure we're healthy. We had a go at being an agony aunt and offered advice to people struggling to choose healthy paths.
Maths
In Maths, we are preparing hard for our SAT assessments and got stuck into many word problems. We're learning to read the question carefully, highlight key information and then think about what to do next.
Update - Friday 9th February 2024
This week has been assessment week - the children have worked incredibly hard and we could not be prouder of them. Every child has made exceptional progress and we're looking forward to seeing what more they can do!
Science
Linked to our frozen kingdom unit in geography, we focussed on polar animals and how to classify them. First, we discussed the 5 key groups of vertebrates and explored key similarities and differences between them. Then, in table groups, we mapped out our classification key to identify various polar animals.
Reading
In reading, we're continuing to read Nevermoor! The book has gotten even more exciting as we have just endured the chase trial - we were all on the edges of our seats hoping that Morrigan would pass and be allowed onto the next trial so she could become a part of the wondrous society!
Update - Friday 2nd February 2024
Art
We looked at different images of print-making by the artist Kenojuak Ashevak. We discussed our favourites and why and then created small thumbnail drawings as a starting point for our stencil. Then, we used a combination of ideas from printed examples and images of real animals to create our own stencil and print. We experimented to see how some colours blend together and which colour combinations look best!
Reading
We are absolutely loving reading Nevermoor! It is a fantastic, mystical book that tells the story of Morrigan Crow, a young girl who is cursed, and whenever she is around, something is always doomed to go wrong! She is currently undergoing tricky trials to try and get into the Wondrous Society, but will she be successful?
Update - Friday 26th January 2024
English
We have started our new unit, focussed around a true story - 'The Girl Who Fell from the Sky.' It tells the story of Julianne, who was on her way to Peru when the plane she was in was engulfed by flames and ended up crashing in the middle of a jungle. We then learn that she had to battle with insect bites, starvation as well as the loss of her family. Unbelievably, she survived and was rescued by three local forestry workers. This week, the children have been role-playing as Julianne, feeling what she would have felt and then writing a beautiful setting description using a range of figurative language to paint the image in our readers' minds and evoke emotion.
Art
In art, we experimented with different brush strokes and found that if we carefully painted different colours of poster paint on our big paintbrush and dragged this across our page, it gave a beautiful effect! This skill will go towards our final piece for next week, where we will make a stencil, print it, and add the finishing touches.
Science
This week, we were introduced to the concept of voltage. We were given a range of cells to explore and measure the voltage using a multimeter. We discovered that the voltage labelled on the cells was not always the same as their actual voltage and discussed why this might be, for example, the cells being used.
Update - Friday 19th January 2024
Art
In art, we have been busy learning a lot about how the Inuit make different types of art. We focussed on carving and stencilling and created our own Inuit-inspired carving made from soap! Then, we had a practice ahead of our final piece at stencilling, where we carefully cut out, painted and printed to create our own animal picture!
English
In English, we have been writing our final piece! We have been hard at work perfecting using present perfect and imperative verbs to ensure that our audience knows exactly how to look after these wacky, creative, mystical beasts!
PSHE
In PSHE, we have discussed and understood our dreams for the world. This week, we looked at different images from conflicts worldwide and wrote our vision for the world. Next week, in groups, we will start planning a charity project to help make our dream a reality.
Update- Friday 11th January 2024
Geography
In geography, we started our Frozen Kingdom unit with the memorable experience of visiting the Arctic and Antarctic! We used VR software so the children could experience and see what life would be like had we visited in real life. The children spotted many human and physical features and noticed many more physical features than humans. We also looked at how polar nights and days work by noticing that because the Earth is tilted on its axis, at particular times of the year, it results in the Arctic and Antarctic being in near-constant daylight or darkness.
Art
We have started our new project, focussing on art inspired by Inuit communities. We researched this wonderful community and observed how their artwork was primarily inspired by their surroundings and featured several different animals local to them. Next, we created mood boards to show and discuss similarities and differences between artists' work.
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Update - Friday 6th January 2024
In Math, we have moved on to fractions! The children have been learning all about simplifying, equivalence and comparing fractions and have worked incredibly hard in preparation for their next set of assessments.
