Kestrels Year 6 2022-23
Mrs Meredith, Mrs Linehan and Mrs Farmer
Friday 21st July
Goodbye Kestrels! You had a wonderful last week and should look back at your time with us with pride and hopefully fondness! Thank you for all your kind words and gifts this week; I really do appreciate them!
I, and all of the team at Greens Norton, wish you all the very best for your new ventures! However, first of all have a wonderful rest - you've earned it!
Friday 14th July
We stared the week in computing by learning about what makes a good quiz; we considered our audience and the type of quiz question that was most appropriate for a given question. We then set about designing a range of quizzes - one for KS1 and one for ourselves covering all of our curriculum subjects for the year! There were some challenging questions!
In history, we learned how the sun, moon and stars influenced the Mayans way of life. Thinking as historians, we then considered the best way to present our learning in order that others could learn too! Later in the week, we learned all about the incredible 'ball game' and how this was sometimes used to settle inter-state wars- with perilous outcomes!
In maths, we learned how to ensure that our bakery business made a profit and noted the impact on the selling price should our profit aspirations increase!
On Wednesday, we were joined by the church team and a former student to help us prepare for our transition to secondary school. We discovered that we all have very similar concerns and that there are lots of people surrounding us that can help us through.
Most of us ended the week with our transition days to Sponne. I'm sure you will have had a fabulous two days!
Friday 7th July
Another action packed week in Kestrel class this week!
In Maths, we learned about profit and loss; we learned to distribute costs across a range of items and identified the critical point at which profit or loss was made. In literacy, we completed our diary entries and in reading we used our inference skills, and evidence from act one, to analyse some of the key characters within 'The Tempest.' In DT, we completed our cams based toys project by selecting and positioning cams and evaluating our designs.
On Tuesday, we joined with the rest of the school to take part in sports day. We really enjoyed the carousel of sporting challenges before giving it our all in the 50m flat races!
In history, we learned about the Mayan society's hierarchical structure before identifying some of the key trends that typified this incredible civilisation.
On Wednesday, we took part in an art day where we got to apply all of the art skills that we have developed over the course of the year. We developed our own design inspired by the music and poem of the four seasons and having sketched a range of ideas we created out final piece using a medium of our choice.
In computing we started to look at how to design a range of quizzes for an audience. This week we were designing drag and drop games for a younger audience. In PSHE, we learned how to identify the various stages of grooming and who we could contact should we ever find ourselves in trouble.
Kestrels Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Harriet who has produced some amazing writing and brilliant reading analysis this week. Well done Harriet.
Friday 30th June
We have had an extremely varied week in Kestrel class this week. We started the week by show casing our writing skills as we started to write our diary entries. We also rehearsed and performed 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. We worked hard on ensuring that we projected our voices and used the correct intonation for this tricky ballad poem!
In maths, we started our first maths project as we began to apply our maths skills to the real life scenario of running a bakery. We used our ratio and proportion skills to scale up our ingredients before learning about 'best value.' We became canny purchasing team as we hunted out the best bargains for our raw materials by applying percentage discounts and promotional offers.
In history, we identified significant trends for the Mayans as we understood why they built their temples and how they used them based on their religious beliefs.
In PSHE this week, we have learned how to identify healthy and unhealthy relationships by considering how to keep the balance of power equal. We have also reviewed the changes that occur to our bodies during puberty before learning how human beings reproduce. Well done Kestrels for handling all of the discussions in a mature manner.
We ended the week by taking part in an action packed afternoon of team sports. Communication and working together was key as Kestrels navigated their way through a range of different challenges including on land skiing and the human rope. The afternoon ended with the giant kinball race- a firm favourite with all of us!
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Josh this week who is a really hardworking member of the class and who is producing some excellent work across the curriculum - well done Josh!
Friday 23rd June
We started the week learning about the religious beliefs of the Mayans. We compared their creation story with that of Christians and we learned about the different nature gods that were so important to this ancient civilisation.
In maths, we have been reviewing and developing our understanding of the angles within polygons as well as the nets of 3d shapes. We had fun investigating just how many different nets there are that will fold to make a cube.
