Year 6 - Snow Leopards and Jaguars

Thank you to all of you who came to our assembly. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing the learning we have done so far this topic with you. In Maths, we have been using diagrams to explore dividing fractions. We also learnt a little 'rap' to help us do this fluently:  https://wes.nwcomplex.org/apps/video/watch.jsp?v=120450 In English, we have delved further into the story, explored how punctuation is used and conducted a debate to share our views on the characters' dilemmas. We began our first session with Paddy, a life coach, during which we thought about powerful our words can be. As scientists, we revised how fossils are formed and explored these played a role in the developing the theory of evolution. We did this by studying transitional fossils, making observations on the similarities and differences and making predictions about why features had stayed the same or changed.

As writers, we have been planning and creating our own spin-off adventure linked to our text, 'Journey to the River Sea'. As mathematicians, we have been learning to multiply fractions. We explored this by folding paper and shading diagrams. Here is Sam explaining his solution to a problem: As scientists, we focused on the marine iguana and researched how it has adapted to life on the Galapagos islands. As geographers, we looked at a map of the archipelago and began created our own scaled maps.

As part of Friendship Week, we looked at the book 'The Island' by Armin Greder. The children thoughtfully and maturely discussed the theme of prejudice and how to treat 'outsiders'. As geographers, we have been using technology to research the human & physical features; the climate and animals of the Galapagos Islands. We used the information we had gathered to plan an expedition there. In English, we have enjoyed how the plot of 'Journey to the River Sea' has developed. We created imaginative illustrations of how life with at the Carters compares to life in the huts; descriptive audio guides of Maia's journey to the lagoon and thoughtful letters in role to her friend in London. As mathematicians, we have been looking at comparing, adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators. The children have been resilient and aspirational during our lessons this week but have realised that a good knowledge of times tables is essential skill when...

Thank you to everyone who came to our learning café on Wednesday. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing our book with you and producing collaborative poetry linked to this. Back in class, we have continued to read more chapters, predicting what will happen to the characters along the way. We have also been writing dialogue, focusing on using speech punctuation correctly. In Maths, we have demonstrated excellent problem solving skills when using a bar model to calculate a total from a fraction of an amount. We have also worked on simplifying fractions and representing fractions on a number line. In Topic, we have been thinking about Darwin's observations of finches on the Galápagos Islands and how their beaks had adapted to their diets. We conducted an investigation into which 'beak' was best suited to different types of seeds then presented our results on bar graphs.

What a wonderful start to the term we have had! The children enjoyed being 'detectives' to discover that our topic will be 'Darwin's Delights'. The children have immersed themselves in the learning we have done so far. We have plotted Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle around the world and used longitude and latitude to pinpoint the locations he visited. We visited the common to collect plant samples and sketched them in detail as Darwin would have done. As botanists, we classified these based on their characteristics. On Tuesday, we visited Banham Zoo. We focused on South American animals (like Darwin would have seen) and discussed how they have adapted to the needs of their native environments. The staff at the zoo led a session on evolution and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring this in a hands-on way. In English, we have begun looking at our new text, 'Journey to the River Sea' by Eva Ibbotson. In Maths, we have been di...

Thank you to everyone who came to our Art Gallery Exhibition on Wednesday. The children have worked very hard this half term to produce so many exceptional pieces and were delighted to share them with you. As writers, we have created our own narrative poems inspired by 'The Lady of Shalott' by Alfred Lord Tennyson. We were excellent at using old-fashioned vocabulary and developing the narrative in different ways. In the mornings, we have had our first exposure of the end of Key Stage 2 assessments (SATs). The children demonstrated excellent focus and resilience while completing the papers and have earned a relaxing and enjoyable break. Well done and enjoy half term!

In English: this week in class the children have carried on studying The Lady of Shalott . We've looked at other narrative poetry - some more modern than others - and learnt some difficult vocabulary. The children have been preparing to write their own narrative poetry and have been writing from the perspective of a character within the narrative. So far children have really engaged in this English topic and have risen to the challenge interpreting difficult texts. In topic: the children have also been creating their own works of art, this week, inspired by their recent investigations of different art movements, artists and artworks. You should have received and invitation to our year 6 art exhibition on Wednesday 16th October at 2:30pm . Please come along and talk to the artists about their work if you can make it. Work in progress! As mathematicians: we have been recalling prime numbers, making sure that we can find common factors and consolidating other numbe...