Year 6

14/7/23

Well, that is the end of your penultimate week at Chidd!

You managed to finish your Mexican topic. You made the insturments and decorated them on Monday.

You also learnt the songs and dances. Thank you everyone who came to watch their display on Thursday. We hope you enjoyed it. A big thank you to Miss Smart for creating the video.

Alongside the topic work, you have been incredibly busy with the production. This has included prop building and rehearsing  - sometimes in the rain! Thank you for being so patient and continue to give your best. We can't wait to start using all of the props supplied by you and your families next week, as well as try out the costumes in the dress rehearsal on Wednesday. The big day is on Thursday; we must keep our fingers crossed that the weather is kind to us.

We have put together the leavers' song - the lyrics for which are attached. Do take time over the weekend to aquaint yourself with them so we can have a practice on Monday please.

Hope to see some of you at the village fete on Sunday.

The Year 6 team.

7/7/23

Please bring an empty Pringles tube in on Monday.

They will be used to create percussion instruments in a music workshop led by Sally Higham. This will take place during the whole of Monday. She needs everyone to have their own tube in order to be able to fully participate in producing our own composition to perform for parents at the Mexican mini festival on Thursday at 3pm. We did ask the whole school for empty tubes in last week's newsletter and hoped this would provide enough for all the class, but we currently only have 4 tubes - 26 to go! Thank you.

I gather many of you have been busy working on props at home. We are so grateful for all the effort that has gone into making them so special for our production. We are hoping to begin practising with these next week so please would you start dropping them off at school as soon as you can. Thank you again. Mrs H

This week in Class 6, the children have been writing instructions on how to play the Mayan Ballgame which is commonly known as “pok-ta-pok”. The ballgame had great cultural and religious significance for the ancient Mayans. It was often associated with rituals ceremonies and sometimes human sacrifice.

We have been delving into the Mexican legends of the Uxmal Dwarf and The Hero Twins. The ancient legend of The Hero Twins is based around the twins being exceptional Mayan Ballgame players and creating too much noise on earth, so they are summoned to the underworld to be tricked by the Lords of Death. The class created comic strips that illustrated these Mayan legends.

Students have also been learning about the Mayan writing system which primarily consists of glyphs to represent syllables. Additionally, there are hundreds of glyphs with their own meaning called logograms.

In art lessons, we have begun a mini topic on butterflies, bees and beetles. The students have been researching the artist Lucy Arnold and using her art as inspiration for their sketch work.

Do remember our last book club for the year, which is on Thursday after school.

Miss Smart.

Friday 30th June

We are now half way through the term!

On Monday, you started working on your designs for your 'Day of the Dead' masks and you finished them off on Thursday.

Tuesday was Sportsday! Well done to all of you for helping with the KS1 races in the morning and competing in the afternoon.

On Wednesday, you had R.E, French, PSHE and P.E.

You also created some incredible pieces of Environmental Art on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday, you took part in a lovely Forest School session, rehearsed the play and pllayed cricket in the afternoon.

Homework

See Mrs Haysom's email.

Start to think about a leavers' song and lyrics.

Have a lovely weekend.

Friday 23/6/23

Hola!  

This week in Class 6 we have been exploring Mexico. The students have been researching Mexico’s most famous human and physical features including: El Castillo, Canon del Sumidero, Chihuahua Desert, Palacio de Bellas Artes and many more… 

Year 6 worked in groups to become travel agents and made a fantastic video using a greenscreen to persuade people to come and visit Mexico!  

I hope you are excited to watch their masterpiece at the Mexican Festival Day at the end of term. 

Please can I remind students to bring in their recycled materials for their Environmental Art pieces we will be making on Thursday 29^th June. 

Adios!  

Miss Smart

In other news, we attended a High Hopes workshop, which which aimed to support us with our upcoming move to secondary school. They provided guidance with a variety of issues, such as getting lost, getting to lessons on time, struggling with the work, struggling with homework, making new friends and who to put our trust in. I hope you all found it useful.

We have also been rehearsing the play. There are a few of you still unsure of your lines. It is quite hard to act if you're reading from a script, so from Monday we will aim for everyone to be off scripts when practising on the stage. The production is only in four weeks so there is a lot to do before then. Thank you to those of you who have come forward to offer help with costumes and props; this is very much appreciated. There are still a few items that people haven't volunteered for yet, so please do let us know if you can help.

Enjoy your weekend.

Mrs Haysom

16/6/23

Welcome back to your final term at Chiddingstone!

The sun was shining all week which meant we were able to go outside as much as possible.

In literacy, you completed a postcard from Paris and created a set of instructions for a fire evacuation.

During topic lessons, you continued to research all things Mexico and will continue to do that for the next few weeks.

On Friday, you spent the morning makes cards and heading off to Forest School with Mrs Woodhouse. You finished off the week with an 'End Ball' tournament.

Hello all!  

I hope you have all had a very enjoyable half term. 

Class 6 have begun a new mini project called ‘Environmental Art’.  

We have been learning about the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing materials meanwhile learning some astonishing facts - there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050? 

The children have been fascinated by the work of Environmental artists: Anthony Gormley, Chris Jordan and John Akomfrah who recycle, reuse and repurpose materials to create environmental art enhancing a message.   

This week the class have been using computers to create mood boards and posters of environmental artists work that has inspired or moved them.  

Class 6 have worked in groups to share their mood boards and inspirations to design a piece of Environmental Art themselves.  

In their groups, they have assigned recyclable materials to bring in for next week  to create their wonderful environmental art pieces.  

Many thanks and I look forward to meeting you all soon!  

Miss Smart 

HOMEWORK

Learn your lines - rehearsals start on Monday!

TRIP

Thursday to Rochester

26/5/23 Half Term

School has been quiet without you, but what an exciting week you have all had! Paris looked glorious in the sunshine and you  looked like you were having the time of your life.  I'm sure you will all be grateful for your own beds tonight though!

Those who stayed in dear old Blighty have also had fun practising their language skills at a French bakery and library, and also doing some excellent beach art.

There is no homework, apart from learning your lines ready to start rehearsing next term. You should also be having a think about your costumes. 

I do know some of you like to think ahead about the next topic, which is Hola Mexico. Here is an art project you might enjoy doing over the holidays:

Mexican artist, Pedro Linares, created fantastical sculptures of creatures by combining animals in unusual ways, such as a donkey with butterfly wings or a cockerel with horns. He called these sculptures alebrijes. They are traditionally made from papier mâché. Draw or sculpt a unique alebrije using Mexican wildlife as inspiration. If you do either of these, please bring them in next term.

Do remember our book club text: Unforgettable by Dan Friedman. We will meet to discuss this on 13th of July - our last book club!

Wishing you all a lovely break.

Mrs Haysom

Friday 19/5/23 

Thank you for the hard work you put into the auditions this week, Year 6. Mrs Streatfeild and I found the job of casting was made extremely difficult by the high standard of the performances you provided. Naturally, if you who didn't get allocated a role you had prepared for you were bound to feel a little disheartened, but we were very impressed with the way you still cheerfully congratulated your cast mates and masked your disappointment. This says a good deal about what a decent bunch you are. Once we begin rehearsing, I know that everyone will get into their roles and have fun.

