This term our topic is “Frozen Kingdoms”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. We will learn about the similarities and differences between these two regions, including the climate, landscape and natural resources. We will learn how to use grid references, lines of latitude and longitude, contour lines and symbols to identify the geographical locations of the Arctic and Antarctic, and how these, along with the tilt of the Earth, affect day length and warmth. We will investigate polar oceans to learn how they differ from other oceans on Earth and how climate change increases Earth’s temperature and leads to rising sea levels. We will learn about the indigenous people of the Arctic, including how their lives have changed over time, and about the positives and negatives of tourism in Antarctica. We will also learn about classifying animals, animal adaptations and evolution, and polar exploration and discovery. To find out more, view our Frozen Kingdom Knowledge Organiser.
(Please refer to the Downloadable Resources Page for PDF copies of all highlighted/underlined documents)
From a geographical perspective, we will learn about the Arctic and Antarctic regions; lines of latitude and longitude; Polar climates; Polar day and night; Polar oceans; Polar landscapes; climate change; natural resources; indigenous people; and tourism.
From a historical perspective, we will learn about polar exploration; significant people, including Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton; and significant events, including the sinking of RMS Titanic.
Other helpful documents
Frozen Kingdom Optional Home Learning Tasks Frozen Kingdom Vocabulary Mat
Reading
Our Class Text and Comprehension
In term 3, our reading comprehension lessons will be based upon our class text, “You Wouldn’t Want to be on Shackleton’s Polar Expedition” by Jen Green. Throughout this non-fiction text, we will join Shackleton in what will prove to be one of the most gruelling adventures of all time as we brave our way across the bitterly cold continent of Antarctica. As we encounter extreme cold, strong icy winds and a worrying lack of food and water, we’ll soon see why you really wouldn’t want to join Shackleton’s polar expedition!
In term 4, our reading comprehension will be based upon a fiction text, “The Wolf Wilder”, which is an award-winning novel written by Katherine Rundell. The story centres around Feo, who lives in the Russian woods and teaches tamed wolves how to survive in the wild. It is set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. The novel’s key themes include family, friendship, war, bravery, resilience and nature versus humanity.
To find out more about this text, view our Wolf Wilder Novel Knowledge Organiser.
For further information about the reading skills we will focus upon this term, please view “Churchill’s Sequential Reading Curriculum”
Independent Reading
In class, we will continue to use the Accelerated Reader program. For further information about this, please view a Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader. (https://help.renlearn.co.uk/AR/ARParentGuide) If you need your child’s AR password, please contact me (Mrs Saunders).
Writing
Over the course of the spring term, we will be writing a non-chronological report, a haiku poem, a newspaper report and an adventure narrative.
Firstly, we will write a non-chronological report about the Antarctic. Writing non-chronological reports enables children to use a range of layout devices, such as subheadings, bullet points and tables. Children will use their knowledge, learnt in our topic lessons and from further research, to plan and write their non-chronological reports.
We will also write haiku poems about polar animals. Haiku teaches children to be economical with language and to explore precise, sensory descriptions. Using pictures and videos for inspiration, we will collect vocabulary and experiment with writing several haiku. In addition, we will also use thesauri to find appropriate synonyms.
In addition, we will write newspaper reports about Ernest Shackleton, the great explorer. Writing newspaper reports helps children refine their formal writing and allows them the opportunity to use an increasing range of cohesive devices to make links between and across paragraphs.
Furthermore, we will write an adventure narrative about a polar expedition using a range of well-chosen, descriptive vocabulary. Narrative writing skills allows children to evoke settings, characters and atmosphere using vivid descriptions. We will explore descriptive language by describing the polar setting and then plan and write an exciting adventure narrative inspired by our work on polar exploration.
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
Punctuation
This term, we will learn to identify and model the use of the hyphen; revise the use of possessive apostrophe for singular plural nouns; use a comma for all its purposes; and use a single dash.
