Week 11; 25th - 28th March
The last week of our second term. We can't quite believe it....only 1 term left! Mrs Dixon scared us this week and has put a notice on the board - how many days left at Social Vallajeelt!! Aahhhhhh!!
We has our wonderful Japan afternoon this week - Thank you so much to those parents who made it. I hope you enjoyed our work as much as we have enjoyed our learning. A fantastic afternoon to end a fantastic topic that the children have had so much fun getting sully immersed into!
We finally finished Kensuke's Kingdom! The children have been so immersed into this story and have loved reading it. They have also created some superb double-page spreads about Nagasaki after their research last week - Check these out!
The highlight of the week has to be the long awaited 'Generation Game'. Most of our class were involved in one way or another but our 8 contestants certainly did themselves proud. Who could forget the speed in which Chloe shoved her face in custard to remove the sprouts, OR Orry managing to launch sprouts across the stage covered in said custard, OR Jacob and Jess' ability to eat lots of dry cream crackers...and swallow them! The highlight (not for the teachers!) was the amount of cream pies to the face (and hair) the children got. Such good sports.
Week 10; 18th - 22nd March
In Literacy, we have been putting in 100% efforts to try to make sure we get our book finished before Easter. We have managed to read 3 chapters this week and found out so much more information about what Kensuke was doing on the island in the first place. We have researched a town called 'Nagasaki' in Japan and its rich history - particularly in World War 2 and have even discovered the meanings of the Japanese words we keep coming across!
Happiness Day was lots of fun! Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures we can use but they did many different activities - karaoke, lego building, jigsaw puzzles, crafts, team games and more!
Week 9; 11th - 15th March
The children are rejoicing today! We have finally finished our second Fractions topic! Its been quite a tricky one - multiplying fractions, dividing fractions, fractions of amounts and then to top it off...questions which use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division!! Mrs D is sooooo proud of them and how they've tackled such a tricky unit of work! Absolutely High School Ready!
In Literacy, our main character (Michael) has arrived on a deserted island (or so he thought!). We have been talking about writing epic setting descriptions and this week, we have attempted some of our own. I think you'll be blown away! Here are just a handful of the talented bunch we have in Year 6!
Whilst reading the next chapter, we have come across some amazing vocabulary through our reading and we've copied them into our books so we can attempt to use them in our own writing very soon. I wonder if any of our parents know what they mean...!
We have also come across some unusual fruit - we're just really disappointed we can't get hold of any of them to try them!!
Week 8; 4th - 8th March
Another hectic week in Year 6. So hectic in fact, Mrs Dixon forgot to take many pictures!!
The beginning of the week saw some impressive daffodil entries. Aditya won the best daffodil (an impressive size!). and Ivy won the best decorated pot, complete with a memory of each of the years she has been at Scoill Vallajeelt!!
During Stay and Learn, we had around 10 parents come to join us in creating a comic strip to show our new Emotion Coaching style - CALM! Our end results were fantastic!
World Book Day saw lots of different book characters represented with Jess taking home the prize for 'The Demon Dentist'...complete with drill...very scary!!
We've also started a new music unit of work on Film Music. We talked about how the music that runs in the background to a film or TV program sets the mood. We listened to pieces of music and tried to identify what mood was created. We also identified the Dynamics, Pitch and Tempo of the music - I wonder if the parents understand these terms as well!! Finally, we watched 'Wallace & Gromit; A Close Shave' which as well as being a fabulous short film, has an incredible music background. We listened to parts of the movie with no sound to show how the mood was different and the children were amazed!
Week 7; 26th February - 1st March
We started our first week back by catching up on Kensuke's Kingdom, after Mrs Dixon left us right in the middle of a cliffhanger! We created postcards from our main character Michael, sending it from one of the many places he had visited on his journey.