In English, we are super excited to be creating our mythical creatures inspired by the book 'Nevermoor' by Jessica Townsend. The outcome will be a how-to guide on looking after our enchanted beasts to win a bid for our creature to be taken home! In the coming weeks, we will be honing in on our cohesive skills to make this piece of writing the best one yet.
In DT, we have begun our new 'Engineer' unit. So far, we have learnt about different bridges around the world and what their purpose is. We discovered that to build a successful bridge, we must balance both forces - compression and tension. They researched a bridge of their choice with their partners to find out more information and discover why that bridge is a spectacle.
Update - Friday 8th December 2023
Geography
In geography, we have turned our attention to focusing on the settlement of our local area and investigated the reasons why the population increased rapidly. We compared the local area to what it was like a hundred years ago and discovered that Oakridge used to be mostly farmland!
Maths
In maths, we're coming to the end of our four operations units and have impressed our teachers with our progress in such a short period! After Christmas, we will move on to Fractions, Ratio and Algebra to prepare for the SATs.
English
We are working hard in our poetry unit and finalising our performance, ready to share with our adults on Friday the 15th. This week, we have come together as a whole year group to practise the chorus and ensure it's the best performance yet!
Update - Friday 1st December 2023
English
We have worked incredibly hard in finishing our final pieces for our Autism project! We have been working hard to write them up in our best handwriting and present them in a way that captures our reader's minds to create more awareness surrounding the topic. We have also just started our new topic for our Christmas poetry unit! We discovered it will be about a Christmas Pudding and are working hard to make it the best performance yet!
Art
In art, we have been designing and creating innovative pieces of artwork. We were tasked with creating brand-new art pieces inspired by previous trailblazers. Our teachers were blown away by our attention to detail and how we grasped the concept of creating an art piece to inspire change.
Geography
In geography, we are focussing on settlements. We discussed key vocabulary, considered what type of settlement our local area is, and explored different reasons for changes. All children were super engaged and were able to confidently describe key differences in compact and dispersed settlements. Next week, we will be looking to apply our new knowledge to a new area.
Update - Friday 24th November 2023
Science
In Science, we continued developing our knowledge of the circulatory system and finished our experiment. This week, we wrote conclusions informed by observations and plotted our results on a scatter graph to identify key trends.
Geography
In geography, we have been learning a lot about road safety and how to keep ourselves and others safe. We then looked at our local area, specifically Oakridge Road. We all went out and gathered data to see what dangers were around. We tallied how many cars, pedestrians, and dangers we spotted and were shocked by our findings! We then wrote a letter to the council proposing suggestions on what needs to be improved to increase safety.
Computing
In computing, we are halfway through our Python unit. We have coped brilliantly with the increasing difficulty and this week managed to create nested loops successfully and now have begun to write an algorithm to draw a house.
Update - Friday 17th November 2023
Science
With their science hats on, year six expertly designed their experiments to measure heart rate recovery. We studied how variables like height, amount of exercise, hydration and type of exercise may impact our body's ability to recover. We collected all the data to see if any of the changes had an effect.
History
After weeks of studying slavery, year six finally reached the section where it was abolished. We found that it was not an easy process, and it took over 60 years from the first call for it to be banned to 1833 for it to happen finally. Many events happened for the abolishment to come together - wars, rebellions, religious views changing and new politics. We put these events onto a timeline.
Update - Friday 10th November 2023
Geography - For Geography this week, we have been deeply diving into the truths behind climate change. We have found that not only has the Earth been slowly warming, but it has mainly been caused by humans. We have studied the impacts of climate change, both within biomes and countries. We looked at the Global Climate Risk Index to see which countries have been hardest hit.
Maths -
Within our White Rose Lessons, year six has been studying four different 4 operation methods. We have solved some especially difficult multiplication and fraction questions and are slowly becoming masters of the methods.
Update - Friday 3rd November 2023
English - This week, we started to look at our new English unit, Autism. We interviewed children and adults and discovered they didn't have enough knowledge for something such a huge part of people's lives. We studied how language can be misused and hurt autistic people and decided we needed to inform the school of our knowledge with a leaflet.
