Our textiles project

For our DT learning this term, we investigated the impact of "Fast Fashion" on the environment and Amazon rainforest. Inspired by this and our work on plastic pollution, we decided to make reusable bags for our textiles project. To begin with, the children investigated a range of different bags and the way they were made. Children then designed their own drawstring bag before drawing and cutting out a pattern. Children experimented with a range of stitches before layering their fabric and sewing their designs onto their bag. Sewing took a lot of patience and their were a few sore fingers along the way but the finished products were worth it! Check them out:

The Haka

In PE this half term, the children have been learning different dance styles such as street dance, Bhangra dancing and the Haka! The children thoroughly enjoyed learning the Haka (and pulled some very impressive faces inspired by the New Zealand rugby team!) They worked in groups to create their own Haka sequence and then competed against each other to see who was the most intimidating! 

Home Learning

This week, children brought in their home learning to share with the class during our class gallery. We had a fantastic range of work - from models of the rainforest and paintings of the Amazon river to Lego statues of Christ the Redeemer! From carnival headdresses and masks to reports on COP26 and water consumption at home - the children presented all of their work with pride. It is always so lovely to see the children take ownership of their learning and choose to pursue areas that have piqued their interest and imagination. I'm always amazed by the quality and the children's enthusiasm! Well done and thank you for your hard work, Year 6!

Remembrance 

This week, we've were busy preparing for the Remembrance service on The Green, which took place on Thursday 11th November. In history, we learnt about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the events that lead to the outbreak of WW1. We sequenced these key events and the key events of the First World War on a timeline. We also followed a line of enquiry and investigated the history behind the poppies that people wear at this time of year and the significance of the different colours that they come in. In English, we wrote poems and prayers to share with the rest of the school during the Remembrance service.

Year 6 were fantastic role models this week and they've impressed all of the adults in school with their mature and thoughtful attitudes. Take a look below at the poems and prayers that the children wrote...

Forest School

This week, Year 6 visited forest school! We especially enjoyed looking at the tadpoles and frogs in the pond - it gave us a chance to recap our work on lifecycles in Year 5 and see metamorphosis in action! 

Classifying plants

In science, we've been looking at classifying living things, with a focus on vertebrates, invertebrates, micro-organisms and plants. To begin our science lesson on classifying plants, we went for a nature walk and collected different natural objects. We then sorted them using Venn and Carroll diagrams. The children chose their own sorting criteria and it was interesting to share how we would classify the different objects and compare this to how scientists classify plants. 

Creation and Science - conflicting or complementary?

This half term, we've been thinking about whether science conflicts with or supports Christian views on creation. We looked at Genesis 1 in the Bible and considered different Christian views about the meaning of this. We also discussed the idea that people can be both Christians and scientists and how this may impact their views of creation. In this lesson, we posed different questions about creation and thought about whether science or religion was best placed to answer and found that in many cases, both science and religion could offer possible answers. The children have been so interested in this topic and we've had some fantastic discussions around some very big questions!

Roman Numeral scavenger hunt

We've been recapping our Roman numeral knowledge, with a focus on writing years in Roman numerals. As part of a challenge, we completed a scavenger hunt where we had to work out what a given year would be in Roman numerals and then find this number to find the next clue! Each clue had a letter which spelt out a secret message! 

Ready, Steady, Round!

We have been working on our place value knowledge in maths and we've been looking at rounding any number to the nearest million, hundred thousand, thousand and hundred. We put our learning to the test and took part in a rounding relay race! We had to work together to round a list of numbers to a given number, making sure that we were checking each other's work to ensure there were no mistakes. It was a good way of getting our minds (and bodies!) active!

The sad story of our Amazon

As part of our thematic learning, we found out about the Amazon rainforest. We researched why the rainforest is such an amazing and unique place and then were shocked to find out that despite this, it is under serious threat from deforestation, mining and the increased use of hydro-electricity in Brazil. In English lessons, we then produced informative and persuasive leaflets to spread the word about the risks that the rainforest is facing and encourage people to play their part in protecting this natural wonder!

A Sparkly Start to the year!

During our first week back after the summer holidays, Year 6 found out their theme!

This term, we are learning about The Amazon River and Brazil!

The children returned from lunch to find traditional Brazilian carnival music playing and an array of sequins and feathers. After some discussion, they worked out their theme may be Brazil and this was confirmed when they saw the film that we were watching - "Rio!"

As they watched the film, children made carnival masks, which we put on at the end of the day as we listened to the music again and had our own "carnaval!"