Grammar
This term, we will learn to accurately identify and use determiners; use and identify prepositional phrases in sentences, including prepositions of place and time; and revise the use of fronted adverbials, ensuring correct placement of commas. We will also learn about a range of verb forms: active; passive; and subjunctive. In addition to this, we will read and enjoy poetry, comparing its use of sentence structure and punctuation with that of prose; and write different types of poems.
Spellings
During our spelling lessons this term, we will investigate prefixes and their meanings; revise the suffix “ly”; revise the suffix “ous”; revise words with the “k” sound spelt “ch”; revise words with the “sh” sound spelt “ch” ;revise endings spelt “cial” and “tial”; words containing the letter-string “ough”; words with ‘silent’ letters; investigate prefixes and their meanings; revise the suffix “ation”; endings spelt “tion,” “sion,” “ssion,” and “cian”; words with the “i” sound spelt “ei” after c (and other ie/ei words); and revise all previously learned homophones. For an overview of our weekly breakdown of our spellings, please view our Term 3 and Term 4 Homework Grid.
In addition to these weekly spelling rules, we will continue to learn and spell words from the Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling list.
For an overview of these spellings, please view the Spelling word list for Year 5 and Year 6.
Following the White Rose Maths scheme, year 6 will cover six main blocks of learning over the course of the spring term: ratio; algebra; decimals; fractions, decimals and percentages; perimeter, area and volume; and statistics. The blocks of learning for ratio and algebra have been moved to earlier in the year to give more time to consolidate these new concepts. As part of the White Rose Maths scheme, each block is broken down into a series of small learning steps. Combined, these small learning steps then cover all the curriculum content your child needs to know in small related chunks.
This term’s small learning steps for each block
| Maths area of learning | Block | Small Learning Steps |
| Number | Ratio | When to add and when to multiply; using ratio language; introduction to the ratio symbol: ratio and fractions: scale drawing; using scale factors similar shapes; ratio problems; proportion problems; and recipes. |
| Number | Algebra | 1-step function machines; 2-step function machines; form expressions; substitution; formulae; form equations; solve 1-step equations; solve 2-step equations; find pairs of values; and solve problems with two unknowns. |
| Number | Decimals | Place value within 1; place value, integers and decimals; round decimals; add and subtract decimals; multiply by 10, 100 and 1,000; divide by 10, 100 and 1,000; multiply decimals by integers; divide decimals by integers; and multiply and divide decimals in context. |
| Number | Fractions, decimals and percentages | Decimal and fraction equivalents; fraction as division; understand percentages; fractions to percentages; equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages; order fractions, decimals and percentages; percentage of an amount, one step; percentage of an amount, multi-step; and percentages, missing values. |
| Measurement | Perimeter, area and volume | Shapes, same area; area and perimeter; area of a triangle, counting squares; area of a right-angled triangle; area of any triangle; area of a parallelogram; volume, counting cubes; and volume of a cuboid. |
| Statistics | Statistics | Line graphs; dual bar charts; read and interpret pie charts; pie charts with percentages; draw pie charts; and the mean. |
One of the most important things for your child to have mastered and maintain is their knowledge of times tables. For an overview of our weekly times tables focus, please view our Term 3 and Term 4 Homework Grid. To complement their work in lessons reinforcing their fluency, recall and commutativity of these timetables, your child will be set a weekly activity to complete as part of their homework on Sumdog.
Our Calculation Policy: addition and subtraction Our Calculation Policy: multiplication and division
This term our topic is “Electrical Circuits and Components”. In the Electrical Circuits and Components project, your child will consolidate their understanding of the components that make up a circuit, such as a lamp, cell, wire and switch. We will make a range of circuits and use symbols to draw circuit diagrams. We will learn about electric currents and measure the voltage of different cells. We will discover how cells produce electricity and research questions about cells and batteries. We will also learn how the voltage across a circuit affects the performance of different components. We will also learn about programmable devices, sensors and monitoring. To conclude, Churchill Class will combine their learning to design and make home security devices. To find out more, view our Electrical Circuits and Components Knowledge Organiser.
