English

This week we have revisited persuasive writing. Children have produced some fantastic writing aimed at persuading others to want to become or dress as an Axxa, using evidence from our class novel Phoenix. They have drafted, edited and redrafted their extended writing and each group then chose the strongest argument to present to the class in a bid to persuade them. Well done Class 5!

Maths

In Maths this week we have focused on converting different units of measure. Children have solved a wide range of problems, including converting between different metric units to measure length, mass and capacity, as well as converting from metric to imperial units and vice versa. Year 5s’ half-term homework will reinforce this week’s activities on converting measures.

Geography

Children have continued researching Native American tribes. They looked at a range of aspects including religion, dwellings, hunting and food, to develop their understanding of how external factors affected the tribes’ lifestyles.  They have produced an extended piece of writing on 2 of the tribes that they researched.

RE

In RE this week, the children worked in groups to create mood boards of how Christians and some non-Christians have taken the teachings of Jesus and been able to apply them to their own lives e.g. through charity work and how they conduct themselves.

PE

The children have had their final week of Quick Sticks and been able to apply the skills they have learnt to a mini tournament.  They have also had their final week of tennis with Mr Creffield and will be starting gymnastics after half-term.  Please can children have their PE kit in school every day, to allow for any changes to our normal PE times

Year 6 SATs Booster

I will be starting Year 6 SATs Booster every Monday from 26^th February onwards from 3:15 to 4:30 and I hope that your child will be able to attend. After half-term, I will arrange a parent meeting to provide information on the SATs in May.

Homework is due back on Wednesday 28^th February.

English/Maths
Year 6 have completed another set of SAT papers this week in preparation for their tests in May. It has been wonderful to see how much progress they have made since the Autumn term and it has shown which areas need increased focus over the next few months. The Year 5s have also completed a reading, maths and grammar assessment which they have gone through with Mrs J to see where they have made errors.
Science
In Science this week we investigated the different timezones around the world, and how they and day/night are created by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. The children represented this movement through a Scientific diagram, and then clearly explained what they diagram showed. They then created a daily timetable involving different countries around the world to show what is happening across the world at different times of day.
Topic
As part of our topic work this week, the children have begun investigating Native American tribes. They have studied where the 5 main tribes lived on a map of North America, and then researched the different cultures and traditions of the different tribes.
RE
In RE this week, the children were creating their own prayers linked to the teachings of Jesus in The Gospel of Matthew. Some of the prayers have already been used in whole school Worship.
PE
The children have continued developing their skills in Quick Sticks this week. They also played in teams in a small tournament. On Friday, they had a tennis lesson with Mr Creffield.

English

We have been doing some challenging writing in English this week. The children’s task was to rewrite a section from Phoenix, from the perspective of an Axxa (alien) instead of as the main human character, Lucky. We planned out our extract first, looking at ways in which we could create atmospheric shifts in our writing. The children then drafted, edited and redrafted their story independently.

Maths

We have continued algebra this week, focusing on linear number sequences. The children have solved a range of problems including finding missing terms in a sequence, creating their own number sequences, finding the nth term, and applying their learning to solving a range of challenges.

Science

In Science this week the children performed their persuasive speeches in small groups. The other members of their group listened to their speech and then gave them a strength, a weakness and a next step. Mrs J and I were very impressed with the scientific understanding that the children showed, and they were very convincing in persuading their peers that the Earth isn’t the centre of the Universe.

Topic

In Geography this week, the children were tasked to choose a physical or human feature of North America that interested them. We had a great range of features including the Statue of Liberty, Niagra Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon. The children then worked in pairs to research their feature, and presented their findings through a non-chronological report. They had to make sure they were presenting facts not opinions, using a wide range of conjunctions, and structuring their report clearly.

RE

In RE this week, we have continued our theme of ‘What Would Jesus Do?’, the teachings of Jesus. The children were given a copy of The Lord’s Prayer, taken from the Authentic Youth Bible, which they analysed, interpreting the words and phrases into their own understanding.

PE

The children have continued developing their skills in Quick Sticks this week. They also discussed leadership and captaincy of a sports team. On Friday, they had a tennis lesson with Mr Creffield.