In literacy, we have analysed the features of a diary and we have planned our own diary entry to recount the events of SATs week. In reading, we have learned about William Shakespeare before asking questions and wondering about one of his plays - The Tempest.
In PSHE this week, we have spent some time looking at just how much images can be manipulated on line to create the 'perfect' photo. We have explored how seeing these unrealistic images can impact how we all feel about ourselves. We have talked about difference being what makes us all uniquely beautiful and the power of being kind.
Continuing our learning about evolution, we researched how the human species evolved from chimpanzees. We were able to summarise the key adaptations that typify Homo Sapiens today.
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Isabella who is just a fantastic Kestrel - always working hard and helping others about the school! Well done Isabella.
Friday 16th June
In Literacy, we all worked hard to complete our discussion texts focused on the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest. Kestrel class should feel pleased that they all showcased their best writing skills at this critical point of the year.
In maths, we moved forward with our understanding of algebraic equations. We substituted values into our equations and learned how to find unknown values in both one step and two step equations.
On Thursday, we had a visit from the team at Sponne which helped those of us attending to feel better about next year and our two transition days ahead.
In history, we worked on our chronology skills and created a layered timeline showing when the Mayans existed compared with other ancient and significant civilisations. We learned that the Mayan civilisation lasted nearly 4000 years longer than any other civilisation that we have learned about!
In DT, we made frames for our cog based toys - see our pictures for the result!
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Matilda this week, who has produced some wonderful writing and some fantastic maths - keep up the great work Matilda!
Friday 9th June
Kestrels have come back ready to learn after their half term break!
We started our history topic - The Mayans - by looking at the evidence that was discovered by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederic Catherwood. We then used our existing knowledge of ancient civilisations to ask probing historical questions about this ancient civilisation. Were they polytheists? Did they have a hierarchical society? were just some examples of the questions we posed.
In maths, we have been deepening our understanding of algebra - we have learned how to create algebraic expressions, substitute values into equations and begin to use formulae to describe a range of scenarios.
In geography, we discovered the vast range of products that are exported from The Amazon Rainforest and began to understand how it is that we, as consumers, are impacting deforestation.
In literacy, we planned and started to write our discussion texts debating the pros and cons of deforestation.
In PE we completed both tennis and rounders while in DT we started to learn about cam mechanisms.
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Olivia who has had an incredibly focused week of learning and has produced some excellent work in all subjects - well done Olivia!
Friday 26th May
Kestrels have thrown themselves into an excellent week of learning. In geography, we have immersed ourselves in learning about The Amazon Rainforest. We have learned about the drivers for deforestation and the actions that governments have put in place to protect it. We have learned that there are conflicting agendas that mean that the forest remains under threat. We have also reviewed our understanding of the water cycle prior to learning about the impact that the Amazon rainforest has on the rainfall of large parts of the continent of South America.
In science, we discovered more about Charles Darwin and completed written explanations of his theory of evolution.
In R.E., we learned about the idea of Karma and designed our own images to show the effect of 'what goes around comes around' In computing we have continued to learn all about networks. We increased our understanding about what has to happen before we can be given the wifi code!!!!
In PSHE, we learned about the types of inappropriate content that children can be exposed to online. We discussed that it is not something that we should accept seeing and identified ways to report and block this content so that we don't see it again. We also shared how seeing inappropriate content can negatively affect our mental health.
In French, we started to think about packing for our holidays. We learned how to pronounce some key vocabulary for summer and winter clothing before using the future tense to describe where we will go on and what we would pack in our suitcases.
On Wednesday, we took part in the sponsored wolf run, along with the rest of the school and in art we combined all of our recent skills to create our own composition of a rainforest inspired piece of art.
Friday 19th May
A wonderful week for Kestrels with the main focus being our residential to Whitemoor Lakes with Silverstone and Blakesley schools. The year 6's had an amazing time completing a range of challenging activities on land and water! Take a look at some photos from our trip!
Friday 12th May
Well done Kestrels! You completed your week of SATs exams with calmness and you gave each one your best efforts. There were some highlights of the week too! SATs breakfasts each morning to ease us in to the day and a wonderful shared picnic lunch to celebrate at the end! Next stop Whitemoor Lakes!!!
