Year 6

Welcome to Year 6

Year 6 Chad: Jake Pollak, Naomi Burnett, Meena Saini and Lorraine Imbimbo

Year 6 Vale: Noor Begum, Naomi Burnett and Bindi Solanki

Jake Pollak - j.pollak@chadvale.bham.sch.uk
Naomi Burnett - n.burnett@chadvale.bham.sch.uk
Meena Saini - m.saini@chadvale.bham.sch.uk
Noor Begum - n.begum@chadvale.bham.sch.uk
Lorraine Imbimbo - l.imbimbo@chadvale.bham.sch.uk
Bindi Solanki - b.solanki@chadvale.bham.sch.uk

Autumn Term

It’s fantastic to have the children back in school excited and ready to begin their learning in their final year of primary school. Year 6 children are very much encouraged to be proactive learners; continuing their learning journey at home is vital and your support and encouragement is always appreciated! We look forward to working in partnership with you and helping your child fulfil their potential.

Visit the web links in our 'Useful Downloads' section on the right of this page for a wide variety of ways that you can help and support your child with their learning.

Y6 PE days are Thursday and Friday for both Chad and Vale

Children should wear their PE kits to school on these days. As the weather changes, we’d advise children to also bring a plain hoodie, school jumper or tracksuit bottoms.

English

During this term we will be studying books written by established authors. We will further develop the skills of biographical and autobiographical writing in role and developing a ‘voice’ in our writing which will link with our first topic about identity. Our topic about Ancient Greece will focus on formal persuasive writing, followed by our ‘Spooky’ story-writing topic, looking at creating suspense and atmosphere.

Throughout the term we will also continue to develop the children’s understanding of SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) work and continue to practise handwriting. At Chad Vale there is the expectation that all children should write using cursive hand script using a pen. Please support your child with their handwriting.

At Chad Vale, we use Jane Considine ‘Write Stuff’ method to support English. This is a highly interactive, enjoyable and dynamic approach to writing that helps the children develop their vocabulary, grammar and understanding of different text types. However, the children will very much be encouraged to develop their independence and think as writers – planning, drafting, editing and publishing their final pieces of work.

Reading

Research indicates that those who read often are those who write well. We cannot emphasise how important it is for you to constantly encourage your child to read as much as they can. This activity can start early in the morning by reading the back of the cereal packet! Children should always read before they go to bed, even for five minutes. This term, we will encourage all children to read for pleasure, choosing a high-quality text from our classroom libraries or bringing in a book from home if they wish.

We will also enjoy many whole class reads together - children are never too old to be read to! Our first class reader is ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar. We spend time discussing and reviewing the book before deciding on the next one we will read together. In reading lessons, children will develop their comprehension skills and understanding of different and increasingly more challenging texts with the ultimate intention of nurturing a lifelong love of reading and access to a rich diet of books.

Mathematics

Children will be building on their understanding of calculation and problem solving. They will be working both mentally and using pencil and paper procedures with all four operations. They will continue to develop skills from last year working with fractions, decimals and percentages; ratio and proportion; money and increasingly challenging problems and investigations.

Once again please support your child to learn and practice their times tables and mental maths skills. You can also help by encouraging their maths skills in real-life situations; for example, they could join you on shopping trips calculating prices mentally and working towards a budget? Or using their measuring skills on a DIY or cookery project?

PE

By the time pupils finish KS2 they will understand how to exercise safely & effectively, understanding the importance that physical activity has in a healthy active lifestyle. Throughout Year 6 pupils will lean to lead their own warmups & officiate in a range of sports. In dance and gymnastics pupils will continue working in groups choreographing sequences & routines. Pupils will also learn to undertake formal self-assessment of their work. An emphasis will be placed on teamwork & problem solving, with stronger pupils adopting leadership roles & the responsibility that entails. In games activities pupil will focus on their decision making in opposed situations. They will also have the opportunity to take part in orienteering activities that will help to develop map-reading skills.

Topics

This year, we will be combining many subjects throughout a series of longer topics throughout the year. English and Maths also often link to current topics giving the children a much more in-depth, exciting and relevant learning experience.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Our first topic combines elements of Jigsaw, Art, RE, Geography, History, Science, Music and English drawing on themes of identity, family and self-image. There will be opportunities to develop drawing techniques through self-portraiture and carry out exciting science investigations into evolution and inheritance! You can help your child’s learning by digging out any baby photos or pictures with a clear family resemblance.

Revision Books

After half term your child will bring home a folder containing work books and text books. These books give you the chance to see all the topics to aid revision for SATs. These books should be used regularly to maximize your child’s learning.

Computing

As part of the new National Curriculum, all children in Year 6 will be learning more about programming for computers, or devices such as iPads or mobile phones. They will also learn how technology such as Wi-Fi actually works and how to access it safely. They will design, plan and code games, use micro-bits and further develop their awareness and knowledge of E-Safety.

Spanish

Building on learning from previous years, Year 6 will take part in regular Spanish lessons not only developing their language skills but also their knowledge of Spanish culture, food and society. You can help your child develop their language skills by getting them to practice at home!

We look forward to working as a team with you. Feel free to contact us if there are any questions, queries or problems.

If you do have any questions or if there is anything you would like to discuss with us then please come and see us or email us.