Class Mission Statement
A class mission statement is a document that drives our classroom culture and articulates our class values, goals, and norms. As a class, the children discussed what they want as their mission statement and shared goals.
The children signed the mission statement after they agreed on what they wanted it to say.
Maths - to know numbers to 1 million
On our first day back in Year 6, the children have been working on reading and understanding numbers to 1,000,000.
The children looked at the values of each digit by looking at the place value column they are placed in.
British Values - Rule of Law
Setting Classroom Rules
This is the principle of the UK constitution that means politicians govern within their powers. The rule of law applies to very single member of British Society and visitors are expected to follow suit. There are not different rules for different parts of society or economic class. No one is above the law.
Within our class with have rules and expectations and there are consequences if these are not followed. The children have written what they believe the rules in our classroom are based on the 3 rules of:
Be ready,
Be safe,
Be respectful.
British Values - Democracy
Electing a class Councillor
To understand democracy
To use persuasive language
In our British Values lesson we looked at how rules and decisions are made. We found out that votes are used to make agreements and find out the most popular plan.
In democracy every citizen should listen to the views of the different parties and candidates, and then make his or her own decision on whom to support. People must be 18 or over in order to take part in an election. We agreed that this is a good age as children would not always make an informed decision.
When voting, each person votes for the candidate of his or her choice. S/he does this by putting a cross beside the person’s name on the ballot paper. People cast their ballots in a booth so that no one can see who they are voting for. This is called ‘secret ballot’.
At the end of the election day the votes are added up and the candidate with the highest number of votes (the majority) is declared the winner.
We are too young to vote in elections but we have been exercising our right for democracy. Our class needs a class Councillor so we wrote manifestos and voted for the person that we thought would do the best job representing our class.
British Values - Democracy
Ballot Papers
The children who stood as candidates were added to the secret ballot paper. The children made secret votes on the ballot paper to find our school councillor with the most votes.
Mrs Gould counted the secret ballot.
Following the class vote, Ajai was elected as class councillor.
Getting to Know Each Other - PHSE
A coat of arms is a unique design that can present the wearer's heritage, specifically the family they belong to. The children designed their own coat of arms based on their family, their goals and their strengths.
Science - electricity and circuits
In science our topic is electricity and circuits.
lesson 1 - the children were asked what they already knew and what they wanted to find out. There were some interesting questions which we will aim to find the answers to.
Science - electricity and circuits
Lesson 2
The children identified where and why they use electricity in their daily lives and how life would be very different without electricity.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 3
The children looked at the symbols used to represent the parts of an electrical circuit. The children made a drawing of each symbol and labelled them ready to help them with making their own circuits.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 4
The children looked at a range of circuit and discussed which would work and which would not. The children had to give an explanation for their predictions. The children understood that any gaps would mean that the circuits were not complete.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 5
The children looked at a range of circuit and discussed which would work and which would not. The children had to give an explanation for their predictions. The children understood that any gaps would mean that the circuits were not complete.
The children moved on to making their own circuits using lamps, buzzers and motors to create an output.
In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through. A simple circuit consists of a current source, conductors and a load. The term circuit can be used in a general sense to refer to any fixed path that electricity, data or a signal can travel through.
Science - electricity and circuits
Lesson 6
The children looked at the dangers of electricity and identified real life dangers in the kitchen.
Electricity is very important - we use it all of the time. It powers most of our technologies, lights up our rooms, warms us when we're cold and cools us down when we're hot.
To use electrical devices, we need to follow rules to stay safe.
Science - Electricity and Circuits
Lesson 7
The children planned an investigation to see what would happen to the brightness of bulbs if more bulbs were added to a circuit with a single cell.
The children thought about the variables and non variables to make their investigation fair.
Science - Electricity and Circuits
The children investigated if the number of bulbs in a circuit changed the brightness of the bulb. The children added more bulbs to their circuits and compared the brightness of the bulbs. The children found that the more bulbs they added, the bulbs got dimmer. In a series circuit, as more bulbs are added, the brightness of each bulb decreases. This is because the resistance R increases which causes the current I through each bulb to decrease
Educational Emotional Wellbeing Team
Coping with change and managing emotions
Year 6 had a visit from the educational emotional wellbeing team who delivered a workshop about coping with expected and unexpected change. The children worked on some breathing techniques that they can use when they are feeling overwhelmed.
PHSE - Working together
- Recognise some of the challenges that arise from friendships;
- Suggest strategies for dealing with such challenges demonstrating the need for respect and an assertive approach.
