We Love Reading

In our class, we know how important reading is to help us learn and we follow a reading scheme in our school called Read, Write, Inc. We each have a home reading folder to bring our books home in every day and a yellow reading record. We enjoy reading at home and know how important it is to practise with our parents/carers regularly to help us become successful readers.

A note from the teacher: Please ensure that your child brings their home reading folder back to school every day and remember to encourage them to spend some time reading either to an adult or independently each day.

Spring 2

A Child's War

A siren sounds, a building crumbles, a Spitfire zooms overhead. Take cover. It’s 1939 and Britain is at war. Deep down in the Anderson shelter, learn why nations are fighting and why child evacuees must make the long journey from their homes and families into unknown territory. Read the diary of Anne Frank, written whilst hiding from the terrifying stormtroopers in a secret annexe, and try to empathise with her hopes and fears. Make do and mend. Cook up a family meal from meagre rations. Delve deep into a bygone era, when loose lips sunk ships. And, as peace is declared, let’s get ready to celebrate. Mr Churchill says ‘It’s an unconditional surrender.’

Here we are calculating weekly rations for a family of four...

We enjoyed an amazing WW2 experience day at Beaumanor Hall! We became school children, visiting the shop with our ration books and then became code breakers working for the British army receiving messages to decipher.  After lunch, we spent the afternoon in the air raid shelter learning about gas masks and singing songs from the era, such as Run Rabbit Run. 

We enjoyed creating Blitz artwork using watercolours to create a background and London landmarks to build the foreground. 

Spring 1

Frozen Kingdom

In this topic, we find out about the characteristics and features of polar regions, including the North and South Poles. We explore the polar regions further, considering the environmental factors that shape and influence them, including discussing climate change and effects of global warming on our planet. Planning an expedition and sampling the food that we may take on our journey is one of the highlights of our topic. We consider how polar exploration has changed and evolved over time from the days of Captain Scott and his team to the present day. 

We have been enjoying reading the class text, Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell.

Autumn 2 2021

Tomorrow's World

Text messages, emails, websites, blogs and podcasts. There are so many ways to communicate. Discover the movers and shakers in the world of technology, the people who’ve shaped the modern world. Perhaps you might be a visionary for the next generation. Build robots and circuits, break codes and investigate gadgets galore. Why not write a thriller narrative in the style of Anthony Horowitz? Then, on request from MI99, build a website for a new Spy School. What pages will it need? One for gadgets? A secret lunch menu? You decide. Let’s start today on Tomorrow’s World. 

Autumn 1 2021

Hola Mexico!

Welcome to Mexico. Get ready to explore this unique country, from its towering temples and stunning geography to its pulsing rhythms and fun festivals. Is your tummy rumbling? Try out some traditional Mexican foods and explore their recipes. Go steady with the spices. Discover the mysterious world of the ancient Mayan civilisation. Feel like celebrating? Decorate the room for El Dia del los Muertos and enjoy a dance to the sounds of the mariachi bands.

MUSIC

We enjoyed appraising Mexican music and playing percussion instruments along to it.

Design and Technology

We enjoyed food tasting and looking at different traditional Mexican recipes. 

Art

We created a range of El dia de los Muertos decorations and made the classroom look festive. We thought about traditional Mexican methods of using paper to create intricate designs. 

History

We thought about Mayan artefacts including primary and secondary sources. We looked into ancient Mayan hieroglyphs and recreated them using clay and tools. 

Science

We have been investigating the effects of exercise on our bodies.

Maths

We followed a place value trail around the school grounds and used the clues to help develop our skills working with larger numbers. 

English

Our weekly VIPERS lessons help us develop our reading comprehension skills, we focus on vocabulary, inference, predicting, explaining, retrieving and summarising.

Investigators 2020/21

A warm welcome back to our new Year 6 cohort 'Class of 2020/21'. You have come back full of smiles, enthusiasm and ready to learn-keep it up! We will be keeping you up to date on our web page with all of the learning taking place in our class over the forthcoming half term. Don't forget to keep an eye out on Twitter for regular updates on how we are getting on. 

AUTUMN 2

As we mark the end of the autumn term, Investigators class would like to wish parents and friends a very, merry Christmas. We are looking forward to coming back fresh and ready to learn in 2021. Stay safe and take care.

Tomorrow's World

This half term our topic is called Tomorrow's World. We will be finding out about the history of computing and looking at a range of technologies from assistive devices to robots and humanoids. We will be identifying parts of a computer and looking into how 3d printing works. We will take part in a robotics workshop that will enable us to create our own algorithms and make a Lego alligator move. 

AUTUMN 1

Hola Mexico!

