Year 6

History

We recapped on our knowledge of WWll from last year, before starting our new topic on Post-WWll. We are beginning by thinking about how people’s lives changed after the war and the effects it had on families in our area of Smethwick particularly. 

Art

We designed our own animal patterns and stencils for screen printing. 

Maths

We used Numicon and counters to show fractions and understand how we can multiply fractions by whole numbers. We then moved on to showing this pictorially before working out calculations. 

Design Technology

We found out the significance of Dream Catchers to Native Americans and then explored the features of different types. We then began to design our own version before making one. 

We explored patterns used in Native American art work and practised our own. We chose different animals, which were important to the Native Americans, and practised drawing those from observation. 

English

We have been reading and exploring the poem ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe. It was written in 1845 and, therefore, contains many old-English words which are not in use today. We have discussed the mood of the poem, its meaning and the poet’s use of figurative language for effect. We also watched The Simpsons version which helped to develop our understanding of the poem. And yesterday, we were treated to a new pop-up book of The Raven - which we love!

RE

We have been learning about different religious buildings

Maths

In Maths, we have been using bar models to help us solve word problems. We then use formal written methods to add and subtract our numbers. 

Science

We have been learning about Electricity and investigating different types of circuits. We tested different circuits to find out how changing the voltage and number of components alters the brightness of a bulb or the loudness of a buzzer. 

English

In English, we made links to our Thematic learning while reading ‘The Secret of the White Buffalo’ which is a Native American tale. We made predictions and then wrote letters (as Blue Cloud) explaining to the villagers how to use the special pipe to help them work together in harmony. 

Thematic

Stars and Stripes - We have been learning all about North America and the Grand Canyon. 

Art Week

We started the term off by exploring the artwork of Banksy. Banksy is an anonymous street artist whose distinctive art and political messages combine dark humour with graffiti executed using a stenciling technique.