The children looked at how friendships can be difficult and how their acts and reactions can either make situations better or make them worse. The children looked at some scenarios and discussed what they would do.
PHSE - Working together
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation. The term 'empathy' is used to describe a wide range of experiences.
When defining empathy, emotion researchers generally describe it as the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the wellbeing and happiness of others.
Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. Compassion literally means 'to suffer together'. Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with someone else's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering for them.
While sympathy and compassion are related to empathy, there are important differences. Compassion and sympathy are often thought to involve more of a passive connection, while empathy mostly involves a much more active attempt to understand another person.
In 6GH we looked at some scenarios and discussed how each person might feel in the different situations.
PHSE - Being Assertive
Being assertive can help you to explain how you feel and what you need, without being rude or aggressive. These skills can help you stand up for yourself and still treat other people with respect.
It means you clearly explain what you need or want from someone. Without being pushy or trying to frighten them.
Sometimes it can be hard to say how you really feel, especially if it means disagreeing with someone else. But everyone has the right to say how they feel and ask for what they need.
5 ways to be assertive:
- practise what you want to say first, or try writing it down to prepare yourself
- act calm and confident by standing up straight and not fidgeting
- make eye contact
- say what you want, clearly and politely
- don’t apologise when asking for something you need.
The children discussed if some of the behaviours we see in school are assertive or rude
PHSE - Appropriate Touch
Appropriate, inappropriate and illegal touch.
Safe (good) touches feel caring, like pats on the back or wanted hugs. Unsafe (or bad) touches hurt your body or feelings, such as pinching or hitting. Unwanted touching comes in many forms, including: Unwanted hugs or kisses. Unwelcome touching of any part of a person's body without consent.
The children looked at different scenarios and discussed if the touch was appropriate, inappropriate or illegal.
Computing lesson 1 - Communication and Interaction
Internet Addresses
To explain the importance of internet addresses
●I can recognise that data is transferred using agreed methods
●I can explain that internet devices have addresses
●I can describe how computers use addresses to access websites
In this lesson the children explored what is necessary for effective communication and the importance of agreed protocols. They applied this understanding to IP addresses and the rules (protocols) that computers have for communicating with one another. The children also used a Domain Name Server (DNS) to translate web addresses into IP addresses.
Computing lesson 2 - Communication and Interaction
Data Packets
To recognise how data is transferred across the internet
- I can identify and explain the main parts of a data packet
- I can explain that data is transferred over networks in packets
- I can explain that all data transferred over the internet is in packets
The children in 5GH were introduced to the concept of packets. They completed an activity based on transferring an image across the internet, to see that as well as messages (text), other types of data (images, video, and audio) are also transferred over the internet. They gained an understanding of the key parts of a packet: the header and the data payload.
The children made data packets and sent them to other groups to put back together.
Computing lesson 3 - Communication and Interaction
- I can recognise how to access shared files stored online
- I can send information over the internet in different ways
- I can explain that the internet allows different media to be shared
The children in 6GH considered how people can work together when they are not in the same location. They discussed ways of working and completing a collaborative online project.
Computing lesson 4
To evaluate different ways of working together online
- I can identify different ways of working together online
- I can recognise that working together on the internet can be public or private
- I can explain how the internet enables effective collaboration
The children in 6GH were introduced to another approach to online working: reusing and modifying work done by someone else. (Using someone else’s work needs to be within the bounds of copyright and with the relevant permissions.) This lesson involved the Scratch programming tool, which allowed learners to use other people’s work.
Computing lesson 5
To recognise how we communicate using technology
- I can explain the different ways in which people communicate
- I can identify that there are a variety of ways to communicate over the internet
- I can choose methods of communication to suit particular purpose
The children deepened their understanding of the term ‘communication’. They explored different methods of communication, before they considered internet-based communication in more detail. Finally, learners evaluated which methods of communication suit particular purposes.
Computing lesson 6
To evaluate different methods of online communication
● I can compare different methods of communicating on the internet
● I can decide when I should and should not share information online
● I can explain that communication on the internet may not be private
● I can explain how to report inappropriate content online
The children used information provided in the lesson and their own prior knowledge to categorise different forms of internet communication. They then choose which method(s) they would use for the scenarios discussed in the previous lesson. Through these activities, they explored issues around privacy and information security.
Spanish
European Languages Day
Europe is home to 24 official languages, while as many as 200 languages are spoken across the continent. That might not seem like many, compared to some continents. Africa, for example, is home to 1,500 to 2,000 languages.
During European Languages Day Year 5 found out about the Spanish tradition of Bull Fighting.
