This term, our topic is “Britain at War”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the main causes of the First World War and which countries were the major players. We will investigate why so many men volunteered to fight and then sequence the events at the start of the war. Using various sources of evidence, we will learn about life in the trenches and the consequences of new weaponry. We will listen to first-hand accounts of life on the home front and evaluate the impact of war on everyday life. Also, we will discover the events that led to the Allied Powers’ victory and the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, we will learn about the causes and main events of the Second World War. We will find out how Britain prepared itself for war and the war’s impact on civilian life. We will learn about the Battle of Britain and how it proved to be a key turning point for the Allied Powers. We will also hear about Anne Frank and discover what her story tells us about the treatment of Jewish people by the Nazi Party. We will research the causes and consequences of the end of the Second World War and investigate the legacy of the wars in Britain. Closer to home, the children will research the life of a local First World War hero who sacrificed their life fighting for Britain. They will also investigate the legacy of these global conflicts in the post-war period. To find out more, view our Britain at War 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 and use maps to consider the warring nations.
In relation to both the First and Second World Wars from a historical perspective, we will learn about the causes; warring nations; weaponry, warfare and technology; key events and battles; impact on citizens and everyday life; significant leaders; end of war; local history study; and post-war Britain.
Reading
Our Class Text and Comprehension
In term 5 and 6, our reading comprehension lessons will be based upon our class text, “Goodnight Mr Tom” by Michelle Magorian. The story is set just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Willie Beech, a thin, withdrawn eight-year-old boy, is evacuated from London. He is placed with a gruff widower called Tom Oakley, who has been a recluse since the death of his wife and child 40 years earlier. Tom is horrified by the abuse Willie has experienced. With quiet authority, patience and sensitivity, Tom takes care of Willie and a bond develops between them. Gradually, Willie’s physical and emotional scars begin to heal.
To find out more about this text, view our Goodnight Mister Tom 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 and creating a persuasive wartime poster, a historical narrative incorporating flashbacks, a nonet poem and a non-chronological report.
Firstly, we will create a persuasive wartime poster. Creating persuasive posters gives children the opportunity to write concisely and to select precise vocabulary. After analysing a range of First and Second World War posters, we will write a poster for the War Office, choosing a key aspect of the war effort, such as recruitment, the “Make Do and Mend” campaign or blackout rules. We will assess our posters after writing to ensure they have used persuasive vocabulary and impactful images.
We will also write a historical narrative incorporating flashbacks. Writing a historical narrative with flashbacks allows the children to manipulate the time and settings of a story. We will aim to link paragraphs with cohesive devices and contrast the settings, characters and atmosphere of the present with those of the past. Integrating dialogue will bring the characters to life and move the plot forwards. A variety of verb forms and punctuation will add clarity and emphasis. Also, we will proofread the text to check their spelling and punctuation.
In addition, we will use our historical knowledge of the First or Second World Wars to wrote a nonet. Creating nonets encourages children to use dictionaries and thesauri as they look for specific vocabulary to fit the syllable count. Including figurative language, particularly imagery, helps them focus on their senses as they create new and interesting descriptions. Children could assess the effectiveness of their poems, make edits and improvements, then perform them using appropriate intonation, volume and movement.
Furthermore, we will write a non-chronological report about World War Two. Writing non-chronological reports enables children to use a range of layout devices, such as subheadings, bullet points and tables. We will choose one of the areas of study from our topic lessons to research in more detail before planning and writing our own non-chronological reports.
Grammar,Punctuation and Spelling
Punctuation
This term, we will learn to use bullet points where appropriate; revise the use of the apostrophe; make decisions about punctuation, sometimes including dash, semi-colon and colon; and discuss, highlight and analyse the range of punctuation in texts.
Grammar
This term, we will revise word class, including pronouns, prepositions and determiners; strengthen and improve verbs in writing; write formal and informal sentences, selecting conjunctions and cohesive devices to suit level of formality; and compare sentences in the simple past with the perfect past verb form.
Spellings
During our spelling lessons in term 5, we will investigate prefixes, suffixes, root words and their meanings; learn about words with the “s” sound spelt “sc”; we will also learn about words ending in “ant,” “ance.” “ancy,” “ent,” “ence” and “ency”; and we will practise and check any problematic homophones from Y5-6 Spelling Appendix.
