Year 6 Summer 2

In English this term, we will continue to study the book, ‘Rose Blanche’, a moving story of a girl’s life at the outbreak of the Second World War, written by Robert Innocenti and illustrated by Ian McEwan. Using the book as a stimulus, the children will develop creative responses to the text through drama, storytelling and descriptive writing; they will write in role in order to explore and develop empathy for characters and they will learn how to write with confidence for real purposes and audiences.

We will also complete a number of pieces of writing following our educational visit to The National Holocaust Centre and Museum (Beth Shalom) in June.  The educators at the museum will deliver the ‘Be Inspired to Write!’ programme of study for primary aged children.  This is based on real-life stories of children fleeing persecution during the Second World War. As part of their learning, our children will hear a number of courageous stories and they will use these as a stimulus for their own writing. 

In Maths, this term will focus on problem solving, also known as reasoning.  The children will solve problems about numbers including fractions and ratios.  They will use representations to help make sense of problems and use the four operations flexibly.  They will use reasoning to solve problems with and without a context and use their understanding of measurement and geometry to solve problems.

In Science, children will be given the opportunity to revisit all aspects of the science they have learnt before moving on to secondary school. They will have the opportunity to reflect on their learning in these areas so that they go forward feeling confident in all aspects of science. This unit also encourages children to celebrate what they have learnt and to identify their stand out moments and successes. 

For working scientifically, the children will be reporting on their findings from enquiries across the year, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of, and degree of trust in results. They will present their findings in a variety of ways including oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations.

In DT, pupils will use a range of simple sewing stitches, including ways of recycling and repurposing old clothes and materials. They will begin by developing design criteria for a functional and appealing product that is fit for purpose, communicating ideas clearly in a range of ways. They will learn how to sew the running stitch, whip stitch and blanket stitch. Finally, they will work with a partner to discuss and compare their final products, before completing a product evaluation.  

In History, pupils will learn about the causes, events and consequences of the First and Second World Wars. They will learn about the influence of new inventions on warfare as well as how life in Great Britain was affected by the war. Finally, they will be learning about how the Battle of Britain was a turning point during the Second World War and how the war ultimately concluded.

In Music this term, we will be completing our unit of work called ‘The Songs of World War II’, linked to our History topic, where we have been learning a variety of songs from that period. We will then move onto our final unit for the year in which the children compose and perform a ‘leavers’ song. This will include contributing ideas to a group chorus and suggesting how lines can rhyme as well as writing a melody that fits both the lyrics and a four-chord backing track. Finally, the children will perform the leavers’ song with confidence.

In PSHE, pupils will study the unit 'Changing Me’. We will discuss self-esteem and body image and talk about why these are important to mental health. The children will then move on to find out about the physical changes that they will be going through as they grow older. This will include a session with Coram Life Education covering puberty and reproduction.  We will also discuss emotional changes that the children may experience, and discuss how they can deal with these, especially during the transition to secondary school.  

In Computing, children will complete the Online Safety unit. In this unit, they will be learning to navigate the internet in an informed, safe and respectful way including online bullying, managing personal passwords effectively and be given strategies to help protect them online. During this term, they will also be looking at the History of Computers including how computers have changed and the impact that this has had on the world. At the end of this unit, they will design a computer of the future.

In RE, Year 6 will continue with the topic ‘Prejudice and Tolerance’, linked to our study of the Second World War and following up on our trip to Beth Shalom. The children will continue to explore ethical questions that are presented by prejudice against different groups of people in society and discuss how different religious groups respond to these.

In PE this term, the children will start the term by continuing to learn about the sport of Tennis. They will carry on developing their skills and play small games in their lessons. Then they will begin to learn about Cricket. They will be developing their throwing and catching abilities through a range of activities to enable them to play the game. The children will learn a variety of batting strokes, how to bowl and will learn the basics of fielding. The children will also learn about the rules and scoring used in the game.

In their second PE lesson, the children will continue to take part in a variety of Athletics events. They will develop their running, jumping and throwing techniques across a variety of track and field events over the term. They will also learn how tactics are used within athletic events.

In French, our pupils will continue to study the topic ‘In My French house’. They will learn new vocabulary related to their bedroom; they will use prepositions accurately to describe the positions of objects and write a letter describing their home.