When learning about this sport, the children played a game of Kabadi. Kabadi is a game played between two teams of seven players, in which individuals take turns to chase and try to touch members of the opposing team without being captured by them
RE Lesson 1
Explore and weigh up values.
Give reasons for the different ideas people have about what is important.
Reflect on and consider own values.
We discussed that Values are things that we think are important or valuable (e.g. love, sharing, generosity, equality, friendship, learning). We show if these things are really important by the way we act. The children came up with a list of their personal values.
When the children had thought of their values, we looked at some values and discussed which were most important. The children then spent time to order these values based on their beliefs.
The children then designed posters to show their values.
RE - To understand how Sikhs show their religion
In RE we learnt about Khalsa Sikhs. Khalsa Sikhs wear five symbols – called the five Ks, or Panj Kakka - to show their devotion to Sikhism. With help from Ajai he outlined the 5 Ks and what they signify. They are Kara, Kachera, Kirpan, Khalsa, Kesh and Kanga. The Five K's are the markers of Sikh identity, and they consist of: uncut hair, a short sword or knife, a steel wristband, a wooden comb, and shorts worn as an undergarment.
Ajai showed us his Kirpan and explained that it can not be used unless in a life and death situation.
PHSE - Worry and Anxiety
The Education Emotion Wellbeing Team visited 6GH today to talk about worry and anxiety.
The children discussed the difference between worry and anxiety. If there's a concerning situation (like starting a new school) you worry about it. Worry prods you to use problem-solving skills to address your concerns. Anxiety is persistent, even when concerns are unrealistic. It often compromises your ability to function.
The children looked at ways to deal with worry and anxiety and looked at trusted adults to talk to.
PHSE - Being Safe,
British values - Rule of law.
Knife Crime
Statistics paint a stark picture: incidents of knife-related violence are on the rise. But in the face of this concerning trend, there's a beacon of hope; education.
As educators and guardians, it's crucial to understand why we need to equip our youth with the knowledge and skills to navigate away from the dangers of knife crime.
Staff from West Yorkshire Police came to speak to the children in Year 5 and 6 about the dangers of knife crime and the laws around carrying knives and bladed objects.
DT - Research into fairground rides
The children in 6GH visited Blackpool pleasure beach to look at the different types of rides and the mechanisms to make them work.
It was a fabulous day out with smiles and laughter all day.
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Design Technology - Designing a fairground ride
Design
- use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
The children looked at a range of fairground rides and the structure to support them. The children planned their own fairground ride.
Design Technology - Making a moving ride
Make
- select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
- select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Design Technology - evaluating my fair ground ride
Evaluate
- investigate and analyse a range of existing products
- evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
- understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
PHSE - Keeping Safe
Bonfire and firework safety
Years 5 and 6 started the new half term with a bonfire safety assembly from West Yorkshire Fire Service. The children discussed ways to keep safe around fires and fireworks.
PHSE -Finance and Enterprise.
How to make £5 grow.
The children in Year 6 had a visit from Virgin Money to learn about enterprise and how to make money grow. The children will be thinking of ways to make their £5 grow into profit. The children will be given time to design their projects.
PHSE / History
To mark significant historical events
Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, commemorates the end of World War One when an agreement to stop fighting was reached on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918. It is held to remember all those who have died in wars and marked by a two-minute silence at 11:00am.
Remembrance Sunday is the nearest Sunday to November 11th, when ceremonies are held in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations and commemorates both World War One and Two and all conflicts since. Poppy flowers are worn as a symbol of remembrance, inspired by the poppies that grew on many battlefields in WW1 - as made famous by the war poem 'In Flanders Fields.' A two-minute silence is also observed at 11:00am on Remembrance Sunday.
The children made poppies and learnt about the meanings of the different coloured poppies.
Remembrance Day
When learning about the war and Remembrance Day, the children watched Friend or Foe. Although it is an old film, the children were extremely moved by it and what children living in war had to deal with.
Subtracting Mixed Numbers
The children were given some tricky challenges using mixed number fractions. Well done Alfie for getting the value of the star in less than 2 minutes.
PHSE Valuing Difference
- Recognise that bullying and discriminatory behaviour can result from disrespect of people's differences;
- Suggest strategies for dealing with bullying, as a bystander;
- Describe positive attributes of their peers.
- Know that all people are unique but that we have far more in common with each other than what is different about us.
- Consider how a bystander can respond to someone being rude, offensive or bullying someone else.
- Demonstrate ways of offering support to someone who has been bullied.
