Year 6 News 2021-2022
Roald Dahl - Great Mouse Plot
Year 6 have enjoyed reading Roald Dahl’s Great Mouse Plot this week. After looking at it together and talking about the use of commas, the children read it in groups, ensuring that they took notice of the punctuation. After summarising the chapter together, they then prepared a role play. When performed for the rest of the class, each role play had a unique (and often entertaining) flavour to it.
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Beach School
Year 6 have recently enjoyed two interesting and beautiful visits to Thurstaston beach as part of their Beach School studies. Mrs Gardener showed the children how to tell the direction of the tide and explained about the connection between the phases of the moon and the tides. The children also learnt about Spring and Neap tides. The children were very surprised by how quickly the tide came in; this enabled them to fully appreciate the importance of understanding and observing the tides for their own safety.
The children learnt how to make a reef knot which they used to make a tripod shape with sticks.
In R.E., the children are learning about Thin Places, so the children were encouraged to find a quiet place on the beach and to really look at their surroundings and to let their minds become free. Living in a busy and noise-filled world, they also spent some time listening to the natural sounds around them.
A turning the tarpaulin over game and stone skimming finished off the sessions.
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Special Visit for Past Avalon Pupils
As the Year 6 children are now in their final term of primary school and are preparing for their transition to secondary school, three of our former students, who are now in Year 7, visited this week, to pass on some first-hand knowledge and top tips. The three Year 7 children shared their insights on a great range of topics such as: their favourite school meals; science experiments on burning biscuits; how to make sure that you have the correct books in school; and how to seek help. (We even learnt how to say ‘pets’ in Russian – an enormously long word!) All three students demonstrated how they have adapted to and are enjoying, secondary school, taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to them.
The three ambassadors spoke with confidence, enthusiasm, sensitivity and humour, making the adults present so proud of them. The Year 6 children listened and responded with great interest, all agreeing that the transition sessions were really helpful.
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Malorie Blackman - Cloud Busting
Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed reading Malorie Blackman’s Cloud Busting this term, a book written in verse. They have been very creative (and colourful) using Malorie Blackman’s models to explore different poetic forms.
In groups, the children created an extended simile poem, starting off with small comparisons getting bigger and bigger. Next the children researched and then wrote their own beautifully descriptive Haikus. The children then had fun finding Limericks and reading them to the class before writing their own. Again inspired by Blackman’s model, we learnt about Shape (Concrete) poems and the Year 6’s then completed an extended homework task creating their own Shape poem; there were many artistic and imaginative results. The last poem in Malorie’s book has the affirming and joyful title: Isn’t Life Wonderful. The children’s poems in response were positive, optimistic and full of imagination and wonderful words. Sharing their poems and peer assessing them have been activities that the children have pursued with pleasure and sensitivity.
The themes of Cloud Busting are wide-ranging covering the topics of bullying, being different, making mistake and, acceptance of yourself and others and having an original outlook on life. We enjoyed many significant and thoughtful conversations.
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Scaling Maps
Following on from scaling shapes yesterday, today we were using scales on maps. The one we used was 5cm to 100km
This meant that
5cm = 100km
10cm = 200km
1cm = 20km
2cm = 40km etc.
We used this scale to then calculate the approximate distance between 2 cities. We started with Preston to Blackpool which, on the map, was about 1cm. This, we then calculated, was approximately 20km in real life. In actual fact, the distance from Preston to Blackpool was around 28km. We discussed why our estimate was different to the actual. Some of the children came up with some great ideas.
- Perhaps, our measurements might not have been precise.
- We are measuring from dot to dot on a map and the actual distance markers in real life might be at different places within the town / city
- The one we searched up was a driving distance and might have used roads which are not straight.
The truth is, it could have been any of these, but we were very excited to find out when our calculations were close.
We then picked any 2 places on the map then measured the distance between them to the nearest ½ cm. We then thought "If 1cm = 20km, what is ½ cm"?
We then convert it to km using the scale then used the Ipads to find the actual distance. It was a good lesson with lots of interactive learning and exploring happening.
First Aid Club
This week in First Aid club, the children were learning how to carry out CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). The children were faced with a scenario where the 'casualty' was unresponsive and then they carried out a 'primary survey.' This involves making sure there is no immediate danger to themselves, calling for help, sending someone else to call for an ambulance and getting the defibrillator, should there be one available. The children then took it in turns to perform CPR on the casualty (a cushion with a plastic bottle inside!) to the tune of 'Staying Alive,' beautifully sung by all! The skills the children are learning are lifelong and we are extremely grateful to Dr Perry for teaching such valuable lessons.
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African Food & Snacks
Year 6 have been thoroughly enjoying their topic on African food this half term. They have learnt about the different fruits and vegetables that we have in our own supermarkets and houses that are grown in Africa. They have researched the variety of cooking techniques that are used in Africa such as roasting and boiling. However, the part they have most enjoyed (or not in some cases) is the making and tasting.
