Goodness (Year 6) Class & Home Learning

Welcome to Goodness Class.  My name is Mrs Minhas and I am the Year 6 teacher; our teaching assistants are Mrs Dudley, Mrs Waterman and Ms Wilmot.

 

Year 6 is an extremely important year for the children, as it is their final year at St Augustine before making the leap to secondary school.  A key focus throughout Year 6 will be to ensure that the children take a mature and responsible approach to their education; becoming confident, organised and independent learners.  It is also the year where all pupils will strive to consolidate, bring together and apply the knowledge that they have gained throughout the past six years in preparation for the SATs; marking the end of KS2.  The skills and knowledge that they will build on this year will help to ignite their motivation to strive to reach their best, while inspiring them to grow and adapt to face the new challenges that secondary school will present.

 

Spring Term

 

Our Literacy text for this term is ‘Tom's Midnight Garden' which is a graphic adaptation of the Philippa Pearce classic by Edith.

 

In this text, the main character, Tom, foresees a lonely summer spent with his aunt and uncle to avoid catching his brother's measles. One night the grandfather clock in the hall strikes thirteen.  This signals Tom's entry into a beautiful garden where he meets Hatty.  As their friendship develops, Tom becomes increasingly reluctant to leave the garden.  Philippa Pearce's classic novel has previously been adapted dramatically for theatre, film and television.  Here it is given another parallel life -  appropriately for a time slip story - as a graphic novel adapted from the original by French artist Edith.

 

This text is linked to our History topic 'The Victorians' in which pupils will be learning about the Victorian way of life; from child labour and schooling to the British Empire and architecture specific to the era. 

 

Reading

 

All pupils are expected to read regularly at home with an adult in order to develop their comprehension/inferential skills as well as the speed, fluency and accuracy of what they read.  In school, we focus a great deal on analysing the content of what is being read; asking a variety of questions about the content in order to ensure that they gain a deeper understanding.  Asking these questions at home will improve their reading skills so it is imperative that you read with your child every day for at least 20 minutes.

 

We would ask parents/guardians to initial and date any comments that they make in their reading records on a daily basis, as well as indicating when their child has finished the book; these records will be checked regularly.

 

Homework

 

All pupils will be set homework every Friday; this is to be handed in by the following Monday.  Please note, sometimes they may get homework on days other than a Friday.  In addition, they will also receive spelling homework and they will be tested every week on these spellings. 

 

Please remember - the aim of the Spelling homework is that all children apply this knowledge in their written work, not only in Literacy, but across the curriculum.  So please practise the given spellings in a context so that children understand their meanings and how to use them correctly. 

 

Physical Education

PE will take place every Friday afternoon.  All children must bring in suitable clothing and appropriate footwear for indoor and outdoor PE.

 

I look forward to working in partnership with you in order to support our children in succeeding and achieving their aim in life.