The children looked at different types of bullying and how it affects others. The children discussed what they should do if they see others being bullied.
PHSE - To recognise stereotyping
A gender stereotype is a generalised view or preconception about attributes, or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women. Gender stereotypes can be both positive and negative for example, “women are nurturing” or “women are weak”.
Mostly, it is an incorrect judgement, idea or belief many people have about a group that is based upon how they look or behave. It is often reinforced by their race, culture, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
The children looked at some statements and discussed if they challenged stereotyping or promoted gender bias.
PHSE Understanding and Valuing difference
- Understand and explain the term prejudice;
- Identify and describe the different groups that make up their school/wider community/other parts of the UK;
- Describe the benefits of living in a diverse society;
- Explain the importance of mutual respect for different faiths and beliefs and how we demonstrate this.
The children read through the newspaper story. It was important to point out that the story is fictitious as is the location, the individuals named and the Shima community.
The pupils discussed the questions shown on the activity sheet in pairs or threes.
- What are your thoughts about the story?
- Why do you think some of the local residents objected to the Shima community building their place of worship (the Walhala)
- Do you think it was the building that residents objected to or the people themselves? Why?
- Why do you think that Adam Bleak suggested they might be ‘planning all sorts of things’? What evidence did he have for that?
- What do we mean by the word prejudice? Do you think the residents were prejudiced against the Shima community? Why?
- In what other ways can people sometimes be prejudiced?
The children came up with a class definition for the word prejudice;
‘Prejudice means pre-judging someone or having an idea about them before you actually know anything about them.’
PHSE Understanding and Valuing Difference
- Define what is meant by the term stereotype;
- Recognise how the media can sometimes reinforce gender stereotypes;
- Recognise that people fall into a wide range of what is seen as normal;
- Challenge stereotypical gender portrayals of people.
We discussed what we meant by the word ‘stereotype’? As a class we came up with an agreed definition of this - stereotype is ‘a belief that certain types of people have the same characteristics and qualities’.
We looked at different stereotypical beliefs.
Athlete for a Day
The children took part in the Athlete for a Day fundraising event. Our athlete was Antony Cotterill. In 2003, Antony broke his neck, leaving him unable to walk and using a wheelchair full-time. Inspired by watching wheelchair tennis during his recovery, he took up the sport and has since represented Great Britain at the Paralympic Games, winning numerous singles and doubles titles worldwide.
Art- to use colour shade and tints for effects
Few artists use only pure colours from around the colour wheel. Often artist will use tints, shades and tones when mixing colours.
A tint is where an artist adds a colour to white to create a lighter version of the colour. An example of a tint is pink. Pink is a tint created by adding white to red.
A shade is where an artist adds black to a colour to darken it down.
A tone is where an artist adds grey to a colour.
The children experimented making tints and shades of primary colours.
Water Colour Painting
Can you use shading to show mood and feeling?
To know how to use shading to create mood and feeling.
To know how to organise line, tone, shape and colour to represent figures and forms in movement and objects in 3D.
To know how to use shading to create shadow, direction of sunlight and reflection.
To be able to explain why they have chosen to use specific drawing techniques.
To know how to review and refine their own work.
To develop a personal style of working.
To know how to appraise the work of themselves and others.
The children have been reading the story Frankenstein in English so in Art the children have designed front covers for the books and them coloured using water colour paints.
When using water colours, the children were reminded to work from light to dark!
This is the traditional approach to building up a subject in watercolors. It's one of the first things painters need to know when when working in this way, and it's actually quite unique to watercolor paints… Painting like this often requires a bit of forward planning. The children used shades and tones for effect.
Art
To know how to use shading to create mood and feeling.
Emotion, mood and atmosphere
Often when an artist uses colour in a painting they are trying to communicate an emotion, mood or atmosphere. They could either be trying to make a viewer feel a certain way or they are trying to communicate their own feelings.
One way to do this is through wider social and cultural ideas we associate with certain colours. Let's take the colour red as an example.
Red
The colour red has many different meanings.
Often we link red to danger. In western culture, red is often used in warning signs or to tell you to not do something, like no smoking. In traffic lights, the colour red is used to mean stop.
The children use pencil shades to draw their pictures of the Highway man and added slight areas of red.
Art - Shading light to dark
Chiaroscuro. This is an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted.
The children used a pencil to shade in different levels of light to dark.
Art - Texture
Texture is the feeling, appearance or consistency of an object or material.
It can be natural or man-made, functional or decorative. Artists try to replicate the texture of the subject to make their work look as realistic as possible.