As promised, please find attached below an updated script (please note there have been some small changes since we sent the original prior to auditions) along with a cast list.  These changes mainly occur in the earlier scenes. You will need to learn your words ready for the start of Term 6 please. This gives you three weeks! A few of you have asked if more lines might be available and I am pleased that you are already showing such enthusiasm. As I said in class, start with the lines that you've got and if you know them well and are shining on stage, then we are more likely to add to the them. This happens every year as the production progresses and actors make the roles their own. We will start rehearsals on the first day back, so you should aim to be off script by then. Do practise at home with family members/friends filling in the other parts over half term. You will need to be familiar with the lines before yours so you know when to come in. Maybe take your scripts to Paris and read your lines in quieter moments.

Some people have asked about costumes. We will discuss this further at the start of next term, but it is a good idea to begin thinking about what you might want to wear for your role and to start seeking out a few items as well as props. 

Sorry to be missing your maypole dance. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that it goes smoothly!

Mrs Haysom

Well done for your excellent maypole dancing!

After a slight mishap in the first routine, you absolutely smashed it.

A lovely end to the week.

Aside from all the maypole training, you managed to lovely country walk and took some magnificent images of the light and shade. We will look at them again after half term. This is when they will be judged and an award given out.

You also learnt about children's rights in PSHE.

You also finished your Paris leaflets ready for next week.

Have a restful weekend and we look forward to seeing you for a very exciting week!

Mr Rowland

Friday 12/5/23

You have done so well this week, Year 6; we are extremely proud of all of your hard work. With those pesky assessments out of the way, we can start to focus on projects, educational visits and, of course, the summer production: The Wizard of Oz. I believe that Mr Rowland is going to show you the original film this afternoon so that you can familiarise yourselves with the characters and the story line - although you will note that our version has a few additional roles.

Hopefully, Mrs Pearson will have had the time this afternoon to photocopy you each a script. What I'd like you to do is take it home and have a read through. Look at the various parts and then have a think about a character that you could see yourself playing. As we discussed, try not to set your heart on just one role as inevitably this can end in disappointment, especially for the more popular parts. There are more roles than there are Year 6 pupils, so some of you may prefer two smaller roles than one major one. When considering a part, do think about your ability and willingness to learn the lines, be confident in projecting your voice and also take direction. Although everyone will have an acting role, we know from past experience that some pupils prefer a smaller part/s but like to be more involved with other aspects of the production e.g. scenery, props, special effects, programme creation, music etc There is a lot to do! Think about what suits you best and what you'll enjoy.

Once you've thought of a couple of parts you would like to try for, have a practice of a few of their lines at home over the weekend - getting someone to play the other parts in between for you. We will then ask you to have a go at delivering these lines in a small group as part of Monday's auditions. You are welcome to bring in a prop or two if you feel this might help you get into character, but this is not essential. You do not need to learn the lines off by heart, so make sure you have your script back in school with you to read from. You will see there is a solo singing role, which is Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung by Dorothy's friend Mae in this version, so if you feel your talents lie in this direction, you may want to practise singing this before we meet on Monday. There are plenty of clips of it on YouTube if you want to check them out. 

We will do our best to get through everyone on Monday; however, we will definitely let you know who will be playing what by Tuesday at the latest, so you can get going with learning lines and sorting out your costumes. Can't wait to get started - it's my favourite time of the year!

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Preparing for Monday's auditions.

Friday 5/5/23

How hard you have worked this week, Year 6! We have revised a good deal of the UKS2 curriculum for English and Maths and completed, or almost completed, the biography on your chosen musician from the twentieth century. 

We had a treat on Wednesday, when Keith Hopwood, Felix's grandfather and successful musician and song-writer, joined us in class. He shared stories from his time singing backing vocals and playing guitar with Herman's Hermits, as well as updating us on his more recent projects, such as writing the music for the later series of Pingu. Keith mentioned that the hit he was most proud of was No Milk Today. This is a particular favourite amongst staff too - we've all been humming it round the corridors. 

Next week is SATs week, so make sure you have a good rest after the Coronation celebrations and ensure you've had decent brekkie before school each day.

Homework

There is no homework, but a few of you mentioned that you were unsure about the present and past progressive, so if you want to check your understanding please see below:

The present progressive or continuous tense is used to describe an action that is happening at the moment of speaking:

I am leaving work.

The past progressive or continuous describes events an ongoing activity in the past. John was baking when it happened. They were painting the fence as the storm broke.

Friday 28/4/23 

Pens! It is essential you have a working pen and at least one spare refill. Thank you

Our 'Secret' stories are almost completed! We shall enjoy sharing with them with Year 5 later in the term. In Maths, we have worked on understanding averages and calculating the mean. Science has been fascinating: the focus early in the week has been on visible light and how we see colour. We now understand that there are cones in the retina that are sensitive to red, green and blue light help us to see different colours. When different combinations of cones are stimulated, we see different colours. We conducted a colour perception investigation and then shared our results in order to consider variations. Later in the week, we conducted a 'shadow' investigation. We discovered that a shadow appears when an object blocks the passage of light. Apart from some distortion or fuzziness at the edges, shadows are the same shape as the object. The distortion or fuzziness depends on the position or type of light source.

Thank you to those of you who attended book club last night. Our next title is Unstoppable by Dan Freedman.

 Secrets and lies . . . secrets and lies . . .
Fourteen-year-old twins, Kaine and Roxy, used to be close, but now they can hardly bear to be in the same room. Roxy hates the way her brother behaves - Kaine might be brilliant at football but he's always in trouble and cares nothing about his family. And Kaine despises the way his supposedly-perfect sister, dominates their parents in her ambition to reach Wimbledon.
But the twins are both hiding dangerous secrets of their own, secrets that could destroy everything they are working towards - and both Roxy and Kaine's survival hangs precariously in the balance.
Gripping, twisting, and real, this book is UNSTOPPABLE! I hope plenty of you will read it as this will be your last book club at Chiddingstone School!

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Last week of comprehension and GPS homework! Please complete by Tuesday.

Comprehension: The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus Set B Test 3 (pages 28 - 30) for Tuesday 2^nd May

GPS: Set B Test 2 (pages 25 - 28)  for Tuesday 2^nd May

Maths: Complete a reasoning paper (up to and including q11) for Mr Rowland due Thursday

Spellings Revision (there will be a dictation on Friday). : 

Words containing the letter-string ough: ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English and has been catching some of you out recently – it can be used to spell a number of different sounds. ought, bought, thought, nought, brought, fought rough, tough, enough cough though, although, dough through thorough, borough plough, bough

Cued Group words: (but useful for all) Words with the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey vein, weigh, eight, neighbour, they, obey

Friday 21/4/23 

Welcome back to you all. 

In maths this week, you have been busy working on the position and movement chapter. You reviewed how to write coordinates. You then moved on to translating shapes on an axis. You finished by reflecting shapes on different axis. You also completed some arithmetic questions and part of a SATs paper.

You carried on writing your secret story in English. Your ideas are all wonderful and I look forward to seeing where they end up.

'Light and Shadow' is the topic of the term. You started by explaining facts that you already know and any burning questions that you had. You then explored the eye and understood how it worked. You also enjoyed a video of a horse eye dissection. On Friday, you looked at how light travels and took part in two experiements using torches and lasers. You understood that light travelled in a straight line and can be reflected.

