Year 6 Spring Term 2

In English this term, we will 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).  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, students will consolidate and extend their understanding of key mathematical concepts through a variety of problem-solving activities. They will engage with topics across arithmetic, geometry, statistics, and algebra to develop their skills and confidence. Pupils will have the opportunity to develop fluency in these essential areas of mathematics developing real-world application.

In Science, children will be learning about electrical circuits. They will recognise and use accepted scientific symbols in circuit diagrams. They will learn that altering the brightness of bulbs and the volume of a buzzer can be achieved in different ways, including changing the number of components, battery voltage, or the properties of the wires in the circuit.

Working Scientifically, children will have the opportunity to choose to investigate altering the brightness of bulbs and the volume of a buzzer in different ways, possibly including changing the number and/or type of components, battery voltage, or the properties of the wires in the circuits. They will predict outcomes relating to the arrangement in electrical circuits and record their results. 

In History, pupils will learn about the causes and consequences of the Second World War. They will learn about the nations involved as well as key events such as the Blitz and evacuation. 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 DT, pupils will use a range of simple sewing stitches and they will consider 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 their 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 Music this term, the children will be learning songs from the Second World War Two and will be discussing the impact of different composers on the development of musical styles. They will also be evaluating how the venue, occasion and purpose affects the way a piece of music sounds.

In PSHE, pupils will study the unit 'Dreams and Goals'. Lessons include identifying goals for both home and school and how to put steps in place to achieve these.  Pupils will also think about global issues, and they will discuss the impact that they can have on these. Finally, they will discuss giving praise to other people for their achievements.

In RE, Year 6 will continue to learn about Humanism. Last term, we learnt about Humanist values and we will now apply this knowledge to design a building that represents what Humanists believe. We will finish the unit by drawing all the information we have gathered and by writing and extended piece of work on what we know about Humanism.

In PE Lessons this term, Year 6 children will be learning about the sport of Basketball in their PE lessons. They will develop their passing, their dribbling, improve their shooting and learn about movement in the game when they take part in a variety of activities. The children will also learn how to implement basic attacking and defending tactics.

In their second PE lesson, the children will be learning to play Lacrosse. The children will be challenged to work as part of a team across a variety of activities. They will develop their stick-handling skills when learning to pass, shoot and intercept.

In French, our pupils will continue the ‘Visiting a French Town’ unit where they will be developing their understanding of prepositions and directional language. In addition, they will learn to say and read places in a town, different modes of transport and build sentences about going to places.