Autumn Two Week 7

What a week this has been! We began with completing the last of the assessments. I am incredibly proud of what the children have achieved this week. Due to true perseverance, determination and commitment, the children have tried their absolute best to show what they have learnt throughout the term.

In maths, we have been learning about angles. We have learnt the amount of degrees that can be found in a triangle and we are able to now work out the measurement of a missing angle. We then investigated how we can classify shapes using Venn diagrams and Carroll diagrams. We had to really look at the shapes and use technical vocabulary to understand where the shapes should be placed in the diagrams.

Our English lessons have been based around a new topic of newspaper articles. We are still focussing on our story, ‘A story like the wind’ and will now use the information from the story to write our newspaper article. By understanding how to recognise informal and formal language, we have been able to confidently sort sentences into the right columns.

In science, we have used what we know about classification to create our own creatures. We thought carefully about which group our animal would belong to and what characteristics we could use. We had fun showing our friends our creations and could talk about which group it belonged to and why.

Our history topic came to an end this week. We have really enjoyed learning about evacuation during World War 2. Our final piece of work was a consolidation piece of writing where we recalled everything we have learnt about what happened to the children during the war. We enjoyed creating masterpieces by adding images and text boxes to our non-chronological reports.

We have started to build our fairground rides in DT. Next week, we will be adding electricity to our KNEX creations to make them have moving parts and lights. We had to solve problems and choose the correct pieces when building our rides.

On Thursday we had Christmas Jumper Day and it was time for our Christmas dinner! It was a lovely, festive time and our tummies were very happy for the afternoon!

We are looking forward to our last week of school. It will be full of festive activities and our behaviour treat! We cannot wait!

‘I enjoyed science because I got to create my own creature and I knew how to classify it’ – Nevaeh.

‘Science was my favourite. I enjoyed creating my own animal and classifying it using what I have learnt during the topic.’ – Chloe

‘DT helped me realise what my job would be like if I was an engineer.’ - Taylan

Autumn Two Week 6

Our week began with a Christmas theme! On Monday morning, we persevered through some tricky origami and made snowflakes to put up in the classroom and to take home. This was then followed by our trip to the pantomime, which was telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. We laughed, danced and sang along to the music that played throughout. We had an amazing time! As always, the children were impeccably behaved and were the perfect role models for the rest of the school.

This week has been our assessment week. We have worked through a number of tests in grammar, spelling, reading and mathematics. The whole class demonstrated true determination and perseverance when completing the tests, and I am incredibly proud of how they powered through, even when things proved tricky!

Our English has had a grammar focus this week. We have learnt about noun phrases and prepositions. Having learnt about these, we then put them into our own sentences used to describe an image.

In maths, we have worked on drawing angles accurately. This skill then enabled us to draw shapes accurately using a ruler and a protractor.

In science, we looked at an animal that was really hard to classify…the platypus! We looked at its lifecycle and then grouped the animal the best that we could using its characteristics and what we know about classification.

Our history topic has been based on our local area this week. We compared maps of Blackburn from 1939 to 2024 and looked at the similarities and differences between the two. We then read stories from adults in the local area who were evacuated as children to Blackburn. We were amazed that children were evacuated to Blackburn!

In DT, we had lots of fun designing our own rides ready to make them out of KNEX next week. We thought carefully about how we could possibly make the rides and what components we needed to include.

In RE, we learnt about the first theme of Advent. The children discussed what a Prophet is and then analysed some verses from the Bible and linked these to prophecies about Jesus’ birth.

Don’t forget it’s the Christmas fair next week (we have been busy making some wonderful things!)  and then our Christmas Production the week after.

“I like learning about angles because it is preparing me for when I get older.” – Elsy

“I enjoyed designing my ride in DT. If anyone wanted to be an engineer when they are older, it would really help.” – Maisie

“The pantomime was really good! It was full of joy and surprises. It was very funny as well.” – Olly

 

Autumn Two Week 5

 

In English this week, we have entered our writing phase. I am incredibly proud of the writing that everyone has produced this week! We have used our plans to create a flashback narrative piece of writing. Using the plans, we used a range of adjectives and adverbs to describe the events that happened to our chosen characters. We have used semi-colons to join two phrases together. After carefully constructing our transition sentences, we wrote our narratives cohesively, ensuring that each paragraph flows and our piece of writing made sense.

We have explored how to find percentages this week in maths. Using our times table knowledge, we have been able to divide the whole amount in order to find percentages of numbers. After that, we looked at angles and we used protractors to draw angles and solve problems.

During history this week, we have explored what it might have felt like to be evacuated. We thought about what the children would have been thinking and how they might have felt during the whole process. After listening to some real-life stories from people who were evacuated, we wrote letters home as if we were one of those people. In Science, we chose one of the groups of animals and used the internet safely to create a fact file about that chosen groups. We used the scientific vocabulary we learnt last week and enjoyed looking at each other’s creations.

In DT, we investigated what we needed to include for a circuit to work. We worked in small groups to create circuits using wires, cells, bulbs, motors and switches. This is good practice for when we create our funfair rides at the end of the topic. In our PE lesson, we used the equipment to practice our balancing skills. We jumped off the equipment and used the mats to improve our balancing skills.

On Tuesday, we had a visit from the fire brigade. We learnt all about how to stay safe in the event of a fire and what precautions we can take to help prevent one from breaking out. We learnt about how to stay safe whilst riding our bikes and how we should stay safe when taking a journey in the car.

“I enjoyed making the circuits and making the lightbulb light up.” – Denzell

“The fact files we made on the computer really helped me understand the type of animal I chose.” – Laci

“I liked writing the story in English because I learnt how to write in the past and present tense. I was really proud of myself when I used a semi-colon.” – Taylan

“When writing about the sea in English, it made me realise how quickly it can change from calm to stormy. I also like the maths because it has really tested my knowledge when finding percentages.” – Elsy

“I can’t wait to do more gymnastics in PE because I don’t get the opportunity to do it anywhere else.” – Chloe

“I like writing stories in English. I have even written my own story at home.” – Ruby

Autumn Two Week 4

This week in English, we have chosen a character to focus on from our story, A Story Like the Wind. We have written a diary entry as if we are that person and focussed on how that character feels when on the boat fleeing their country due to war. After we thought about what was happening in the present tense, we thought about a flashback memory that would make the character feel better. In our diary entries, we used transitional phrases and sentences to link the paragraphs together using both past and present tense. We ended the week by creating a plan based on that particular character, ready to start writing our flashback narrative next week.

