Year 6 - Spring 1 - Week 6
Date: 9th Feb 2022 @ 10:13am
Another fantastic week in Year 6 – this time to include our first half-term in 2022!
Following the conclusion of our Shang Dynasty topic in History last week – and with Chinese New Year still fresh in our mind – we focused on Chinese calligraphy in Art this week. The children had explored Asian calligraphy in Year 5 when learning about Japan, so this was a great opportunity for them to connect their learning and note the similarities and differences between the two styles. Once again, plenty of precision was required, but the children did very well to identify particular traits of Chinese calligraphy and appreciate it how it is a form of art.
Once again, it has been fantastic to see so many of the children looking forward to our tag rugby sessions each week - with a significant number of the class admitting that initially they did not think they would like the sport! We have continued to revise our passing technique, from simply passing a rugby ball to each other to now passing while moving quickly in a line and trying to avoid being tagged. Our tagging skills have also improved through a variety of exercises, which the children have enjoyed...although found slightly tiring at times!
Building on from our class discussion a few weeks ago on insecurities, we have continued to welcome visitors to speak to the class about their own insecurities in school and what they have gone on to achieve as a result of their insecurities. On Tuesday, we were joined by Danny, who is Area Commander for HM Coastguard and a Royal Navy Reserve. Danny has only just returned from Bahrain with the Royal Navy last week and came into class to talk about his important roles within HM Coastguard and The Royal Navy. Immediately, the children learned how skilled Danny has to be to perform his duties well and had plenty of questions to ask him…and not just why he had a picture with the cast of Coronation Street and had flown in a helicopter with members of the Royal Family! Danny then shared his experiences of school: including how he has struggled with dyslexia since being diagnosed when he was in Year 5; the challenge of sitting assessments and his ongoing struggle to still learn his 7 times tables! However, from this, Danny was able to share lots of excellent advice on coping strategies; the importance of accepting your struggles and continuing to challenge yourself; realising that we may just not have found our real strengths and passions yet and understanding that we are all better / worse than each other in different areas. Danny even shared some of his insecurities around body image when he was in secondary school and reminded the children that they will all grow at different rates. It really was a fantastic discussion and if that wasn’t enough…the class then helped Danny learn his 7 times tables through a song!
On Friday, the children also had a Zoom session with Suzy, who has a real passion for fashion design. The main message of Suzy’s discussion was clear: have the courage to be yourself. Suzy showed the class lots of examples of her fashion designs, which many would consider to be quite “loud” and “out there!”. Suzy informed the class that she only wears her own clothes now and although some people will stare, just as many will come up to her on the street and praise her style and her courage to wear the clothes she does. Suzy told the class that bravery is infectious, and she has realised that one of the best ways to encourage others to be themselves is to set the example yourself. Also, to remember that not everyone will always understand you, but that is okay too!
As if two visitors weren’t enough, we were also treated to a visit by author, Luke Temple. He delivered a brief introduction to his three books before calling children up to do some drama exercises. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, which resulted in several members of the class purchasing copies of his book and getting them signed by Luke Temple the following day.
Practice assessments have also taken up most of our Maths, Writing and Reading sessions this week. Once again, the children have tried their hardest and shown plenty of resilience when approaching tricky questions. They should feel very proud of themselves!
Homework has been set for the children as per usual. With SATs approaching in May, an abundance of practice assessments have now been set on SATs Companion for the children to work through if they wish to do any revision at home. Children do not need to complete every assessment. They also do not need to complete the tasks in any set order, e.g. they may want to focus primarily on the arithmetic papers while at home, or just the reading assessments. All tests will be available to access until the end of the year.
Attached to this blog is also this month's Virtual Classroom - once again with links to various websites that can further support home learning - as well as the statutory spellings children are expected to know by the end of LKS2 and UKS2. The children will have seen these spelling lists in Year 5 when practising for their 'Spelling Bee' competition; we would encourage the children to continue to refer back to these sheets and re-learn any words they find tricky.
Love Reading have launched their 'top book picks' for this month. More, highly-rated children's reads, from a variety of authors for different age ranges, are shared with us all to enjoy.
All in all, it has been a fantastic half-term. It was fantastic to see so many of the class laughing and dancing away at the disco on Wednesday - it was a great symbol for the fun and friendships that have continued to flourish this year!
We hope you all have a fantastic half-term break and we look forward to seeing you all soon!