On Friday afternoon, you had your class and individual photos. I am sure that they will come out wonderfully!

Have a super weekend.

Homework - due Thursday 28th April

In the twentieth century, music changed greatly. New instruments and music styles were constantly evolving. Jazz, minimalism and electronic music were among the new styles created during this period.

The twentieth century saw new music genres appearing at a very quick rate, and the ways in which people enjoyed and appreciated music also changed massively. In 1923, the gramophone was invented and, only 59 years later, music had been recorded on electronic CDs. 

Music moved away from the orchestras and classical instruments that had been popular before and found itself at the forefront of the identities of groups of new people as a means of showing their freedom and individuality. For example, loud guitar bands playing rock and roll music gave young people something to enjoy which was completely different from anything that had been heard before.  Your task is to choose a favourite musician from the twentieth century to research and make notes on. You will of course, want to listen to a few of their compositions - your parents/grandparents may be able to suggest a few singers that they enjoyed growing up. We will be using this person to write a biography in the next couple of weeks and will share some of your music choices in class. The planning sheet below may well be helpful.

This homework is instead of comprehension and GPS this weekend.

Maths - Please also make sure you spend at least 15/20 mins on your times tables. These are so important and we haven't working on them for a while. Please use 'Hit the Button' and try timing yourself on a grid.

31/3/23 Easter Holidays 

I know I already said this in the church yesterday, but I feel it deserves repeating: I am exceptionally proud of you as a class. The debate was a big success due to the hard work of the whole team - every person played part and was responsible for it going so well. Thank you.

Thinking ahead to next term, our Light Theory project will teach us about the way that light behaves, travelling in straight lines from a source or reflector, into the eye. We will explore how we see light and colours, and phenomena associated with light, including shadows, reflections and refraction. If you would like to do any advance reading, then this would be excellent. Here are a couple of websites you might like to check out:

https://www.ducksters.com/science/light.php

https://www.explainthatstuff.com/light.html

Also, if you haven't started it yet, there is still plenty of time to read the book club text: The Secret Detectives by Ella Risbridger.  The meeting date is Thursday 27th of April. I know a few of you have already finished the book - in which case, I can recommend Felix's Reading Circle text: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell, or if you fancy some non-fiction then how about Adam Kay's Kay's Marvellous Medicine. Now I have got over being mummified with loo roll, whilst holding a selection of preserved intestines (thank you Niamh!), I may well give it a go myself.

Wishing you all a relaxing break.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Please see the attached letter( which was sent home last week) explaining the homework. It is due in the first day back.

Friday 24th March

First of all, a big well done to all of you for completing your parent consultations. You spoke well and it was extremely helpful for us as teachers. 

In English, you have been busy completing your piece of persuasive writing. Mrs Haysom then started reading her story about a secret which will hopefully inspire you to create a lovely piece of writing.

In maths, you have been working hard on the angles topic. You have been busy measuring angles, working out problems and looking at triangles and circles. There has also been lots of arithmetic on the side.

The afternoons have consisted of topic work; you have been continuing to understand inheritance. You also looked at food packaging and the idea of a healthy diet. 

On Friday, Dr Wilkinson came into the class to talk about her job as a GP and how the heart works.

Homework for next week:

Comprehension - B2 A dream come true pages 25 - 27 (Tuesday)

GPS - B1 pages 21 - 23 (Tuesday)

Maths - C Arithmetic pages and try the puzzle at the end 54 - 56  (Thursday)

Easter Homework:

Due Monday 17th April

2017 Maths SATs Paper 2 - this is not to be done under test conditions. Please ask people for help if you are unsure and put a star next to the question/questions that you had help with.

Friday 17/3/22

In preparation for our upcoming Scientific Testing on Animals Debate, we had a mini debate on the use of artificial selection. This gave us a flavour of how we would fare if we were bring grilled by members of the apposing team or the audience. Do have a think over the weekend about whether you would like to be on the debating team or whether you would prefer to be involve in another way, such as introducing the debate, chairing it, counting votes, making a PowerPoint etc. We also used the holly leaves many of you had collected on the snowy day to investigate why the leaves from the trimmed tree were spikier. This helped us develop our understanding about adaptation in plants.

In maths, we have have found the volume of cuboids and solved problems involving volume.

Just a reminder of our next Year 5/6 Book Club text: The Secret Detectives by Ella Risbridger. We will send out a meeting date for Term 5 before we break up.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Comprehension  B4 pages 31 - 33 For Tues

GPS  A4 pages 14 - 17 For Tues

Maths C5 pages 51 - 53 For Thurs

Friday 10th March

A slightly shorter week with Wednesday's snow day. I hope you had fun! Well done for all the amazing pieces of work you did on that day. There is now a 'Heart Art' display at the back of the classroom.

In maths, the class have spent the week looking at area and perimeter. You can now work out the areas of triangles and parallelograms. Next week is volume of shapes.

During literacy lessons, you started to think about debate writing and the issue of animal testing. You will be completing a live debate in front of others once the writing is complete.

On Friday, you witnessed the heart dissection. For the first time, everyone managed to stay in the classroom for the whole time. I hope you found it interesting and informative.

There was also a mixture of PSHE (money matters), creating the powerpoint presentation and P.E.

Please note that P.E. will be on Tuesday afternoon next week. Please come into school in your uniform and bring your kit with you.

Homework:

Maths - C4 (Thursday)

Comprehension - B1 pg22-24

GPS - A3 pg10-13

Have a lovely weekend.

Wednesday 8th March

Snowy Day

We hope you have a lovely day enjoying the snow as much as you can while its there. 
Here is a little work to keep you ticking over:

Topic - Heart Art

Please create a piece of work with a ‘Heart’ focus. This could be an anatomically accurate drawing or using the love heart ❤️ theme. If you google image - Heart Art - then you may get some inspiration. We will display your work in school.

Maths - Area and Perimeter

Could you have a go at figuring out the perimeter and area of your garden? 
Extn - could you then workout different rooms in your house and create a floor plan?

Evolution and Adaptation

If perhaps you are going outside or on a walk later, see if you can identify two holly plants of the same species to carefully harvest leaves from: one that is regularly trimmed (more likely to be in your garden) and one that has grown undisturbed. Cut two or three leaves from the holly plant and place them inside the bag labelled ‘trimmed’.  If you can find an untrimmed holly plant do the same and label ‘untrimmed’. Bring these leaves into school with you. We will use them to observe how holly adapts and becomes spikier to survive better in its environment. If you can only find one type, trimmed or untrimmed, not to worry, but bring in what you've found. If you are using secateurs make sure there is an adult to assist. Also take care not to prick yourself on the spiky leaves!

Friday 3rd of March

On Thursday, we had World Book Day! You all looked amazing! A real cross-section of characters. Well done to Eddie who won the award - incredible walking in the heels.

In maths this week, we have completed our ratio chapter. You all were brilliantl. Next week, we move on to algebra.

In topic work, we finished writing up our science experiment. Our results did not support our hypothesis but we talked about the reasons for this.

Money did matter in PSHE this week.