In maths, we have been solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems involving fractions. We have worked incredibly hard to use different strategies to find the answers to the problems. We are now confident in what needs to be done to find the answers to these problems. These new skills are really going to help when finding percentages next week!

During science, we have classified animals into different groups: mammals, fish, reptiles, arachnids, marsupials, myriapods, insects and amphibians. We created a mind map to help us for the different characteristics of each group and were able to sort the animals using what we knew about each group.

This week in our history lesson, we thought carefully about how children would have prepared for being evacuated during WW2. We looked inside the suitcase of a child from 1939 and studied the items carefully. We understood why they might have taken certain objects and how they would have made themselves feel better about the situation. After thinking about a child from 1939, we then thought about how we would feel if we had to be evacuated. In PE, we have worked in small groups to use what we learnt about push and pull forces to create new balances in a larger group.  In PSHE, we thought about what is meant to be ‘normal’ and discussed what this meant. Through mature conversation, we talked about what the term ‘normal’ means and what it might feel like if we were made to feel any different.

 

After looking at what Advent meant to Christians last week in RE, this week we have learnt about what each of the candles represent on the Christmas wreath. We produced a beautiful piece of work that was full of information about the candles.

 

“Maths was very fun and now I know how to solve problems involving fractions.” – Ruby

“PE has helped me become more confident when taking part in new sports.” – Olly

“In Junior Jam, I liked how we learnt how to play new games and how we learn how to create our own animation using the iPad.” – Taylan

“I have enjoyed learning about how people prepare for Christmas during the period of Advent.” – Elsy

“I enjoyed science because I like to learn about different animals.” – Lewis

“I liked how we learnt about what the evacuees packed in their suitcases and how they prepared. I really liked that there was an actual suitcase from an evacuee!” – Denzell

Autumn Two Week 3

In Science  this week, we have focused on classifying plants. The children have used classification keys to identify flowering and non-flowering plants and have created their own keys to identify different flowers.

Our maths lessons have continued with the fraction theme! We have learnt to turn improper fractions into mixed numbers and have added and subtracted fractions with different denominators.  The children have really persevered with this tricky topic and can now apply their newly learnt knowledge to solving problems involving fractions.

After learning about how WWII started, in history, the children have started to develop  their knowledge their knowledge of evacuation. We watched a short film with a first-hand account of what evacuation was like and applied this knowledge to write a diary entry. The children were able to apply their emotions and feelings and write as if they were being evacuated.

Our shared reading  lessons have been based around finding evidence from the text to support our inferences taken from the story Asha and the Spirit bird. The children have found evidence to support their impressions of characters and settings.  During English this week, we have started to analyse the features of a flashback narrative. We have written some truly wonderful descriptions of a setting and been apply to apply our knowledge of semi colons, expanded noun phrases and hyphens.

As always, Junior Jam was a great hit. We especially enjoyed our PE and computing lessons.  

What a good week!

Autumn Two Week 2

This week in English, we have started a new topic which is based about a book called ‘A story like the wind’. We thought carefully about the characters in the story and what they would experience whilst making their way across the ocean in the midst of a storm. Thinking about the noises they would hear, we created an onomatopoeia poem using sounds, expanded noun phrases and adverbial phrases.

We have been learning how to find fractions of amounts in maths this week. We now know the process to follow when find the fractions and have worked with increasingly more difficult amounts testing our knowledge. This has then been followed by learning how to find equivalent fractions. We played a game to help test our knowledge and completed a diamond puzzle identifying the simplified equivalences.

Our geography lesson this week has been the start of our new topic ‘WW2’. After learning about the main events that happened during this time period, we created a timeline stating the events in chronological order. In science, we have looked at different ways to group species of things. First, we looked at how we could use a Venn Diagram to help sort different leaves. We then used the computers to create a branching diagram to ask questions, leading to the correct type of leaf.

In PE, we have worked with partners to use our push and pull forces to create balances. We needed to trust our partners when conducting these balances and think carefully about how we can counteract weights creating steady balances.

On Monday, we started our computing topic using the iPads. Our aim is to create a game using a set of codes. We are going to build up our skills throughout this half term.

We have started a new Design Technology unit this week. We researched and compared what a 1920's funfair was like compared to a 2024 funfair. We thought about types of rides differed and how things have progressed with the improvement of technology. After collecting research from the other people in the class, we found out what the most popular type of ride was and thought about what type of ride we would like to create our of KNEX. 

We had a wonderful morning with a visitor from Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday. Catherine came to speak to us about anti-racism and how our actions can affect others. We took part in different activities, which made us really contemplate different aspects of inclusion and equality.

“I have enjoyed learning about fractions, and I feel like I can solve the problems easier.” – Olly

“I am excited to make our own games in computing with Junior Jam.” – Chloe

“In DT we needed to compare a 1920 funfair to a 2024 funfair. I can’t wait to create our own ride our of KNEX.” – Elsy.

Autumn Two Week 1

What an exciting week we have had in Year 6! The week began with a fantastic workshop about World War 1 where we could handle real objects that were used in the war. We tried on soldier’s uniforms, looked at photographs and investigated the stories of two men who lived in the area. It really sparked our interest into finding out how our own families were involved in the war and some of us have even found medals hidden in boxes in the attic! It was an amazing way to begin our history topic!

  

In English this week, we have looked at the song ‘What a Wonderful World and thought about the message behind the song. We then chose a theme and changed the song into something different. Some of us created poems such as ‘What a Spooky World’ and others created on using antonyms from the original song to create ‘What a Horrible World’. Once we had finished writing our poems, we really enjoyed sharing them with our friends.

We have continued developing our skills in division this week in maths. We have been working with much larger numbers and we are much more confident in our dividing abilities!

On Thursday it was Halloween! We made chocolate apples with sprinkles on and produced a piece of artwork. After choosing an oil painting to ‘spookify’ we thought carefully about which Halloween themed items we could add to them to subtly create a spooky painting.