Friday 5th May
A short week, but packed with learning for Kestrel class.
We learned to identify a range of tenses including the past, present and progressive tenses as well as the present and past perfect tenses. In reading, we applied all of our reading skills to a diverse range of texts including playscripts.
In maths, we reviewed a range of mathematical skills from calculating area and perimeter of rectilinear shapes and triangles to calculating missing angles in triangles and across vertically opposite lines.
We joined the rest of the school in celebrating the coronation during our special assembly as well as enjoying our shared picnic. The weather was kind to us as we all celebrated together!
Friday 28th April
In our reading lessons, we have been developing our ability to select evidence from higher level texts in order to support inference and explanation questions. In our grammar lessons this week, we have been learning about formal and informal voice including the use of the subjunctive before moving on to perfect our use of apostrophes for contraction and possession.
In maths, we have applied our knowledge of ratio to ratio and proportion problems before moving onto reviewing metric measures, conversion methods and how to solve a range of length, capacity and mass problems.
In geography, we continued to learn about The Amazon Rainforest. We undertook a detailed study of each layer in the rainforest including the varied animal and plant life that makes the rainforest its home.
In R.E. we moved on to thinking about how people of faith can show their gratitude through prayer and in music we focused on identifying musical instruments before making connections between music and art. In PSHE, we learned how some social media accounts only present the positive side of life which can lead us to have unrealistic expectations of our own lives.
In science this week, we learned about variations in inherited characteristics and how these mutations can impact upon a living thing's ability to survive in a particular environment. We used our observation skills to identify which particular characteristic of plants and animals make it suited to survive in its environment.
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Matilda, who not only has produced some wonderful learning all week - particularly in maths - but is also a wonderful classmate and friend.
Friday 21st April
We had a busy first week back in Kestrel class.
In Literacy, we started to learn about our new genre of writing - discussion texts; we identified the key features of this text type before learning to write without bias and innovating an introductory paragraph.
In maths, we continued to learn about ratio- moving on to scaling images and making connections between ratios and fractions.
In science, we learned about inherited characteristics and developed our ability to explain this process. In R.E., we started our thematic unit looking at how religion can support us in good times and bad. To begin with we considered how non-religious people might express gratitude and created our own gratitude jar.
In art this week, we created our rainforest inspired printing templates using layering before producing our prints. On Friday, we visited the book fair and created our own wish list of top reads before helping Robins class generate their own wish lists to take home.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Sephie who has come back after Easter with a phenominal work ethic; working tirelessly and producing outstanding pieces of work across the curriculum. What a Star you are Sephie!
Friday 31st March
Kestrels had a great end to the spring term.
In geography, we learned about 'The Colorado River' and its part in the formation of 'The Grand Canyon.' In maths, we completed our learning on percentages by applying them to a range of reasoning and problem solving challenges before moving on to learn about the language of ratio before starting to use ratio notation. In ICT, we created a map based text adventure using our coding skills. We had a lot of experience at debugging our codes as we looked to develop increasingly complex coding.
We even completed some end of unit assessments in Geography and science before ending the week, with the rest of the school, by taking part in the Easter Service at St. Bartholomews. We performed our poem on the crucifixion with a good pace and expression and enjoyed supporting Wrens class on their journey to and from the church.
Now for a well earned break - Happy Easter Everyone!
Friday 24th March
This week, we learned all about a sub genre of science fiction - steampunk before finding evidence from our current class novel 'Cogheart' by Peter Bunzl to justify why it falls into this category. We then developed our 'explanation' reading skills by looking more closely at extended answers justified with multiple pieces of evidence.
In computing, we started to learn about text based adventures. We used 2connect to plan our own adventure story before using ebook software to create our own interactive text based adventure story.
In maths, we have been developing our understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. We have learned how to use fractions for division as well as finding equivalent fractions decimals and percentages before applying this to a range of reasoning challenges and problems.
In R.E. we considered how Christians might feel about the sacrifice that Jesus made and in geography we learned about different types of tectonic plates and the impact of their movement.
On Friday morning, we took part in the Easter experience at St Batholomews church. A special thank you to all the volunteers who made the experience so enjoyable.
