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Year 6

Welcome to Class 6

The teacher in Class Six is Miss Barrett and the teaching assistant is Mrs Sampson.

In order to help your child to ensure that they have the necessary equipment on the correct days, please use the information below. We have an open door policy at Durham Lane and are happy to speak to you briefly before or after school, if we are available. Should you require a longer appointment, please contact the office and this can be arranged for you.

Please find below a brief outline of the topics to be covered this year and our daily/weekly routines which are explained in the ‘ Welcome to Year 6 class booklet’. We follow a two-year rolling programme throughout school and we try to plan as much of our learning as possible around our current topics. This creates an immersive and exciting learning experience for your children. Here is an overview of the topics to be covered over the coming year in Class 6:

TermTopics CoveredBrief Outline
Autumn 1 and 2The VictoriansThe children will be studying the novel Street Child by Berlie Doherty. They will be listening and responding to the novel which will be read to them, as well as reading parts of it during guided reading. The children will be learning about the work of Dr Barnardo and Victorian workhouses during this topic and will be writing diaries, stories etc. based on this novel. Just before Christmas, the children will also be studying A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and will learn about Victorian Christmas traditions.  Throughout this topic, the children will be learning about Victorian Eaglescliffe and Stockton as well as looking at Victorian artefacts and finding out about a range of famous Victorians.  Later in the term, we will also be studying crime and punishment throughout the ages, especially focusing on the Victorian era.
Spring 1 Healthy MeThis is a science based topic where the children will be looking at circulation, the impact of diet, exercise and drugs on the human body and how nutrients and water are transported around the human body.  In geography, we will be looking at where a range of foods come from, the climates of these countries and why these particular foods are grown there.
Spring 2GreeceThis is a history based topic, where we will be learning all about the Ancient Greeks and their achievements and influence on the Western world.  We will be looking at modern day Greece in comparison to ancient Greece and researching the legacy the Ancient Greeks left us.  In geography, we will be comparing ancient and modern maps, exploring the physical characteristics of Greece, comparing these to the UK. 
Summer 1Natural DisastersDuring this topic, we will be concentrating on physical geography, for example rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes and looking at where natural disasters occur and why.  We will also be researching some famous volcanic eruptions of the past, especially Pompeii.
Summer 2The MayanThis is a history topic about an non-European society that provides contrasts with British history.  As well as this, we will be studying South America (where the Mayan originated from), looking at the countries of this continent and studying the geographical similarities and differences between South America and the UK.

Class Booklet:

Home Learning:

This is extremely important in Class Six as it not only reinforces work which has been done during the week, but it also prepares the children for life in secondary school.

In Class Six, the children receive home learning on Fridays usually, although they may also receive home learning at different times in the week if the teacher wants them to complete something or feels that they need some extra practice with something that has been done in class. This will happen particularly as SATs approach.

 Parents can help by ensuring that home learning tasks are completed on time and that the children are confident with the task in hand. If there are any problems completing tasks, parents should write a note on the work or can come and discuss any difficulties with Miss Barrett. Please note that home learning should generally be handed in by Thursday and will be marked and returned before new home learning is given out on Fridays.

Maths Practice:

Most weeks, on Friday, Class Six have a maths practice test. This is always based on things that the children have been learning during the week and it gives the children the opportunity to practise skills taught. Examples of mental maths activities are: times tables and related division facts; converting decimals to fractions or percentages; dividing /multiplying by 10, 100, 1000. The children are given examples in their maths practice books so that parents can help them to learn the necessary facts.

Spellings:

Class Six will receive weekly spellings on Fridays and they will complete a spelling test on Fridays. These words are never given out in isolation and will be studied in class so that the children are aware of particular spelling rules/patterns. The children need to practise these spellings AT LEAST TWICE in the week and on different days. They should use the LOOK, SAY, COVER, WRITE, CHECK method to learn these words as well as using other techniques that they have been taught in school e.g. mnemonics. Their spellings will be marked in their green books so that parents and children can see where mistakes have been made.

Reading:

Although most Year Six pupils are able to read fluently, this does not mean that they do not need parental support! Parents are advised to read regularly with their child and at least twice a week. Year Six would benefit from being asked different types of questions such as retrieval questions (e.g. what did the boy do when he got in from school?), inferential questions (e.g. how is the character feeling? What clues do you have?), about the language/techniques the author uses (e.g. which words does the author use to build suspense? How effective is the author’s use of simile?). The children are encouraged to log their reading on Boomreader and parents are also asked to do this so that the teacher can see that home reading is taking place,

Targets:

Class Six have writing targets which are continuously evaluated and monitored. Once targets are achieved, new ones are given to the children and these are shared with parents. The children are actively involved in achieving their own targets and know what they need to do in order to improve.

Class Six Responsibilities:

Year Six is an incredibly important year and, because they are the oldest children in the school, we believe that Class Six should be given the opportunity to take on extra responsibility in school. These responsibilities include helping to support the younger children at lunchtimes, being classroom monitors, being librarians, being sports’ leaders and ensuring fruit is distributed at playtimes. It is important that the pupils take their responsibilities seriously and understand the importance of being an integral part of the Durham Lane School family.

P.E:

Class Six have PE lessons twice a week, but this varies from term to term; some of the PE lessons will be taught by Mr Sheehan, Mrs Thompson and Miss Barnes. The pupils will undertake a range of sporting activities throughout the year including tag rugby, gymnastics, invasive and defensive games, athletics, dance and Relax Kids. It is a good idea to have PE kits available throughout the week just in case we need to use a different PE slot. It is also important to make sure that all earrings are removed on PE days and that hair is tied back.

Class Visits/visitors:

We believe that it is important for children to learn both inside and outside of the classroom. Therefore, whenever possible, we try to arrange trips which will enhance our topics and help children to learn through a hands-on approach. Our Year 6 children have a residential trip to Carlton in June where they experience canoeing, climbing, orienteering and a range of team building activities. We are also keen for visitors to come into class to share their expertise and interests with the pupils and endeavour to organise this as frequently as possible.

Our current Year 6 cohort photo gallery

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