Our week ended by watching Hidden Figures, which links with our chosen person to celebrate throughout Black History Month. We have conducted research and produced artwork about Katherine Johnson, who worked for NASA and made a huge difference to the world of inclusivity, so it was nice for us to watch the story unfold by watching the film.

  

“I have really enjoyed the activities we have done this week, it has been a good start to the new half term.”

“The World War One workshop really made me think about my own family and how they were involved in the war.”

“I feel really confident now I can divide using the methods we have learnt.”  

Autumn One Week 7

This week in English, we have finally finished our bravery award speeches that are dedicated to Rose Blanche! I am super proud of all the children because they have all written using formal language, included passive and active voice, improved their vocabulary and have written amazing tributes to Rose. After carefully writing our speeches in the neatest handwriting, we posted them to London where they will be read by a number of World War 2 experts.

In maths, we have learnt how to use the bus stop method to divide. Our use of times tables really helped us access the work and made it easier when dividing larger numbers. We will now be able to use our new skills to divide even larger numbers.

This week we have focussed on Black History in our PSHE lessons. We chose to learn about Katherine Johnson, who was a famous mathematician and worked for NASA, and created a non-chronological report about her. After using the internet to research other facts about her life, we created some beautiful double-page spreads about her life and realised how hard she had to work to be recognised in her field of work. We spoke a lot about inclusion, diversity, segregation and integration and had meaningful conversations about what life must have been like for her and others who were treated in that way.

We have learnt about climate change in geography this week. We learnt about the main causes of it and what different countries are doing to help slow down the process. We each chose a different country to research and presented our findings in different ways. In PE, we concluded our Athletics topic and held a mini sports tournament keeping track of how many of each event we managed to do in the time.

Finally, we fully enjoyed our time playing on the inflatable assault course on Wednesday! We celebrated our excellent behaviour and had the time of our lives!

 

“I really enjoyed English because it challenged me to do my best when using formal vocabulary and using everything we have learnt in our grammar lessons.” – Abdul

 

“Using the bus stop method to divide is an easier and more efficient way to solve the problems.” – Macie

 

“I like that we learnt some facts about Katherine Johnson. I learnt all about her difficulties in the world because of her skin colour; I don’t think it was fair at all!” – Chloe

“I enjoyed learning about how NASA changed its ways to suit people from different cultures.” – Denzell

 

“It is important to know the effects of climate change and what is being done to slow down the process.” – Elsy

Autumn One Week 6

We have been given a very important task to complete during our English lessons. After being contacted by a very special WW2 tribute organiser, we have been tasked with writing a bravery speech about Rose Blanche. Using what we know about Rose, we have worked hard to form the first part of our speech using formal language and carefully choosing our vocabulary. We are very excited to complete our speeches and send them away to be read out by some very important people.

During maths this week, we have learnt how to multiply 3-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers using the formal written method. By using our knowledge of times tables, we have carefully multiplied the numbers together to find the answers to tricky questions.

In science we investigated the world of selective dog breeding. Having previously learnt about inherited characteristics, we thought about why certain dog breeds are bred together to create a certain type of offspring. We created a leaflet which explained what selective breeding was and why people chose this way of creating new offsprings.

On Thursday it was Mental Health Awareness Day. We thought about what mental health was and how we could be kind to or mind. We made posters to inform other people about what mental health is and what we can do if we are feeling emotions that we feel uncomfortable with. We listened carefully to each other and respected each other’s views about how what works for each of us.

 

English (Bravery speech)

“I have enjoyed preparing to write the speech. I can’t wait for them to be sent to London!” - Taylan

Science (selective dog breeding)

“We thought about new breeds of dogs we would like. We chose which characteristics we would like to inherit in our pets.” - Amelia

Art (2D to 3D creations)

“I enjoyed creating the dog and making it 3D by making a stand.” – Carson

 

Autumn One Week 5

During English this week we have started to write a tribute speech about Rose Blanche. With a focus on formal language, the children have worked hard to use the passive voice to form the first part of their speech. They have been thinking carefully about all of the events that made Rose a hero during WW2 and how they can put it into words to ensure that everybody else knows. Our shared reading  lessons have been based around finding evidence from the text to support our inferences taken from the story Fireweed. 

Our maths lessons have been focussing on estimating the answer to addition and subtraction problems before using the most efficient method to find the answer. We have learnt different methods to solve problems, which include the use of number lines, formal written methods and compensating using our knowledge of numbers.

We have learnt about inherited characteristics during Science  this week. Through looking at Mr Men and Little Miss characters, we carefully thought about which characteristics the offspring would inherit from the parents.

 

After learning about biomes in geography, we focussed on two countries (Japan and Qatar) and compared them. Focussing on the climate, physical, human and other geographical features we compared the two countries we completed a table to show the differences and similarities. During art we continued to scale up the silhouettes of dogs and began to collage them using a piece of art taken from the Oliver Twist story. Through concentrating where the light would be on the dog, we gave the illusion that it was 3D.

PE

‘It is really to play mini matches, and I enjoy building up my skills whilst playing with my friends.’ – Carson

Junior Jam

‘I like how kind they are to us and how they stay calm.” – Alex

Elsy

‘I enjoyed using Mr Men and Little Miss in Science to show inherited characteristics from parents. We got to use our imagination when creating the offspring.’ – Elsy

English

‘We have to try our best in English whilst writing our speech about Rose Blanche. I hope they choose my speech to read at the remembrance tribute.’ – Taylan

Art

‘The art has been really fun. I chose the different shades to make my dog look 3D.’ – Chloe

Autumn week 4

During English this week we have been writing a diary entry as if we are Rose Blanche in the story. We have had to think carefully about how Rose felt when she found the concentration camp and what she thought when she saw the people behind the intimidating fence. We have used dashes for parenthesis to add details to our writing and included inverted commas to use speech. We are working hard to improve our vocabulary using word banks and thesauruses. During our shared reading we have created black-out poetry using the poem Dulce et Decorum est. By carefully choosing the words which mean the opposite of ‘sweet and proper’ we blackout out the rest of the poem. We realised that the poem is talking about the opposite of the title.

 

Our maths lessons have had the focus of addition and subtraction. We have successfully used number lines to partition numbers in order to add them efficiently. This has helped us when mentally adding numbers together. We were then able to develop these skills further to add and subtract more complex numbers.