In term 6, we will use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words; and know when and when not to use an apostrophe for possession in given examples.
For an overview of our weekly breakdown of our spellings, please view our Term 5 and Term 6 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 |
| Geometry | Shape | Measure and classify angles; calculate angles; vertically opposite angles; angles in a triangle; angles in a triangle – special cases; angles in a triangle – missing angles; angles in a quadrilateral; angles in polygons; circles; draw shapes accurately; and nets of 3-D shapes. |
| Geometry | Position and Direction | 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, Geometry, Measure and Statistics | Revision and consolidation | Themed projects, consolidation and problem solving. |
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 5 and Term 6 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 “Light Theory”. In this project, your child will create a mind map to recap their prior learning about light sources, reflectors, day and night, sun safety and shadows. They will observe how light travels in straight lines. They will use their research skills to discover what happens to light when it enters the eye and how this relates to how we see. They will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, finding out about visible light in detail. They will investigate how we perceive colour, learning that the stimulation of cells in the eye helps us perceive light, dark and colour. Using a torch for a light source, they will explore how shadows change, including their shape, size and how they become distorted. They will discuss what happens to light when it strikes a surface, learning about absorption, reflection, scattering and transmitted light. They will use different mirrors, including plane, concave and convex, to explore how they affect reflections. They will use a light meter to measure light and will observe refraction, and ask and answer scientific questions about the phenomena. To find out more, view our Light Theory Knowledge Organiser.
Light Theory Lesson Overview
| Lesson | Learning focus |
| 1 | Light facts – Breadth and depth |
| 2 | How does light travel? |
| 3 | How do we see? |
| 4 | Visible light |
| 5 | Colour perception – Breadth and depth |
| 6 | Shadows |
| 7 | Reflections |
| 8 | Measuring Light |
| 9 | Refraction – Breadth and Depth |
| 10, 11,12 | Let’s investigate light: focus – planning and carrying out. |
Other helpful documents
Art: Distortion and Abstraction
Our art topic for this term is “Distortion and Abstraction”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the concepts of abstraction and distortion. We will study the visual characteristics of abstraction and create a musically-inspired, abstract painting. To find out more, view our Distortion and Abstraction Knowledge Organiser.
Design and Technology: Make Do and Mend
Linked to our main topic, “Britain at War”, our Design and Technology topic for this term is “Make Do and Mend”. Over the course of this textile project, we will learn about a range of simple sewing stitches, including ways of recycling and repurposing old clothes and materials. To find out more, view our Make Do and Mend Knowledge Organiser.
Following the Purple Mash scheme of learning, our two main computing topics, this term, will be text adventures and blogging.
Text Adventures
In term 5, we will be focusing upon text adventures. We will learn about:
- What is a Text Adventure? Planning a Story Adventure
- Making a Story-based Adventure Game
- Introducing Map-Based Text Adventures
- Coding a Map-Based Text Adventure
To find out more, view our Text Adventure Knowledge Organiser.
Quizzing
Over the course of term 6, our work will focus upon quizzing. We will learn:
- To create a picture-based quiz for young children.
- How to use the question types within 2Quiz..
- To explore the grammar quizzes.
- To make a quiz that requires the player to search a database.
- To make a quiz to test your teachers or parents..
To find out more, view our Quizzing 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 5: Hinduism - Kumbh Mela
The Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of people on Earth. Four Kumbh Mela pilgrimages take place at four sacred sites, Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain, over a period of 12 years.
Washing in holy river water is at the centre of the Kumbh Mela as Hindus believe this cleanses them of bad karma. The 2013 Kumbh Mela, held at Allahabad on the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges Rivers, attracted around 120 million pilgrims, nearly twice the population of the UK.
The key themes we will consider and examine are: Exploring devotion; pilgrimage; birth and rebirth; life of a Naga Sadhu; and devotion. For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Kumbh Mela Glossary”.
Term 6 Christianity - Sunday
In most Western countries, Sunday is part of the weekend and most Christians see it as a day of worship and rest. Practising Christians worship in many different ways and have different traditions but most will go to church, sing hymns, listen to Bible readings, say prayers and spend time together. Worshippers from other faiths and cultures also celebrate holy days, but at different time of the week. Friday is a day for Muslims to gather in the mosque for prayers and Saturday (Shabbat) is a day of rest for Jewish people.