Science
For the continuation of studying the circulatory system, we looked into drugs and discovered that there were many different types. From this, we found how they can affect the body in several ways and change how it works. From here, we discussed negative life choices and determined why a drug which impacts our circulatory system (most of them) is incredibly dangerous.
Update - Friday 20th October 2023
The children who were at school this week took part in a range of fun activities while their peers were at PGL. These included biscuit decorating, disco, team building and salt dough decorations.
They also worked hard as a team to put together an informative and entertaining whole school assembly on Black History Month.
Update - Friday 13th October 2023
English
Year six produced their final speeches to show the injustices of slavery in Maafa. We were wrong and the wrongs and stated what needed to be done. After this, we then emotionally and powerfully performed our speeches to the class and in front of the school.
Computing -
In computing, year six took a deep look into The Enigma and Bletchley Park. From here, we then looked at the other important people from generation in the technology world and the differences they made to our lives today.
Update: Friday 6th October
We have had lots of fun this week doing more cooking in DT. We made pasta sauces using blenders, slow cookers and a whole lot of veggies! We really enjoyed tasting our creations and hope you did too.
In maths we have moved onto the 4 operations, which has involved finding common factors in order to solve reasoning problems. We encourage the children to keep practising their times tables as this skill will support their progress in maths enormously, particularly in the type of number work we will be doing for the next few weeks.
In English, we having been learning how to use semi colons to link main clauses for dramatic effect. We are hoping the children will put this technique to good use in their final pieces next week: we will be writing speeches to oppose the transatlantic slave trade.
In science we have had lots of fun exploring whether there is correlation between our resting heart rate and our fitness levels. This involved much start jumping and some interesting discussions around anomalous results.
We can’t believe there’s only one more week of school before PGL; where did that time go?
Update: Wednesday 27th September
Another brilliant week. We are so proud of the children’s maturity as we have been learning about the African slave trade, or ‘Maafa’, which we now know to be the Swahili term for ‘great disaster’ or ‘great tragedy.’
We have started a new book called ‘Freedom 1783’, which is a fictional story about a boy’s experience of slavery in Britain at the end of the 18th century. Similarly, in English we have started to think about our next final piece, which is going to be a speech about the abolition of slavery. We are planning to present our speeches at one of the assemblies during Black History Month. It’s been really rewarding to see the children making links with one of the picture books we looked at in our last unit called ‘Henry’s Freedom Box.’
In geography, the children have been learning about different types of map: small scale maps show us larger expanses of land and large scale maps enable us to see the human and physical features of a place in greater detail.
In PSHE we have been creating our own class charters and thinking about our rights and responsibilities in the classroom, and the rewards and consequences these might lead to. With this in mind, we have set our goals for the year and considered the obstacles that might get in the way and how our class charter can help us get past them. Class 10 really enjoyed doing this lesson over in the hobbit hut where we could sit in a circle to share our ideas.
In other news, we would like to give a huge shout out to the creative brain that is Elizabeth Benson! She brought in a crochet bag that she made by hand and we were SO impressed with her handiwork! Well done, Elizabeth; it’s absolutely beautiful!
Update: Friday 22nd September
This week we have worked hard to complete our place value unit in maths.
We have been using rounding numbers to 10,000,000 as well as using solving problems involving negative numbers.
In English we completed our first final piece: a book review on our class book, ‘Cloud Busting’, by Malorie Blackman. It is clear from the reviews that the verdict was unanimous: Cloud Busting is definitely a book that should be a staple in every classroom library.
In art, we have been learning watercolour techniques to create landscape paintings and very excitingly, we made bread in DT! Miss Cryer sampled some after school and can confirm we have a cohort of accomplished bakers on our hands!
In PSHE, we learnt about Maslow’s pyramid of needs. We thought about our own wants and needs and how these are met. Next we compared this to the wants and needs of a child living in Ghana. We learnt that many children living in Ghana have to work on cocoa plantations from a young age instead of going to school to help earn money for their family. The teachers are feeling very proud of how reflective the children have been in these lessons.
Update - Wednesday 13th September 2023
We have all been incredibly impressed with how well all of the children have settled back into school. They have made a fantastic first impression! We're confident this will continue and the year will be an amazing one!
