Autumn Term - Week 15:

The final week of term started with a fantastic Maths puzzle that the children carried out.  Based on the theme of Christmas, the children worked through a worked example of a logic puzzle.   They then used this knowledge of how to work logically to solve their own puzzle which was similar.  They then had the task of writing thei own logic puzzle, giving the reader clues to their answers.  The children really enjoyed this activity and a copy of this can be found in the images below to wo out yourselves over the Christmas period.

During the afternoon, the children watched a pantomime paid for by the recent fundraising efforts of the parents and the Friends of Willington Primary School. Mother Goose was enjoyed by all the children, and adults, and lots of laughs were had by all.

On Tuesday afternoon, the children watched a heartwarming Christmas advert based on the Spanish Lottery.  As part of their Whole Class Reading session, they had to predict events from the short film and make inferences about the main characters and the reactions to the events.  The children were really moved by the ending of the advert - some even brought to tears!  A link to the advert can be found below.  It really is well worth a watch!

Autumn Term - Week 14:

On Monday, the children performed the Key Stage 2 Christmas Carol concert.  It was lovely to hear the children sing so many Christmas songs and carols, including their very own rendition of 'Merry Christmas' with the Year 5 children.  Many thanks to all those families who were able to attend and also to those who were able to stay afterwards for mulled wine and mince pies.

This week, the children have been designing their Christmas cards and calendars.  For their cards, the children used a pastels and watercolours to create a mixed media card based on a Christms tree and bauble design.  As part of the children's Maths work, they created geometric shapes and patterns using compasses for their calendars.  The children really enjoyed this artwork and are looking forward to carrying out more of this work later in the year.

At the end of the week, the children were treated to an amazing Christmas dinner from Mrs Love and her fantastic catering team.  Officers Bob and Phil came to join us for lunch but unfortunately had a problem with their police car.  Upon arrival at school, they got a flat tyre.  As the photos show, Mr Rodgers tried his hardest to pump the tyre up with his portable tyre pump but to no avail.  The Year 6 class and Miss Pritchard then tried to push the police car to safety but it didn’t want to move.  At least the officers had a fantastic meal before their recovery vehicle collected them!

Autumn Term - Week 13:

This week, we have been looking at the Sainsbury’s Christmas advert from 2014 as part of our work in English. It showed a short film of ‘The Christmas Truce’ on the front line during World War One.  We discussed the conditions that the soldiers faced being in the trenches and the events which unfolded between the German and British frontlines.  The children then began to write their own character and setting descriptions based on the film, focusing on the two main characters from each side - Jim and Otto. We will finish writing these next week and share these on this page.

Rehearsals are now well underway for the Key Stage Two Christmas concert which will be held on Monday afternoon and evening. Please use the link on the Parenthub message sent out this week to book tickets to watch the concert.

In Science, the children have been learning about ‘Healthy Habits’. They discussed the importance of a balanced diet containing the five major food groups, as well as the need to have some fats in their diet. The children also learned about the need to have a good night’s sleep each night and the need to go to bed at regular times each evening too. They also discussed the need for daily exercise but also not to excessively focus on any of these features of a healthy lifestyle - the balance was important.  The children have begun to create double-page spreads about this learning which they will complete next week.

Autumn Term- Week 12:

The children have worked really hard all week with their autumn term assessments and should all be very proud of their achievements during the week.

On Tuesday, Officers Bob and Phil popped into school to talk to the children about issues with speeding drivers in the village. They showed the children the technology the police use to monitor the speed of drivers as they drive through the village.  Two children were then chosen to try out the equipment and to measure the speed of the cars driving past the school at the end of the afternoon. The children really enjoyed the experience and a huge thank you must be given to the Mercia Safer Neighbourhood Team for their continued support and the links that they have made with the school over the past few years.

On Wednesday afternoon, the education officer from Swadlincote Fire Station came to visit the class to discuss the dangers of fire and how important it is to have fire plans and test smoke alarms regularly within their homes. The children took home information about what they had learned in order to discuss this further with their parents and carers.

On Friday, it was the school Christmas Fayre. Throughout the week, the children created their own stalls with help from the Year 5 class. They did a superb job with these, with £311 being raised from their stalls alone. Many thanks for all those who came and supported the event.

Autumn term - Week 11:

This week started with an afternoon of sport.  Rosie started the morning off with a fabulous gymnastics session where the children were able to plan a sequence of balances on low apparatus.  Following this, the children were able to watch the England World Cup game live.  The children really enjoyed themselves, especially when they scored the goals!

On Thursday afternoon, Officer Bob and Officer Clare visited the class to talk about the opportunity of joining the Police Cadets.  Derbyshire Police Cadets will very soon be recruiting new members and so are looking for children aged between 10 and 17 to join.  Further information can be found at the link below:

Autumn Term - Week 10:

This week, the children have been studying an incredible short animation called The Piano.  It is based on a gentleman who plays the piano and has memories of his life.  The children particularly enjoyed the flashback narrative and enjoyed predicting the different parts of the story too.  The children focused on using varied sentence types and precise language to create emotion based on the character's feelings.  They are all really proud of their pieces of work and some of these pieces of writing can be found below.