Charles Darwin was the focus of our science lesson this week. We conducted an investigation thinking carefully about how the finches from the Galapagos Islands evolved their beaks over time. We created different shaped beaks with equipment and used a range of items which replicated different food types. Using these, we were then able to talk about how some adaptations have been more successful than others and what would happen to the animals if adaptations weren’t successful.

We have continued our work researching about the different biomes in geography. We worked in teams to create a double-page spread about a biome of our choice. Thinking carefully about the climate, animals and plant-life, we created some beautiful non-chronological reports about a biome of our choice.

During art this week we have used a silhouette of a dog and scaled it up using squared paper. We had to think carefully about what would be drawn in each of the boxes and we had to sketch it to ensure it replicated the original image we focussed on.

 

English (Rose Blanche)

“I like writing the diary because I can open my imagination.”  Denzell

“I have enjoyed learning about ways to improve my writing. I can now use semi-colons, colons and dashes for parenthesis.” Elsy

Maths  (Rounding)

“I can now use bridging to add and subtract tricky numbers.” Chloe

Geography (Biomes)

“I have enjoyed learning about the different biomes from around the world.” Lewis

“I am really proud of the work I created in geography. I enjoyed researching facts about the Tundra,” Denzell

PE (Junior Jam)

“The PE was really good because I love football and it helped me develop my passing skills,” Taylan

 

Autumn 1 Week 3 

In our English lessons this week we continued to explore the text of Rose Blanche. We have read more of the story and have thought carefully about the events throughout her life as the main character. Using colons and semi-colons, we have written detailed lists linking to how the soldiers looked and what the town would look like after the war. By looking at the detailed illustrations in the story and role playing the scenes, we have thought about how Rose would have felt and what she might have thought during the events. We then used inverted commas to write down what Rose might have said during these events.

At the start of the week, our maths lessons have been recapping our learning skills and extending them to rounding numbers to the neared 10,000,000 and numbers with 3 decimal places. We then worked hard to multiply and divide numbers by a power of 10. We used place value grids to assist our learning and gain a deeper understanding about what happens to our numbers when we divide and multiply the numbers by 10, 100 and 1000.  

During Science, we have continued with our Inheritance and Evolution topic and we explored how polar bears, penguins and sharks have adapted to suit their environments over thousands of years. We safely used the internet to explore other facts about these animals and their habitats.  

We have been learning about biomes during our geography lesson this week. Firstly, we labelled a world map of the continents, seas and oceans, the equator and other geographical features. This then lead into learning about the biomes from around the world. We researched facts about each of the biomes and created paragraphs in preparation for next week’s learning to take place.

English (Rose Blanche)

“I really enjoyed the role play during English because it let us be creative and allowed us to pretend to be a different person.”  Merida

“The role play was really good because it puts a picture in your mind about what’s happened in the story.” Alex

Maths  (Rounding)

“I really liked learning about the rounding in maths. I can now round numbers with 3 decimal places!” Abdul

Shared reading (Anne Frank’s diary)

“I really really really like shared reading because we are learning about my favourite subject- World War 2.” Denzell

RE (Journeys)

“I enjoyed the RE lesson because we got to think about our journeys and hear other peoples’ journeys. It was really interesting.” Carson

Autumn 1 Week 2 

In our English lessons this week we have been exploring the text of Rose Blanche. Thinking carefully about how Rose feels during different events in the story, we wrote a diary entry. We ensured that our diary entry included Rose’s thoughts and feelings about the soldiers taking over her town in Germany and used thesauruses to improve our vocabulary to have greater impact on the reader. We have also written a contrast poem where we compared Rose to one of the German soldiers. Through using antonyms, we were able to write a poem of contrasting feelings and thoughts.  

Our Maths lessons have been based around place value. We have been learning how to read and compare numbers above one million. Using place value grids, we have been able to introduce decimal numbers and have been using the more than and less than symbols to compare these numbers.  

 

During Science, we started our Evolution and Inheritance topic where, children began to explore how animals have evolved throughout time in order to survive in their environment. We thought carefully about how camels have adapted to suit the very harsh,  hot environment of the desert.  

 

Through talking about anti-racism and how we can be anti-racist in our actions, we have created a piece of artwork. We used photographs of people from different races and created a collage to represent that we are all part of the human race. We had very mature discussions about racism and respected each other’s views and opinions.  

 

English (Rose Blanche)  

“I really enjoyed writing the poem because it allowed me to show my creativity. I liked writing it about the Rose Blanche story because the pictures helped me to have a clear image in my mind.”  

“My writing was improved because I was taught how to use semi-colons in a list. I used some amazing adjectives to describe the items in my sentence.”  

Science (Evolution and Inheritance)  

“The adaptation song about the camel helped me to understand how camels have adapted to suit their environment.”  

PE (multi-sports)  

“I enjoyed the PE because it was made fair for everyone.” 

Autumn 1 Week 1 

In our English and art this week, we have based our learning around the poetry book ‘The Lost Words’.  We studied several poems with a focus on vocabulary then chose one we would like to focus on. We developed our vocabulary linked to this ‘lost word’, using the laptops, drafted our own version of the poem and then worked hard to produce a final version for our base display. We can’t wait to share it with you on our showcase day in October! In the afternoons, we sketched our own artwork based around the spectacular artwork in the book. We added colour and definition to our artwork using the watercolour paints. 

In Maths, our learning has been based around addition and subtraction. We built on our previous learning during our time at MJS and completed some challenges to further develop our learning.  

In the afternoons, we have completed learning in PSHE with a focus on respect and anti-racism.  On Wednesday afternoon, we were visited by the Lancashire Prevent Team, for a workshop on respect and tolerance.  The children have discovered new vocabulary and learnt about showing respect both in school and our local community. 

Finally, to wrap up a wonderful first week, we went on a school trip to Canalside. The children had great fun and completed activities such as canoeing, bushcraft and fire lighting, archery, orienteering and team building games. The weather stayed sunny for us and the behaviour of the children was exemplary.  

The Lancashire Prevent Team (PSHE): 

“These are some of the most respectful children I have ever come across. Their behaviour is the best I have experienced in a school.” 

Maths (formal method of subtraction): 

"I now understand how to exchange when solving subtraction problems and how to properly set out the questions using place value. It really helped when Miss Avery gave me the number grid."  