Next week:

Wednesday - STEM day - we are meeting at Sevenoaks. Please come in your P.E. kit. You do not need your school uniform that day as you will stay in you P.E kit all day (less bags to move around).

Football matches (Tuesday and Thursday) and netball match (Wednesday).

Homework 

Comprehension Come to Chester C2 P. 45-47. For Tuesday please.

GPS A2 P. 6-9. For Tuesday please.

Maths C3

Persuasive writing notes

On Monday, we will begin our persuasive writing in preparation for the debate on 'This house would ban scientific testing on animals'. I think you have decided which side you are coming down on so it would be useful if you could roughly plan the three paragraphs you will make in support of your argument so we are ready to start writing. Ideas might include:

Animal suffering, other potential alternatives to testing on animals, wasted lives of the animals used.

Or

If we eat meat, why not use animals for testing, if we didn't test on animals would we have to increase testing on humans, would you put the life of an animal over that over a life of a relative.

Of course you may well think of other powerful points so you do not have to be restricted by the above. Do discuss your ideas with people at home and also check with an adult before you go on any websites - some of the animal rights websites can be a little hard-hitting! Jot down your notes and have them with you in Monday's English lesson.

Mrs Haysom

Friday 24th February

Great to have you back, Year 6, but what a tiring week with all that swimming! It was good to hear so many positive comments about the fun you had and the progress you made.

In the classroom, we have completed our formal non-narrative pieces on RMS Titanic, where I was delighted to see the passive voice included so naturally. You have also impressed me with your determination to master the use of more sophisticated punctuation, such as ; and :. Mrs P will compile your writing to make an information book all about the notorious 'unsinkable' ship.

In maths, we have begun percentages - finding the percentage of both numbers and quantities. 

During science lessons, we started looking at the circulatory system. We thought of questions about the blood and the heart and researched to find answers. On Friday, we carried out a heart rate experiment.

We have also found out a bit about the history of jazz music and listened to different musical pieces in order to discuss the style. See homework below.

Thank you to Holly and Clara for their excellent Reading Circle presentations on The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo and The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross.

Next week, is a very bookish week: we have Year 5/6 Book Club on Tuesday where we will discuss Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick and then on Thursday we look forward to dressing up as a favourite book character for World Book Day. Can't wait!

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Please find attached details of homework on jazz musicians. This will replace Comprehension and GPS for this week. It is due in on Friday 3rd of March.

Maths C2 is due in on Thursday.

Spellings next week will be revision of the words learnt so far this year.

Friday 10th of February - Half Term 

Happy Half Term!

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a play at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks.  Sevenoaks District Council organised this piece of children’s theatre ‘In The Net’ to raise awareness around safe internet use and cyber bullying. The play proved highly effective at covering not only this, but how to keep personal information safe, what makes a healthy relationship and what to do if you have questions or concerns. Thank you very much to the parents who enabled the trip to go ahead by giving up their morning to transport us there and back.

We carried out our iceberg experiement on Friday. We looked at the time it takes to melt them under different conditions. Some had hot and some cold water. Other had salted water and some recreated the sea making waves. We also joined reception in the afternoon, we helped them make their own t-shirt designs.

This brings 'Frozen Kingdom' to an end. Next term, brings 'Blood Heart' - we will be learning about the body and particularly the circulatory system. This will involve a heart dissection.

Have a restful break - half way through the year!

Homework

Instead of the Comprehension and GPS homework, you all have a piece of reading about natural resources in the Arctic, such as oil, gas, metals, minerals, fish, wood and freshwater. After you have completed the reading, there are some questions that I'd like you to answer on what you have found out. If you would like to add to your knowledge with further research then even better. You should have the reading and questions in your bag - they were given out on Tuesday. This homework is due in on Tuesday 21st, but just in case you were away, I have attached them below..

Spellings this week for the main group are homophones or near-homophones:

aloud: out loud, allowed: permitted

cereal: made from grain (e.g. breakfast cereal). serial: adjective from the noun series – a succession of things one after the other

farther: further, father: a male parent

guessed: past tense of the verb guess, guest: visitor

heard: past tense of the verb hear, herd: a group of animals

led: past tense of the verb lead, lead: present tense of that verb, or else the metal which is very heavy (as heavy as lead) 

Cued Group: brake/break, fair/fare, grate/great, groan/grown, here/hear, mail/male.

Friday 3/2/23 

Your letters to Kathleen, the wife of Captain Robert Scott, have been a triumph. Your tone was appropriate for the type of letter and you managed to demonstrate his character, as well as the desperation of his situation, through your vocabulary choices. I was also pleased to note the inclusion of hyphens and dashes, which we have practised using in GPS. Well done.

We have now finished our decimals chapter in our Maths - No Problem! workbooks. Do keep practising converting various units of measurement at home, so the skill stays fresh in your mind.

In History, we have discovered about a variety of Polar explorers. One tale that stuck out was about the frosty end that befell John Franklin in 1845. This helped us understand why exploring the Arctic was so perilous.

In our science experiment, we learnt about the adaptations of Polar animals and the affects of insulation. We plunged our hands in cold water to see how long it took to feel the cold. We then used gloves, hot air and goose fat to see if the times changed.

In maths, we finally finished book A and started the assessments - 1 to come next week.

We loved our two Reading Circle Presentations. Thank you to Helena for recommending The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and explaining why The Taming of the Shrew was her personal favourite. Lola's choice was very different, but went down very well. After hearing her synopsis of The Secret Detectives by Ella Risbridger, several of you asked if it could be the next Year 5/6 Book Club title. I know I certainly wouldn't object! We will confirm after we have met on Thursday.

Thank you to those of you who performed your poetry for the class  - it has been such a pleasure to listen to you recite your favoured poems.

Mrs Haysom

Awards:

HT awards: Guy and Alex

SOTW: Ella M

Reading circle on Monday: Will

Homework 3/2/22 Advance notice

Reading Comprehension: B5 Is Social Media Really a Problem? P34-36. Due Tuesday. This will be good preparation for our Internet-Safety Trip next week.

GPS: AI P2-5. Due Tuesday

Maths: Set C Test 1

Spellings 

Main Group: familiar, vehicle, yacht, restaurant, recommend, rhyme, excellent, programme, immediate, forty.

Cued: 'wh' words - when, where, while, which, wheel, white.

Friday 27th January 2023 

We began the week with a new chapter in our Maths - No Problem! books. We are now working on reading, writing and converting standard units of measurement. Our understanding of decimals and also how to multiply and divide by a 10s number have come in very handy! In English, we have read up on Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to the South Pole and how he was pipped to the post by the Norwegian, Amundsen. Through studying Scott's final letter home to his wife, we have learnt more about the man and his characteristics as well as talked about why he was regarded as a national hero in spite of not winning the race. Next week, we plan to write our own letters home from the Antarctic as if we were Scott.

In geography, we have written a travel blog imagining we had spent three days travelling with the Nenets in the Arctic and considered whether tourism to the Antarctic has a positive or negative impact on the region.

Thank you very much to Edward for his Explorer reading circle presentation, which included some superb props. Next week, we shall be hearing from Lola and Helena with their recommendations.

Thank you for sorting your pen situation. Please continue to check you pencil cases regularly so that you don't run out of ink.

