Year 6 Curriculum

The following course statements are to provide you with an overview of the year. It is difficult to outline every area in detail and, if there are areas you with to explore further, please contact your child’s teacher.
English

Pupils learn to evaluate their own speech and assume different roles in group discussions and listen carefully to others. The range of work covered in Language and Literacy is as follows:
Term 1
Range
Fiction and poetry: classic fiction, poetry and drama by long-established authors including, where appropriate, study of a Shakespeare play; adaptations of classics on film/TV.
Non-Fiction: (i) autobiography and biography, diaries, journals, letters, anecdotes, records of observations, etc. which recount experiences and events; (ii) journalistic writing; (iii) non-chronological reports.

Phonics, spelling and vocabulary
Identify mis-spelt words in own writing.
Use independent spelling strategies.
Spelling patterns.
Word roots, prefixes and suffixes.
Connectives.
Changes in spelling over time.
Research the origins of proper names.
Dictionary work.
Grammar and punctuation
Word classes.
Construction of sentences.
Conventions of standard English.
Adapting texts to specific readers.
Work on verbs.
Connectives.
Complex sentences.
Reading comprehension
Compare and evaluate a novel or play.
Look at viewpoint within a novel.
Articulate personal responses to literature.
Look at work of some established authors.
Discussions about literature.
Distinguish between biography and autobiography.
Comment on the language and style of non-fiction.
Non-chronological reports.
Writing composition
Manipulate narrative perspective.
Plan quickly and effectively for their narrative writing.
Summarise.
Prepare part of a script.
Poetry.
Biographical and autobiographical writing.
Develop a journalistic style.
Non-chronological reports.
Term 2
Range
Fiction and poetry: longer established stories and novels selected from more than one genre. To study and compare a range of poetic forms. Non-Fiction: (i) discussion texts (ii) formal writing.
Phonics, spelling and vocabulary
Identify mis-spelt words.
Use independent spelling strategies.
Revise and consolidate previous work.
Word origins and derivations.
Proverbs.
Build a bank of useful terms.
Grammar and punctuation
Active and passive verbs.
Features of formal official language.
Complex sentences.
Contracting sentences.
Investigate conditionals.
Reading comprehension
Understand aspects of narrative structure.
Analyse how individual paragraphs are structured.
Recognise how poets manipulate words.
Investigate humorous verse.
Key features of different types of literary text.
Poets and writers of the past.
How arguments are constructed.
Official language.
Writing composition
Use different genres as models writing.
Own stories.
Study in depth one genre.
Parody a literary text.
Write commentaries or summaries.
Construct effective arguments.
Write a balanced report.
Variations in standard English.
Term 3
Range
Fiction and poetry: comparison of work by significant children’s author(s) and poets. Non-Fiction: (i) explanations linked to work from other subjects; (ii) non-chronological reports linked to work from other subjects; (iii) reference texts, range of dictionaries, thesauruses, including I.T. sources. Phonics, spelling and vocabulary
Identify mis-spelt words.
Use independent spelling strategies.
Revise and consolidate previous work.
Roots, prefixes and suffixes.
Practise and extend vocabulary.
Experiment with language.
Grammar and punctuation
Revise language conventions and grammatical features of different types of text.
Conduct detailed language investigations.
Revise formal styles of writing.
Secure control of complex sentences.
Reading comprehension
Describe and evaluate the style of an individual writer and poet.
Discuss how linked poems relate to one another.
Comment critically on the overall impact of a poem.
Compare and contrast different writers.
Explanatory texts.
Key features of impersonal formal language.
Appraise a text quickly.
Review non-fiction texts.
Writing composition
Annotate passages in detail.
Use a reading journal.
Summaries of books.
Synopsis of a text.
Write a brief review to tailored audiences.
Compare texts in writing.
Write a sequence of poems linked by theme or form.
Extended story.
Impersonal writing.
Paragraphs/ sequence.
Selected styles to suit specific audiences.

Mathematics

The approach to teaching Maths in all years is as follows: maths lesson every day interactive oral work with whole class emphasis on mental calculation controlled differentiation in all classes and setting in Year 5 and Year 6. The yearly teaching programme is set out into autumn and spring terms with the summer term repeating the concepts of the autumn term.