The children experimented using a pencil to replicate realistic textures.
Art - using lines to shade
Cross-hatching is a method of line drawing that describes light and shadow. The representation of light utilizes the white or openness of the page, while shadow is created by a density of crossed lines.
The children experimented with a range of hatching techniques.
Art - shading
In the pictures the children had chance to use the techniques in recent lessons to show tone in abstract patterns and on 3D shapes. They experimented in how to use these techniques to create depth and perspective, using just an HB pencil,
Art
Sketching and shading
The children practiced using hatching to shade. They drew pictures of stacked cups.
Parallel lines were used to make some areas of the drawing darker.
Layers were built up using cross-hatching in different directions.
A sharp 6B pencil was used to make the darkest areas bolder.
Art
To know how to use shading to create mood and feeling.
To know how to organise line, tone, shape and colour to represent figures and forms in movement and objects in 3D.
To know how to use shading to create shadow, direction of sunlight and reflection.
To be able to explain why they have chosen to use specific drawing techniques.
To know how to review and refine their own work.
To develop a personal style of working.
To know how to appraise the work of themselves and others.
The children used the skills from previous lessons to sketch a vase of flowers.
Christmas Cards
The children in 6GH used the technique of shading and tinting with paints to make a Christmas scene for their Christmas cards.
Snow Flakes
To decorate the class ready for our Christmas Fair, the children made snow flakes out of paper. The experimented with cutting the paper in different ways to see the different shaped flakes.
PHSE - Keeping Safe
Accept that responsible and respectful behaviour is necessary when interacting with others online and face-to-face; Understand and describe the ease with which something posted online can spread.
- Know that it is illegal to create and share inappropriate images of children under 18 years old;
- Explore the risks of sharing photos and films of themselves with other people directly or online;
- Know how to keep their information private online.
- know how to keep a positive digital footprint
The children discussed their use of social media and how they interact with peers. They looked at the language they use and discussed whether they would use this language in school.
The children also looked at how quickly information can be shared on line and how one post can be shared and viewed by millions.
PHSE - Keeping Safe
- Define what is meant by addiction, demonstrating an understanding that addiction is a form of behaviour;
- Understand that all humans have basic emotional needs and explain some of the ways these needs can be met.
The children looked at the Rat Story and discussed why the experiment was taken using rats. The children identified that rats had choices and made poor choice when they were sad, lonely, distressed.
The children then looked at their emotions and in groups, discussed how their emotional needs need to be met.
RE - To know how and why Christians celebrate Christmas
Rewind to Christmas
The children in 6GH visited St Cuthbert's church to take part in the 'Rewind to Christmas' workshop. The children found out why and how Christians celebrate Christmas.
PHSE
- Understand some of the basic laws in relation to drugs;
- Explain why there are laws relating to drugs in this country
- children to define what we mean by the word 'drug'.
Mrs Gould asked the children what they knew about drugs. As class we identified that as a useful summary a drug can be described as ‘A substance people take to change the way they think, feel or behave’ – this is the World Health Organisation definition.
Mrs Gould asked the following questions to get an idea of what the children understood.
- What names of drugs can you think of?
- Are all medicines drugs?
- Are all drugs medicines?
- Are all drugs used for medical reasons?
- Does alcohol have a medical or a non-medical use?
- What do we mean by the terms legal and illegal?
- Are legal drugs legal for anybody to buy?
The children looked at some scenarios to decide if and when laws have been broken.
PHSE
- Explain how drugs can be categorised into different groups depending on their medical and legal context;
- Demonstrate an understanding that drugs can have both medical and non-medical uses;
- Explain in simple terms some of the laws that control drugs in this country.
The children looked at a range of 'drugs' and discussed why or when these are used. The children worked together to decide if they drugs were illegal, legal or medicines.
RE - Christingle Service
A Christingle is a joyful celebration that brings families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope. Our Year 5 and 6 children held their Christingle service at Holy Trinity church. We are grateful for all of the parents and carers who came to watch.
Christmas
The children in 6GH watched the 1982 film - The Snowman. The children enjoyed our wonderful singer, Grace, joining in the song.
The children then wrote their own version of the story.
Christmas Jumper Day
Today was Christmas jumper day and Christmas dinner day. 6GH made a great effort and there were Christmas jumpers everywhere.
The Leap Of Faith
During the residential we took par in the leap of faith. This tested the children's team work, trust cooperation and cooperation. The children had to climb the tower and leap from the top. The rest of the children had to work as a team and support the ropes.