Spring 2 Week 1

In Maths, we have started to learn about algebra. We have been forming expressions and using substitution to solve one and two-step equations. In English, we have started our unit on Greek myths. We have read Daedalus and Icarus and explored the vocabulary and characters. In Science, we have been learning about the different food groups on the eatwell plate and what they give our bodies. In PSHE, we have been discussing drugs. We have learnt that all medicines are drugs but not all drugs are medicines. Drugs are substances that affect the way we think, feel or act so we were surprised to find out that things like tea, coffee and fizzy drinks contain a drug (caffeine)! In History, we have started to learn about Ancient Greece. We looked at where Ancient Greece was on the world history timeline. We then looked at the different time periods within Ancient Greece and used dates to order them to make a chronological timeline. 

Spring 1 Week 5 

In Maths this week, we have been learning about Ratio. We started by using ratio to describe the relationship between values. Then, we started using multiplication and division to work out missing values in problems. In English, we have been writing our discussion texts on Should Mowgli leave the jungle? In Science, we have been looking at how water and nutrients are transported in humans. In Music, we sang a traditional Ghanaian calla and response song called Oleo! In Geography, we learnt about the five major terrestrial biomes (aquatic, desert, tundra, grassland and forest) and what conditions are like there. In Computing, we have started to create our own websites using Google Sites. We are going to showcase our Geography learning. In PE, we have been practising our performance ready for our showcase next week. It looks amazing! We also enjoyed taking part in the Bounce-a-thon!

Spring 1 Week 4

In Maths this week, we have been learning about percentages. We have been calculating percentages of amounts and solving problems involving this skill. In English, we have started to look at discursive texts. We have looked at an example to identify their features. We then had a class debate on the question Should Mowgli leave the jungle? We came up with arguments for and against and used them to create our plans. On Monday, we had our outdoor learning session which was a treasure hunt around the village. Miss Holt gave us a map with five locations highlighted. We had to work out where the locations were and work as a team to find a hidden code. Once we had found all of the codes, we got an envelope containing a matching game linked to our Geography learning. We had to match the biomes to the information about what kind of vegetation is found there. In Art, we have started to sketch portraits of Mowgli in the style of Chuck Close. We have been using the grid to sketch the outline of his features and get the composition of his features correct. In PE, we worked on our defensive strategies in netball. We focused on footwork, marking our opponents and intercepting. 

Spring 1 Week 3

this week in Maths, we have been converting fractions to decimals in different ways. We started by finding equivalent fractions that had 10 or 100 as the denominator then we started to use division when this wasn’t possible. We have also started to look at percentages. We learnt that ‘percent’ means out of 100. In English, we have been using the descriptosaurus to gather ideas to describe Mowgli’s feelings and reactions to being forced out of the wolf pack. In Science, we have been learning about how the heart works and how it pumps blood around the body. In Geography, we looked at lines of latitude and how they create different climate zones. In RE, Rev. Ben came in to talk to us about how the last supper and the sedar meal in Judaism link to the Eucharist. 

Spring 1 Week 2

In Maths, we have been learning about decimals. We have multiplied and divided decimal numbers by integers using the column multiplication and short division methods. In English, we have been writing formal letters from Baloo to apply for the job of looking after the wolf cubs and Mowgli. We thought about the qualities that a person would need to have to do the job and worked on a point, evidence structure for our paragraphs. In Science, we looked at the main parts of the circulatory system (heart, lungs, blood and blood vessels) and what their factions are. In Geography, we have learnt about Marine protected areas and we have thought about their advantages and disadvantages. In Art, we have been looking at examples of macro photography by Edward Weston. We have taken photographs of fruit and vegetables with interesting textures and patterns using the iPads and edited the saturation levels. In Music, we have been exploring digital music software GarageBand to record tracks to add to the sequencer and arrange to make a piece of music. We have also started to work on our gymnastics routine in PE. 

Spring 1 Week 1

We have had a busy first week back! In Maths, we have continued to convert measures. We have been converting between miles and km and looked at imperial and metric units of measure. In English, we have started our new focus text The Jungle Book. We have explored some of the unfamiliar vocabulary and old language and started to think about how we would describe Mowgli in the beginning of the story. In Science, we did our investigation from last half term to see which material made the most effective shadow. In Geography, we have been thinking about how humans use the oceans, focusing on tourism, food and transport. In Art, we had a great time making photo montages! We used parts of various images and arranged them in a new composition. In PE, we had our first gymnastics session with Mrs Winward and in Computing, we have been looking at a website and thinking about the features that make it a positive experience for the user. 