Canalside visit: 

“I have never had a toasted marshmallow before, it was very yummy! One of my favourite parts was standing up in the canoe. I felt scared at first, but I’m glad I was brave.” 

Autumn Two Week 8

Our last week of term has been action packed!

In maths, we have been investigating the properties of triangles and learned about the area of rectangles and the area of parallelograms. We have also completed a number of mental arithmetic activities as well as learning about coordinates in a ‘Christmassy’ way.

We continued our English topic and developed our knowledge of newspaper reporting. After reading several different articles, we collected words and phrases that we thought were effective. Using formal sentence structures, we created a short paragraph that will be used at the start of our newspaper articles. We will continue this after the Christmas break and report on what has happened to our characters that were lost at sea.

We have also had a focus on RE this week. We learnt about the second, third and fourth themes of advent, using verses from the Bible to support our learning. We used role play to help us to understand the conversation between Mary and the Angle Gabriel, freeze framing a scene and adding our own speech – check out the pictures below.

We also created our vision of what God’s perfect would look like – this generated some really mature discussions.

Our history topic came to an end this week. We have really enjoyed learning about evacuation during World War 2. Our final piece of work was a consolidation piece of writing where we recalled everything we have learnt about what happened to the children during the war. We enjoyed creating masterpieces by adding images and text boxes to our non-chronological reports.

Our Christmas Performance on Wednesday was a huge success and I would like to thank all the children (and parents) that came back after school to support us. The children read the poem beautifully and the singing was spectacular.

On Thursday, we had our behaviour treat. Nerf Wars was great fun and the children certainly enjoyed themselves (as did Mrs Lawton and Miss Regan). We played a number of different games where we had to work together in teams and dodge the opposing team.

We also made our Christmas cards on Thursday which proved rather messy!

On Friday we celebrated the Autumn term coming to an end with a Christmas party. We spent some time in the hall with 6L and we played a number of different games.

Miss Regan and I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas break and we look forward to starting the new year in January.

 

Autumn Two Week 7

 

It’s been a busy week at Meadowhead Juniors! On Wednesday, we had our stay and read event and were visited by a very special guest! Then, Ms Blackledge read us a story whilst we enjoyed hot chocolate and mince pies!  On Thursday, it was our Christmas jumper day, Christmas lunch and Christmas fair – which was a huge success. 6L made sweet cones and they certainly proved popular.

This week has also been our assessment week. The children completed their final two maths assessments and have made wonderful progress so far. The attitude and determination the children have shown has again, been fantastic.

Our English this week has been based around newspaper reports. We found out what happened to our main character (Rami) and have been set the challenge to investigate what happened to the other refugees. We worked on gathering formal phrases as well as consolidating our grammar knowledge of hyphens and formal and informal speech.

In maths, we have calculated angles in a triangle, angles on a straight line and classified geometric shapes in Venn and Carroll diagrams. We came up to the board to share our knowledge then solved some complex problems based on our learning.

In science, we finished off our classification unit be creating our own animal. We had to draw the features so we could classify it into the correct group and then explained why it had these features.

In PSHE, we based our work around bullying and what this means. We looked at scenarios, decided if they were bullying and then gave some advice to these people. The children were very grown up and had some meaningful discussions.

In DT, we made our final models of our fairground rides. We found it much easier to build this week and then we wired in our lights and motors. The motors proved to be a tricky task but we didn’t give up! We even got Mr Newsham involved although we think he secretly wanted to play!

In PE, we took advantage of the dry weather and practised our team work skills outside! We also developed out throwing and catching skills playing dodgeball with Junior Jam.

 

DT

“Using the motors was great fun. It was hard to make it spin!” Broleigh

 

Maths

“Learning all the different ways to calculate angles has been great fun!” Finlay

Autumn Two Week 6

Our week started with a Christmas theme! On Monday morning, we made some Christmas decorations to hang in the classroom and take home. The children persevered with the tricky origami and produced some beautiful craft pieces.  This got us in the mood for Christmas and we were treated to a wonderful performance of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at the Empire Theatre. We laughed, danced and sang along to the songs and had a fantastic time. As always, the children were a brilliant example to the rest of the school and behaved perfectly.

 

This week has also been our assessment week. The children have completed some tests in grammar, spelling, reading and mathematics (which will continue into next week). The attitude and determination the children have some is nothing short of remarkable and I am truly proud of them.

 

Our English has had a grammar focus this week. We have learnt how to use apostrophes, accurately and have consolidated our knowledge of some aspects of word class.

In maths, we have worked on drawing shapes accurately, using a ruler and a protractor. We also discovered that opposite angles are equal and applied our knowledge of this to complex problems.

In science, we learnt to classify an animal that could fit into many different categories. The platypus helped us understand that not all animals are easy to classify and we had to use our investigative skills to discover its features.

Our history work was all about evacuation in the local area. We compared maps of Blackburn from 1939 and 2024 and looked how the area has changed. We then read some stories from children who were evacuated to Blackburn and looked how this mass movement of people impacted Blackburn and the surrounding areas.

In DT, we finally got our hands on the KNEX and practised making our models of our fairground rides. We initially found it tricky, but with some teamwork and determination, we managed to make some excellent models of rides. Check out the pictures below:

 

In RE, we learnt about the first theme of Advent. The children discussed what a Prophet is and then analysed some verses from the Bible and linked these to prophecies about Jesus’ birth.

In our PE over the last few weeks, we have been using the large apparatus to apply our knowledge of the skills we have been using. Our photographer Finlay has taken these pictures of us enjoying our lessons:

 

Don’t forget it’s the Christmas fair next week and then our Christmas Production the week after.

 

History

“Comparing the maps of the local area was great. We were looking for each others’ houses!” Paige

 

DT

“I was proud of the ride that I built with Noel!” Alfie

Autumn Two Week 5

In maths, we continued our work on percentages. The children have consolidated their learning and can find 50%, 25%, 75%, 10% and 1% of a number. We then began to calculate specific percentages of amounts, such as 33%, 52% and 94%. Then children really preserved with this difficult topic and finished off the unit with some problem solving.  Our next unit is looking at geometry, with a particular focus on angles. We have learnt how to use a protractor and draw specific angles, ready to start drawing accurate shapes, next week.

