Welcome to Parks Class – Year 6

Named after Rosa Parks (and exploring the value of courage): an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honoured her as “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”

Brownlee (Year 5) and Rosa Parks (Year 6)  

 Curriculum Information 

Autumn term 2021

Welcome back to the start of a new school year – it is great to see all of the children back. This letter is to give you some information about the curriculum we will be covering this term in Years 5 and 6.

English: As a school we are continuing to focus on developing children’s reading for pleasure and would like to see this being encouraged at home. 

We have shared a list of the statutory spellings for Year 3-6 through the Google classroom.  It is important that children know how to spell these by the end of the year and it is helpful if pupils and parents can see where the weaknesses are.  Incorrect spellings need to be practised regularly.  Alongside these, we will still be setting their weekly spellings which will focus on particular spelling patterns and rules. Each Monday, we will test the children on the spellings that they have been given. 

Maths:  The focus will be on continuing the development of independent skills through fluency, problem solving and reasoning across all areas: number & place value, geometry, statistics, measures, fractions, decimals and percentages. Children are required to be fluent in their tables by the end of year 4 so again, your help at home in practising any tables which your child needs to learn will be very useful.  There are many internet sites, books and posters which support the learning of tables, as well as Timestable Rockstars: please come and talk to me if you need some advice. 

Learning experience.

Maps: How do we navigate around the world?

This unit allows children to further explore the range of maps available to geographers and to develop their understanding of the key features of maps. They will study a range of maps and atlases, including digital maps, and compare their features. They will learn

to use the eight compass points to give directions and give grid references to locate places on a map. By comparing maps of the same place, children will learn about the way that places have changed over time.

Science: 

Year 5 Living Things and Their Habitats

In this unit we will focus on the process of reproduction and the life cycles of plants, mammals, amphibians, insects and birds.  We will explore the reproduction in different plants, including different methods of pollination and asexual reproduction. They will learn about different types of mammals, birds, amphibians and insects and their different life cycles. 

Year 6 Evolution and Inheritance

This unit builds on the children’s learning from the Year 3 Rocks unit as well as the Animals including Humans and Living Things and their Habitats units. As such, it is important that children have the appropriate understanding of fossils, habitats and human development in order to grasp the concepts and ideas presented to them in these lessons. Children will learn about variation and adaptation. They will be able to explore how both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace separately developed their theories of evolution. They will examine the scientific evidence from plants and animals that has been gathered to support the theory of evolution.

PE:   Your child will need suitable footwear and warm clothing for outside PE as well as an indoor PE kit.  All pupils are expected to take part in this session and need to dress appropriately for the weather.  All pierced ears need to be securely taped prior to the lesson.  Tape will need to be brought from home.

Year 5: Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

Year 6: Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

R.E: Our focus this half term will be ‘Justice’.

MFL: We will be learning how to meet and greet each other, how to count, say our age as well as being able to identify colours in French.  

Homework: Weekly spelling homework will be given out on Monday and tested on the following Monday.   Maths homework is set on a Friday and due on the following Wednesday.  In addition, children have their Timestable Rockstars and Spelling Shed – please encourage your child to access these sites at home and complete their activities. 

This year, in order to ensure children don’t fall behind their peers and continue to be ready for their next stage of learning, they will be asked to stay in to complete homework during break-time if it has not been handed in.  Alternatively, arrangements can be made to attend our homework club.  Please come and see us if there is a reason why your child has been unable to complete the work in any given week. 

If you have any questions or can offer your help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us in Year 5 and 6.

Y6 SATs

Year 6 pupils will be working towards their end of Key Stage exams.  These will take place during the week beginning Monday 9th May- Thursday 12th May 2022.  These tests will help check to see if a pupil is ‘secondary ready’.  Writing is assessed by the school.  This will be ongoing throughout the year.

Your child might be invited to after-school booster sessions.  We need your support in encouraging them to attend.  High attendance is crucial. We request that you do not book a holiday during this important time.  

Trips

This term, we hope to be able to visit Osborne House as part of our work on The Victorians.  This will be the second half of Autumn term.  

We hope to be able to invite in an Outdoor Education teacher to do some on-site orienteering.

Y6 will also have the chance to experience a free sailing session at UKSA in Cowes.

Mrs Sharon Johnson and Mrs Kate Martin

Homework