So far, Year 6 have tasted some fruits and vegetables that are grown in Africa such as sweet potato, butternut squash and pomegranates as well as mixing together honey, lemon and cinnamon with fresh apples and dried bananas to create an African snack to taste. We had a variety of opinions on this snack but the majority thought it was very tasty.
Our final part of the cooking section of this topic is an African cooking lesson on Thursday. Year 6 are really looking forward to this!
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Gymnastics
Last week, what started off as a gymnastics lesson on matching shapes and movements with a partner, ended up with a synchronised whole class movement.
Having talked through, practised and demonstrated their coordinated movements with their partners, the children wanted to see if they would work in a group. The sequences were agreed and they looked great. So then, the children wanted to see if the whole class could join together in one synchronised movement. Working as a class, with minimal adult input, they decided what they would do and how they would do it. It turned out to be a beautifully executed movement in the shape of a 6.
The children cooperated with each other working out how to ensure that ideas were heard and considered; each child found their role in the activity – some emerged as leaders, some were encouragers, some simply listened carefully while others helped to move the mats. The Year 6 children learnt much about working as a team, contributing their ideas and skills and experiencing the thrill of performing their own creation.
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Animal Stuffed Toys
Throughout this half term, Year 6 have been completing a project to design and make a soft toy based on an animal from Europe. To begin with, the children completed some research and chose the animal that they would like to make into a toy. They then drew the animal, so they could see the outline shape and any details that they would need to include. Next, using felt, year 6 cut out any details such as eyes, noses, mouths, stripes etc. As well as the main outline of their animal x2 (one for the front and one for the back). They glued their details onto their animals so now they were ready to sew. Firstly, we had a practise lesson to understand what type of stitch they wanted to include. The children learnt a running stitch and some had a go at a blanket stitch. Finally, they stitched around the edge of the animals, stopping to put in some stuffing, then finishing off to complete their soft toys. I am extremely impressed with the perseverance, skills and determination of year 6 and very proud of what each individual has achieved. Well done!
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Lets Share to Show We Care
In the preparations for their presentation for Share to Show We Care, Year 6 have shown a great depth of understanding and empathy for the issue of extreme child poverty in the developing world.
The Year 6 performance on Friday was directed by EB and JS, who led with sensitivity and were clear and fair in their decision making.
The children delivered their thoughts and hopes on poverty and its solutions with originality and to great effect.
They read some factual information out with clarity, performed a thought-provoking poem entitled Hunger Pains and sang beautifully the emotive Tears are not enough, a supergroup Canadian single from 1985.
The performance was delivered in an informal environment with the children standing around the parent audience.
Click on the link for the Year 6 Gallery.
Creating Blitz Silhouette Pictures
Year 6 have been enjoying their cross-curricular work on World War II for the last few weeks of half term. In their final session of art, they created beautiful Blitz Silhouette pictures. Firstly, they used pastels to form their brightly coloured backgrounds. Understanding that the colours are to represent fire, the children used reds, oranges, pinks, purples and yellow to form layers that blend together. Then, using black paper, they drew and cut out their silhouettes of buildings to glue onto the bright background. We learnt that silhouettes pictures are amazing as they show a big contrast between the bright background and the dark silhouette (usually something with a deep meaning such as the war).
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Studying the Book "Friend or Foe" in History
The Year 6 classroom and landing were taken over by a bus load of World War 2 evacuees, volunteers from the village in Devon, and foster families ready to provide a safe home away from the bombing. They were, in fact, re-enacting part of our class reading book – Friend or Foe – which we are reading to complement their History topic on World War 2. Director of the re-enactment – AR – was able to make insightful suggestions to the sleepy, and homesick, evacuees; the busy ladies who were providing soup and hot cocoa and the rather nervous (and choosey) foster parents.
The children worked together brilliantly, getting into their roles effectively and empathetically and developing a deeper understanding of what the evacuation experience might have been like.
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School and Eco Council Elections
The Year 6 children who stood for election to the School and Eco Councils last week, were really enthusiastic, knowledgeable and persuasive. Congratulations to all the candidates who showed a desire to contribute to school and community life. The voting, which was done by secret ballot, resulted in an extraordinarily close results.
The School Council candidates were: ML, the listener; EB for fairness; RW for enjoying school life; SM for fun and food; and JP for making the world a better place. This term, Year 6 will be represented by JP and EB.
The Eco Committee candidates were: Eco EB; LM for healthy, happy and eco; AR to help the animals; ML for eco environment; and Recycling RW. This term, Year 6 representatives on the Eco Council are: LM and AR.
Congratulations and thank you to all the candidates who showed a desire to contribute to school and community life.
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The Circulatory System in Science
As part of their science topic of the circulatory system, Year 6 were learning all about the heart this week.
They labelled the major chambers, valves and blood vessels of the heart.
They then had a go at making their own hearts out of playdough.Year 6 did a fantastic job and they were very enthusiastic throughout the whole lesson. Well done Year 6!
Click on the link for the Year 6 Gallery.