Autumn 2 Week 7

We have had a busy final week of term! In English, we finished writing our newspaper reports about refugees being rescued. In Maths, we have been converting between units of time. Miss Holt gave us a very tricky problem to solve called Millennium! In Science, we have planned an investigation to find out which material will create the best shadow. In PSHE, we have been thinking about the differences that people have. We have talked about tolerance, prejudice and respect and written acrostic poems about these themes. We have also enjoyed all the festivities this week - our Christmas party, Christmas Dinner, Christmas crazy golf and even a visit from the reindeer, Nala and Pepper! 

Autumn 2 Week 6

We have had a busy week! In Maths, we have been converting metric measurements for length, mass and capacity. We have also been converting between pounds and pence. In English, we have planned our newspaper reports thinking about the formal language that we want to include and who our witnesses will be. In Science, we have been investigating shadows. We have thought about how they are made and why we can change the size but not the shape. In Geography, we have been learning about minerals. We have researches where certain minerals are most commonly found in the world. In Computing, we have used Tinkercad to design eco-friendly houses. First, we researched features that could make a house more environmentally friendly. Then, we created our designs. 

Autumn 2 Week 5

We have had a really busy week getting our Enterprise products finished for the Christmas Fair! We have finished making our bags, using back stitch to sew up the sides and attaching the ribbon and handles to them. We have also been making persuasive posters to advertise them and we have thoughts about our coatings to come up with an appropriate price to make a profit. In Maths, we have started to look at measurement. We have been thinking about what appropriate units would be to measure different objects. In English, we have started to look at newspaper reports. We have been analysing an example text to see what features we will need to include. In Music, we have been comparing two pieces of music from a film soundtrack - one in major and one in minor. We listened to each one and thought about what we could hear that gave each piece of music a different feel. 

Autumn 2 Week 4

We enjoyed our outdoor adventure session with Louise on Monday. Our session was linked to our English text A Story like the Wind. We made boats out of materials that we found in the woodland and tested them in the stream to see if they would float. Louise also brought Jerry the goat with her, we loved feeding him and walking him around the woods! In Science, we have been proving that light only travels in straight lines. We proved it using pieces of hosepipe. In French, we have been writing descriptive sentences about planets using our word banks. In DT, we have made a start on our Elf Enterprise product. We are making Christmas gift bags and we have started to make the part that will decorate the front of the bag. In English, we have finished writing our flashback narratives.  We have included some lovely description! In Maths, we have been finding fractions of amounts. 

Autumn 2 Week 3

This week in English, we have been planning our own flashback narratives linked to our focus text A Story like the Wind. We have started our writing with our opening paragraph to set the scene of being stranded on the boat and the first part of the flashback. In Maths, we have been working on multiplying and dividing fractions. In Geography, we have been researching different types of energy such as solar, wind, wave, biomass and fossil fuels and discussing their advantages and disadvantages. In DT, we have been practising sewing using running stitch and back stitch, ready to start making our Elf Enterprise products. We also enjoyed our wheelchair sports session!

Autumn 2 Week 2

In English this week, we have been using all the descriptive work we have been doing to write a setting description of a stormy sea from our novel. We have also been looking at an example text of a flashback narrative and analysed its features and structure. In Maths, we have been working on adding and subtracting mixed numbers and solving problems involving the addition and subtraction of fractions. In DT, we have been looking at existing products in preparation for our Elf Enterprise project. In Geography, we have been researching threats to our planet including pollution, over fishing, deforestation and climate change. In Science, we have been learning about how light allows us to see objects. This week has been anti-bullying week. In PSHE, we have discussed what bullying is and discussed various scenarios related to bullying and what we would do in those situations. We have also finished picking the wax off our Batik designs. We are very proud of them!

Autumn 2 Week 1

This week in English, we have started a new unit on our focus text A story like the Wind. We started by making predictions about what we think the text will be about using different sources that Miss Holt gave us. We have also been investigating new vocabulary from the text. We are going to be writing flashback narratives in this unit. In Maths, we have started our learning on fractions. We have been simplifying fractions, finding equivalent fractions and adding subtracting them. In Science, we have been researching the work of Carl Linnaeus, a scientist who developed a system to classify living things. In Art, we have dyed our fabric to complete our Batik designs. They look amazing! We have started to learn about advent in RE and what the wreath symbolises. We have also enjoyed our first rugby session in PE!