In English, we have started our unit on 'Superheroes' which focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement. We have been busy reading lots of books written by Malorie Blackman as well as listening to the music video 'Superheroes' by Stormzy. Some great discussions have been had and the children have been incredibly engaged with the topic.
In Art, we are looking at tints, tones, and shades and have been learning how to effectively mix water colours to create a desired effect. We discussed and experimented using grey, black, and white to change the tint, tone, and shade of a colour.
In Maths, we are learning all about place value. The children have been working their socks off to successfully complete all the work to a good standard. All children have been engaged and trying their absolute best and are putting their best foot forward.
Welcome to Year 6!
2022-23
In Year 6, our teachers are Mr Davison, Miss Clayton and Mrs Becousse. We are also supported by our dedicated Learning Support Assistant (LSA): Mrs Bridgeman.
If you have any questions, please speak with your child's class teacher. You can speak to your child’s class teacher by phoning the school and requesting an appointment if they are not around at pick-up.
Keep referring back to this page for regular updates about the children's learning.
Curriculum Newsletter
Update - Friday 14th July 2023
Production
The tension was mounting prior to the first performance of 'The Not-So Jolly Postman' to the Year 3s and 4s but it turned out there was nothing to fear. In spite of a somewhat wobbly rehearsal, the Year 6s absolutely aced it with the audience in fits of laughter at the wild antics on stage and generally hooked at every turn. The Year 6s really brought their A game and were adding improvisations that enthralled and delighted the crowd. We were so incredibly proud of them and somewhat relieved that we now have a polished version that is sure to delight our adult audience next week when we perform it. We look forward to seeing you there!
Homework Projects
Wow! Wow! Wow! There were some absolutely stunning homework submissions that clearly demonstrated a significant amount of research and fantastic attention to detail. I will let the pictures speak for themselves but well done to those who had put such amazing effort into their work. You should be very proud!
Environmental Art
This week, the year group finished their environmental art projects - what creative children we have! There was such a variety of ideas to show how we should be reducing waste and recycling to save our planet. Well done, Year 6!
Update - Friday 7th July 2023
Science
In science, we conducted a series of investigations to find out how much light travels through a range of different materials. The children designed the experiment to ensure it was fair. They were able to show the knowledge they had acquired in previous lessons and apply it to the investigation, making accurate predictions and being able to explain their conclusions.
Production
The stage has now been erected and the rehearsals are in full swing. There are dances and songs and the acting is really impressive even at this stage! We can't wait for you to see it!
Environment Project
On Wednesday, Class 10 completed a mini project on the subject of 'Me in my environment'. We had a competition to sort 'waste' into the correct recycling categories and played 'endangered animal Top Trumps' to find out about some of the species that are close to extinction. The children then chose an endangered animal to research. They had to come up with a plan to save their chosen species from extinction and present their plan to the class. The passion and commitment that went into the task was impressive as were the presentation skills. We certainly learned a lot about how to look after our environment and the creatures in it!
Update - Friday 24th June 2023
Maths
During Friday's maths lesson, the children worked together in groups to complete a scavenger hunt outside. There was a series of loop cards hidden on which there was a range of arithmetic skills to solve. Once we had solved a question, they had the challenge of finding the answer card before moving on to the next question. In the end, each question's letters spelt out a phrase. Although initially somewhat tricky, the children enjoyed the variety of questions and the chance to work in the beautiful sunshine.
Geography
We examined the choices made by Sir Ernest Shackleton on his voyage to explore the Antarctic. Despite many obstacles, his entire crew survived, but sadly he didn't achieve the goals he had set for himself and his team.
Science
The children have learned about reflections within convex and concave mirrors in science. It was odd to see the detailed image within the concave mirror and to experience the broad view offered by the convex mirror. We looked at diagrams that illustrated the reflected light's different directions to understand why, for example, our image appears upside down in a spoon!
Update - Monday 19th June 2023
English
This week, year 6 started their new creative writing unit centred around war stories. Using the knowledge developed through history lessons, the children will be creating their own war-based narrative about a soldier’s experience at war. So far, they have come up with some fantastic vocabulary to support them with this.
Production
We've confidently added music to our production this week! We have children singing brilliant solos, and everyone is getting involved in the group singing - amazing!