Multiply and divide decimals mentally by 10 or 100, and integers by 10,000, and explain the effect. Order a mixed set of numbers with up to three decimal places. Reduce a fraction to its simplest form by cancelling common factors. Use a fraction as an operator to find fractions of numbers or quantities ( e.g. 5/8 of 32 or 9/100 of 400 centimetres). Understand percentages as the number of parts in every 100, and find simple percentages of small whole-number quantities. Solve simple problems involving ratio and proportion. Carry out column addition and subtraction of numbers involving decimals. Derive quickly division facts corresponding to multiplication tables 10 x 10. Carry out short multiplication and division of numbers involving decimals. Carry out long multiplication of a three-digit by two-digit integer. Use a protractor to measure acute and obtuse angles to the nearest degree. Calculate the perimeter and area of simple compound shapes that can split into rectangles. Read and plot co-ordinates in all four quadrants. Identify and use the appropriate operations (including combinations of operations) to save word problems involving numbers and quantities, and explain methods and reasoning. Solve a problem by extracting and interpreting information presented in tables, graphs and charts.

Science

INTRODUCTION

We follow the National QCA Scheme of Work where Scientific Enquiry is subsumed into each module. A complete revision of all the Key Stage 2 teaching objectives covers the following new areas of study.

Interdependence and Adaptation 6A

Life processes common to plants include growth, nutrition and reproduction Make links between life processes in familiar animals and plants and their environments Effect of light, air, water and temperature on plant growth Role of leaf in producing new material for growth The function of roots and how water and minerals are transported around the plant Make and use keys The variety of plants and animals makes it important to identify them and assign them into groups Different pants and animals found in different habitats How animals and plants in two different habitats are suited to their environment Use food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat How nearly all food chains start with a green plant Micro-organisms 6B

Need for food for activity and growth and the importance of an adequate and varied diet for health The main stages of the human life cycle Micro-organisms are living organisms that may be beneficial or harmful More About Dissolving 6C

How to separate solid particles of different sizes by sieving Some solids dissolve in water to give solutions but some do not Separate insoluble solids from liquids by filtering How to recover dissolved solids by evaporating the liquid from solution Reversible and Irreversible Changes 6D

Describe changes that occur when materials are mixed Describe changes that occur when materials are heated or cooled Non-reversible changes result in the formation of new materials Burning materials results in the formation of new materials and that this change is not normally reversible Separate insoluble solids from liquids by filtering How to recover dissolved solids by evaporating the liquid from solution Forces in Action 6E

Objects are pulled downwards because of the gravitational attraction between them and the Earth Friction, including air resistance, as a force that slows moving objects and may prevent objects from starting to move When objects are pushed or pulled, an opposing push or pull can be felt How to measure forces and identify the direction in which they act How We See Things 6F

Light travels from a source Light is reflected from surfaces We see things only when light from them enters our eyes Changing Circuits 6G

Construct circuits incorporating a power supply and a range of switches to make electrical devices work How changing the number or type of components can make bulbs brighter or dimmer Represent series circuits by drawings and conventional symbols and how to construct series circuits on the basis of drawings using conventional symbols Enquiry in Environmental and Technological Contexts 5/6H

Scientific Enquiry

History

What was it like for children living in Victorian Britain?

In this unit children find out about the lives of Victorian children, how attitudes towards children changed, and the people who are remembered for their part in these changes. Children develop their understanding of the concept of change and continuity and their sense of period, by looking at the characteristic features of children’s lives in the Victorian period.

Children should learn:

to identify Queen Victoria and place the Victorian period in relation to other periods of British history
to infer information from a portrait
to consider what life was like for children in the past
to collect information from a range of sources
to understand that ways of life differed greatly across Victorian society
to write a narrative using historical detail
to understand that there are many representations of the Victorian period
to understand that the work of individuals can change aspects of society
to compare modern and Victoria schooling
to communicate through drama their understanding of the nature of school life in Victorian times
to consider how attitudes to children and childhood changed over time
to select appropriate material and present it in a way that shows their understanding of the Victorian period
How has life changed since 1930? What was the impact of World War 2?
In this unit children learn about the reasons for the results of the changes in British life since 1930 and the consequences of World War 2.