Finally, Mrs Cheshire has said what a splendid trip you had to the Regent's Park Mosque yesterday. I am so looking forward to hearing all about it on Monday and viewing the photos on Instagram.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Comprehension Set C Test 6 P57-59 Swiss Family Robinson for Tuesday please.

GPS Set C Test 4 P52 - 55 for Tuesday please.

Maths - Arithmetic B on pages 35-36 for Thursday.

Spellings for Main Group - statutory list words that will be useful for your letter home from Scott: government, temperature, sacrifice, determined, desperate, communicate, equipment, equipped, definitely.

Cued spellings: continue, strength, promise, (im)possible, heart, group. 

Some of you are still without a pen! We shall be doing a pencil case audit on Monday.

Jewelry - Please can we ensure that children do not have necklaces or bracelets on. If they have had their ears pierced recently, then they must be taped over. 

Friday 20th of January

Another busy week in Year 6.

You managed to work through the maths chapter on decimals quickly and efficiently. You were working on multiplying and dividing decimals by the end. Next week, you will finish the chapter and move on to measurement.

In English lessons, you started reading information about Robert Scott and his missions. You then read a diary entry and understood the features of what makes a good diary entry. Next week, you will start writing a letter home from one of his expeditions.

During the topic afternoons, you studied the Polar landscapes, Polar oceans and climate change and their features. You then started looking at adaptations of different animals and started to plan an information poster about an animal from the Poles. These will be created next week with Mrs Pearson.

You also edited code during computing, continued understanding teamwork in PSHE and learnt the pasodoble in P.E.

HT - Niamh and Martha

SOTW - Helena

Mr Rowland

Next week's Reading Circle presentations will include choices from Edward and Guy.

Comprehension: How Camels Survive in the Desert C5 pages 54 - 56 for Tuesday

GPS: C3 pages 48-51 for Tuesday

Maths: Next in book for Thursday

Spellings: Following the assessment this week we are revising words with the /s/ sound spelt sc (Latin in origin) In the Latin words from which these words come, the Romans probably pronounced the c and the k as two sounds rather than one – /s/ /k/. science, scene, discipline, fascinate, crescent, descend. Also some revision words with the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey vein, weigh, eight, neighbour, they, obey

Cued: Also some revision words with the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey vein, weigh, eight, eighty, eighteen, neighbour, they, obey.

Friday13th January 2023

Please make sure you have pen refills!

We have continued to write our narratives in English and also looked at the Night Mail poem by WH Auden. Night Mail, a poem about the mail being transported by steam train from London to Glasgow, was commissioned for the film of the same name on which Auden was working in the 1930s. He was assisting with production and filming and it was determined that a poem, spoken but set to music, was needed for the end of the film. He wrote the piece for the occasion. We enjoyed the rhythm of the poem, particularly how it changes as the journey continues. Most of us really liked the 'rap' section. If you want to listen again, here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmciuKsBOi0

We have so enjoyed listening to your own poetry recitals. You have selected a superb range to perform, from classics by Robert Louis Stevenson and the like, to contemporary work by Benjamin Zephaniah, plus a few personal creations thrown in too. It has exposed us all to poetry we may never have otherwise encountered. We look forward to hearing from the final few, yet to perform, later this week.

Thank you to Thomas CC for such an entertaining Reading Circle presentation on Five go to Smugglers Top by Enid Blyton. He created some superb props that had us all intrigued and also included some top jokes. Mrs Pearson and I were both tempted to revisit the text, many years after its first read!

Reading and writing decimals and also dividing whole numbers to give decimal answers, were our focus in maths. We are  moving on to writing fractions as decimals.

Finally, in geography, we have looked at polar day and night. The midnight sun or polar day is where the sun never sets over a period of 24 hours or more. It occurs in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Polar night is opposite of midnight sun (polar day), when none of the sun's disc is visible above the horizon at all.

Mrs Haysom

PS A reminder that Martha and Bella have signed up for Reading Circle next week. Can't wait!

Homework

Comprehension: Set A: Test 2 Making Rainbows P. 5-7. For Tuesday pls

GPS: Set C G and P 2 P 44-47 for Tuesday 

Maths: Next in book for Thursday (Mr Rowland to add page numbers)

Spellings: Like un–, the prefixes dis– and mis– have negative meanings dis–: disappoint, disappear, disobey mis–: misbehave, mislead, misspell (mis + spell) 

The prefix in– can mean both ‘not’ and ‘in’/‘into’. In the words given here it means ‘not’. in–: inactive, incorrect

Also a reminder that words that already end in l still need 'ly' added to an adjective to form an adverb usually (usual + ly), finally (final + ly), comically (comical + ly) really (real + ly).

Cued: Words ending in –tion station, fiction, non-fiction, motion, national, section, relation, option.

Friday 6/1/23 

Great to have you all back, Year 6. I do hope that you have all had a lovely break but are pleased to be back together in class.

Our topic this term is Frozen Kingdom and we shall be finding out all about the characteristics and features of polar regions, including the North and South Poles. We are kicking off the project with our own 'polar expedition' to Penshurst. This will enable us to consider human and physical geographical similarities and differences between our own locale and polar regions. Mr Rowland will upload the trip photos later.

Thank you very much for the poetry that you have copied so beautifully. Over the coming days, we shall listen to each other performing our chosen poems. So far, we have enjoyed Lola's recital of Two Homes, which she had adapted herself and also Duck's Ditty by Kenneth Grahame from Helena (apologies if more of you have performed after I'd left the classroom today and I haven't mentioned you here). For those of you yet to perform, if you have copied out a very long poem, I am happy for you to select a couple of verses if you are struggling to learn it all off by heart.

We will also look forward to Thomas and Lola's reading circle presentations next Monday and Tuesday respectively. Some of you are still to sign up to present a favourite text - Mrs Pearson has added more available dates for Term 4 so do get your name on the chart.

Lastly, a very big thank you from all of the Year 6 team for the generous Christmas gifts we received.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Comparison activity on the Arctic and Antarctic. This homework (in your school bags) will replace the usual Comprehension and GPS book homework. It is due in on Tuesday please. The pages are stapled together, but you may pull them apart to complete the task. I only require the Venn Diagram to be handed in. Please make sure it is named and dated. Thank you.

Maths: Next test in book for Thursday please.

Spellings for all: Words ending with the /g/ sound spelt – gue and the /k/ sound spelt –que (French in origin) league, tongue, rogue, antique, unique,

Words with the /s/ sound spelt sc (Latin in origin) In the Latin words from which these words come, the Romans probably pronounced the c and the k as two sounds rather than one – /s/ /k/. science, scene, discipline, fascinate, crescent.

Challenge words (optional): picturesque, opaque, catalogue, intrigue

Reading: I'd like the reading diaries in on Monday please, so make sure they are up to date. 

Do remember to complete the Reading Tracker folder in the classroom each time you finish a book.