Update - Friday 9th June 2023
Art - Environmental Art
This week, the children have been displaying outstanding creativity in producing a piece of environmental art from a collection of recycled materials. The children are all very passionate about the subject of protecting the environment (even to the point of creating a 'Wild Eco Team'), so it wasn't surprising to see how much they enjoyed this task.
Science - Light
In Science, Year 6 has been exploring the topic of light and how we see. We have labelled the different parts of the eye and can explain how light travels from the light source, through our eyes (via the cornea and the pupil) to our retina and through the optic nerves to our brains for processing. We understand that our colour vision is filtered through millions of sensors called rods and cones and that without light, we would not be able to see the objects in front of us. All fascinating stuff!
Reading
In our reading of 'Once' by Morris Gleitzman, the children are learning more and more about what life was like for a Jewish child in Nazi Germany as we experience history through our main character, Felix. Sadly, Felix finally realises that the stories his parents told him when they left him at the Catholic orphanage (for his own protection) are not true, and his concern for them becomes ever greater as the story progresses. As Felix says, 'Everybody deserves to have something good in their life at least once,' so hopefully, this can provide a glimmer of hope.
Production
It is wonderful to see that the majority of children have learned their lines and are producing a much more polished version of the play than even a week ago. Really inspirational! Well done, Year 6!
Update - Friday 26th May 2023
Science
In Science, we have started a new topic - Light. We have investigated how light travels and what happens to light when it meets a reflective surface. The children had many questions on the topic - it was lovely to experience their curiosity!
RE
In Religious Education, we have been discussing the importance of ritual. It has been fascinating to hear from the children's perspectives what their views were on the subject and to learn about some of the rituals they have encountered. We even managed to talk about the routines of footballers before a match!
The Not-So-Jolly Postman
The production is becoming ever more polished as the children have taken the time to practise and perfect their roles. There has been a vast improvement even in one week! The children should be truly proud of themselves. We have begun to sort out costumes for the children, so please don't be surprised if children come home asking if you have a spare pair of mouse ears! While it would be lovely if you have items in the house, please be assured that you will not be expected to buy anything as we already have most of what is needed.
Finally, well done to all for making it to the end of another action-packed half-term. Have a restful and safe half-term, and we look forward to seeing you all again after the holidays.
Update - Friday 19th May 2023
History:
This week, we have examined various primary and secondary sources to uncover the truth about what life was like in the trenches. The children had lots of observations and questions about the photos, letters and videos they studied and were really able to gain an insight into life in the trenches. To accompany this work, we have begun to read and discuss a variety of war poems from which the children have started to extract vocabulary and phrases to incorporate within their own creations for our English written work.
Design and Technology:
DT has proven to be exciting this week as our final lesson on the topic of the bridge saw us designing a bridge that would span almost a metre with only paper, tape and straws for construction. The tension mounted as we loaded the bridges with 100g weights wondering if our knowledge of 'triangles for strength' would help our bridge to survive! The children certainly enjoyed the challenge!
Production:
Now that the children have been allocated their parts, the production practice is in full swing, so don't be too surprised to see scripts coming home!
With all this going on throughout the week, the children are sure to be very tired, so we hope you have a very restful and relaxing weekend.
Update - Monday 15th May 2023
SATs
Firstly, we need to say a huge congratulations to the children of Year 6 who genuinely put their all into a really tough set of SATs tests this year. We couldn't be prouder! For that reason, the Star of the Week Award was given collectively to the year group.
Art - Environmental Artists
This week, we began to explore a range of environmental artists. The children were astounded at the diversity (and the size!) of the art created by the likes of Edith Meusnier and Olafur Eliasson. We can't wait to find out more!
PSHE
In PSHE, we had a fascinating discussion on power and control, culminating in a conscience alley exercise. Prior to this, we examined the stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Feeling Overwhelmed and finally, Acceptance) and how these might be displayed in different scenarios. The children handled this serious subject in a mature and sensitive way and were able to express their feelings openly.
