I Wonder. I Wander. Year 6 ENGLISH As writers, we will be using a range of books this term which follow our theme of exploration and curiosity. Initially, we will read The Savage by David Almond. This book is part story, part graphic novel and the children will be re-writing the story in their own words. They will develop their ability to describe characters by using their speech and actions. Following this, we will read The Varmints by Helen Ward. We will use this to inspire us to write informative reports about the mythical creature and then practise our argument skills as we debate habitat destruction and its affect on the environment. MATHS As mathematicians, this term we will use the Geography aspects of our topic to perfect some of our mathematical skills. The use of maps and travel lends itself to our work on measure and converting between metric measures as well as between metric and imperial. We will also be using our statistical skills to analyse and represent the numbers of endangered species left on the planet with a particular focus on the 21 endangered species on the Galapagos Islands. This will form our cross curricular maths which is in addition to our discrete maths teaching. In the morning maths sessions this term, we will be focusing on fractions, decimals and percentages. The children will learn to find fractions and percentages of amounts, how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions and how to convert between all three. As ever, the children’s times table knowledge will be essential and it would be great if they could practise this at home. As readers, we will be developing our ability to interrogate a text and consider the obvious and more hidden meanings within it. We will then practise how to form written answers and understanding the different types of questions we are asked about texts. Year 6 HISTORY As historians, the children will learn more about the history of the Galapagos island’s explorers. They will use primary resources to learn about key explorers and their experiences of these islands. They will learn more about Darwin’s life, travels and discoveries. The children will research and create information texts about him. ART As artists, we will explore patterns of ancient civilisations from around the world including Islamic repeating patterns. We will experiment with printing techniques using a range of materials. The children will make a block to complete a relief print with and create their own repeating patterns. I Wonder. I Wander. GEOGRAPHY As geographers, we will be studying the globe and its features like the hemispheres, tropics and poles. We will familiarise ourselves with maps and atlases and will learn to use 4 figure grid references. As part of our learning on exploration, we will also give directions using the 8 points of a compass. Linked to our work on the Galapagos Islands, the children will compare and contrast different geographical regions and consider how they are interconnected. SCIENCE As Scientists, this term our focus will be on animals including humans. We will think about how animals are classified into groups according to their characteristics. We will learn about Carl Linnaeous, a Swedish zoologist and botanist who is important in developing how we categorise living things. We will use classification keys to sort a variety of animals including big cats and butterflies. We will set up experiments where we will observe changes over time on household items. WIDER CURRICULUM FOREST SCHOOLS The children will have a weekly forest school session on a Thursday each week. PE – This will swap to a Tuesday this term. Please make sure children have their kit. PARENT EVENT We will be hosting a parent event on 13.02.19. It would be great if you could join us. We will be creating our own tourist trips to the Galapagos Islands with persuasive brochures including costs, travel and activities while there.