Welcome to the page for Year 6.  We are thrilled to be sharing our learning journey with you!  

Autumn 2 2024

Reading & Writing:

Our key text this term has been ‘The Odyssey’ by Gillian Cross. It is a modern retelling of Homer's classic, following the adventures of Odysseus as he struggles to return home after the Trojan War. As he journeys through perilous lands filled with mythical creatures, gods, and temptations, Odysseus's cunning, strength, and perseverance are tested to the limit. The children then used the story of Odysseus to create their own epic adventure narrative. 

In our Reading lessons, as well as reading The Odyssey, the children have been enjoying reading Greek myths and legends, such as Cerberus and Theseus and the Minotaur.

Maths:

In Maths this half term, the children have focused on their Fractions knowledge. At the beginning of the half term, they consolidated their knowledge of adding and subtracting knowledge using concrete, pictorial and abstract methods. By the end of the half term, they learnt how to efficiently multiply and divide fractions as well as answer challenging reasoning & problem solving questions. 

Science:

Our topic in Science this half term term has been Living Things and their Habitats. In this unit, the children learnt how to classifying living things based on specific characteristics. In Class, we also conducted an experiment which proved that Yeast is a living micro-organism as it produced CO2, which was shown by the balloon inflating. 

History, Art & DT:

In History this half term, our topic has been Ancient Greece - How did Ancient Greece change our world? The children have learnt about all the legacies the Ancient Greeks left us, such as: Democracy, Olympics, Philosophers and Maths. Furthermore, in Art, the children also designed and created their own Green pots and in DT they also had the opportunity to design and try a variety of Ancient Greek dishes as well! 

PSHE:

In PSHE this half term, Year 6 attended the Southwark Junior Citizenship Scheme Workshop. The children learnt life skills, such as basic first aid and road safety. Furthermore, in preparation for secondary school, they learnt about using and staying safe on public transport. 

RE:

In RE this half term, Year 6 have focused on how Art is important in different religions. In class, they looked at stained glass windows, statues and drama and how they were important in different religions. 

Autumn 1 2024

English:

Our key text this term has been ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan.  A beautiful wordless book that tells an important and incredible story of migration.  We have written some incredible stories, first person narratives, letters and setting descriptions – we are very proud of some of the work we have produced!  As we have studied Greece as one of our focus countries and as we are studying ancient Greece next term, we have looked at the Greek myth of Cerberus - the three headed hound, writing both character descriptions and poems about it.  Please see below for some examples of our work this term. 

Reading:

In our whole class guided reading sessions, we have been reading the book ‘Migrations and Journeys.

Book Talk:  We are reading some wonderful books at the end of the day across the year group.  Children get to discuss the story, get an opportunity to read in front of the class and interact with some high-quality texts.   

6LM:  ‘The Final Year’ by Matt Goodfellow

6SB:  ‘Who Let the Gods Out’ by Max Evans

6MS: ‘‘Who Let the Gods Out’ by Max Evans

National Poetry Day:

On National Poetry day, we enjoyed reading, performing and discussing a variety of poems.  Some of us will get the opportunity to perform or chosen poem in assembly!

Maths:

We began the term with a large place value unit and then worked on addition and subtraction and then multiplication and division.  We consolidated our learning with some investigations collaborating on and presenting our work. 

We will be moving on to fractions, decimals and percentages after the half term break. 

Science - Physics

Light has been our main focus this half term.  We have been investigating light sources, how shadows are formed and how light travels.  In addition to this, we have been looking at how rainbows form.  We have become scientists and conducted a number of experiments and investigations to further our learning.  For our end of unit assessment, we shared our knowledge with some fantastic double-page spreads.   

Geography - Europe

In geography we have been looking at Europe as a continent. We have explored some of the different countries that make up Europe, explored migration and looked at the various physical and human features of the different places.  We looked at how diverse the various regions of Europe are with a big focus on Greece and Iceland where we compared the differences in human and physical features. 

Black History Month:

Year 6 learned about Walter Tull – One of the first black English footballers and WW1 soldier. We also learned about Sam King, who was the mayor of Southwark.  Children have made power-points and completed presentations. Videos coming soon! 

Computing

In our computing lessons,  we explored how data is transferred over the internet. We initially focus on addressing, before they move on to the makeup and structure of data packets. Learners will then look at how the internet facilitates online communication and collaboration; they will complete shared projects online and evaluate different methods of communication. Finally, they will learn how to communicate responsibly, by considering what should and should not be shared on the internet.  

Music

All children in year 6 have embarked on their Violin journey this half term.  We have learned the names of the strings, the parts of the violin and even played some music.  Next half term we will begin using our bows. 

PE

In PE this half term, we have been doing gymnastics, where we will be combining balances, rolls and jumps to create a sequenced routine as our end point, both individually and in small groups. We'll be using peer feedback to help us define and improve our moves.  For outdoor PE we will be enjoying team games where we will be practicing our throwing and catching skills.  

Citizenship and Curriculum Enrichment

Earlier in the month, Year 6 went to court!    Yes, we took an exciting visit to the incredible Royal Courts of Justice in central London and took part in a trial.  Children took on the roles of judge, lawyers, solicitors (defence and prosecution) as well as a full Jury.  In both courts the accused was found GUILTY, just like in the trial on which it was based.  We learned lots about life in a British courtroom (no hammers) and most importantly, learned about issues surrounding cyber-safety and cyberbullying (think before you type).