Update - Tuesday 9th May 2023
Coronation Celebration
Over the last week, children have been learning about the royal family in the run up to the coronation. We looked at the book It's Up To Us which has a foreword by King Charles III and considered what we can and should do to look after our world in the future. We learned that a tree frog discovered in a museum in 2008 by Dr Luis A. Coloma had been named after Prince Charles in honour of the prince's advocacy for protecting the world's rainforests. We made pledges to look after our planet and designed our own tree frogs with messages of peace to display in classroom windows. The coronation picnic on Friday was a great success and we were blessed with fantastic weather.
History
Having been fired up by the visit from Portals to the Past, the children were keen to make a start exploring the reasons why the First World War began. We discussed four areas that led to conflict: Alliances, Imperialism, Militarism and Nationalism. We learned that the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1914 sparked a chain of events that snowballed into a conflict that would impact the world so greatly that it would be remembered over 100 years later.
Update - Friday 28th April 2023
This week, year six had the wonderful opportunity to have a WW2 expert visit the school. We had a whole history day to kick off our new unit, which some of us were very excited by.
Throughout the day, we learned about the history of the war, why events took place and what the knock-on effect of these events were. In the morning, we took part in a WW2 quiz to show off all our newly acquired knowledge, looked at incredible artefacts and even had the chance to become bomb disposable experts.
In the afternoon, we looked at all the equipment a WW2 soldier would use - even the weapons. We understood why and how they were used and then had a chance to try to break the famous Enigma machine. We all agreed it was a great day.
Update - Friday 21st April 2023
English
This week, we have been writing a balanced argument on whether technology is beneficial in schools. There were some great points made, and while the children were passionate about the subject, they remained focused and professional in presenting both sides of the argument. The writing has been so impressive that even Miss Cryer has complimented the fantastic vocabulary and language choices! Great job, Year 6!
History
The children eagerly awaited the World War Topic that began this week, and we made a start by looking at vocabulary relating to the conflict. This will stand us in good stead when we receive our Portals to the Past visitors next Friday. Many of the children are already reading about the World Wars in their own time, which is admirable.
Science
After exploring circuits and electricity, the children were excited to consider ideas about their product design. They have been given a brief to design and create a household item that includes a sensor and a circuit. This week was the initial ideas phase, and we had a great range, including a fridge alarm, a vending machine and a bedroom door alarm to keep out nosey siblings!
Sports
This week has been a great week for sports, with victories for both the netball and football team - Go Team Oakridge!
Update - Monday 27th March 2023
Last week, we had great fun celebrating World Book Day. We put a fantastic effort into our costumes. We completed various activities, including creating our own top trump cards using book characters we have encountered this year. Overall, we had an amazing day!
Update - Friday 17th March 2023
In English, we have been practising our diary writing skills this week. At the beginning of the week, we began to plan our final piece based on an extract from Helena Duggan's book A Place Called Perfect. By the end of the week, class 10 had also created a diary entry for a person from a Polar tribe based on our geography learning.
Through our geography, We have been learning about the lifestyles of different Polar tribes, including the Inuit and Evenk tribes. The children were fascinated to learn how some Polar tribes had houses that were portable (fold-up, animal skin huts or balok shelters, which are mounted on sledge runners and insulated with reindeer hides).
In art, Class 10 created a series of pieces of art based on our Polar Tribes research. The children were very pleased with their work, with some saying it was the best they had ever done!
Update - Friday 10th March 2023
Bikeability
This week, despite all of the weather we have faced, the children have been brushing up on their cycling skills with Bikeability. All children have been excellent and have followed the instructions in order to remain safe on the road. A special shout out to those children who hadn't ridden a bike before this week.. and now can!
Update - Friday 3rd March 2023
In English this week, we created our own hybrid pets, as they have in Nevermoor. We wrote thorough instructions on how to look after them, what they look like, their diet, and any other additional needs that they have. We then published our final pieces so that they looked like interactive how-to guides.
In DT this week, we started to make bridges. We looked at a number of different paper designs like flat paper and folded paper. We tested these designs to see which were the best by seeing how much weight they could take. In the end, we noticed that the bridges with more folds were the strongest and found this was because the weight was distributed evenly, a bit like a truss bridge.
Updated - Thursday 23rd February 2023
English
We have started the first of many creative writing units, this week focusing on creating our own Miptor! Our task is to create a guide, detailing how to care for such a creature and where it may have originated from.
