Class Mission Statement
A class mission statement is a document that drives our classroom culture and articulates our class values, goals, and norms. As a class, the children discussed what they want as their mission statement and shared goals.
The children signed the mission statement after they agreed on what they wanted it to say.
Maths - to know numbers to 1 million
On our first day back in Year 6, the children have been working on reading and understanding numbers to 1,000,000.
The children looked at the values of each digit by looking at the place value column they are placed in.
British Values - Rule of Law
Setting Classroom Rules
This is the principle of the UK constitution that means politicians govern within their powers. The rule of law applies to very single member of British Society and visitors are expected to follow suit. There are not different rules for different parts of society or economic class. No one is above the law.
Within our class with have rules and expectations and there are consequences if these are not followed. The children have written what they believe the rules in our classroom are based on the 3 rules of:
Be ready,
Be safe,
Be respectful.
British Values - Democracy
Electing a class Councillor
To understand democracy
To use persuasive language
In our British Values lesson we looked at how rules and decisions are made. We found out that votes are used to make agreements and find out the most popular plan.
In democracy every citizen should listen to the views of the different parties and candidates, and then make his or her own decision on whom to support. People must be 18 or over in order to take part in an election. We agreed that this is a good age as children would not always make an informed decision.
When voting, each person votes for the candidate of his or her choice. S/he does this by putting a cross beside the person’s name on the ballot paper. People cast their ballots in a booth so that no one can see who they are voting for. This is called ‘secret ballot’.
At the end of the election day the votes are added up and the candidate with the highest number of votes (the majority) is declared the winner.
We are too young to vote in elections but we have been exercising our right for democracy. Our class needs a class Councillor so we wrote manifestos and voted for the person that we thought would do the best job representing our class.
British Values - Democracy
Ballot Papers
The children who stood as candidates were added to the secret ballot paper. The children made secret votes on the ballot paper to find our school councillor with the most votes.
Mrs Gould counted the secret ballot.
Following the class vote, Ajai was elected as class councillor.
Getting to Know Each Other - PHSE
A coat of arms is a unique design that can present the wearer's heritage, specifically the family they belong to. The children designed their own coat of arms based on their family, their goals and their strengths.
Science - electricity and circuits
In science our topic is electricity and circuits.
lesson 1 - the children were asked what they already knew and what they wanted to find out. There were some interesting questions which we will aim to find the answers to.
Science - electricity and circuits
Lesson 2
The children identified where and why they use electricity in their daily lives and how life would be very different without electricity.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 3
The children looked at the symbols used to represent the parts of an electrical circuit. The children made a drawing of each symbol and labelled them ready to help them with making their own circuits.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 4
The children looked at a range of circuit and discussed which would work and which would not. The children had to give an explanation for their predictions. The children understood that any gaps would mean that the circuits were not complete.
Science - electricity and circuits
lesson 5
The children looked at a range of circuit and discussed which would work and which would not. The children had to give an explanation for their predictions. The children understood that any gaps would mean that the circuits were not complete.
The children moved on to making their own circuits using lamps, buzzers and motors to create an output.
In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through. A simple circuit consists of a current source, conductors and a load. The term circuit can be used in a general sense to refer to any fixed path that electricity, data or a signal can travel through.
Science - electricity and circuits
Lesson 6
The children looked at the dangers of electricity and identified real life dangers in the kitchen.
Electricity is very important - we use it all of the time. It powers most of our technologies, lights up our rooms, warms us when we're cold and cools us down when we're hot.
To use electrical devices, we need to follow rules to stay safe.
Science - Electricity and Circuits
Lesson 7
The children planned an investigation to see what would happen to the brightness of bulbs if more bulbs were added to a circuit with a single cell.
The children thought about the variables and non variables to make their investigation fair.
Science - Electricity and Circuits
The children investigated if the number of bulbs in a circuit changed the brightness of the bulb. The children added more bulbs to their circuits and compared the brightness of the bulbs. The children found that the more bulbs they added, the bulbs got dimmer. In a series circuit, as more bulbs are added, the brightness of each bulb decreases. This is because the resistance R increases which causes the current I through each bulb to decrease
Educational Emotional Wellbeing Team
Coping with change and managing emotions
Year 6 had a visit from the educational emotional wellbeing team who delivered a workshop about coping with expected and unexpected change. The children worked on some breathing techniques that they can use when they are feeling overwhelmed.
PHSE - Working together
- Recognise some of the challenges that arise from friendships;
- Suggest strategies for dealing with such challenges demonstrating the need for respect and an assertive approach.
The children looked at how friendships can be difficult and how their acts and reactions can either make situations better or make them worse. The children looked at some scenarios and discussed what they would do.
PHSE - Working together
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation. The term 'empathy' is used to describe a wide range of experiences.
When defining empathy, emotion researchers generally describe it as the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the wellbeing and happiness of others.
Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. Compassion literally means 'to suffer together'. Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with someone else's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering for them.
While sympathy and compassion are related to empathy, there are important differences. Compassion and sympathy are often thought to involve more of a passive connection, while empathy mostly involves a much more active attempt to understand another person.
In 6GH we looked at some scenarios and discussed how each person might feel in the different situations.
PHSE - Being Assertive
Being assertive can help you to explain how you feel and what you need, without being rude or aggressive. These skills can help you stand up for yourself and still treat other people with respect.
It means you clearly explain what you need or want from someone. Without being pushy or trying to frighten them.
Sometimes it can be hard to say how you really feel, especially if it means disagreeing with someone else. But everyone has the right to say how they feel and ask for what they need.
5 ways to be assertive:
- practise what you want to say first, or try writing it down to prepare yourself
- act calm and confident by standing up straight and not fidgeting
- make eye contact
- say what you want, clearly and politely
- don’t apologise when asking for something you need.
