Year 6 | Isle of Ely Primary School

Welcome to Year 6

Mantis and Scorpion classes are our Year 6 classes at the Isle of Ely Primary School. On this page you will be able to read about our curriculum and learning activities.

Adults in our classes:

Mrs Hema Patel-Thorpe Mrs Christy Collard

Ms Louise Bradshaw-Campbell Mrs Hannah Delgrazia

This half term, we will be learning:

English	This term for writing in the first half of the term, we will be learning about how to create two contrasting characters and looking at strategies that we can use to ensure that one character is sympathetic and the other is unsympathetic. We will be developing our understanding of using ‘Show Not Tell’ to engage our reader and ensure that they can make their own inferences whilst reading our work.
Maths	This half term we will begin by refining our mental maths strategies, using known facts to help us find other answers. We will be solving fraction based calculations and problems before moving on to learning about co-ordinates, translations and reflections. In the mornings, we will also be looking at how we can use bar models with problem solving.
Science	In science, we will be learning about classifying living things. We will learn that living things are organised by a ‘branching key’ that groups living things by shared characteristics into 5 kingdoms including plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms. This is based on the work on Carl Linnaeus. We will explore the five kingdoms and learn about bacteria and microbes. We will conduct an experiment to help us understand why it is important to wash our hands
History	This term, we will begin our topic about World War 1. We will be working towards considering the question, ‘Should World War 1 be called the Great War?’ We will be examining how and why the alliance systems built up. Understanding how nationalism, the development of the colonies and the attitudes of the world powers of the time all contributed to the outbreak of WW1. We will also consider what event proved to be the final catalyst.
Geography	We will be looking at the Human Geography of the British Isles incorporating transportation and how people move around Britain as well as internationally. There will be a focus on understanding the economy and looking at imports and exports from and to the British Isles. We will also be identifying how physical geography creates industries in the British Isles and how history and human geography can lead to these areas becoming wealthy or poor
Physical Education	We will be developing our golf skills and creating our own yoga flows that challenges technique, balance and control.
Religious Education	We will continue to exploring how Buddhists follow their beliefs in both their private and public lives through exploring the Four Noble Truths and the Buddhist religious festivals. We will also be learning about one of the richest visual objects in Tibetan Buddhism, the mandala and reflecting on how this helps to answer our big question for the entire unit of work: what is the path to happiness?
Music	We will be learning about dynamics, pitch and performance through singing. This will lead on to a performance in Ely Cathedral as part of a virtual Christingle service.
Personal, Social and Health Education	This half term, we will be exploring the idea of friendships, what can cause people to sometimes fall out with each other and how to recognise and combat bullying.
Art	In art we will be exploring further elements of art including: form, symmetry, light and space. We will learn that 3D items may be organic forms that are natural and irregular or they may be geometric forms and that these forms appear in many forms of art including sculpture. We will learn a pattern that is arranged around a central point is called a radiating pattern and create our own. We will be using all of this knowledge of form and symmetry to design and create our own clay tiles in the final weeks of the term
Computing	This half term’s topic is about the history of computers. We will begin by exploring radio plays based on Bletchley Park before learning more about the important contribution technology made to code breaking during World War 2.
DT	In D&T, we will explore and make an Automata Toy.
Spanish	During this half term the children will revisit and extend their knowledge of places in a town. They will explore a Spanish city using Google Earth and find out facts about Madrid. Children will look at the language involved in buying a ticket and asking for and giving directions. For the Christmas-themed lessons, the children will revisit the polite request, nouns for gifts, and will write a Christmas jumper description.

Please ensure that your child comes to school in their PE kits on these days with layers for any unpredictable weather! This half term, the children will be taught tag rugby and badminton.

Knowledge Organisers

At the Isle of Ely Primary School, we use knowledge organisers as a tool to help our children learn more and remember more and to allow parents and carers to support their children's learning. In our knowledge organisers, you will find essential knowledge, key dates, important vocabulary and key figures. The knowledge organisers can also be used as a fun assessment tool which will help children to see the progress they have made.

WC 27/11/2023

What a busy week! It has been a tough five days for the children as we sat another round of SATs papers. They have all worked so hard this term and this is clearly visible in their progress in all the tests. Well done! When they have not been doing tests, the children have spent some time reminiscing about their holidays around the country and looking at these locations on an atlas in Geography. Whilst examining at lure of these locations they have also been discussing the wider impact of tourism on the local environment. In History we have looked at the Home Front and how the Defence of the Realm Act in 1914 helped the Government in Britain control the effort required at home to keep the country going during World War 1. We finished the busy week planning our half term DT project – automata toys for shop front window displays. We have a Christmas theme and the children have enjoyed working together in pairs to design their masterpieces which we will start to construct next week. Have a lovely weekend all!

WC 20/11/2023

We have had a great week. The pupils have completed a hot task for English in which they have demonstrated their new found capacity for characterisation. W are impressed by how far they have come since the beginning of the year. In Maths, they have worked hard to add and subtract mixed and improper fractions. In science, they learned a useful acronym 'King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti' to help them remember the levels of biological classification: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. In history, the children were fascinated to learn about Life in the Trenches in WW1. If you get a chance, please explore: http://www.elyww1.net/elys-war-memorials.html as it has some fascinating information about local men who lost their lives during that time. The pupils have also enjoyed creating tessellating pictures in art.

W/C 13/11/2023

It has been yet another busy week in Year 6. Innovation has been the focus in this week’s English lessons where the children have had great fun writing their character innovation stories based on Oliver Twist. We have learned how to showcase many grammatical and figurative writing features whilst demonstrating how we can ‘show not tell’ both sympathetic and unsympathetic characters in our stories. In maths we have started our fractions unit where the children have learned how to order, add and subtract same and different denominator fractions. The percussion instruments came out in force in the music lesson as the children explored the concepts of pitch, texture and dynamics whilst trying to compose a piece of music on the theme of waves following the previous lesson on Mendelson’s Fingal’s Cave. Have a fantastic weekend!I

W/C 06/11/2023

Firstly, we would like to thank you for attending parent evening. It is so important that we take these opportunities to communicate so that we can work together to help children reach their full potential as learners and be happy, productive human beings. The pupils have had another excellent week. They have enjoyed exploring the order of operations and in maths, and applied themselves to exploring possible strategies for mental calculations. It is wonderful watching them be open to exploring a range of skills. In English, we have really enjoyed exploring the make-up of a villain. We have looked at how creating intricate details, character flaws and a back story can enrich a character. The pupils are showing an ever increasing creativity and understanding of the importance of accuracy when writing. In science, we learned about how we can classify living things into 5 kingdoms. In Geography, we explored the changing face of the British economy. Our class book, Pig Heart Boy has led to some very interesting discussions on the pros and cons of using animal organs to save human lives. We also created art works in which we explored the concept of geometric and organic shapes.

Finally, Next week is Anti-Bullying week. Please explore the parents and carers page here for more information and resources. The BBC’s Own It page also has a whole suite of links and clips to support your child with online behaviours.

Mantis and Scorpion Classes

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