What a fantastic first week we’ve had in Year 6! We’ve been busy settling in, getting to know one another and diving into our exciting learning topics. Here’s are just a few of the things we’ve been up to:

Getting to Know Each Other: We started the week with some fun getting-to-know-you games which helped us learn more about each other and build a strong sense of community in our classroom.

Creative Learning with Homophones: In spelling, we’ve been exploring homophones and had some fun creating “homophone pears” for our display. The class came up with some brilliant pairs like “jeans” and “genes” and turned them into colourful and creative artwork.

Reading: Our reading unit this term is all about trees, and we’ve started by exploring some interesting texts about these incredible plants. The children are already making thoughtful connections and asking insightful questions.

Art Adventures: In art, we kicked off our unit with some skill based work on one-point perspective and a study of James Bywood, an artist known for his vibrant landscapes. The students were inspired by his work and created their own beautiful landscape pieces using oil pastels – we will be finishing these next week.

Collective Worship and Compliment Circle: This week, our collective worship focused on our school vision: “We are one body of many parts.” As part of this, we participated in a “compliment circle” where each student had the opportunity to give and receive compliments. It was a heartwarming activity that allowed us to recognise the unique qualities each person brings to our class. The kindness and positivity shared were truly uplifting.

Class Novel – Letters from the Lighthouse: We’ve made a great start on our class novel, Letters from the Lighthouse. The story has already captured our imaginations and we’re looking forward to following the characters on their journey. Ask your child about what they think of the book so far – we’d love for you to join in on the excitement!

Maths Fun: To round off the week, we played some engaging maths games that had everyone thinking and problem-solving in creative ways.

Apple Tasting: We also had the chance to try some apples from the orchard. It was a fun and tasty way to explore the differences in texture and taste and the students enjoyed sharing their thoughts on their favourites.

We had so much fun this year during sports day. With so much encouragement and excitement in the air, it was impossible not to soak up the joy of the occasion! We left feeling tired but on a high.

Well done to Sunningdale for their win this year!

We had a very fun art lesson this week designing and creating clothes for mini mannequins. We looked at: how we could create 3D forms using paper; how to divide an item of clothing into parts so it can be pieced together accurately; different techniques for creating the designs we liked with the available materials. We finished this lesson with a fashion show to give each group an opportunity to show off and explain their final piece, their inspiration and the creative process they went through as fashion designers.

In maths, we have been looking at types of angles, how to measure and how to calculate them. To bring our skills together, we used straight horizontal and diagonal lines to draw our name on squared paper. Then, we used a protractor to measure and calculate the angles we could see in our names.

How many angles were in your name?

For our third and final science lesson at Allerton High, we delved into the world of rocket science! We learnt about NASA and Space X and their missions to get to Mars; NASA would take over 2 years whereas Space X would take half a year because of the fuel stations they plan to send into orbit. After exploring rockets further, we then started to make our own vitamin C rocket.

Vitamin C tablets produce Carbon Dioxide – a gas which, when trapped, causes an explosion in the canister. With our safety goggles on, we worked in pairs and small groups to send our rockets into the ceiling (the bigger the dent, the better)!

We had a unique writing lesson this week where we made our own wildlife documentaries! These were based on our model text – a report all about rattlesnakes – and will help us to plan our own animal reports after the half term holiday. It is important to have a good understanding of the text to inform our own writing and so that we can magpie the features and structures we like. After making our sets and animals, we began to put our model text into action. Importantly, the narrator had to deliver their best David Attenborough impression!

What a special evening this was – coming back to school in our PJs to spend time with our Reception Buddies! Earlier in the week, we wrapped books as a surprise present for our buddies. On this festive evening, they got to open their gift and listen to us read to them. Let’s not forget the biscuits and hot chocolate we got to enjoy together!

This week, we have been making a noise against bullying! We have had lots of discussions about: how we can make a difference; how to put a stop to bullying; and what it is to be an upstander or a bystander. The children have been united in their desire to end bullying this week. On Thursday, we made signs and chants and took part in our picket, whilst Friday was Odd Socks Day. The children enjoyed themselves (in spite of the horrendous weather while we were outside chanting!)

Today, we had a visit from Vicky – a member of the Leeds United Foundation. She delivered a very important session covering important themes such as peer pressure, criminal responsibility, anti-social behaviour and social media. The children enjoyed the session and learnt some important lessons which may help them with their decision making in the future.

In our recent PSHE lesson, we learned about the influences that shape the three pillars of health: physical, mental and emotional. The class dived into groups and had thought-provoking discussions during three activities:

1. Ranking various influences from the most influential to the least influential using a Diamond 9.
2. Using a Venn diagram to sort influences in their lives into those which are positive and those which are negative. This included celebrities, social media and more.
3. Distinguishing between influences that contribute positively or negatively to our bodies.

This lesson taught us to make informed choices that promote positive well-being.

Miss Coope