Woodland View Primary School

OAK CLASS NEWSLETTER: Autumn 1 / Issue 1

WELCOME TO Year 6!

Oak Class have made a great start to the new school year and we have really enjoyed getting to know them. They have worked hard and shown a great attitude to school- well done to them all!

As you know, Mrs Fiddimore and Mr Carter work together in Oak Class. All Year 6 teachers work together to plan all the work done by Year 6. We work closely together to ensure continuity for the children. We are very lucky to have Mr Clayton as our Intervention Officer and Ms Hallam as our special needs teaching assistant. We are looking forward to an exciting year in Oak Class.

English

Our English block this half term largely centres around the book ‘Pig-heart Boy’ by Malorie Blackman. It will form part of our reading and writing topic, as we explore emotions and ethics that are key areas of the story. Linking the story with our science, we will be exploring the heart and circulation. We will continue to develop skills in grammar, spelling, punctuation and reading comprehension, as well as writing. These will also be used and applied within each writing task. In spelling we will be working on Y5/Y6 spellings, developing strategies to learn them and to recognise particular spelling patterns.

I want to encourage the children to read for enjoyment as much as possible. I would like them to read at least 3 times a week for pleasure (every day would be ideal). Please sign their books and they will be entered into a raffle draw each week to win a prize at the end of each half term. They can read any books they wish- they don’t have to be school books and can be fiction or non-fiction.

Mathematics

In Maths we are currently working on place value within 8 digit numbers. Then we will work on:

• Number: Order of operations. In this we will work on calculation, 2-step problems, order of operations and solving calculations in the correct order.
• Number: Multiplication and division. We will focus on the common factors of given numbers, common multiples and prime numbers.
• Geometry: 2D shape. We will investigate different types of triangles, their properties and angles. In addition, we will explore properties of quadrilaterals and their angles. We will calculate missing angles in triangles and quadrilaterals on a line and at a point.
• Number: addition and subtraction. In this we will also spend some time working on rounding numbers.
• Number: multiplication and division. We will use a range of numbers to multiply and divide and will develop understanding of long multiplication and division using the bus stop method.

Science

Our Science topic this half term focuses on the heart and circulation. At the beginning of the year, we explored metacognition and the brain and we are moving quickly on to learning about the heart. The topic continues through developing understanding about how the heart works, how the blood circulates, how we get oxygen into our body, how we breathe and how our hearts are pumps. We will be working with children to develop their questioning and thinking skills- which are obviously an important part of learning.

PSHE

Our topic work is driven by PSHE this year- we will explore mental health, keeping ourselves healthy and keeping ourselves safe online.

PE

PE is on a Tuesday and Friday every week. This half term we are working on cooperative and team games.

The Creative Curriculum

This half term, our history and geography, art and drama will be taught through the creative curriculum and linked to our overarching topic based on ‘Pig-heart Boy’. We will also be looking into the history of the NHS.

Praise and Reward

In Year 6, we use a school credit system to reward hard work, great thinking, excellent questioning and sociable, kind behaviour. Children are also able to nominate who they think has shown good learning behaviour and/or the school’s core values. We also have ‘Best Seats in the House’- ask your child about it!

Communication

Should you wish to speak with me, I can usually be found in the playground or in the school office after school. You can also ring school to make an appointment to speak to me at other times. I am looking forward to getting to know you at parents’ meetings and other school events.

Homework

This term, homework is presented as a choice of different activities for your children. Please return them to school by Thursday October 18^th. Year 6 children will be able to show their work in our Y6 homework exhibition and there will be a small prize for the winners of a competition voted for by the children. Homework will then be displayed.

Best wishes for a great start to the new school year,

Natalie Fiddimore and Adam Carter