Friday 16/12/22

Christmas Holiday Homework - Poetry Handwriting and Performing plus a bit of research

Over the holidays, I would like you to choose a poem to copy out and illustrate and then practise, ready to perform - ideally off by heart if you can. You can choose any poem you like, but I am attaching a few suggestions in case you're stuck for ideas. If you do select one of these, please do not trace over the handwriting suggestion page - ignore that, and go on to the lined sheet that follows. We need to be joining our writing. I am also attaching a separate blank sheet in case you need it. Please have your copy of the poem in school on the first day back and also be ready to perform it aloud at some point over the coming week. A few of you have asked if you can collaborate with someone else by sharing the performance - particularly if you're choosing a longer poem. This is absolutely fine as long as you have the time to get together to rehearse beforehand.

It would also be helpful if you could look at a few newspaper articles (either hard copies or online) during the break. We shall begin the term with a report on the sinking of RMS Titanic so if you have familiarised yourself with the style of newspapers - much more brief and to the point  - this will certainly be useful to you. Also note the different punctuation that proceeds any quotes: newspapers usually use a : instead of a , before the inverted commas. 

Finally, if you fancy reading up on RMS Titanic and its fate, then this would be beneficial as well.

Homework above will take the place of comprehension, GPS, maths and spellings over the break although a few of you didn't hand last week's work in this week so please ensure this is completed and in school for 4/1/23.

Please do continue to read though. Hopefully you will have put a book or two on your Christmas list! Perhaps one from our Reading Circle presentations this term?

Mrs Haysom

Snowy Day Work  12/12/22

Morning all, 

I shan't overload you as I'm sure you will want to make the most of the snow, but there are a few tasks:

1) Comprehension. In the Bleak Midwinter - attached. You only need to do the first one.

2) Practise your spellings - there is a sheet attached for everyone to complete. If you don't have a printer then just write the task on a sheet of paper please.

3) Maths - some fraction word problems below. Please choose any three to answer but of course you may do as many as you would like. The yellow questions are more challenging.

4) Practise delivering your lines for the Carol Service. 

5) Read.

Finally, please remember Mrs Streatfeild's inter-house snowperson competition.

Have fun and see you tomorrow.

Mrs Haysom

P.S. Remember your Comp and GPS homework is due tomorrow.

Friday 9/12/22 

Two more quality presentations in Reading Circle this week - Felix's choice of Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick and Alex's favoured novel - The Boy Who Fooled the World by Lisa Thompson. Thank you for the amount of effort you both put in - I loved the props! We shall purchase copies of both for the class library.

Thank you again to the kind parents who gave up time to support us with our sewing project - we are almost finished!

This week in maths, we have been learning to multiply fractions. By the end of the week, we all understood how to do it. We need to continue to work on answering word problems about fractions. Next week, we will be dividing fractions by whole numbers.

During topic afternoons, we finished off 'Britain at War' by learning about the end of the war. We watched a Lego animation about the Battle of the Bulge. We then had a quick glance at VE day. Following on from this, we started our science topic of electrical circuits. 

We have also been rehearsing our skits for the KS2 carol concert and are looking forward to performing this to the congregation in next week's carol service.

On Thursday, we all enjoyed a festive trip to London. Frozen was fantastic! We also enjoyed a rather interesting street entertainer in Covent Garden! There were some lovely comments on the train home about your behaviour too. Well done all!

Homework 9/12/22

In the Bleak Midwinter and The Grinch

Please make sure you are completely word perfect with your carol service presentations. Also, please bring in an accessory (such as a hat, scarf and/or gloves) by Monday.

Comprehension: Set A: Test 5 P 14 - 16. The Sea. For Tues.

GPS Set C: G and P 1. P 40-43. For Tues.

Maths: Set B Test 2. For Thurs.

Spellings for everyone: 

Words with the /k/ sound spelt ch (Greek in origin) scheme, chorus, chemist, echo, character, chaos Words with the /ʃ/ sound spelt ch (mostly French in origin) chef, chalet, machine, brochure

Advance Notice of Christmas Holiday Homework - Poetry Handwriting and Performing plus a bit of research

Over the holidays, I would like you to choose a poem to copy out and illustrate and then practise, ready to perform - ideally off by heart if you can. You can choose any poem you like, but I am attaching a few suggestions in case you're stuck for ideas. If you do select one of these, please do not trace over the handwriting suggestion page - ignore that, and go on to the lined sheet that follows. We need to be joining our writing. I am also attaching a separate blank sheet in case you need it. Please have your copy of the poem in school on the first day back and also be ready to perform it aloud at some point over the coming week. A few of you have asked if you can collaborate with someone else by sharing the performance - particularly if you're choosing a longer poem. This is absolutely fine as long as you have the time to get together to rehearse beforehand.

It would also be helpful if you could look at a few newspaper articles (either hard copies or online) during the break. We shall begin the term with a report on the sinking of RMS Titanic so if you have familiarised yourself with the style of newspapers - much more brief and to the point  - this will certainly be useful to you. Also note the different punctuation that proceeds any quotes: newspapers usually use a : instead of a , before the inverted commas. 

Finally, if you fancy reading up on RMS Titanic and its fate, then this would be beneficial as well.

Homework above will take the place of comprehension, GPS, maths and spellings over the break. Please do continue to read though. Hopefully you will have put a book or two on your Christmas list! Perhaps one from our Reading Circle presentations this term?

Mrs Haysom

Friday 2/11/22 

Congratulations on two first-class Reading Circle presentations from Jude and Eddy. We discovered two very different but appealing texts: Messi by Matt and Tom Oldfield and Schoolyard Millionaire by Nat Amoore - I know a number of the class said that they were now keen to read them. Very well done both for such inspiring and original presentations. Next week we eagerly anticipate Felix and Alex's choices.

Thank you very much to the parents who came in to assist with cross stitch on Tuesday. We are sewing as part of our Make Do and Mend project  - a companion to Britain at War. Whilst we aren't actually doing much in the way of mending, we have considered how precision is important in producing a finished product and how correct selection of tools (in this case needle sizes) and careful measurement can ensure the success of our design. We shall continue with our stitching next Tuesday after lunch.

Please also see pics from Mr Miles lesson on Tuesday, where we began to built a lego tank with a micro:bit ready for coding next week. If all goes according to plan, we intend to race them in the playground after the lesson next week.

Some of you have asked about costumes for the Carol Services poem and drama. I think only the Grinch will require a proper costume. The rest of you should wear school uniform but add winter accessories such as wooly hats and scarves. Novelty Christmas hats are fine for the Whos, but maybe not so appropriate for those performing In the Bleak Midwinter.

Secret Santa details

Aim to spend no more than £5 on the present, which should be named for the recipient. There will be a sack in Y6 for gifts to be placed in anonymously. Please make sure all gifts are in school by Monday 12^th December at the latest. We will distribute them on the last day of term.

Mrs Haysom

Homework   2/12/22 advance notice

Comprehension: Set C Test 3 Votes for Women for Tues

GPS: Set B: G and P 3 for Tues

Useful Tips: The subjunctive is a verb form or mood used to express things that could or should happen. It is used to express wishes, hopes, commands, demands or suggestions. For example: If I were you, I would accept or If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.

Maths: Next one in book for Thurs

Spellings

Main Group:  Making adverbs if the root word ends with –ic. –ally is added rather than just –ly basically, frantically, dramatically,  enthusiastically.  Also words that already end in 'l' + 'ly' accidentally, confidentially, carefully, thoughtfully.