Art
We had a go at stencilling this week. We had a range of animal templates inspired by Inuit art, which we carefully cut out and then printed into our books. We chose a primary colour and then used both a foam brush and a wide paintbrush to transfer this into our book. It was interesting to see which technique was more effective!
Update - Thursday 9th February 2023
English
This week, we have thoroughly enjoyed writing our final pieces. The Elders gave us the gruelling task of writing our own chapter fit for our class text, Nevermoor. We decided upon our own trial and used a range of language features to help our character navigate their way through.
Maths
All things percentage and ratio this week! We have spent some time looking at converting between fractions, decimals and percentages before moving on to tackle ratio.
DT
In DT this week, we completed the next lesson of our Engineer unit. Within this, we looked at a range of bridges and zoomed in on their features. We focussed mainly on arch, truss, suspension and beam bridges, choosing two of these to compare in our books.
Update - Thursday 2nd February 2023
Reading
We have read several chapters of Nevermoor this week
and had great fun debating a range of statements related to our chapter. The main protagonist, Morrigan, had to make some difficult choices during one of her trials and we discussed whether we agreed with her choices or not.
Geography
During this week's geography lesson, we looked in more detail at polar days and nights. For example, comparing how they have weeks of winter to the way our seasons work.
PSHE
In PSHE, we have spent some time planning a hypothetical event that would raise money for a chosen charity. We have discussed several scenarios where people from other countries may need aid, such as after an earthquake, which inspired our charity events. Some of us chose to plan a charity cake sale, whereas others opted for a sponsored race or walk.
Update - Thursday 26th January 2023
Science
This week in Science, we looked at making circuits and experimented how adding different items to an electrical circuit change either how it works or how well it works. We added bulbs, switches and buzzers to them and recorded our scientific findings. We found that more items in a circuit tends to make the components less effective.
Art
In art, we had the privilege of looking at Inuit art. We looked closely at the type of art they make and focussed on their sculptors. We had a go and trying to create Artic animals in the Inuit style. We did this out of soap and used tools to carve it into the correct shape.
Maths
For maths, we finished out studies of fractions on their own. We have become experts on multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting fractions. We then looked at mixed numbers, improper fractions and finding fractions of numbers. We have even looked at past, tricky SATs questions, and manged to ace these.
Update - Thursday 19th January 2023
English
The Elders have spoken and have sent us a letter this week asking for us to complete the second trial in order to be accepted into the Wundrous society. So far, we have designed our own Wunimal (magical creature) as part of trial one and are now working hard to pass trial two. For this, we have picked out all of the key features of non-chronological reports so that we are ready to write our own report about our Wunimals. Hopefully, we can impress the Elders and if we are successful, we will be able to progress onto trial 3 next week!
Geography
This week, we were able to use our VR headsets to explore a range of frozen kingdoms as a way of deepening our understanding of our topic. We absolutely loved using this technology and enjoyed the fact we were able to get close up to a polar bear!
Science
We have got the ball rolling with our science topic of electrical circuits this week. We began by revisiting our knowledge from our year 4 unit, before looking closely at each circuit component and the diagrams we should use when drawing our circuits.
Updated - Thursday 12th Janurary 2023
Maths
We have started our new maths topic: Oakridge Hut. This maths topic focusses on all things fractions! We have made a good start on this so far, finding equivalent fractions and comparing and ordering those with the same and different denominators.
Art
This week, we started our new art topic of Inuit. We learnt about traditional Inuit culture and the types of art they produce. Then, we created mood boards of artwork from a range of artists.
Update -Friday 6th January 2023
Welcome back! The year 6 team hope you have had an enjoyable break.
English & Reading
This week, we have got stuck in straight away with our new book: Nevermoor. We have read and enjoyed the first few chapters, drawing inferences about the character's mentioned so far. In English, we have been looking at a range of grammar skills in preparation for writing our non-chronoligcal reports later on in the unit.
Geography
We were very excited to start our new topic of Frozen Kingdoms this week. We started by recapping our knowledge of key geographical terms, such as the Prime Meridian, longitude an latitude and the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.