Out Of This World
This half term will see the launch of our new topic, ‘Out Of This World – What’s Out There?’ We will launch this topic in the first week with a visit to the National Space Centre in Leicester. Upon their arrival, the children will see the iconic Rocket Tower and they may also see the top of the UK’s largest domed planetarium. They will receive a special showing at the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium - each show combines the latest edge-blended video technologies, sound and computer animation to immerse your child in a full 360º fulldome cinema experience. There are also six further inspiring galleries to discover. Crammed full of space suits, rockets, satellites, meteorites and everything you would expect of a world class attraction, these galleries will make sure that the children have a full day of breath-taking discovery and interactive fun.
The children’s learning will culminate in a spectacular rocket launching competition using rockets that they have designed themselves.
English
This term, the children will encounter two new units in literacy. The first of these will focus on biographies. The children will have the opportunity to put their knowledge of a range of writing techniques to good use as they consider the life and times of space scientists. Skills that they will work on during this unit will include direct and reported speech, verb tenses and time connectives.
The second unit which the children will explore is contemporary narrative with a particular focus on science fiction. The children will have the opportunity to apply their increased understanding of descriptive techniques and ambitious vocabulary to develop their own stories set in space.
How can I support my child in literacy?
As well as regular reading, Children in Year 6 will also be asked to complete weekly sessions on www.spag.com. The laptops will be available on a Thursday lunchtime for children who don’t have access to the internet at home. Your child has already received a username and password which should be stuck in their reading diaries.
The expectation is that children read at home at least 3 times a week. Reading is an essential part of your child’s learning and progress. Please sign your child’s reading diary to confirm that this is taking place.
Weekly spellings will be sent home for your child to learn. Please make sure that they have understood the spelling rule/pattern as this will help them to apply their learning within their own writing.
Maths
Over the first part of the Autumn Term, Year 6 children will focus on number and place value.
The key Concepts they will cover:
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Vocabulary they will need to know:
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How can I support my child in numeracy?
The children in Year 6 are expected to complete weekly maths homework, set on ‘My Maths’. Year 5 children receive weekly paper based maths homework in addition to this. If you do not have access to the internet, the children will have access to the laptops on a Thursday lunchtime.
In addition to their morning maths sessions, the children also have a focused times tables session in the afternoon. Your child has been allocated a specific times table to learn based on gaps in their knowledge. Please support your child to help them learn their multiplication tables at home.
Topic
Pupils will be taught to:
- describe the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun in the solar system
- describe the movement of the moon relative to the Earth
- describe the sun, Earth and moon as approximately spherical bodies
- use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky
- explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object