Children should learn:

about changes that have occurred in Britain since 1930 and some of the reasons for these changes
to place events in time.
to identify a range of appropriate sources of information
that the type of information available depends on the period of time studies
to carry out their own enquiry
to identify links and connections between aspects of British life since 1930
that change in one area can lead to change in another area
to make links between the changes

Geography

In Year 6, two topics are covered. Unit: Investigating Rivers In this unit the children will learn, through research, about rivers and the effects they have on the landscape. The unit focuses on: the components of the water cycle how rivers erode, transport and deposit materials to produce particular landscape features the characteristics of a river system in another part of the world The children will be observing and recording evidence, analysing and communicating their findings, using secondary sources and a range of maps. Unit: The mountain environment In this unit the children will learn to investigate, through research, mountain environments. They will be researching their own project and will be expected to carry out some research in their own time. They will be considering questions such as: What is a mountain environment like? Where they are found? What the weather is like Aspects of tourism They will be expected to use a range of secondary resources
Design Technology

Key Stage 2 During key stage 2 pupils work on their own and as part of a team on a range of designing and making activities. They think about what products are used for and the needs of the people who use them. They plan what has to be done and identify what works well and what could be improved in their own and other people’s designs. They draw on knowledge and understanding from other areas of the curriculum and use computers in a range of ways. Pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding of the breadth of Design and Technology through: Investigating and evaluating a range of familiar products, thinking about how they work, how they are used and the views of the people who use them Focused practical tasks that develop a range of techniques, skills, processes and knowledge Design and make assignments using a range of materials, including electrical and mechanical components, food mouldable materials, stiff and flexible sheet materials, and textiles. By the end of key stage 2, most children will be able to: Use knowledge and understanding of a range of materials, components and techniques to design and make quality products; Evaluate work as it develops and, if necessary, suggest alternatives; Produce designs and plans which list the stages involved in making a product, and list tools and materials used; Accurately measure, mark, cut, join and combine a variety of materials, working safely and recognising hazards to themselves and others; Understand the use of electrical and mechanical systems and more complex structures; Evaluate what is or is not working well in product. Much of the work carried out in Design and Technology offers opportunities for links with other areas of the school curriculum, (notably Science, Maths, English, Art, History and Geography). Topics covered during Year 6 include: Construction Mechanisms Electrical systems
Art and Design

Key Stage 2 Art and Design offers opportunities to: Stimulate children’s creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a unique way of understanding and responding to the world; Develop children’s understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings and meanings; Explore with children’s ideas and meanings in the work of artists, craftspeople and designers, and help them learn about their different roles and about the functions of art, craft and design in their own lives and in different times and cultures; Help children to learn how to make thoughtful judgements and aesthetic and practical decisions and become actively involved in shaping environments. During Key Stage 2, art and design is about developing children’s creativity and imagination by building on their knowledge, skills and understanding of materials and processes through providing more complex activities. Children’s experiences help them to develop their understanding of the diverse roles and functions of art and design in the locality and in the wider world. Pupils are taught the knowledge, skills and understanding of the breadth of Art and Design through: Exploring a range of starting points for practical work (for example, themselves, their experiences, images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments) Working on their own, and collaborating with others, on projects in two and three dimensions and on different scales Using a range of materials and processes, including ICT (for example, painting, collage, printmaking digital media, textiles, sculpture) Investigating art, craft and design in the locality and in a variety of genres, styles and traditions (for example, in original and reproduction form, during visits to museums, galleries and sites, on the internet) Topics covered during Year 6 include: Development of mixed media Observational drawing Study of artists such as Kandinsky, O’Keefe and Picasso
Music

At this point children who play the recorder and other instruments are given the weekly responsibility of accompanying the hymn in assembly, and providing incidental music. Music lessons are structured around group composition and performance and a command of notation, which has been the mainstay of all practical activity from the first recorder notes in year 3. Singing continues to play a very important part, and encourages a sense of solidarity in the classroom. At all times the quality of singing is important, but a sensitive approach is taken to any child to whom singing may be becoming a source of difficulty, and given an upbeat environment this is very much the exception.
Information Communication Technology

