Horniman Primary School

Year 6 Hawthorn Information Booklet 

Teachers:  Sophie Maher & Sofie Hashmi

Welcome to Year 6!

This year we will be learning about lots of exciting topics and will be developing our independence and stamina to take responsibility for our learning, ready for our transition to secondary school. We will be encouraging the children to develop their independence and be autonomous in assessing their own understanding and where they need to further develop.

There are lots of interesting activities planned to make it a fun year. If you wish to help out in any way (e.g. hearing children read, sharing your expertise etc.) please let your class teachers know.

Year 6 will be taught by different teachers this year to benefit from specialist knowledge and skills and this will also support them with the transition to secondary school routines and structures. Mrs Maher will teach Hawthorn Tuesday - Friday, and will teach English (including writing, reading, spelling and handwriting); Ms Dhiman will teach their maths and basic skills daily; and Ms Hashmi will teach their science, topic, DT and RSHE on Mondays. Year 6 will also have Rahila for RE, Harry for music and both their PE sessions with Adam this year.

We look forward to working with you to make it a great year for all the children!

The Curriculum at Horniman

The curriculum at Horniman School is engaging, broad and rich. It is a curriculum designed based on the needs of our children and the changes in the world around us. It is a challenging and engaging curriculum which meets the needs and ethos of our school. The curriculum is based upon the National Curriculum and children are taught in line with the National Curriculum’s age-related expectations. ​

Our curriculum drivers are diversity, creativity, enquiry and the environment and these are at the heart of all we do.

The Curriculum is organised into immersive cross curricular topics. The topics vary in length, some lasting two or three weeks, while others may last the whole year and be revisited at different intervals. There is also time and space for whole school topics, topics that reflect contemporary events and topics devised by the children or teachers’ personal interests.

Mathematics and Literacy are taught daily as discrete subjects but link to topics, wherever possible; to allow a comprehensive coverage of skills and provide opportunities to apply what has been learnt in different contexts.

The curriculum is enriched through:

Forest school and outdoor learning 

The outdoor learning environment is used throughout the school and we encourage children to learn outdoors wherever possible using the amphitheatre, playground, pond and forest school areas.

Philosophy

We will have a half term of weekly Philosophy sessions in autumn term led by Peter Worley, an internationally renowned educator in this field.

Music

We will have a whole class music session and with Mr Burgess, the music teacher, in which we’ll play a variety of percussion instruments, explore musical notation, compose pieces of music, learn songs, develop listening skills and appreciate music from different cultures.

Art

Art will be taught by Mrs Maher.

Drama

Children in Year 6 will take part in an end of term production. We also use drama in the classroom throughout the year and across the curriculum.

Sport

Physical Education is taught twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays by Adam, our sports coach.

The Five Keys to Success 

At Horniman, we promote the ‘5 Keys to Success’: Confidence – Perseverance – Organisation – Getting Along – Resilience. These are the key skills that all children need to acquire in order to be successful in school, experience wellbeing, and have positive relationships including making contributions to others and the community.  

Confidence  

The feeling that you can do it. Not being afraid to make mistakes or to try something new. Examples of confident behaviours:  

• attempting hard work independently  

• sharing a new idea with the class  

• taking a risk  

Perseverance  

Trying hard and not giving up when something feels like it's too difficult to do. Examples of Persevering behaviours:  

• continuing to try even when something is hard  

• not being distracted by others  

• checking work when it's finished to make sure it's correct  

Organisation 

Planning your time so you're not rushed, having all your resources ready and keeping track of when work needs to be completed. Examples of organised behaviours:  

• making sure you understand instructions before you begin work  

• having resources ready that you need for the day/task  

• having a plan and organising your thoughts.  

Getting Along  

Working cooperatively with classmates, solving problems without getting too angry, showing tolerance and following the class rules, includes making responsible choices so that everyone's rights are protected. Examples of organised behaviours:  

• being helpful when working in a group  

• listening and not interrupting when someone else is speaking  

• resolving conflicts by discussion rather than fights  

Resilience  

Being able to bounce back or recover quickly from difficulties. The ability to recognise the need for a different approach and to adapt to solve a problem. Examples of Resilience:  

• trying something different when what you’re doing doesn’t get results  

• learning from mistakes  

• not giving up when something is hard 

Year 6 Topics  

For more information, please see the school website. Half-termly plans will be sent home to share what we are learning in class and suggested activities for at home. Below are some of the topics we will study this year: 

Migration 

Ancient Mayan Civilisation 

Crime and Punishment 

The Life of Charles Darwin / Living Things 

Light 

Electricity 

English 

Areas we are covering this year: 