Autumn 1 Week 7

We have had another busy week. In Maths, we have been looking at multiplication and division. We strategies the week learning how to multiply using the column method. Then, we moved on to dividing. We have been using chunking for long division and the bus stop method for short division calculations. In English, we have been finishing our narrative based on our focus text. We have also moved on to look at non-fiction text types. We are writing a hybrid text linked to our topic. So far, we have written a non-chronological report about The Kingdom of Benin and we have also written instructions linked to our Art learning - How to make a batik design. In Computing, we have been thinking about how we use apps such as Teams, Zoom, Seesaw and emails to be able to communicate in different ways. We have thought about the advantages of these apps. In Science, we have planned an investigation to test mould growth. Our enquiry question is How does light or temperature affect mould growth? We are going to store bread in different places in school to investigate this question. In History, we have been thinking about whether Britain should have invaded the Kingdom of Benin. We have put ourselves in Queen Victoria’s point of view to consider for and against arguments. In Art, we have started to apply the wax onto our fabric to make our batik designs. We used lolly sticks to control where the wax went. It was quite difficult as the hot wax was really runny! 

Autumn 1 Week 6

We have had a busy week! In Maths, we have been multiplying using the grid method. We started with integers and we have moved on to multiplying numbers including decimals, using our known facts to help us. In English, we have started to write our own first person narratives based on our focus text The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. In Music, we have continued to look at the song Something Inside so Strong. We have introduced harmonies to our performance. In Computing, we have been looking at what happens when we search for things online. We have created flowcharts to show the process of how the internet works. On Friday, we wore yellow to raise awareness of mental health. This week in Worship and PSHE, we have been talking about what makes us happy and what we think is good for our mental health. 

Autumn 1 Week 5

In Maths this week, we have been using the column method to add and subtract and solve multi-step problems. We have also started looking at factors and finding the common factors of different numbers. In English, we have been writing a narrative about a key part of our novel. We have got to the part where there is a drought in Malawi which leads to a famine. We have written a narrative to retell when William went to the government to collect emergency maize. In Science, we have been learning about bacteria and fungi. We have learnt about the negative effects they can have as well as the benefits of them. In Computing, we have been learning about IP addresses. We used a DNS checker to find the IP addresses of different websites to create an address book. In Music, we have been singing Something inside so strong as an ensemble. In PSHE, we have been looking at common problems that happen within friendships and thinking about what advice we would give in those situations. 

Autumn 1 Week 4

We have had another busy week. In Maths, we have been using mental methods to add and subtract. We have been using compensation, partitioning and using number bonds to help us. In English, we have been thinking about how we can use action, dialogue and description in our writing. We have written some amazing work, retelling one of the scenes from our novel. In Science, we have been classifying plants into four categories, flowering plants, conifers, ferns and mosses. In PSHE, the fire service came in to discuss fire safety and road safety with us. In RE, we have been researching the Muslim pilgrimage to Hajj. We have also added some more moves to our street dance performance in PE. This week, we have had visitors from Darwen Vale and DACA to talk to us about our high school choices. It was great to hear about what they have to offer!

Autumn 1 Week 3

We have had an amazing week at Robinwood this week! Pictures to follow! 

Autumn 1 Week 2

We have had a busy week! In Maths, we have been continuing with rounding. We have been rounding to any required degree of accuracy including to the nearest whole number and decimal place. We have also been multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. In English, we have been thinking more about the narrator of our novel, William. We have thought about adjectives to describe him and placed them on the zone of relevance. We have also inferred his thoughts and feelings about significant events that happened in his life to write a diary entry. In Science, we have been looking at the five key groups of invertebrates (insects, arachnids, annelids, crustaceans and molluscs). We have learnt about their features and examples of them. In Music, we have been looking at the lyrics to Something inside so strong by Labi Siffre. We discussed that the song was inspired by the apartheid in South Africa and we looked for clues and examples of perseverance and determination. In PSHE, we enjoyed our life education session with Steven. We talked all about decisions and discussed lots of scenarios. In RE, we started our new topic Life as a Journey. We started by sharing our own journey in life so far. 

Autumn 1 Week 1

We have had a great first week in Year 6! In Maths, we have started our place value unit. We have been reading and writing numbers up to 1,000,000, using commas to help us. We have used our knowledge to label number lines and order and compare numbers. We have also started to work on rounding to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. In English, we have started to read our novel The Boy who Harnessed the Wind. In the book, the narrator talks about witch doctors in Africa, which the people believed we magical and could cure illnesses as well as send curses to enemies. Next week, we are going to be writing a persuasive advert to encourage people to use them so we have thought about key features to make a plan. In Science, we have started to look at our topic on classification. We have started by looking at animals, specifically vertebrates. We looked at the 5 main groups (birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles) and their key features. We have created some lovely information texts! In History, we have started to learn about The Kingdom of Benin. As it is not a well-known topic. We thought about what would be useful information to know and did some research on the ipads. In Art, we looked at artwork from Benin, which features a lot of animals. This is because they believed some animals represented the qualities of a king or leader. We have thought about animals that we think would be a good representation of a king to sketch. Finally, in PE, we have started our unit on street dance. We have made a start on our routine and learnt the first three steps.