Kestrels Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Annabelle who is an incredibly dedicated learner in our class. You are an inspiration to us all Annabelle and a well deserving star this week.
Friday 17th March
This week Kestrel class has been completing a range of assessments. I have been really pleased with their focus and determination to showcase their best work - well done Kestrels! In between our tests, we have completed our persuasive letters and have learned how to find fractions of amounts.
On Monday, we continued to improve our rugby skills with our Saints coach while on Tuesday, we enjoyed our cricket taster session where we developed our bowling and batting skills.
In geography, we started to discover more detail about the major biomes in North and South America while in DT we learned how to saw safely as we started to build our class wooden bridge structure.
Having set up our 'mould' experiment last week, we reviewed the impact of the different environments on our bread samples. We analysed the impact of moisture, warmth, light and cold on the spread of mould ensuring that we could quantify our findings where possible.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with George this week who has had a particularly successful assessment week. Well done George!
Friday 10th March
This week, we planned and started to write our persuasive letters. We have worked hard to up-level our vocabulary and use a range of different sentence structures as well as incorporate persuasive and emotional language.
In maths, we learned how to divide fractions before applying all of our calculation skills to a range of complex problems. In geography this week, we started to learn about biomes and located the different biomes that exist within North and South America.
In DT, we tested our truss bridge structures and in music we continued to develop our understanding of syncopated rhythm.
In science, this week we compared our results from our yeast experiment last week and concluded our findings using scientific vocabulary. We then planned our next experiment focusing on harmful micro-organisms. We planned a controlled experiment which we will monitor over the next week to understand what affects the rate of growth of mould.
In French this week we learned how to identify the present and future tenses and in PSHE we reflected on what makes respectful behaviour considering verbal and non-verbal communication as well as thinking about how we can develop our ability to empathise with others.
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Olivia who has completed an amazing week of maths and literacy! Well done Olivia.
Friday 3rd March
This week in Kestrel class we have been investigating two different genres in our reading lessons inspired by our new class novel Cogheart by Peter Bunzl. In literacy, we have continued to develop the writing skills needed for persuasive letters. This week we learned how to incorporate conjunctions to reinforce our ideas before innovating different styles of introductions.
In maths, we learned how to multiply fractions by whole integers and fractions by fractions using pictorial representations to support our understanding.
In geography, we learned about the population density of North and South America and analysed the land use in New York City, considering the expansion that has taken place since early colonisation including the changing landscape upwards to accommodate the most densely populated city in North America.
In D.T. we made models of truss bridge structures ready to investigate their relative strength while in music we learned about syncopated rhythm.
On Monday, we had our first rugby lesson delivered by the saints rugby coaches, while on Thursday we worked on our fitness by completing cross country.
In science this week, we completed experiments to understand the impact of helpful micro-organisms and on Thursday, we undertook plenty of reading activities and dressed up as our favourite book characters to celebrate World Book Day. What a busy week!!
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Freddie, who has been a wonderful addition to our class. Freddie is a hardworking, kind and considerate Kestrel and we are lucky to have him as part of our team!
Friday 24th February
Kestrels came back refreshed after their half term break and tackled their learning with enthusiasm.
In literacy, we have started to learn about our new genre of writing - persuasive letters. So far, we have revisited the structural and language features of this text as well as learning how to use persuasive openers and modal verbs within and across a range of different sentence structures. In maths, we continued to develop our skills in adding and subtracting fractions; we learned how to calculate with mixed numbers and apply these skills to multi-step problems.
In geography , we developed our fieldwork skills by completing graphing population data for South America - with such varied population values selecting an appropriate scale was a challenge! In science, once we had reviewed, the key knowledge from last term, we started to learn all about micro-organisms. We learned about the three main types of microbe and their structures before designing and creating our own micro-organisms out of clay.
We ended the week by showcasing our french comprehension skills as well as learning some useful ways in which we could support victims of bullying if we ever find ourselves as a bystander to bullying behaviour.
Kestrels Star of the week: We celebrated with Eli this week who has sustained a really positive attitude to his studies in recent weeks. Keep up the good work Eli - we are really proud of your progress!