In our English lessons this week, we have written our flashback narrative. The writing that the children have produced is a joy to read and Miss Regan and I are truly proud of all their efforts.  The children have applied all their recently acquired grammatical knowledge to their work.

In DT, we have analysed existing fairground rides and then used this knowledge and information to design our own ride. Next week, we will start constructing our rides, using KNEX and the electrical equipment.

 In science, we built on our knowledge about how animals are classified. We used Google Docs to create a fact file about a specific classification group.  We made sure our work was well presented and factual.

We have continued learning about evacuation during our history lesson this week. We empathised with children who were evacuated and watched a historical film clip about this. This helped us to then write a letter to our parents, in the role of an evacuated child.  In PE, we worked on the large apparatus, applying our knowledge of jumps and balances.

Our PSHE work this week has helped us empathise with children who are different from ourselves. We watched ‘Archie’s story’ – a documentary about a child who has Cerebral Palsy. The children were respectful and reflective as they learnt about his life and wrote to him about how they admired him.

Finally, the Blackburn Fire Brigade came to speak to the children about how to stay safe on the road and advised them about what to do if they discover a fire.  The children asked lots of questions about different scenarios and were, as always, polite and respectful.  

 

Maths

“Learning how to measure angles was fun!” Paige

Science

“I increased my knowledge of mammals and it was good fun typing up my work” Darcy

DT

“I really enjoyed designing my own ride and using the ideas that we had looked at” Kaitlin

English

“I’m proud of my writing and the quality of my paragraphs” Teigan

Autumn Two Week 4

In maths, we started the week learning how to multiply and divide fractions. We persevered and achieved highly. The children have realised how vital it is that they know their times tables so please make sure that they are regularly practising them at home. We finished the week with a new topic – percentages. So far the children have calculated 50%, 25%, 75% and 10% of a number and are ready to move their learning on, next week.

We continued to learn about advent in RE, this week. The children produced some beautiful double-page spreads about the advent wreath and its origins.

In our English lessons this week,  we continued have chosen a character to focus on, from our book ‘A Story Like the Wind’. We have written a diary entry from their point of view, acted out a scene from the book in the role of a character and have planned our flashback narrative, ready to write our final piece, next week.

In DT, we have consolidated our learning about electrical circuits so that we are able to plan our fairground ride, next week. The children used a variety of electrical equipment to make a circuit with a motor and a bulb.

 

 In science, we have started to learn about how animals are classified. Reflecting on and building on our prior knowledge, we were able to discuss the characteristics of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects – some of us pushed ourselves further and discovered how arachnids and myriapods are classified.  We have continued learning about evacuation during our history lesson this week. We looked inside an evacuee’s suitcase and discussed their belongings. We then created our own evacuation suitcase, giving reasons for why we chose our items.  In PE, we worked on the large apparatus, applying our knowledge of jumps and balances.

Our PSHE work this week has helped us empathise with children who are different from ourselves. We watched ‘Theo’s story’ – a documentary about a child who is visually impaired. The children were respectful and reflective as they learnt about his life.

 

English  

“The drama was really good fun and helped us to bond as a team” Milita

 

Science

“The mind map helped me learn the different features of animals” Kaitlin

 

DT

“I enjoyed learning about how the circuit connects together” Bradley

Autumn Two Week 3

Our shared reading  lessons have been based around finding evidence from the text to support our inferences taken from the story Asha and the Spirit bird. The children have found evidence to support their impressions of characters and settings.  During English this week, we have started to analyse the features of a flashback narrative. We have written some truly wonderful descriptions of a setting and been applied our knowledge of semi colons, expanded noun phrases and hyphens.

Our maths lessons have continued with the fraction theme! We have learnt to turn improper fractions into mixed numbers and have added and subtracted fractions with different denominators.  The children have really persevered with this tricky topic and can now apply their newly learnt knowledge to solving problems involving fractions.

In Science  this week, we have focused on classifying plants. The children have used classification keys to identify flowering and non-flowering plants and have created their own keys to identify different flowers.

In RE, we have started to learn about how Christians prepare for Christmas. We have researched the meaning of advent and applied our knowledge to answer complex two step questions.

After learning about how WWII started, in history, the children have started to develop  their knowledge their knowledge of evacuation. We watched a short film with a first hand account of what evacuation was like and applied this knowledge to write a diary entry. The children were able to apply their emotions and feelings and write as if they were being evacuated.

In PE, we got the large apparatus out. The children behaved safely and considerately and showed their gymnastic skills in a variety of ways.

As always, Junior Jam was a great hit. We especially enjoyed our French and music lessons.  

 

RE

“Advent means preparation. I now know what Christians are preparing for, at Christmas”

 

English

“I used a semi colon in my description of a setting. I’m proud of myself”

 

Autumn Two Week 2

Today (Friday), we performed our class assembly to the school and our families. Our assembly was all about Remembrance Day and the importance of showing respect to those who sacrificed their lives so that we can live in a more peaceful world. The children spoke clearly and confidently; Miss Regan and I are so proud of the effort they have put into learning their words.

 

In English, we have started a new story called ‘A Story like the Wind’.  In our first lesson, we made predictions about what we thought would happen in the text. Then, studied the vocabulary and pictures in the book to create a poem using onomatopoeia.

Our maths work this week has focused on fractions and we making wonderful progress already. We have found fractions of amounts, calculated equivalent fractions and also learnt how to simplify fractions using common factors.

This half term, we are learning about World War Two, in history. The children discussed their prior knowledge on the topic before learning about how World War Two started and the key events from 1939-1945.

 

In science, our topic is classification. We have sorted a variety of leaves into different categories (using Venn diagrams) before creating branching databases, using ICT.

Our PE this half-term, is gymnastics. The children have created partner balances using push and pull forces, strength and flexibility.

Junior Jam have taught French, music and PE. We played dodgeball in PE (and really impressed our coach) and discovered new words and phrases in French.

 

History

“History is one of my favourite subjects and I enjoyed learning the dates of the events in WWII” Aurora

Maths

“I thought fractions were really hard, but now I get it!”Darcy

English

“I used words like crash, drip and whoosh in my onomatopoeia poem” Delilah

Autumn Two Week 1

 

It’s been all go in 6L this week!