The children discussed if some of the behaviours we see in school are assertive or rude
PHSE - Appropriate Touch
Appropriate, inappropriate and illegal touch.
Safe (good) touches feel caring, like pats on the back or wanted hugs. Unsafe (or bad) touches hurt your body or feelings, such as pinching or hitting. Unwanted touching comes in many forms, including: Unwanted hugs or kisses. Unwelcome touching of any part of a person's body without consent.
The children looked at different scenarios and discussed if the touch was appropriate, inappropriate or illegal.
Computing lesson 1 - Communication and Interaction
Internet Addresses
To explain the importance of internet addresses
●I can recognise that data is transferred using agreed methods
●I can explain that internet devices have addresses
●I can describe how computers use addresses to access websites
In this lesson the children explored what is necessary for effective communication and the importance of agreed protocols. They applied this understanding to IP addresses and the rules (protocols) that computers have for communicating with one another. The children also used a Domain Name Server (DNS) to translate web addresses into IP addresses.
Computing lesson 2 - Communication and Interaction
Data Packets
To recognise how data is transferred across the internet
- I can identify and explain the main parts of a data packet
- I can explain that data is transferred over networks in packets
- I can explain that all data transferred over the internet is in packets
The children in 5GH were introduced to the concept of packets. They completed an activity based on transferring an image across the internet, to see that as well as messages (text), other types of data (images, video, and audio) are also transferred over the internet. They gained an understanding of the key parts of a packet: the header and the data payload.
The children made data packets and sent them to other groups to put back together.
Computing lesson 3 - Communication and Interaction
- I can recognise how to access shared files stored online
- I can send information over the internet in different ways
- I can explain that the internet allows different media to be shared
The children in 6GH considered how people can work together when they are not in the same location. They discussed ways of working and completing a collaborative online project.
Computing lesson 4
To evaluate different ways of working together online
- I can identify different ways of working together online
- I can recognise that working together on the internet can be public or private
- I can explain how the internet enables effective collaboration
The children in 6GH were introduced to another approach to online working: reusing and modifying work done by someone else. (Using someone else’s work needs to be within the bounds of copyright and with the relevant permissions.) This lesson involved the Scratch programming tool, which allowed learners to use other people’s work.
Computing lesson 5
To recognise how we communicate using technology
- I can explain the different ways in which people communicate
- I can identify that there are a variety of ways to communicate over the internet
- I can choose methods of communication to suit particular purpose
The children deepened their understanding of the term ‘communication’. They explored different methods of communication, before they considered internet-based communication in more detail. Finally, learners evaluated which methods of communication suit particular purposes.
Computing lesson 6
To evaluate different methods of online communication
● I can compare different methods of communicating on the internet
● I can decide when I should and should not share information online
● I can explain that communication on the internet may not be private
● I can explain how to report inappropriate content online
The children used information provided in the lesson and their own prior knowledge to categorise different forms of internet communication. They then choose which method(s) they would use for the scenarios discussed in the previous lesson. Through these activities, they explored issues around privacy and information security.
Water Colour Painting
To use water colours to build up a subject
The children have been reading the story Frankenstein in English so in Art the children have designed front covers for the books and them coloured using water colour paints.
When using water colours, the children were reminded to work from light to dark!
This is the traditional approach to building up a subject in watercolors. It's one of the first things painters need to know when when working in this way, and it's actually quite unique to watercolor paints… Painting like this often requires a bit of forward planning.
Spanish
European Languages Day
Europe is home to 24 official languages, while as many as 200 languages are spoken across the continent. That might not seem like many, compared to some continents. Africa, for example, is home to 1,500 to 2,000 languages.
During European Languages Day Year 5 found out about the Spanish tradition of Bull Fighting.
When learning about this sport, the children played a game of Kabadi. Kabadi is a game played between two teams of seven players, in which individuals take turns to chase and try to touch members of the opposing team without being captured by them
RE Lesson 1
Explore and weigh up values.
Give reasons for the different ideas people have about what is important.
Reflect on and consider own values.
We discussed that Values are things that we think are important or valuable (e.g. love, sharing, generosity, equality, friendship, learning). We show if these things are really important by the way we act. The children came up with a list of their personal values.
When the children had thought of their values, we looked at some values and discussed which were most important. The children then spent time to order these values based on their beliefs.
The children then designed posters to show their values.
RE - To understand how Sikhs show their religion
In RE we learnt about Khalsa Sikhs. Khalsa Sikhs wear five symbols – called the five Ks, or Panj Kakka - to show their devotion to Sikhism. With help from Ajai he outlined the 5 Ks and what they signify. They are Kara, Kachera, Kirpan, Khalsa, Kesh and Kanga. The Five K's are the markers of Sikh identity, and they consist of: uncut hair, a short sword or knife, a steel wristband, a wooden comb, and shorts worn as an undergarment.
Ajai showed us his Kirpan and explained that it can not be used unless in a life and death situation.
PHSE - Worry and Anxiety
The Education Emotion Wellbeing Team visited 6GH today to talk about worry and anxiety.
The children discussed the difference between worry and anxiety. If there's a concerning situation (like starting a new school) you worry about it. Worry prods you to use problem-solving skills to address your concerns. Anxiety is persistent, even when concerns are unrealistic. It often compromises your ability to function.
The children looked at ways to deal with worry and anxiety and looked at trusted adults to talk to.
Design Technology - Designing a fairground ride
Design
- use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
- generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
The children looked at a range of fairground rides and the structure to support them. The children planned their own fairground ride.
Design Technology - Making a moving ride
Make
- select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
- select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Design Technology - evaluating my fair ground ride
Evaluate
- investigate and analyse a range of existing products
- evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
- understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world