Unfortunately, Michael has fallen off the boat with his parents and has now been washed up on a deserted island. We are now focussing on setting descriptions and finding out how we can make ours even better. Friday's task was a little game we called "Guess the Setting'. We each chose an IOM place and the rest of us have to guess where it was....have a guess yourself!
After reminding ourselves about how to multiply fractions, we've moved onto dividing them! Another 2 methods to learn, which the children have affectionally called 'up bean' and 'down bean'.
Its finally our turn to do Dance! What a blast we had this week - particularly with the split jumps we attempted!! Can't wait to see what we can achieve in the next few weeks!
Such an amazing first week back of what's set to be an intensive and short term!!
Week 6; 12th - 16th February
Another week full of learning which takes us to half way through Year 6!
Further work with atlas' this week but this time in Literacy as we continue to read Kensukes Kingdom. In the story, the main characters are now set off on their journey around the world and we've been finding / marking these places on a map so we can immerse ourselves into their journey.
Our NEW fractions topic is using the skills we learnt in the last few weeks of using a common denominator and simplifying fractions. We've been learning about multiplying fractions by fractions and whole numbers. Amazingly, the children have learnt 3 new methods but you'll have to ask them to find out which their favourite is!
We have written conclusions on our Science test from last week. This process has allowed the children to think carefully about things that they learnt during the test and consider how to use lots of detail in their explanations. Some very scientific conversations going on!
We have also extended our Science topic as we begin to think about Reversible and Irreversible Changes!
We have had a visit from Isle Listen the past few weeks where we have talked about things we should and shouldn't post onto social media as well as some self esteem building exercises.
Week 5; 5th - 9th February
In Literacy this week, we have been continuing to get writing! We have thought about our characters and whether or not it was a good idea to sail around the world for a year. We cam up with some great reasons for and against - what do you think?
| To Sail | Not to Sail |
|---|---|
| No school! |
Unpredictable Weather |
| Learn about new countries and their cultures | Miss friends and family |
| Family time | Limited food choices |
| Amazing life experiences | No where to escape |
We then decided which side of the fence we were on and wrote a letter to the corresponding person - A letter to Miss Lyon asking for permission to take Michael out of school to go sailing around the world OR a letter to mum and dad convincing them not to go.
In Numeracy, we have finally finished a gruelling topic on fractions. The children have done amazingly well on this tricky unit of work - they should be really proud of themselves.
Onto the next unit of work....FRACTIONS!!??!...Wait, what?
In Science, we have been learning about solubility and what better way to learn - getting stuck into a science experiment! We tested lots of different substances to see if they were soluble or not with great success! We also went outside so that we could properly understand what happens to particles during dissolving. Check out our solid, liquid and gas particles. What budding scientists we have!
We have been continuing our Geography topic by working on our atlas skills, which should also help us next week in Literacy.
We can also celebrate the children who have received swimming certificates in these past few weeks - Some Bronze, some green, some orange, some yellow! We are always hard at work!
Week 4; 29th January - 2nd February
Can you believe we're in February already...and almost halfway through Year 6?!!
In Numeracy, we've made friends with the 'common denominator' again so that we can add and subtract fractions. Towards the end of the week, we cranked the challenges up a notch by including improper fractions and mixed numbers when adding and subtracting as well! Our brains hurt!
In Literacy, we have been doing lots of writing this week. We started with our 'innovation', which means we take the model text (the opening of Kensuke's Kingdom) and change the words and phrases to make it our own, keeping the structure the same. We had some hilarious results but Aarav's was our favourite!!
We have also begun to learn our next set of capital cities. I wonder how many you know
Week 3; 22nd - 26th January
In Numeracy, our fractions work has continued with ordering fractions using a common denominator!
In Topic, we have been working hard to create a display in the hall. We learnt how to write our names in Japanese - some found this harder when we realised some of the missing sounds in the Japanese language, like 'L'! We have also created double page spreads which are information texts, using a double page in our book and being as creative and eye-catching as possible! Some of them are so good, they could be in a non-fiction book!