The key themes we will consider and examine are: Is Sunday a special day? Thinking about worship; significant days; religious affiliation in the UK; and worship. For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Sunday Glossary”.
Term 6 Christianity - Sunday
In most Western countries, Sunday is part of the weekend and most Christians see it as a day of worship and rest. Practising Christians worship in many different ways and have different traditions but most will go to church, sign hymns, listen to Bible readings, say prayers and spend time together. Worshippers from other faiths and cultures also celebrate holy days, but at different time of the week. Friday is a day for Muslims to gather in the mosque for prayers and Saturday (Shabbat) is a day of rest for Jewish people.
The key themes we will consider and examine are: Is Sunday a special day? Thinking about worship; significant days; religious affiliation in the UK;and worship. For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Sunday Glossary”.
Over the course of term 5 and 6, 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 5: Relationships
In this Puzzle, we will learn more about mental health and how to take care of our own mental well-being. We will explore the grief cycle and its various stages, and discuss the different causes of grief and loss. We will also learn about people who can try to control us or have power over us. We will investigate online safety, learning how to judge if something is safe and helpful, as well as talking about communicating with friends and family in a positive and safe way.
Term 4: Changing Me
In this Puzzle, we will learn about puberty in boys and girls and the changes that will happen; we will reflect on how they feel about these changes. The children will also learn about childbirth and the stages of development of a baby, starting at conception. They will explore what it means to be be physically attracted to someone and the effect this can have upon the relationship. They will learn about different relationships and the importance of mutual respect and not pressuring/being pressured into doing something that they don’t want to. The children will also learn about self-esteem, why it is important and ways to develop it. Finally, they will look at the transition to secondary school (or next class) and what they are looking forward to/are worried about and how they can prepare themselves mentally.
Following the GetSet4PE scheme of learning, our Physical Education (PE) lessons for term 5 will focus on athletics and cricket. Our PE lessons for term 6 will focus on athletics and rounders. Our PE lessons will be on Tuesdays and Friday; children can wear their PE into school on both of these days.
Athletics
Throughout our athletics lessons, we will complete challenges for distance and time that involve using different styles and combinations of running, jumping and throwing. As in all athletic activities, pupils think about how to achieve their greatest possible speed, distance or accuracy and learn how to persevere to achieve their personal best. We will learn how to improve by identifying areas of strength as well as areas to develop. Over the course of this unit, we will take part in the following athletic activities: long distance running, sprinting, triple jump, discus and shot put.
Cricket
During our cricket lessons, we will develop the range and quality of striking and fielding skills and their understanding of cricket. We will learn how to play the different roles of bowler, wicket keeper, fielder and batter. In all games activities, pupils have to think about how they use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. In cricket, pupils will achieve this by striking a ball and trying to avoid fielders, so that they can run between wickets to score runs. Churchill Class will be given opportunities to work in collaboration with others, play fairly demonstrating an understanding of the rules, as well as being respectful of the people they play with and against.
Rounders
Throughout our rounders unit, we will develop the quality and consistency of their fielding skills and understanding of when to use them such as throwing underarm and overarm, catching and retrieving a ball. We will learn how to play the different roles of bowler, backstop, fielder and batter and to apply tactics in these positions. In all games activities, pupils have to think about how they use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. Pupils work with a partner and group to organise and self-manage their own games. Pupils play with honesty and fair play when playing competitively.
To find out more, view our GetSet4PE Knowledge Organisers
Term 5: Music and Me
Music and Me is the first in a series of units focusing on inspirational women working in music, and part of Brighter Sound’s pioneering gender equality initiative Both Sides Now. Throughout this series, we will explore the concept of ‘identity’ – the various elements that shape us. In this unit, we start with gender, with reference to social and cultural differences. They will be invited to try out different ways of making their own music, while exploring the work of some of the most influential women in music over the last 100 years.
Term 6: Year 6 End of Year Production
All the learning in this term is focused around our end of term production.
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 summer term, we will be thinking about two main topics: seasons and exploring
Term 5: Seasons
Throughout this topic, we will learn the French vocabulary for seasons, weather, events in different seasons, hobbies in different seasons and UK weather
Term 6: Exploring
During this topic, we will learn the vocabulary for places in a town, transport and direction.