Units of measurement, stories of earthquakes and understanding ‘discrimination’

The start to the Spring Term has certainly been a chilly one. I want to start by saying a massive thank you for braving the snow and ice this week.

In Maths, we have started our new unit on ‘Converting Measurements’ and enjoyed a practical lesson on Thursday. In this lesson we discussed the difference between volume and capacity and then carried out an experiment to measure the capacity of different hollow objects around the classroom. Although our tables got a little messy, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of making each object as ‘full’ as possible, without spilling onto the table’s surface.

In Writing, we continued our ‘earthquake’ shared write planning. Students came up with an array of different public, eating venues. From train station cafes to fish and chip takeaways, the stream of ideas was fantastic!

In PSHE and Geography, we began to break down the concepts of prejudice and discrimination and applied this knowledge in our lessons on the Holocaust. Students mapped the various locations of the German Concentration Camps. They were shocked to find how dispersed these were across Europe and, furthermore, how many had been constructed well before World War II began. We further learned about Kristallnacht in PSHE and how the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst Vom Rath, was used to Nazi advantage.

Interactive map: Nazi death camps | CNN

In Music, we began our composition unit and refreshed our knowledge on the different types of musical notes, major and minor keys.

What special people they are.

Today, we had the pleasure of eating our Christmas Dinner, singing some Christmas Carols and wearing our Christmas jumpers but something else really stood out.

In PSHE, as part of a warm up activity, students were asked to draw a small figure and write something about themselves which positively influences others. Many of the students found this a challenging task and asked for my help. Each time they asked me, another student wanted to offer an answer on that student. Eventually multiple voices were interjecting lovely comments about the student who was unsure what to write around their figure. Following this, I asked all of 6D to get out of their seats and go around other students books, adding why they appreciated that student. Soon enough, the pages were filled with lovely comments about each individual. It reminded me what a truly special students make up 6D.

As tu un animal?

This week in French, we learned how to tell someone else if we do or do not have a pet, what their names are and how old the pet is. We combined this knowledge with our conversational French to practice in partners. Some of us wrote scripts, while others improvised! Some super French was spoken which combined our learning from across the term – well done 6D.

Library Visit, Book Buddies Night and Maths Chain Game

What a busy week we’ve had in 6D! We had the pleasure of visiting Moor Allerton Library. The students enjoyed working in groups to select 5 books for us to borrow with our class library card. Students then had the opportunity to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the Library.

We also had a fantastic time at our book buddies night where we shared stories, hot chocolate and biscuits.

On Friday, we had our second attempt at the Math’s chain game – this time using fractions, mixed numbers and integers as our answer cards.

We also had the chance to make our own periscopes this week in Science as part of our unit on Light. We discussed how the light spectrum can be reflected or absorbed, altering the way we perceive colour. We also discussed how light beams can travel from one space to another. We applied this learning to construct periscopes out of paper and card – a true challenge! Well done 6D.

Well done to our learner of the week – Sameer. Have a fantastic weekend,

Miss Davies

Emma Carroll Virtual Visit

On Friday, Year 6 attended a virtual visit and presentation from Emma Carroll – author of our class novel ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’. This session allowed students to understand how the novel was built over time, what inspired key characters and settings and how Ms Carroll first got into writing. We further used this as an opportunity to make links to our current History unit (evacuation during WWII) by extending our understanding of Kindertransport and how this affected the character arc of the antagonist in the novel – ‘Esther’.

At the end of the session, students were offered the opportunity to ask Emma Carroll about her other works and inspiration. Special shout outs to Ellie, Sameer and Henry for their insightful questions!

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

What a fascinating and enjoyable performance! On Thursday, Years 3-6 ventured to the West Yorkshire Playhouse to go and see The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. This musical production was fantastic and features a diverse range of ambitious props and talented actors. A must see this Christmas season if you get an opportunity!

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe At The Leeds Playhouse

Lino Printing in the style of James Bywood

A big well done and thank you to 6D for today. The students really pushed themselves in our lino design and cutting sessions and produced some original and ambitious designs as a result. We used James Bywood’s artwork and photographs of different landscapes and other natural scenery to inspire us. Today, we did printed our designs with a watercolour pre-wash for the background. Please see below for some of their fantastic works!