We are also learning the capital cities of the world off by heart so make sure you test us at home - We already know the capital cities for these countries with another set of 20 on the way!
Madagascar, Egypt, Pakistan, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Scotland, Morocco, North Korea.
The Year 6 were most looking forward to their trip to Ballakermeen for the open evening - they should be very proud of themselves for making the most of their tour, asking lots of questions and making the best first impression they could! Go Team!!
Week 2; 15th - 19th January
Another great week in Year 6!
We have carried on in Literacy with our discussions about the opening of Kensuke's Kingdom. The children are delving deeper into this story, comparing it to other stories by the same author and completing some in-depth analysis of the text. We also talked about the different types of sentences writers could use, using a mnemonic of DADWAVERS! to help us - ask the kids what they stand for!!
In Numeracy, our fraction work has moved onto improper fractions and mixed numbers and how to convert between the two. Again, our ItsLearning page has helpful hints for those who are still struggling!
The most exciting thing this week was our Junior Achievement day on Thursday. The children had the most fantastic day learning all about the world of work. We talked about Import / Export, trading, supply chains (and what to do if the supply chain breaks or is compromised), marketing, supply and demand...and much much more. The children worked in groups to create a product for a specific country, market it and present to the rest of the group. We also played the famous 'trading game' which was a hotly contested game of buy and sell. The children worked fantastically, with some stand-out performances from some. The Junior Achievement team said we were; "...a credit to ourselves and our school." WOW! Praise indeed!
Week 1; 8th - 12th January 2024
We have started Spring Term as we mean to carry on - getting our teeth into lots of juicy new topics!!
In Literacy, we have begun our book-based unit using "Kensuke's Kingdom". We have looked at the opening and tried to learn it off by heart. We made predictions about the book based on the front cover alone, came up with our own versions and have also considered how the author was trying to hook us!
In Numeracy, we started our Fractions topic with the most important part - Simplifying Fractions! The children were getting amazing results with this, using times table grids to help them out. See out ItsLearning page for more help with this topic!
Our topic is Japan this half term. As part of this we are going to be working with St Thomas' children on a project where we can be in charge of our own learning. We had an amazing first session where we were answering questions about Japan and finding the answers around the room!
Week 13; 4th - 8th December
Panto and Christmas concert practices are well under way but we are still trying to keep a little normality in class. Guided Reading, Numeracy, Literacy, Topic, PE and even Yoga are still happening albeit they often look a bit different!!
Use coordinates in all four quadrants (including negative numbers) to crack the code and unlock the sweeties!!
In topic, we have been finding out about the Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks from primary and secondary sources. There were some interesting facts to be had!
Week 12; 27th November - 1st December
We went to the Police Treat on Monday morning to watch 'Elf' in the Studio Theatre at Ballakermeen! It was certainly nice to have a first look at our potential new school and what a way to spend a Monday morning!
We have been continuing our Ancient Greece topic and this week we learnt more about the types of Government and City-States such as Athens and Sparta. After making notes on the two city-states, we decided to choose which City-State we would want to live in and why!
Week 11; 20th - 24th November
Our Numeracy 'Four Operations' topic moved onto Division recently and we have spent quite a few lessons trying to practice our skills. We concentrated on a few methods that would help us work out different questions, we practiced each one and then Mrs Dixon let us choose which we preferred again. This was really tricky maths and Year 6 were amazingly resilient and determined to keep trying until they got it right! Awesome learning dispositions!
We finally completed our Science Testing this week and learnt how to write conclusions from the data. Year 6 did such a fantastic job that Mrs Dixon even challenged us to create line graphs from more new data!
'Young Carers' were so impressed by our epic fundraising earlier this term, that they insisted on coming into school and presenting us with medals and certificates for our efforts! £420 is the most any class has ever raised before! Click here to read more!