Electrical Circuits and Components Lesson Overview
| Lesson | Learning focus |
| 1 | Naming circuit components |
| 2 | Recognised circuit symbols |
| 3 | Recording circuits |
| 4 | Exploring circuit components |
| 5 | Voltage and cells |
| 6 | Researching batteries and cells |
| 7 | Investigating voltage |
| 8 | Programming tasks |
| 9,10 and 11 | Designing and making security home devices |
| 12 | Home device evaluation |
Other helpful documents
Art: Inuit
Linked to our main topic, “Frozen Kingdoms”, our art topic for this term is “Inuit”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the Inuit way of life, including some of their cultural and artistic traditions; printmaking; and carving. This will include creating our own Inuit carving and print. To find out more, view our Inuit Knowledge Organiser.
Design and Technology: Engineering
Over the course of this engineering project, we will learn about remarkable engineers and significant bridges; learn to identify features, such as beams, arches and trusses; strengthening techniques; repetitive design; and building prototypes We will complete a bridge-building engineering challenge to create a bridge prototype. To find out more, view our Engineering Knowledge Organiser.
Following the Purple Mash scheme of learning, our two main computing topics, this term, will be online safety and blogging.
Online Safety
In term 3, we will be focusing upon online safety. We will learn about:
- The benefits and risks of mobile devices broadcasting the location of the user/device.
- Secure sites by looking for privacy seals of approval.
- The benefits and risks of giving personal information.
- The meaning of a digital footprint.
- Appropriate online behaviour.
- How information online can persist.
- The importance of balancing game and screen time with other parts of their lives.
- The positive and negative influences of technology on health and the environment.
To find out more, view our Online Safety Knowledge Organiser.
Blogging
- Over the course of term 4, our work will focus upon blogging. We will learn:
- The purpose of writing a blog.
- The features of a successful blog.
- How to plan the theme and content for a blog.
- How to write a blog and a blog post.
- The effect upon the audience of changing the visual properties of the blog.
- To understand how to contribute to an existing blog.
To find out more, view our Blogging Knowledge Organiser.
Our Religious Education lessons will continue to be based upon our “Love to Celebrate” projects. Basing the “Love to Celebrate” projects around festivals, gives a real-life context to the children’s learning and a structure to the projects. However, the celebration itself is only a small part of each “Love to Celebrate” project. Each set of projects covers all major aspects of each religion including worship, belief, leadership and belonging.
Please view our “World festivals and Celebrations Calendar”.
Term 3: Buddhism – Parinirvana
Parinirvana is celebrated on the 15th of February and commemorates the death of Buddha and his passing into Nirvana.
Over the course of the term, we learn about Buddhists’ beliefs surrounding Parinirvana. During Parinirvana, Buddhists share the story of Buddha’s death and think about their own lives. A key teaching of Buddhism is that everything is impermanent so many Buddhists think about changes in their lives, their own deaths and rebirth into a different life. Many Buddhists also think about loved ones who have recently died. Buddhists may also visit temples to share food and give gifts to the monks during Parinirvana.
The key themes we will consider and examine are: Buddha’s death; life after death; memorials and monuments; rebirth; and change.
For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Parinirvana Glossary“.
Term 4 Islam – Laila al Miraj
Lailat al Miraj celebrates the story of Muhammad’s Night Journey. The angel Jibreel (Gabriel) is said to have visited Muhammad while he slept near the Kabah in Mecca and taken him on a 666-mile journey to the farthest mosque, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, on the back of a winged creature called Buraq. When he reached Jerusalem, Muhammad is said to have ascended into heaven, prayed with the prophets including Isa (Jesus) and Ibrahim (Abraham), and met with Allah. Allah gave Muhammad the instruction that all Muslims should pray five times a day, which is Salat, one of The Five Pillars of Islam. Muhammad travelled back to Mecca on Buraq that same night and began to tell others of his Night Journey. The Night Journey is celebrated by Muslims around the world. During the celebrations, the story is retold, special prayers are said and sweets and refreshments are shared.
The key themes we will consider and examine are: Taking a journey; exploring faith; Muhammad’s journey; sacred stories; and faith.