Reading 

Read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks 

Increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions 

Recommend books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices 

identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing 

Make comparisons within and across books 

Learn a wider range of poetry by heart 

Prepare poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience 

Check that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context 

Ask questions to improve their understanding 

Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence 

Predict what might happen from details stated and implied 

Summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identify key details that support the main ideas 

Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning 

Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader 

Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion 

Retrieve and record information from non-fiction 

Participate in discussion about books 

Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including  through formal presentations and debates, maintain a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary 

Provide reasoned justifications for their views 

Writing 

Use further prefixes and suffixes 

Spell some words with ‘silent’ letters [for example, knight, psalm, solemn] 

Distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused 

Use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling 

Use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words 

Use a thesaurus 

Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed 

Identify the audience for and purpose of the writing, select the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own 

Noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research 

Consider how authors have developed characters and settings 

Select appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning 

Describe settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action 

Use a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs 

Use organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader [for example, headings, bullet points, underlining] 

Assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing 

Propose changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning 

Ensure the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing 

Ensure correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register 

Proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors 

Perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement so that meaning is clear 

Develop their understanding Grammar, Vocabulary and Punctuation by: recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms 

Use passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence 

Use the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause 

Use expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely 

Use modal verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility 

Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or with an implied (i.e. omitted) relative pronoun 

Use commas to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity in writing 

use hyphens to avoid ambiguity 

Use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis 

Use semi-colons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses 

Use a colon to introduce a list 

Punctuate bullet points consistently 

Use and understand grammatical terminology accurately and appropriately when discussing their writing and reading 

Mathematics: basic skills 

Basis skills are the fundamental mathematic skills children need to master this year. Accurate and quick recall of these will allow children to access and solve more complex problem solving questions. 

Number and Place Value 

Read and write numbers up to 10,000,000 in words and numerals and say the value of each digit 

Compare and order numbers up to 10,000,000 

Round any number to the required degree of accuracy 

Number – mental addition, subtraction, multiplication and division 

Know and recall rapidly all times tables (multiplication and division facts- consolidation from years 4 and 5) 

Know and recall rapidly prime numbers up to 19 and square and cubed numbers (consolidation from Y5) 

Number – fractions, decimals and percentages 

Say the value of each digit in numbers given to three decimal places 

Read, write, compare and order numbers with up to three decimal places 

Multiply and divide numbers by 10,100,100 giving answers up to three decimal places (e.g. 1205 ÷ 1000 = 1.205) 

Know decimal, percentage and fractions equivalents (e.g. 3/5 = 0.6 = 60%) 

Measurement 

Know the formula to convert between miles and kilometres (1 mile=1.6km / 1km = 0.625 miles) 

Geometry – shape 

Name the parts of a circle (circumference, diameter, radius) and know that the diameter is twice the radius 

Resources/Suggested activities: 

Use playing cards to practise times tables (Ace = 1, Jack =11, Queen = 12). Turn over two cards and multiply together. 

Make a place value grid and practise moving numbers to the left/right to show multiplying/dividing by 10,100, 1000 etc. 

Make cards with fraction, decimal, percentage equivalents and play a matching game. 

Make cards with decimal numbers – pick 3-5 and order –who can do it the fastest? 

Make cards with equivalent mixed numbers/improper fractions – play a matching game 

Look at variety of jugs that show ml/l – make cakes/smoothies, etc.  
Look at scales that show kg/g – make cakes to practise measuring 

PSHE (including Relationship, Health and Sex Education) 

Careers, financial capabilities & economic wellbeing 

Borrowing & earning money 

Relationship &  Sex Education 

Puberty, relationships & reproduction (including some non-statutory elements) 

Drug, alcohol & tobacco education 

Weighing up risk 

Identity, society & equality 

Human rights 

Mental health & wellbeing  

Healthy minds 

Keeping safe & managing risk 

Keeping safe – out & about (including FGM 

Class information 

Please make sure you have at school every day: 

• Reading book 

• Reading journal 

• Spelling journal 

• Water bottle 

PE will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please ensure your child is suitably dressed for outdoor and indoor PE.  

Children should not bring anything else into school that is unnecessary.  

Home Learning 

Reading 

Your child should be reading daily at home – either a book from home, or one borrowed from school. This can be independent but should be monitored by an adult. Reading with your child and talking about the text is integral in developing their comprehension skills. 

Homework 

Children will be given homework which will support learning at school and prepare children for secondary school. We will introduce this gradually during the Autumn Term. Maths homework will be set by Ms Dhiman and English homework will be set by Mrs Maher. Please check the parent plan for the set days and due dates for these.