Week 10; 13th - 17th November
Our second STEM workshop was just as good as the first, where the children got to build, follow instructions and then tweak and personalise their models! Some very technical building went on and as ever, Year 6 impressed the visiting adult with their resilience and great team work!
We had a great Stay And Learn session this week on Emotion Coaching. Our tasks in Year 6 were all about identifying our feelings and trying to manage them: something which is a very important part of growing up as we transition to high school! Thank you to all those parents who came along!
Most of this week has been planning for our event to raise money for 'Children In Need'. This has been a great event format for a few years and Year 6 were more than happy to organise and put their own creative spin on proceedings.
We had many different stalls and children around the school were allowed to pick 4 activities for their £2 donation! Another epic fundraiser Year 6! Total to follow soon!
Week 9; 6th - 10th November
We've had a really fun week, consolidating our learning in Literacy and Numeracy.
We were 'hot seating' the characters from our newspaper of Theseus and the Minotaur.
In Numeracy, to refine our multiplication skills, we completed a treasure hunt. Mrs D had hidden the question cards all round school. When, the children answered a question correctly, they got the next clue! Sweets were the prize if you completed it and everyone managed it in the time given!!
We had our first STEM workshop this week. The children had lots of fun as well as developing their design skills and team building. More to come next week!
Week 8; 30th October - 3rd November
A great start back to the second half of term. We have been really busy in Numeracy revising our multiplication methods and learning new ones. The children can now use 4 different methods and are choosing their favourite as they practice. Very proud teacher for such hard work in the first week back! Plus, the children were sneakily pleased they'd be able to show off their new methods at home to dazzle (and perhaps confuse!) their parents!
Click the links below for video help if you'd like to learn more!
We have started our new Literacy topic called 'Theseus and the Minotaur'. Get the children to retell the story to you!!
Week 7; 16th - 20th October
Our "Old Mill" topic in Literacy has come to an end, with Year 6 writing some spectacular suspense stories based on this clip from Harry Potter (only up to 1 minute!).
Check out these snippets of great writing!
Mrs Kinrade is so pleased with how Year 6 have taken to their celtic cross designs. Have a look at these amazing drawings!!
Week 6; 9th - 13th October
We've had a busy week! Literacy, Guided Reading and Numeracy have continued in full swing, with our penultimate Forest School too. (Click here for photo album).
We've also taken part in a skipping workshop this week which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
The highlight of our week was organising a spectacular Coffee Morning for our Vallajeelt family. What a morning it was! We raised an amazing amount for Young Carers in the morning and then lots of children offered to stay behind after school to sell some more! No pictures because we were so busy....but Year 6 should be very very proud of themselves.
Week 5; 2nd - 6th October
Keep checking the Forest School album for updates! (Forest School Year 6)
This week's Literacy has seen us get stuck into Suspense stories as a writer. We have looked at the toolkit for suspense - what we can use in our writing to make the reader think that something bad is going to happen. We had a treasure hunt to find the toolkit ....Mrs Dixon was mean and threw in some 'red herrings' to confuse us!!
We have also finished our Place Value topic in Numeracy. We completed our first end of unit test before we moved onto 'Four Operations' next week. Everyone did exceptionally well on their first ever Year 6 test...Ethan even managed to get full marks and was very chuffed with himself!!
Week 4; 25th - 29th September
Check out our Gallery of Forest School photos - click here.
This week saw us start our first official Guided Reading session, with all of the children being put into 'Fast Car Groups' - Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and Ferrari! Everyone really enjoyed their first Year 6 text - long may it continue!
We have all managed to get onto Its Learning this week and have found our GR homework, spellings and Numeracy help pages. We have discussed how we can send homework back to Mrs D and even had a go at Numeracy Ninjas questions for practice!!
Week 3; 18th-22nd September
Year 6 are well into the swing of being back at school now. We've had an epic time at our first Forest School, we started our Numeracy, Literacy and Science topics and we even spent time with our new buddies!!