In Computing, the children have continued to enjoy creating their computer games using Scratch.  They used score variables to include in their algorithm to make the game more competitive.  As part of their Digital Literacy learning, the children have watched two videos this week about keeping safe online and some of the dangers of using social media.  The links to the videos can be found below so parents and carers can discuss these further with their children.

Finally, this week has been Anti-Bullying Week.  The children watched a live lesson from the BBC about the importance of reaching out to others if they find themselves, or see others being bullied.  We will continue to discuss both the issue of being kind to others, and online safety, throughout the year.

Autumn term - Week 9:

Over the past two weeks, we have been writing remembrance poems based on the poem ‘We Remember’ written for the Royal British Legion by Laura Mucha. We used vocabulary which we have learnt in our World War Two topic and created our own verses about the reasons why it is important to remember those who have fallen in conflicts throughout the years.  At 10:45am on Friday 11th November, the Year 6 House Captains joined members of the WI and other villagers to take part in an small act of remembrance next to the station where the children read out some of their poems and laid a wreath in honour of those fallen.  It was a very moving ceremony and it was lovely to see so many people join us, and for the children to gain such an understanding of the meaning of remembrance.

Autumn term - Week 8

The children in Year 6 enjoyed their half term and have all now caught up on their sleep after a fun but exhausting time away on residential at Lea Green before half term. This week, the children have begun their new Maths topic on fractions. They have been converting fractions and ordering them by ensuring they have the correct denominators, and have also carried out many challenges involving fractions. One of these was to calculate the shaded areas of squares and trying to justify their ideas behind these. The children found this really challenging, but really enjoyed this and great debate was had into explaining the value of different parts of the square.  We found that using manipulatives were really useful for supporting us with our understanding with our fraction work.

In English, the children have been finishing writing their remembrance poems.  They have begun to decorate these and we will share them next Friday on the website as part of our remembrance commemorations.  Also in English, the children have begun to carry out a narrative unit based on the short animation of ‘The Piano’.  They spent three days making predictions and analysing the film, focusing on the music, emotions of the characters and thinking about what may happen next in the film.  Superb vocabulary was gained from the discussion and the children wer devastated when the lessons had to end for breaktime!

In computing, the children have begun to make their own algorithms using Scratch on the internet to create their own computer programs.  They discussed what made a successful computer game and will now look at making their own games over the next term.

In preparation for Remembrance Day next week, the House Captains have started selling poppies and accessories from the Royal British Legion. These items will be on sale until next Friday.

Autumn Term - Week 7:

This week, the children in Year 6 have all been on their residential trip to Lea Green.  They all had a fantastic time and undertook many challenges ranging from high ropes courses, zip lines, stream walks, obstacle courses and indoor traversing.  The children really enjoyed their meals, with many children stating that the food was 'Epic!'  The children should be very proud of their manners that they showed throughout the three days and the help that they gave to each other whilst they were away from home.  Below are some of the photos from their residential visit.  We hope yo ulike them!

Autumn Term - Week 6:

This week began by continuing our work on World War Two.  The children learned how the inventor of the bouncing bomb, used by Squadron 617 (otherwise known as The Dambusters), lived in the town of Ripley near Derby.  The children had the opportunity to have a virtual tour of the aeroplane which was similar to one which the squadron used - that of the Lancaster Bomber - by using the link below.  The children really enjoyed exploring the plane and were amazed with how many buttons and dials were on this in order for it to take off!

The children then wrote about how the Dambusters had links to Derbyshire: through Barnes Wallis who lived in Ripley (the inventor of the bouncing bomb,) and the fact that the 617 Squadron did some of their training flying through the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire.  The children were really interested with some of the research that they found out and worte come really interesting reports on this subject.

In Maths, the children have begun to learn long divison.  Before starting this mini-topic, a lot of the children were quite concenred about how complicated this was going to be.  However, after only 45 minutes of teaching, most of the children really enjoyed the method, with some even saying how it was easier than the short method of division!

Autumn Term - Week 5:

This week, we started with a really fun and energetic PE lesson outside with Rosie.  She taught the children strategies to move tactically up the court whilst passing the ball on the netball court.  The children then played games on the two netball courts, with them playing in actual positions for the first time too.

In English this week, we have been focusing on writing informal letters.  We looked at the structure of an informal letter and discussed the key features of these in pairs.  Following this, the children planned and then wrote our own informal letter imagining that they were evacuees who had spent their first night away from home and were writing back to their parents.  The children based their letters on the knowledge they have gained through our World War 2 topic so far, as well as the information from their class text, Carrie's War.

In Maths, we have been investigating numbers.  We firstly looked at different divisibility rules and enjoyed explaining to each other whether any number up to 1,000,000 was divisible by any other number between 1 and 12.  We then investigated prime numbers using our knowledge of divisibility rules.  The children particularly enjoyed recognising patterns of numbers and how any number ending in a 4, 5, 6, 8 or 0 will never be a prime number.  After carrying out a lesson on square and cube numbers, the children were set the challenge of calculating the total number of squares on a chessboard.  They found this lesson a real challenge, but great fun!  After realising that there were more squares than simply 64, they worked systematically to count all of the different sized squares on the chessboard.  After recognising many patterns and generalisations in their answers, they concluded that there were 204 squares in total - this answer linked to square numbers!

