Welcome to Year 6

Teachers: Mrs James, Mrs Hills

Teaching Assistant: Miss Boggett

Email: rspzircon@southbankprimary.co.uk

Contact number: 01642 453451

Please be aware that contact may be made outside of teaching hours.

About our class…

Welcome to Year 6!  This year sees an important chapter in our school life—our last year in primary school!  During the year we will learn to challenge ourselves and build our resilience.  We will work hard this year and some days will feel tough, but we will continue to develop strategies and skills   for our future.  As well as working hard and learning new things we will also have some fun and make lots of memories.

We have some exciting topics ahead of us including World War II, where we will look at  how and why the war started, who was involved, what it was like to be an evacuee  and also how the war affected Teesside and lots more.  Our topic for the Spring term is Frozen Kingdom. By studying this topic, the children will have the opportunity to explore the polar regions by examining climate, population, settlements and seasonal change. They will also learn about explorers who have ventured to the polar regions.

SUMMER LEARNING 

For the first half of the summer term, we will be focusing upon getting ready for SATs. This includes revising and re-capping previously taught areas to help build our confidence and resilience.

IMPORTANT - SATs will take place the week beginning Monday 13th May 

Maths

In maths we will be learning how to calculate the mean, how to use pie charts and how to solve multi-step problems as well as revising all the things we have previously learnt.

English

In English, we will continue to work on our reading and SPaG skills, alongside writing a diary based on the remarkable true story of a young girl called Juliane Koepcke, who survived a plane crash and lived in a South American rainforest for 10 days completely alone! We will also be looking at setting descriptions, persuasive adverts and narratives.

Science

In science we will look Evolution and inheritance. We will learn how  living things have changed over time and  that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents. We will also identify  different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution.

Our  second Science topic will be animals including humans and  describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences and give reasons for classifying plants and animals.

Geography –  We will  do in depth study of the local area and the importance of the River Tees. We will also continue to learn about the wider world by using maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping and look in depth at their environmental regions and key physical and human characteristics.

History – We will conduct a local history study and learn about the  history of Teesside and the development of industry along the Tees from the Victorian era to modern day. We will look at the effects of the mining industry on the growth of Teesside and Eston  and the rise of significant individuals like Dorman Long. Children will also look at the significance of the saying ‘Born of iron, made of steel’

Music- we will continue to learn the ukulele and also try out different ways of making our own music, while exploring the work of some of the most influential women in music over the last 100 years. 

Art – we will be refining our art skills previously learnt and look at how we can become an artist

DT – we will  plan a series of healthy meals based on the principles of a healthy and varied diet and use information on food labels to inform choices. We will then use our research, knowledge of ingredients and technical skills to plan, prepare and cook a savoury dish.

PE – Cricket: We will refine batting, batting and bowling tactics. Refine fielding stopping, catching and throwing and look at applying tactics. We will also develop our Tennis skills and develop the volley and the serve. Also apply tactics to win a points.

RE-  We will learn ‘How  religions respond to prejudice and discrimination’ and  ‘How and why some religious people inspire others.’

PSHE-  We learn about relationships and using the internet safely. We will also look at the changes that occur as we grow older including puberty and look at the year ahead for secondary school.

Computing  -  We will continue to use Purple Mash to support our learning at look more closely at spreadsheets, creating quizzes and develop our understanding of binary.

French -  We will recap our French knowledge and use this to plan a French holiday and explore visiting a French town and the transport we might use.

SPARK TEES VALLEY WORKSHOP 

Children in Zircon were lucky enough to work with Spark Tees Valley. Click the link to read the blog.

https://www.sparkteesvalley.com/news/renewable-energy-in-action-2/

Rights Respecting School

We are currently on our journey towards achieving the Gold Rights Respecting Award. We explore our rights across all areas of our learning. This term we will focus on Article 32 – Protection from Harmful Work. Children have the right to be protected from doing work that is dangerous or bad for their education, health or development. If children work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.

Information and reminders

Kidz Konnekt is on Monday   - these sessions will be outside. Children should come to school in old shoes and clothes as they may get dirty. They should also bring a warm, waterproof coat. Long hair should be tied up and all jewellery removed. 

PE is on Thursday - children will change into their school PE kit before the lesson starts.

No jewellery should be worn on PE days. Inhalers must remain in school, and long hair must be tied up. Where possible PE will take place outside so children will need  waterproof coat and trainers. 

On all other days children should come to school in uniform.

READING BOOKS 

Reading Books will be changed on a Tuesday. Please ensure your child brings their book bag to school with their Reading for Pleasure book inside. 

KEY DATES 

• Book Fair 17th - 22nd April
• KS2 SATs week - Mon 13th May - Thurs 16th May 
• Y6 London residential 18th June 
• Literacy Festival 12th July
• Summer family picnic - Thursday 18th July 
• Last day of school year - Thursday 18th July
• Secondary school transition dates  TBC