For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Laila al Miraj Glossary”.
Over the course of term 3 and 4, we will continue to follow our Jigsaw PSHE scheme of learning. Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE is a progressive and spiral scheme of learning. In planning the lessons, Jigsaw PSHE ensures that learning from previous years is revisited and extended, adding new concepts, knowledge and skills, year on year as appropriate.
For more information regarding the knowledge and skills progression, please view the Jigsaw Knowledge Skills and Progression Document for ages 10-11.
Term 3: Dreams and Goals
In this Puzzle, we will talk about our own strengths and stretch ourselves by setting challenging and realistic goals. We will discuss the learning steps we’ll need to take as well as talking about how to stay motivated. We will explore various global issues and explore places where people may be suffering or living in difficult situations – whilst reflecting on our own emotions linked to this learning. We will also talk about what we think our classmates like and admire about us as well as working on giving praise and compliments to others.
Term 4: Healthy Me
In this Puzzle, we will discuss taking responsibility for our own physical and emotional health and the choices linked to this. We will talk about different types of drugs and the effects these can have on our bodies. The class will discuss exploitation as well as gang culture and the associated risks. We will also talk about mental health / illness and how people have different attitudes towards this. We will learn to recognise the triggers for and feelings of being stressed and that there are strategies we can use when we are feeling stressed.
Following the GetSet4PE scheme of learning, our Physical Education (PE) lessons for term 3 will focus on multiskills and gymnastics. Our PE lessons for term 4 will focus on netball and tennis. Our PE lessons will be on Tuesdays and Friday; children can wear their PE into school on both of these days.
Multiskills
Throughout our multiskills lessons, we will develop an awareness of what our body is capable of; develop speed and stamina; develop strength using our own body weight; develop co-ordination through skipping; perform actions that develop agility; and develop control whilst balancing.
Gymnastics
During our gymnastics lessons, we will develop the straddle, forward and backward roll; develop counter balance and counter tension; perform inverted movements with control; perform the progressions of a headstand and a cartwheel; use flight from hands to travel over apparatus; and create a group sequence using formations and apparatus.
Netball
Throughout our netball unit, we will develop defending and attacking play during even-sided 5-a-side netball. We will learn to use a range of different passes to keep possession and attack towards a goal. We will be encouraging Churchill Class to work collaboratively to think about how to use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. Pupils will start to show control and fluency when passing, receiving and shooting the ball. Also, we will learn key rules of the game such as footwork, held ball, contact and obstruction.
Tennis
In this unit pupils develop their racket skills when playing tennis. We will learn specific skills such as a forehand, backhand, volley and underarm serve. Pupils develop their tactical awareness including how to play with a partner and against another pair. Churchill Class will be encouraged to show respect for their team-mates, as well as their opponents, when self-managing games. Pupils are also given opportunities to reflect on their own and other’s performances and identify areas to improve.
To find out more, view our GetSet4PE Knowledge Organisers
Term 3: “Happy”, a pop song by Pharrell Williams
All the learning in this unit is focused around one song: “Happy”- a pop song by Pharrell Williams
Term 4: “You’ve Got A Friend” by Carole King
All the learning in this unit is focused around one song: “You’ve Got A Friend” – a song about friendship by Carole King.
Following the Charanga Musical School scheme of learning, these units are organised into 3 main parts:
- Listen and Appraise the songs.
- Musical Activities – learn and/or build on our knowledge and understanding about the interrelated dimensions of music.
- Perform the Song – perform and share our learning as we progress through the unit of work.
For more information, please view our Charanga musical school year 6 knowledge organisers
We are delighted to continue our French lessons with Mrs Cackett, our resident native French speaker.
Over the course of the spring term, we will be thinking about two main topics: birthdays and food.
Term 3: Birthdays
Throughout this topic, we will revise and learn numbers 1-100. We will also revisit and consolidate: the days of the week; months of the year; and colours.
Term 4: Food
During this topic, we will learn the vocabulary for lots of different types of food. We will also learn how to order food in a restaurant. In addition, we will learn about directions.