Cued group: The /ɒ/ sound spelt a after w and qu - a is the most common spelling for the /ɒ/ (‘hot’) sound after w and qu want, watch, wander, quantity, squash. Also put, push, pull.

Carol Service: Please continue to practise your lines at home, working on projecting your voice and also slowing down please. The script is attached below

Friday 25/11/22 

Well done to Tom for kicking off with the first Reading Circle. He presented Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief with some very intriguing props (see pics below). As a result, quite a few of us are keen to read it. Next week, we shall look forward to Felix and Eddy's choices.

Thank you to Edward's Granny, who came into class on Monday and gave a fascinating presentation all about her father's WWII experiences (see pics above). This really helped bring the topic to life for us all.

We also continued, and finished, our model Hurricanes and talked about the Battle of Britain. Followed on from this, the class then coded an aeroplane to fly across the sky.

In maths, we have continued working on fractions. We have been adding and taking away fractions and mixed numbers. We have had to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions too.

Please remember that next Friday we will holding our Evacuee Day!

Homework 25/11/22

Comprehension: Set C Test 1 p 42-44. For Tues.

Maths: Set 2 Test 1 for Thursday.

GPS: Set B G & P p 25-28. For Tues.

Spellings: Adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words ending in –fer, The r is doubled if the –fer is still stressed when the ending is added. The r is not doubled if the –fer is no longer stressed referring, referred, referral, preferring, preferred, transferring, transferred reference, referee, preference, transference. Also which, definite, disastrous, determined.

Cued: Adding the endings – ing, –ed, –er, –est and –y to words ending in –e with a consonant before it. The –e at the end of the root word is dropped before –ing, –ed, –er, –est, –y or any other suffix beginning with a vowel letter is added. Exception: being.

hike/hiking/hiked/hiker, nice/nicer/nicest, shine/shiny, being. Also which, busy, heard.

Friday 18th November

Mr Rowland and I enjoyed meeting with your families this week to report on the excellent progress you are making. I hope you found the process useful and now feel you know exactly what your targets are.

In class, we have been comparing and ordering fractions in maths, and in English, worked on including dialogue in narratives to show character and advance action. We have also looked at how WWII affected the lives of British people, including evacuation. 

As part of our ancillary project Make Do and Mend, we will begin some sewing on the afternoon of Tuesday 29th. If any of your parents fancy coming in to assist, perhaps you would ask them to get in touch. It would involve anything too challenging.

A reminder that Tom is presenting his book in Reading Circle on Monday and Helena on Tuesday. Thank you to these two for volunteering to get the ball going. We are very much looking forward to finding out about their text choices.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Comprehension: Set B: Test 6 When Pigs Fly p37-39 For Tuesday please.

GPS Set B: Grammar and Punctuation p21-24. For Tuesday please. Hint: The past progressive describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. It can be used to describe an action that started in the past and was interrupted by another action: He was writing an e-mail when the phone rang.

Maths: Next test in the book for Thursday please.

Spellings

Main group: Words ending in –able and –ible Words ending in –ably and –ibly The –able/–ably endings are far more common than the –ible/–ibly endings. As with –ant and –ance/–ancy, the – able ending is used if there is a related word ending in –ation.

adorable/adorably (adoration), applicable/applicably (application), considerable/considerably (consideration), tolerable/tolerably (toleration).

If the –able ending is added to a word ending in –ce or –ge, the e after the c or g must be kept as those letters would otherwise have their ‘hard’ sounds (as in cap and gap) before the a of the –able ending  changeable, noticeable, forcible, legible

Also 'happened' and 'where'.

Cued group: The /ɔ:/ sound spelt a before l and ll. The /ɔ:/ sound (‘or’) is usually spelt as a before l and ll - all, ball, call, walk, talk, always.

Finally, Mrs Ralph has requested that you learn the lyrics to Mary Did You Know?, attached. Thank you.

Friday 11/11/22

Great to have you back, Year 6.

I have to congratulate you all on the excellent standard of research you conducted on Churchill. I have displayed it proudly at the bottom of our staircase so that it can be read and enjoyed by all who pass. You all received raffle tickets for this homework; congratulations to Clara and Alex who had the winning tickets.

You have made an excellent start on your 'Bomb' stories. These have been inspired by the opening chapter of Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll, where an air raid causes chaos and disaster for Olive and her family. We have also begun posters, using imperative verbs, providing instructions of what to do in the event of an air raid.

In maths we have continued to develop our understanding of common multiples and factors.

Lastly, a reminder that you are invited to sign up to present a book of your choice to the class in Reading Circle time. Mrs Hester gave us an excellent demonstration of how it could be done with her presentation on the Book Club text The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson. You could use an excerpt, a PowerPoint, props a picture etc - anything you want to engage your audience. Presentations should be roughly between 5 and 10 minutes.

Mrs Haysom

Homework

Presentation for family meetings next week.

Please prepare a presentation for your consultation next week. Your PowerPoint slides (or handwritten sheets) should reference your progress in English, Maths and one other area within school. Please comment on aspects where you feel you have progressed as well as targets going forward. Please email these to the office or bring into school by Monday.

Suggestions for both might include the following:

* read a wide range of books such as modern fiction, classics, poetry, books from other cultures, non-fiction etc.

* to use the 'have a go' method to improve spellings.

* to include the passive voice.

* using commas accurately to mark phrases and clauses.

* to use dialogue to advance the action and show character.

* mastering correct letter formation - correct size and orientation (facing correct direction).

Maths

*negative numbers

* to add and subtract mixed numbers and fractions.

* to divide fractions by whole numbers. 

Of course, none of the above may apply to you and, in which case, you will wish to include targets and achievements that do.

Other homework

Comprehension Set A: Test 6 pages 17-19 The War of the Worlds. For Tuesday.

GPS: Set A Test 4 pages 14-16. For Tuesday. Tips: Active sentence - Mrs Haysom shut the door. Passive sentence - The door was shut by Mrs Haysom.

Maths: Set A, Test 5. For Thursday.

Reading: Keep reading across a variety of genres - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, newspapers. Do complete your diaries so I know what you have been enjoying as well as the class reading tracker.

Spellings

Main Group: Endings which sound like /ʃəs/ spelt –cious or –tious If the root word ends in –ce, the /ʃ/ sound is usually spelt as c – e.g. vice – vicious, grace – gracious, space – spacious, malice – malicious. (Exception: anxious.) Words: vicious, precious, conscious, delicious, malicious, suspicious ambitious, cautious, fictitious, infectious, nutritious, anxious.

Cued Group: Adding –ing, –ed, –er, –est and –y to words of one syllable ending in a single consonant letter after a single vowel letter.

The last consonant letter of the root word is doubled to keep the /æ/, /ɛ/, /ɪ ɒ /, / / and /ʌ/ sound (i.e. to keep the vowel ‘short’).

patting, patted, humming, hummed, dropping, dropped, sadder, saddest, fatter, fattest, runner, runny.

These will be tested through a dictation on Friday.

21/10/22 Half Term

Frustratingly, we didn't get to the end of War Horse. Some of you were keen to find out the ending and if Joey and Albert reunite. I have found it online, but I don't think I can upload it here due to copyright rules. One school - Somerford Primary has added it to their site so you might want to check it out there. Alternatively, I think the film is on Netflix or can be purchased on Amazon Prime or Apple TV for £3.49. I believe it is Cert 12. 