Our first topic is all about Mexico. We will be finding out about the culture and traditions in modern day Mexico and looking into the history of the Mayan civilization. There will be lots of music and food as we consider traditional Mexican music and authentic recipes such as tacos and guacamole. We may even get to sample some of the delicious cuisine. We will be writing travel brochures, recipes and narratives to describe El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. 

Investigators 2019/20

As a result of the recent school closures, learning tasks will now be set via the online learning platform Weduc. Please see this site for all the latest posts, links and resources.  

Summer 1

Goodbye Class of 2020

We cannot believe we have reached the final week of this half term. Although, we are extremely disappointed to have missed our usual end of year celebrations due to COVID-19, we are thankful that everyone in Investigators has remained safe and well. It has been fantastic to see some of you back in school over the last few weeks and we have seen some super work from those choosing to remain at home.

We wish you all every success in your future years at secondary school and a happy and safe summer break. Keep shining like the bright stars that you are Investigators!

Weekly learning overview w/c 06.07.20

Weekly learning overview w/c 29.06.20

Weekly learning overview w/c 22.06.20

Home learning w/c 15.06.20

Weekly learning overview w/c 08.06.20

Home learning w/c 01.06.20

Reminder for your home learning this week, we are signposting you to the following resources and websites:

Oak National Academy Online Learning

White Rose Maths home learning

BBC Super Movers Maths Collection

BBC Bitesize Home Learning

Times Tables Test Online

BBC Teach Science

BBC Teach History - The Story of Britain

BBC Teach Geography

We hope to have specific home learning back in place for w/c 8^th June and the rest of the academic year, please keep a look out on the Weduc Newsfeed for updates. If you have any questions, see Weduc Newsfeed post on 22nd May 2020 for further information and please do not hesitate to contact your child's class teacher via Weduc.

May Half Term

We have reached the end of this half term and would like to thank Investigators class for the wonderful work that you have been sending via Weduc. As with the Easter break, you will not receive a learning overview for the forthcoming half term week. We have been fortunate enough to enjoy some fabulous sunshine over recent weeks and hope that this continues as we enter into the Bank Holiday weekend. Should the weather take a turn for the worst and you are in need of a rainy day activity to keep you busy, please see the websites below for some inspiration.

www.scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors (Mixed activites)

www.shakespeare.org.uk/education/home-learning (English/History/Drama)

www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames.html (English)

https://jasmineactive.com/news/home-learning-resources/ (P.E.)

https://bletchleypark.org.uk (Maths-code breaking)

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/ (Free eBooks)

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years (Maths)

https://www.jamesdysonfoundation.co.uk/resources/challenge-cards.html (Science, D and T)

Weekly learning overview w/c 18.05.20

Weekly learning overview w/c 11.05.20

Weekly learning overview w/c 04.05.20

Supporting Home Learning Routines

You may wish to use a checklist rather than a timetable in order to establish a routine or structure with your child. It can be quite rewarding ticking tasks off a list as you have completed them. You could also use it as an at-home reward system e.g. agree on an expected number of tasks with your child for each day and when they complete them, they could work towards a reward.

Weekly learning overview w/c 27.04.20

Advice for parents/carers on using weekly learning overviews at home:-

• Learning overviews will be posted on the online learning platform each week.
• They provide a selection of 'suggested' activities, feel free to tailor and adapt them to suit your child's needs.
• Please remember, children do not have to complete every activity on here if it is not possible. Encourage them to do as much as they can to keep their brain active!
• You can complete the activities in any order, it is to be used as a guide or 'menu' for you to work through and choose from with your child.
• Remember to work with your child to structure each day accordingly. Some children respond well to regular routine with clear timings in a similar style to an 'at school' day e.g. English followed by Maths each day. For others, they might prefer to vary their routine e.g. choosing a subject to focus on each day- Maths on Monday, English on Tuesday.
• Learning from home is extremely different to the classroom environment, at home, short bursts of learning followed by regular brain breaks work well.

This half term our topic is, Great, Great Britain.

We will be finding out about places such as London and thinking about tourist attractions and landmarks. We will be considering the British parliamentary system and thinking about voting and how government works. We will take the opportunity to consider influential British historical figures and modern-day pioneers of popular culture. 

Children are currently using the internet more than ever to access their learning. Please ensure children are reminded about online safety, you might wish to discuss our trip to the Warning Zone in Leicester. Additionally, you can visit https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ where you will find home activity packs with simple 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety.