In Art, the children have loved sketching a spitfire.  They then used water colour pencils and brushes to add colour and washes to these in order to create some incredible pieces of artwork!  We hope you like them as much as the children do.

Autumn Term 1: - Week 4

This week began with our PE lesson with Rosie.  We learnt about attacking and defensive tactics in invasion games.  We discussed the importance about moving into space and then closing the opposition down when defending and trying to regain possession.  We then took part in mini-netball games where we were able to put these tactics into practise.

To start our work on the four main calculation rules in Maths, we carried out a reasoning activity.  We had a series of mathematical statements and we had to prove whether these statements were always, sometimes or never true.  The children really enjoyed this lesson and lots of mathematical debate was held as to whether their thoughts and their own ideas were true or not.  Some of the photos of the work can be seen below.

In Computing, the children have been learning about the need to keep passwords safe.  We discussed the characteristics of a strong password and one which is not so strong.  We also discussed the need why multiple passwords are needed to protect us when working and playing online in order to keep us safe.

In Science, we have been learning about the circulatory system.  The children have learnt about the heart, blood and the importance of exercise, then produced some amazing double-page spreads to explain their knowledge.

Autumn Term - Week 3:

In English, we have been focusing on using varied sentence openers and precise language within setting descriptions.  We used an image of Aldwich Underground Station during World War 2 (when it was being used as an air raid shelter) and wrote some fantastic pieces of writing based on this image.  We looked at how colons could be used to separate clauses and revised how commas are used after fronted adverbials.

In Maths, we have been focusing on our understanding of place value.  Using numbers up to 10,000,000, we have been learning to multiply and divide them by multiples of 10, 100 and 1000; round them to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 and 10,000; and compared whole numbers using the symbols < > and =.  During the week, we have also been carrying out our daily arithmetic lessons - this week focusing on addition of decimals, multiplication of two numbers and adding fractions with similar denominators.

This week in Science, we have been investigating how our heart works.  We looked at diagrams of the heart and learnt that arteries take oxygenated blood to different parts of the body (including muscles and organs) and how veins return the deoxygenated blood back towards the heart.

On Thursday, we began our swimming lessons at Etwall pool.  It was lovely to see so many confident swimmers and it was so good to hear the compliments and praise from the staff at Etwall pool about the children's behaviour and listening skills.  Well done Team Year 6!

We were also fortunate this week to have two pupils in the class who brought in some World War 2 artefacts which had been passed down from family members.  Both children explained stories behind the artefacts and the rest of the class enjoyed examining these, especially the old newspaper and the army cap.

Autumn Term 1 - Week 2:

This week, we have been working really hard with our writing.  Using a photograph as a starting point, we focused on the description and use of precise language to create effects for the reader.  We really enjoyed this work - we hope that you like them too:

Many thanks to all those parents who came to the 'Meet The Teacher' and 'Lea Green' meeting after school on Thursday.  The presentations can be found under the 'Letters' section of the Year 6 class page.  This includes the kit list and the information needed for the Lea Green Residential (including the link fill in the MS Form for your child).

On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have a visitor to come into school to talk about World War Two.  The visitor, named Mark, came in to tell us about what life was like for both families in the United Kingdom, and those in Germany.  Mark brought in a variety of artefacts - both original and replica - so that we could handle them and investigate them in detail.  These included a variety of gas masks, a replica gun, an old grenade, a variety of medals and an air raid siren.

We spoke about the impact of the bombings on both families in the UK and those in Germany, and Mark discussed stories about his family who grew up in Germany during the war.

After break, we took part in a drill where we learnt to march and salute, before learning about propaganda which was used around the world during the war.

In the afternoon, we were told about rationing in the UK and learnt about the cost of different foods.  Using a selection of old coins, we carried out rubbings of these and then used our maths skills to add up a bill for a typical weekly selection of rationed food.

As part of their homework, the children have been asked to use the following website to find information out about rationing of either food or clothes:

Autumn Term Week 1:

We have had a busy first week of the academic year in Year 6.  The children have been investigating pentominoes in Maths (see images below), producing some really good discussion and reasoning within their Maths books.  In English, the children have been writing informal letters to me about themselves, introducing me to their hobbies and their hopes for Year 6.

In art, the children have produced self portraits of themselves, thinking about their facial proportions and use of tone (see images below).

At the end of the week, we shared the very sad news that Queen Elizabeth II had peacefully passed away.  The Year 6 class discussed her life and work during Friday morning, watching a video and looking at photos of her life.  We then took part in a minutes silence followed by a minutes applause on the playground to remember and celebrate her life and her long reign on the throne.

This week, we have begun our Maths work with an investigation involving pentominoes. We investigated the total possibilities of pentominoes which could be made, and then used tessellation skills to put these into different sized grids.