Autumn Term - Multimedia presentation The children will be taught how to gather information form a variety of sources and how to use text tables images and sound to develop their ideas. The children will also learn how to present their completed work effectively. Spring Term - Spreadsheet modelling The children will be taught how to enter and store information in a variety of forms and how to plan and give instructions to make things happen. Summer Term - Control and monitoring and Using the Internet to search large databases and to interpret information The children will learn how to select from and add to information they have retrieved for particular purposes and how to retrieve information that has been stored. The children will also review what they have done to help them develop their ideas and describe the effects of their actions.
Physical Education

Swimming: Children swim for one term focusing on swimming more fluently, improving their swimming strokes and learning personal survival techniques. Dance: Children dance for half a term, focusing on using different visual images as the starting point for composing, performing and watching dance. Gymnastics: Children take part in gymnastic activities for half a term. They use their knowledge of compositional principles, e.g. how to use variations in speed , level and direction, how to combine and link actions, how to relate to partners and apparatus, to develop sequences that show an awareness of their audience. Games: Games activities develop over the academic year. Children think about how to use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. In invasion games, they achieve this by entering their opponents’ territory with the ball and trying to get into good positions for shooting or reaching goal. In striking and fielding games, players achieve this by striking a ball and trying to deceive or avoid fielders, so that they can run between wickets or around bases to score runs. When fielding they try to prevent runs or points being scored. In net/wall games, players achieve this by sending a ball or other implement towards a court or target, which their opponent is defending. The aim is to get the ball to land in the target area and make it difficult for the opponent to return it. O.A.A.: Three weeks are spent developing orienteering and problem solving skills, in familiar and unfamiliar situations and environments. Throughout there is an emphasis on building trust and working as a team. Athletics: Throughout the summer term, children focus on developing their technical understanding of athletic activity. They learn how to set targets and improve their performance in a range of running jumping and throwing activities.
Religious Education

Autumn Term We take up the travels of Moses and the Israelites after the crossing of the Red Sea which we studied in Year 5, and follow them in the desert. We see how the Israelites learnt to trust God in the ups and downs of their daily life, and read the Psalms as poems and prayers expressing their daily experiences. We see the role of the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, as they point to the birth of Jesus and study the Christmas Story. Spring Term We learn that the prophets point to Jesus as the Servant king, and we see him as the peacemaker in the Stilling of the Storm, and as the Incarnation of God’s Love. This leads us to look in detail and depth at the events of Palm Sunday through to Easter Day. Summer Term This term we look at the Ascension and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost with the birth of the Christian Church as the extension of the Incarnation in the world today, and we become aware of the other great religions of the world.
PSHE

Autumn Term - Healthy Lifestyle Discussion on the importance of a balanced diet - nutrients needed. Explanation of dangers of excessive dieting and how it can affect all aspects of a person. Identifying food groups. To be able to use their leisure time wisely. Spring Term - Relationships Linked with Science - basic biology of human reproduction. To understand some of the skills necessary for parenting. Discussion on emotional aspects of relationships. To be able to set targets on what they would like to achieve. To encourage a more active role in their learning and progress. Summer Term - Keeping Safe To be able to know how to respond in an emergency. Role-play activities - what would they do - where would they get help. Discuss ways to improving accident situations. To know how to make choices and exercise some techniques for resisting pressure from friends. To increase knowledge and respect other cultures. French
Introduction to French

Listening and Responding Children begin by listening and responding to single words, simple instructions, questions and short familiar statements, often supported by visual cues. They follow a television series for young learners of French and they complete various comprehension tasks on extracts from the series, which require an understanding of main points and specific details, including opinions. They are also introduced to listening tasks where they need to recognise key vocabulary and a selection of details without any support from visual cues. Speaking Children name items, people and places. They ask and respond to simple questions, taking part in short interviews in pairs and groups. They conduct class surveys, asking for and expressing their own opinions and preferences. They are encouraged to give brief descriptions of themselves and their families and to perform simple dialogues and role-plays in front of others. They also join in songs, poems and games. Reading and Responding Children read and understand single words and lists, completing vocabulary puzzles and matching pictures and labels. They move on to short phrases, simple statements and questions, putting statements in the correct order, matching two sets of statements and matching questions and answers. They also read and respond to simple texts and descriptions, noting main points and some details. Writing Children copy single words and label items. They complete gaps in sentences and use set phrases to record personal information and descriptions, and to express some opinions. They also write simple scripts for short role-plays. They are constantly encouraged to check their work for accuracy.