On Tuesday, we were visited by Bill Smith from The Great War Workshop. Bill told us true stories about people in our local area who were called up to fight in World War One. He also brought in artefacts for us to handle and learn about. It was an incredible experience and we thoroughly loved the afternoon with him.  We also completed a craft activity for a display. We made paper poppies, ready for our class assembly on 8^th November. Further details will follow.

On Thursday afternoon, we completed some Halloween activities; making chocolate apples went down a treat!

On Friday afternoon, we completed our work on Katherine Johnson. We watched the film ‘Hidden Figures’ to find out more about her life story. We have also completed lots of artwork of Katherine which we are very proud of.

We’ve shown our resilience this week in mathematics! We have continued our work on division and have really developed our understanding. We can now divide four digit numbers by two digit numbers – why don’t you test us!

In English, we have been studying the poem/song, ‘What a Wonderful World’. We have adapted the lyrics to fit in with our views of the world around us. We will share some of these with you in our assembly.

 

Great War Workshop

“I was so shocked when I saw all the artefacts. I loved getting dressed up as a soldier and I got a coin to keep’ – George

Mathematics

“I’ve really got the hang of division now” – Kaitlin

English

“Mr Dugdale moved my name up when he heard the vocabulary I was using!” Caelan

 

Our inheritance in work science has focused on the different breeds of dogs and how selective breeding makes these dogs unique. The children made an informative leaflet about the different features of dog breeds and why they are beneficial.

In PSHE, we focused on World Mental Health Day. We made posters to inform other people about what mental health is and what we can do if we are feeling emotions that we feel uncomfortable with. We listened carefully to each other and respected each other’s views about how what works for each of us.

 

“I found the maths really tricky at first but I stuck with it and now I get it!” Teigan

Autumn One Week 7

It’s the end of the half term and what a half term it has been!

Mrs Bell, Miss Regan and I are so proud of how the children have matured over the last seven weeks. Their work ethic has grown, and their behaviour has been exemplary.

In mathematics this week, we have been developing our knowledge of division. The children have applied their previous knowledge of this topic to solve complex problems, including dividing four digit numbers by two digit numbers. After half term, we will continue this and move on to solving problems that apply to real life.

In English, we have finished our topic on Rose Blanche. Our bravery speeches showcase our formal writing, explaining why we think Rose Blanche deserves to be commemorated. The improvement that the children have shown in their writing, this half term, is nothing sort of phenomenal!

This week we have focussed on Black History in our PSHE lessons. We chose to learn about Katherine Johnson, who was a famous mathematician and worked for NASA, and created a non-chronological report about her. After using the internet to research other facts about her life, we created some beautiful double-page spreads about her life and realised how hard she had to work to be recognised in her field of work. We spoke a lot about inclusion, diversity, segregation and integration and had meaningful conversations about what life must have been like for her and others who were treated in that way.

Our geography work this week has been about climate change. The children held mature discussions about how we can help to reduce climate change. They then chose a country to study and found out about what that country is doing to prevent global warming.

In science, we learnt all about the peppered moth and how the impact of humans caused it to adapt. We discovered that the Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on its habitat and chances of survival.

Finally (and perhaps most importantly!), we had our behaviour treat on Wednesday. The giant inflatable was a huge hit (Mrs Lawton loved it!) and we had lots of fun.

Have a lovely half term break!

 

Behaviour treat:

“It was so much fun bouncing and diving around. It makes me want to come to school and always behave!” Noemi and Milita.

Black History Month:

“Katherine Johnson kept on going and didn’t give up on her goals, no matter what she faced. She’s an inspiration.” Delilah

Mathematics:

“I found this way of solving division problems much better! It’s an easier way to do it!” Bradley

Autumn One Week 6

We’ve shown our resilience this week in mathematics! We have been using the formal written method for multiplication to solve problems with numbers up to four digits, including decimal numbers. The children have worked so hard to master this mathematical concept and I couldn’t be more proud of them.

In English, we have planned our bravery speech about Rose Blanche, in preparation for writing it next week. We have used formal language to explain why Rose was a hero.  In guided reading, we have read extracts from ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ to make inferences about characters and settings.

Our inheritance in work science has focused on the different breeds of dogs and how selective breeding makes these dogs unique. The children made an informative leaflet about the different features of dog breeds and why they are beneficial.

In PSHE, we focused on World Mental Health Day. We made posters to inform other people about what mental health is and what we can do if we are feeling emotions that we feel uncomfortable with. We listened carefully to each other and respected each other’s views about how what works for each of us.

 

Science

“It was great learning about why dogs look like they do!” Noemi

PSHE

“Creating the poster really helped me to learn how to look after my mind” Darcy

Mathematics

“I found the maths really tricky at first but I stuck with it and now I get it!” Teigan

Autumn One Week 5

Our shared reading  lessons have been based around finding evidence from the text to support our inferences taken from the story Fireweed. The children have found evidence to support their impressions of characters and settings.  During English this week, we have started to write a bravery speech about Rose Blanche. They have been thinking carefully about all the events that made Rose a hero during WW2 and how they can put it into words to ensure that everybody else knows. We have also worked on identifying the subject, object and verbs in sentences.

 

Our maths lessons have been focussing on estimating the answer to addition and subtraction problems before using the most efficient method to find the answer. Our different methods include using jottings (such as number lines), mental methods and formal written methods.

In Science  this week, we have focused on genetics – in particular inherited and environmental features. Through looking at Mr Men and Little Miss characters, we carefully thought about which characteristics the offspring would inherit from the parents.

In RE, we have discovered the different journey’s that Christians take during pilgrimage. We created some wonderful double page spreads. We also chose a person from the Bible and researched their journey through life. The children showed some excellent prior knowledge and we able to apply this to their work.

After learning about biomes in geography, we focussed on two countries (Japan and Qatar) and compared them. Focussing on the climate, physical, human and other geographical features we compared the two countries we completed a table to show the differences and similarities.

 

RE (journeys)

“I liked how we discovered different stories about people in the Bible.” Aurora

English (bravery speech)

“I liked using formal language and practising saying it, too!” George

Science (Inheritance)

“Creating ‘baby’ Mr Men was fun because I could select their features.” Oscar

Autumn One Week 4

 

It’s been all go this week in 6L!