Spring 2

This half term our topic is ‘A Child’s War’. We will be finding out about the outbreak of World War II and the countries involved. We will be studying the Blitz, experiencing an air raid shelter and exploring how it might have felt to be evacuated. We will be considering the war from the perspective of a Jewish child through our class text, ‘Once by Morris Gleitzman’.

We found out about events that took place during the Holocaust. We thought about the impact this has on how we live our lives today and created these posters to help us remember.

History-experiencing life during WW2 in an air raid shelter...

We enjoyed dressing up for World Book Day...

Reading- We have really been enjoying our class text. What will happen to Felix next?

Cooking- using our rationed ingredients to make pancakes...

Geography- identifying places in the U.K that were targeted during the Blitz...

Spring 1

This half term our topic is ‘Revolution’. We will be finding out about the Victorian period in history and reading the text, Street Child by Berlie Doherty. We will be designing and creating our own Victorian homes as part of our D and T project and linking this with our Science topic of ‘Electricity’ by adding a working light source. The Industrial Revolution will be studied and we will create artwork in the style of L.S. Lowry. What fun! 

We remembered how to stay safe online on Safer Internet Day 2020.

Design and Technology- designing and creating Victorian rooms...

Art - painting in the style of L.S. Lowry...

Science, ‘Electricity’ - making circuits...

Beaumanor Hall

We had an amazing trip to Beaumanor Hall where we got to experience what life was like for Victorian children. We found out lots about the history of the hall and the family that lived there. We also got to try Victorian household chores and experience a Victorian classroom. 

Meeting Mr Spink

We used drama to explore the character Mr Spink and develop our understanding of how Jim’s family felt living in poverty during the Victorian times.

Autumn 2

This half term our topic will be ‘Frozen Kingdom’. We will learn about the North and South poles, thinking about survival skills. Our class text will be ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis’, we cannot wait to meet the characters and enter the world of Narnia. How exciting! 

WARNING ZONE

Our trip to the Warning Zone in Leicester was extremely informative. We found out about staying safe when we are out and about, in the home and online. The volunteers that led us round were fantastic, they had lots of helpful tips. Each 'scenario' we were presented with made us think about the choices we make in our lives and how we can become responsible citizens in society in the future.

Entering the world of Narnia...

We used our drama skills to improvise the moment when Lucy first discovered Narnia. Conscience alley helped us decide whether Lucy should tell the others about her new discovery. What of they don't believe her? Will she put them in danger? What if the Professor finds out?

Autumn 1

Our first topic ‘G’Day Australia’ has enabled us to learn about the geographical features of Australia, as well as the history of Australian culture and traditions. We have had the exciting opportunity to FaceTime a British citizen living in Melbourne, Australia and have written to our Australian pen pals who are in Year 6 over there. We have had a go at some Aboriginal art and written enticing travel article to ‘inform’ and ‘persuade’ tourists to visit this beautiful country. We hope you enjoy having a look at some of the work we have been doing this term.

HOMEWORK 

We have high expectations of children to complete homework in Year 6. We believe this extension of learning at home helps the children consolidate and expand their knowledge. It also encouraged them to become more independent over their learning in preparation for secondary school. Our homework consists of a mixture of weekly spellings (taken from the Y5/6 list below), Mathletics (a fun, online Maths programme with tasks set by the teachers) and CGP Revision guides. In addition, our children are expected to read every night either independently or to an adult and they are expected to record this in their Reading Record. Keep up the hard work Investigators! 

In September, we headed down to St David’s church to showcase our Harvest Festival Vegetable Fashion Show to the rest of the school and parents. 

Amazing Aboriginal Artwork

We created patterns within outlines of Australian wildlife using cotton buds and the end of a paintbrush to apply small dots. The patterns built up and looked really effective!

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Investigators 2018/19

Spring 1

Lessons to Live By

We found out about some of the prejudice and discrimination against the Jewish population during WW2. We respected the sensitive nature of the events that took place and were able to consider what lessons can be learned by future generations. We talked about peace, respect, freedom, open-mindedness and tolerance-all ideas that encompass our Warren Hills Nurturing Schools approach. The children in Year 6 showed maturity, compassion, empathy and sensitivity during these lessons and they made us feel proud of the fantastic students they are. 

The Blitz Experience 

After the morning register, the air raid siren began to sound. We were all instructed to line up and make our way to the air raid shelter. It was very dark in there and our teacher gave us torches for light. There was very little room inside and we sang songs and played games to pass the time. On returning to the classroom we discovered the devastation that had been caused by The Blitz. We discovered homes ruined and the ARP wardens came to deliver news of those who had lost their lives. 

Investigating Light in Science

A range of coloured overlays were used to investigate how we see colour. 