Homework 

Following your Chartwell visit, instead of your Comprehension and GPS homework, I would like you to use your findings from the trip and some follow-up research to create a fact file on Winston Churchill. This can be handwritten or typed and illustrations will be welcome as I should like to make a display of your work - presentation is important.

You may wish to use the following as subheadings; however, these are just suggestions: Date of birth, Place of birth, Childhood, Early Career, Political Career, Personal Life, Date of death, Fun facts.

There is some research attached, but you may wish to conduct some of your own. Here are a few websites that may be of use:

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/winston_churchill.php#:~:text=Fun%20Facts%20about%20Winston%20Churchill,four%20daughters%20and%20one%20son

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Winston-Churchill/352961

https://www.historyforkids.net/winston-churchill.html

This homework will be due in on Monday 7th of November. Raffle tickets will be given in exchange for this homework.

Spellings will be recapping the rules/words covered last term with a dictation on Friday.

Friday 14/10/22

We have completed our letters to the Secretary of State, requesting that she consider giving WWI officer, Walter Tull, the Military Cross posthumously. These will be dispatched next week. This was not an easy task and I was impressed with your determination to make this a first-class piece of writing. Well done. We are coming to the end of our WWI learning - finishing with an inquiry question as to whether it should be been called 'the war to end all wars'. Next term, we shall concentrate on WWII.

In maths lessons, we have identified common multiples and considered when they may be helpful to us.

Next week, we will have an extra PE session on Monday, so please make sure your kit is in school. In the afternoon, we will be doing some painting, so I recommend an over shirt to protect your uniform.

On Thursday, you will be making your shoe-box trenches. Please bring in anything that you will need to make it and also an old top again.

Mrs Haysom

Homework 14/10/22

Well done to everyone for having everything in on time this week! 5 minutes of Golden Time

Comprehension: Set C Test 4 The Beast Below, pages 51-53, for Tuesday 18th.

GPS: Set A Grammar and Punctuation 3, page 10-13, for Tuesday 18th.

Maths: Set A, Test 4 for Thursday 20th.

Spellings: Main group words with endings which sound like /shuh/ after a consonant letter - partial, confidential, essential, substantial, torrential, sequential, potential, influential.

Also where, were, of, off as I am finding these used incorrectly quite regularly.

Cued group: would, could, should, said, went, with, come, some, thing, think.

Spelling words will be tested on a Friday through a dictation.

Reading: Please ensure your book is in school every day. I will be collecting your reading diaries in on Monday so that I can see how you are getting on with your reading outside of the classroom.

7/10/22 

Don't the weeks seem to be flying by!

The class have been extremely busy this week with their WW1 topic. They have been busy writing about the 'Home Front' and creating a WW1 timeline of events including; the sinking of the Lusitania, The Battle of the Somme and Armistice Day.

Each maths lesson now starts with some arithmetic. This coverrs all areas of maths. They have been working on division this week and will continue to do so next week. Keep going on your times tables please.

On Friday, they enjoyed a twitching session. I am not sure a class of 30 ten-year-old are the ideal candidates for this job as the bird numbers were limited.

Mr Miles came in on Firday after to work on programming Microbits to create morse code.

HT Awards - Alex and Holly

SOTW - Clara

Have a lovely weekend.

Homework

Maths: Set A, Test 3. Due Wednesday

Comprehension: Set A, Test 4 Challenging Captivity Pages 11-13. Due Tuesday.

GPS Set B, G and P 4, Page 33-36 (missing out the spelling questions if there are still in the centre of the book). Due Tuesday.

Tips: 

The present present progressive is used when we are describing actions that continue for a period of time in the present eg I am walking.

A sentence is written in passive voice when the subject of the sentence has something done to it by someone or something. eg The mouse was chased by the cat.

A determiner is a word that goes before a noun and identifies the noun in further detail. e.g. The hat, Kate's pen, a banana.

Spellings to be tested through dictation on Friday 14th

Main Group: /shuh/ after a vowel - official, special, artificial, social, anti-social, beneficial, crucial, though, thought, through.

 Cued: knock, know, knee, knit, knitting, knife, poor, door, here, were.

Friday 30/9/22

Your letters home from the Western Front have now been published and proudly displayed in the classroom - an excellent piece of writing. Well done.

In maths, we have multiplied three and four digit numbers by two digit numbers with increasing accuracy and fluency. Next week, we shall start dividing.

We have listened to Imperial War Museum audio files to help us discover what life was like on the home front in WWI and developed our note taking skills as a result. We will use the information to help us write answers to an enquiry question next week.

Next Wednesday it is Harvest Festival. Please remember your donation in your named, decorated envelope and to wear smart winter uniform and proper shoes. You will still have PE after the service. Please remember you need trainers, rather than studded boots. Lots of you had rather soggy socks after last week's lesson - a spare pair might be useful.

Mrs Haysom

Homework Friday 30/9

Comprehension- Set A, Test 1 pages 2,3 and 4. For Tuesday pls. Be sure to give enough evidence and explanation to allow you to gain maximum marks - especially on the three-mark questions.

GPS - Set A, Test 2 pages 6,7,8 and 9. For Tuesday pls.

Just in case there is anything you haven't covered, here is a bit of help:

 The present present progressive is used when we are describing actions that continue for a period of time in the present eg I am walking.

A sentence is written in passive voice when the subject of the sentence has something done to it by someone or something. eg The mouse was chased by the cat.

When looking for the longest possible noun phrase, remember to include the determiner as well as the adjectives and the noun.

The object is who or what the subject does something to.

Spellings for next week. Tested on Friday through a dictation.

Main Group - Word families based on common words, showing how words are related in form and meaning

interrupt interfere intercept interject intertwine interim internal intersperse interloper interest

Cued Group /ai/ made with 'ey' - hey they obey prey grey survey disobey convey

Maths for Thursday 6^th October - Set A, Test 2 pages 4 - 6

Reading - please keep reading at home, both to yourself and to an adult. How about giving When the War Came Home by Lesley Parr a go if you haven't already?

Friday 22/9/22 

The children came back to school on Tuesday and completed their letters form the trenches. THey were thoughtful ,passionate and sometimes humourous. They moved on to creating information pages about trench  life which incuded information about: trench foot, rats and rations.

In maths, the class have finished their work on place value and finished the week going through the BIDMAS process. 

On Friday, they had a very wet forest school building trenches. They battled through valiantly.

Below, I have attached the information given out at the information afternoon.

Please find the reading list discussed in yesterday's curriculum meeting.

https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks2-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-6-pupils-ks2-age-10-11/

Homework

GPS Book: Please complete the first test for Tuesday. Ensure you have your book in school as we will mark it together in class.

Maths: Please complete their first piece of work and handed in by Thursday - set A test 1

Main Group Spelling:Words with a long /e/ sound spelt ‘ie’ or ‘ei’ after c (and exceptions)

deceive conceive receive perceive ceiling receipt protein caffeine seize neither

Cued Spelling Group: Words with long /a/ spelt 'ei' or 'eigh'
eight, eighth, eighty, weight, neighbour, vein, veil, beige, sleigh, freight.

Please make sure you have your reading book in school every day.