Year 6

Autumn 1

Pupils in year 6 have made a good start to the half-term and are looking forward to working on the following areas:-

The IPC topic for this half-term is ‘Making the News'. In History we will be finding out how people read, watch and hear about news today and how people found out about news in the past. We will also be finding out how the representation of the news has always been used to influence how peoples, cultures and countries co-exist.

Children will be reading, researching, writing, illustrating, working on their own and working in groups. You can help your child by watching television news programmes together and talking about how they are presented and how editors decide which stories are most important. Encourage your child to look at some appropriate stories in newspapers and tell you what they think about how they are written and what they say.

In Art pupils will be looking at the processes that artists have used to create their work, including George Seurat and Kurt Schwitters, and investigating the ways in which some artists have incorporated text within their work (Roy Lichtenstein and Barbara Kruger) in order to communicate ideas and feelings. Using the knowledge gained, the children will then have the opportunity to develop their own artwork in a similar style based on a person who has ‘Made the News'.

Science will concentrate on ecology and eco-systems. Pupils will be encouraged to set up their own investigations into germination and consider which variable(s) they should change. They will also be learning the scientific names for the reproductive organs of the flower.

In RE pupils will be looking at the differing places of worship linked to a variety of religions within the Calderdale area. Pupils will be looking at the similarities and differences between the religious groups. Pupils will also be looking at how different faiths and communities work together.

In Music we will be learning a variety of songs based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, using expression in our singing. We will be focussing on using the songs as a stimulus for composition work using tuned instruments to create melodies, drones and chords.

In PSCHE lessons, pupil will be concentrating on creating a vision statement for their class which encompasses the principles behind Investors in Pupils. They will also have the opportunity to elect class councillors to represent their views on the school council.
Throughout the course of Year 6, each pupil will be given the opportunity to be a pupil monitor which encourages them to think about the wider roles and responsibilities throughout the school community. The school value for the first half term is ‘Be Bold'.

PE lessons will initially be linked to Games. Pupils will build up and consolidate a variety of skills which will enable them to play a range of court games. They will also be participating in some team building activities. For the first half of the term, pupils will also swim on a Friday afternoon in the school's own pool.