In maths this week, we have started a new topic of addition and subtraction. The children used mental methods to calculate complex addition and subtraction questions. We discuss our prior learning before using a range of jottings to help us solve these problems.

In our English lessons this week we continued to explore the text of Rose Blanche. As we are now into our writing phase, we used role play to develop our ideas, the children developed a plan for their own diary entry, written as Rose. We have now started to write our paragraphs, including all the vocabulary and grammatical skills we have acquired over the last few weeks. Mr Dugdale visited one of our lessons and was very impressed with the standard of the children’s writing.

In art, we scaled up our sketches for a second time, to create a life like portrait of our chosen dog. We then collaged our sketches using our typography skills. Check out the pictures to see us working hard!

 In science, we have continued learning about how animals are adapted to their environment. We investigated how birds’ beaks have adapted to suit the food they eat and participated in an experiment to aid our learning.  We have continued learning about biomes during our geography lesson this week. We researched one of the biomes we studied last week and then created a ‘double page’ non-chronological report.  In PE, we have continued to develop our skills in athletics and really enjoyed a football multi-skills session with Junior Jam.

 

English (Rose Blanche)

“My writing has improved because I am using some really tricky vocabulary.”  Aurora

 

Geography (biomes)

“I really enjoyed writing my non-chronological report because I got to combine writing and art!” Delilah

Art  (collage)

“Art is my favourite subject so when I got to help others and show my work, I felt really proud of myself.” Caelan

 

 

 

Autumn One Week 3

 

Our maths lessons this week have continued with the place value theme. We have been practised rounding numbers to the neared 10,000,000 and extended this by rounding numbers with up to 3 decimal places.  We have then used place value charts and practical equipment to consolidate our learning when multiplying and dividing by ten, one hundred and one thousand.

In our English lessons this week we continued to explore the text of Rose Blanche. We thoroughly enjoyed reading the rest of the story, discovering what happened to our main character.  We have then analysed an example text, looking at how the grammar and sentence structure have enhanced the piece for the reader.  Using these feaures, we then developed our own diary entry about the key points in the story.

In art, we applied our mathematical knowledge to scale up sketches of dogs, ready to develop our typography skills. In science, we have continued learning about how animals are adapted to their environment. The children decided which animal they would like to learn about, then presented their findings about how they have adapted to survive in their environments.  We have been learning about biomes during our geography lesson this week. Firstly, we labelled a world map of the continents, seas and oceans, the equator and other geographical features.  We researched facts about each of the biomes and created paragraphs in preparation for next week’s learning to take place.  Life as a journey has been our focus in RE. The children mapped out their life journey so far and then discussed other journeys people may take. In PE, we have continued to develop our skills in athletics.

 

English (Rose Blanche)

“I enjoyed learning about what happened in the story. I felt proud of Rose for helping the starving people.”  Milita

 

Maths  (Rounding)

“Rounding is something I’ve always found tricky but now I can do it. I didn’t give up!” Finlay

Art  (Scaling up sketches)

“Scaling up my dog sketch was fun. It’s one of the best pieces of art I’ve ever done.” Kaitlin

 

 

 

Autumn One Week 2 

In our English this week, our learning has been based around the book ‘Rose Blanche’. We have analysed new vocabulary, made inferences about what we have read and then written a descriptive setting, using accurate punctuation, antonyms and formal and informal language.  Our guided reading has also been linked to WWII as we have been studying a non-fiction text and analysing its features.  

 

In Maths, we have been developing our knowledge and understanding of place value. We have worked with numbers with three decimal places and compared and ordered numbers with millions using inequality signs.  

 

In the afternoons, we have completed learning based around our school values with a focus on respect and anti-racism and created collages.  In our science work, we have started looking at how animals have adapted to their environment, with a focus on the camel!  We started our art topic by researching the artist Lubaina Himid. Junior Jam joined us on Monday afternoon and we had fun learning how to play the keyboard, participating in multi-sports and  using iJam in computing.  On Wednesday, Mr Little from Darwen Vale visited year six to talk to them about the opportunities available at Darwen Vale. The children were very grown up and asked some sensible questions.  

 

Behaviour, effort and work ethic have been amazing and Miss Regan, Mrs Bell and I are very proud of our class.  

Mr Little (DVHS): 

“Your behaviour has been impeccable and you have shown what a fantastic year group you are .” 

Maths (Place value): 

"I feel so much more confident when comparing decimal and fraction place value " – Teigan  

English (Rose Blanche): 

“The book is really interesting and I’m really enjoying it” - Darcy. 

“World War II is really interesting and I love our guided reading book” - George. 

 

Autumn One Week 1 

In our English this week, we have studied the poetry book ‘The Lost Words’. We analysed several poems with a focus on vocabulary then chose our favourite one. We then researched vocabulary linked to this ‘lost word’, drafted our own version of the poem and then practised our handwriting skills when copying up our neat version for display. We can’t wait to share it with you on our showcase day in October! 

Linked to this topic, we also sketched our own artwork, taking inspiration from the magnificent artwork in the book. We then used watercolour paints to add detail to our sketches. 

In Maths, we have focused on consolidating some of our previous knowledge on addition and subtraction. Many of the children then challenged themselves to complete some tricky problem solving linked to our learning over the week. 

In the afternoons, we have completed learning based around our school values with a focus on respect and anti-racism.  We have learnt some key terminology, held discussions (showing wonderful maturity) and completed some roleplay scenarios. On Wednesday afternoon, we were visited by the Lancashire Prevent Team, for a workshop on respect and tolerance.  

Finally, to wrap up a wonderful first week, we went on a school trip to Canalside. The children had great fun and completed activities such as canoeing, bushcraft and fire lighting, archery, orienteering and team building games. The weather stayed sunny for us and the behaviour of the children was exemplary.  

A fantastic first week in 6L! 

The Lancashire Prevent Team (PSHE): 

“These are some of the most respectful children I have ever come across. Their behaviour is the best I have experienced in a school.” 

Maths (addition and subtraction): 

"I’m really glad we did this work again because I used to find subtraction tricky.  I listened hard and with a bit of help from Miss Regan, I feel more confident now."  

Canalside visit: 

“My favourite part was the lighting fires. I have never done that before and jumped when I created a spark! It was really good fun and I got marshmallows by the fire.”