World War II Cooking

We enjoyed experiencing cooking WW2 recipes using traditional 1940s rationed ingredients. We made spam and egg sandwiches, carrot scones and honey cakes. Then we sampled each groups’ recipe-we really enjoyed them. 

Brilliant Beaumanor Hall

We had an amazing trip to Beaumanor Hall where we spent the day being evacuees. What fun we had shopping for our rations in a 1940s shop and spending time in a 1940s classroom! After lunch, we even got to experience an air raid shelter where we sang songs and listened to the bombs overhead. 

Autumn 2

What a Scream

Cobweb Craft

As part of our Creative topic, we are writing spooky stories in Literacy to enable us to demonstrate our ability to build tension and develop atmosphere. In Art, we created 3D cobwebs using balloons, wool and PVA glue. The wool was soaked in glue and then wrapped around the inflated balloon several times. The balloons were left overnight to dry, then popped in the morning and the deflated balloon removed. We were left with spherical cobwebs which were decorated with spiders made from black pipe cleaners. The cobwebs were hung from the ceiling and we will refer to them when we are writing our spooky stories to aid our description and help us in creating an eery atmosphere. 

Pumpkin Patch @ Cattows Farm

On Thursday 25th October, we headed off to Cattows Farm to take part in a morning of picking pumpkins. Whilst we were there we completed a number of activities including measuring the circumference of the pumpkins and sketching them. We even found time to warm our hands around steaming cups of hot chocolate in the Farm Shop and Tearooms. Thank you to the parents joined us and helped make it an enjoyable event. When we got back to school, we embarked on a carousel of pumpkin related activities including carving pumpkin designs, making soup and homemade bread and pumpkin paper crafts. What a busy day! We thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin soup that we warmed and ate after break the following day. 

Brilliant Blood

In Science, we have been finding out about the circularity system. We have been naming the different parts and developing our understanding of how the heart functions. We planned an experiment to investigate the length of time it took ‘blood’ (coloured water) to flow through different sized tubing to develop our understanding of how blood travels through our bodies. We ensured that our experiment was a fair test and wrote it up using diagrams to show method, tables to show results and a strong conclusion that referred back to our original predictions. 

Magnificent Maths

 We have been very busy in Maths so far this term! From our place value and calculation work at the start of the year, to investigating fractions more recently. We are looking forward to getting into our work on decimals and percentages over the forthcoming weeks, as well as continually revisiting the areas we have previously covered.

Please remember times tables sheets are readily available in the Investigators classroom for any children in Year 6 who may need to take them home to practise. Times tables tests are conducted in Maths weekly. 

Autumn 1

Hola Mexico

Celebrating the Harvest Festival in Church

Along with the rest of the school, we took our annual stroll down to the local church this half term where we were joined by parents and friends from the local community. The audience were treated to a fantastic drama piece performed by Year 6, all about a lonely scarecrow. 

Homework

Please remember that homework tasks will be set each half term. Additional homework for Year 6 children in preparation for SATs will be sent home to be completed during school holidays. Weekly spellings lists are given out every Monday and are tested the following Monday. We encourage all children to take their reading books home regularly.

We have already had a fantastic response to homework this year, with some delightful creations being made. Take a look at the pupil’s work below! We also had a fabulous selection of writing including detailed fact files and information books all about Mexico. Keep up the hard work Investigators!

ICT and Literacy

After learning how to effectively search the internet and retrieve and record information, we made posters all about Mexico. We made the posters interactive and engaging to keep the reader interested, whilst providing them with a wealth of information about the country’s geography, culture and traditions.

What a treat, it is D and T week!

 As part of our topic, we looked at the history and origin of the cocoa bean and the significance of this ingredient in Central American cookery.  We conducted market research by surveying other classes to help us establish the most popular type of chocolate bar in today’s society. We then designed our own chocolate bars and packaging based on our findings. Next, we made our bars and produced our own ‘foil and wrap’ packaging. Finally, we each tasted one another’s bars and evaluated them, making suggestions for future improvements.

Terrific Tag Rugby

In PE, we have been having a great time playing tag rugby out on the field with our Sports Coach, Mr Stevens. Let’s hope the weather continues to hold out, so we can keep on enjoying the field this half term! 

Tasting Tacos

 We looked at different food groups and healthy lifestyle in Science and in ICT we researched popular Mexican recipes. In Creative, we prepared and cooked Mexican Tacos, which we really enjoyed tasting afterwards! In Literacy, we wrote our recipes using organisational and language features of a non-fiction text.

Team Building Games

As part of our ‘Transition Day’ from Year 5 to Year 6, we took part in a series of team building games, including a competition to build the tallest structure using marshmallows and spaghetti.