Friday 10th February
Kestrel class had an excellent week of learning this week as they completed a huge variety of activities to end the term. In maths we learned how to add and subtract fractions using common denominators ensuring that we simplified our answers using common factors. In geography, we used our locational skills to identify the 12 countries that comprise the continent of South America as well as reviewing all of the knowledge that we had acquired so far this term.
In ICT, we learned all about blogs. We learned how to create a blog page and make blog posts ensuring that our content was aimed at a specific audience. We also learned how to react to, and make comments on, other peoples blog posts whilst thinking carefully about ensuring that we were responsible and considerate with our comments.
On Wednesday, our second group of pupils completed yet another successful transition visit to Sponne - well done everyone you represented Kestrels extremely well. As part of safer internet day we shared our online activities and discussed ways in which we could report behaviour and content that we find inappropriate. In R.E. we found out how Christian charities work to eradicate injustice in our society by supporting those that need the most help; we thought that Barnados and Oasis do an amazing job! In P.E. this week, we completed our dance unit and devised and performed our own dances inspired by the Haka.
In art, we created layered pictures which conveyed a powerful message about protecting the rainforest and finally to end the week we joined with the rest of KS2 to focus on our mental health. We worked as a key stage 2 team to understand how we can all take steps to improve our own mental health and we completed the mindfulness activity of finger knitting.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Blessing this week who week in and week out produces work of an exemplary standard across all areas of the curriculum. Well done Blessing!
Friday 2nd February
This week in Kestrels we started to learn different ways to compare and order fractions. We used generalisations about denominators and numerators to make comparisons and learned efficient methods to create equivalent fractions. In literacy we completed our newspaper articles and in science we learned how to create branching databases in order to sort and classify different species of birds and butterflies.
In R.E. we used religious texts to infer what sort of leader Jesus might have been and in P.E. we perfected our dance moves as we learned how to perform the Hakka.
In art, we created 3d skyscraper clay sculptures and in french we developed our understanding of a range of prepositions before using them in sentences to describe the relative positions of a range of items in the home.
Kestrel star of the week: We celebrated this week with Tyler who has been applying himself with real enthusiasm to his science and french work this week! Well done Tyler
Friday 27th January
This week Kestrels started to write their newspaper articles focusing on using the passive voice, maintaining a formal tone and ensuring that our quotations conveyed emotion and were to the point.
In maths, we completed some excellent reasoning from known facts by applying our knowledge of times tables and number bonds to some tricky calculations and problems. In geography, we used our locational skills to identify the countries and major cities of North America.
In science, we deepened our understanding of the 5 kingdoms before using our observation skills to sort and classify a range of plant life using a branching database.
On Wednesday, half of the class completed a really successful food technology lesson at Sponne. The children listened well and represented themselves excellently and made some wonderful bread. The second group will be completing their visit in two weeks time!
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Sephie this week. Sephie could be our star every week as she has an amazing attitude to her learning and this week was no exception - What a star you are Sephie!
Friday 20th January
Another packed week this week as Kestrels tackled a full week of learning.
In literacy, we have been learning about the active and passive voice as well as planning our newspaper articles. In maths we have been perfecting our ability to use the order of operations before learning some excellent methods to support our mental calculations.
In science, we learned how all living things are classified before researching the bi-nomial names of members of the animal kingdom. In geography, we learned why timezones are needed and how to calculate time differences. In R.E , we reflected on the kingdom of god by interpreting parables and in art we further developed our claywork skills whilst creating tigers and to end the week we learned more vocabulary and phrases in french to help us describe our houses - phew!!!!
Kestrel star of the week: This week we celebrated with Antonio who has had a brilliant start to the term and a wonderful week of learning - well done Antonio!
Friday 13th January
We had a varied week in Kestrel class this week. In reading, we have been developing our inference skills in the context of our class novel. In science, we learned about the work of Carl Linnaeus and reviewed our classification vocabulary for living things. In maths, we have been solving multi-step problems before looking at the order of operations and in literacy we have been learning the features of journalistic writing and how to write effective quotations.
On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to take part in a Faith Tour in Queen’s Park Bedford. The children visited a mosque, a church and a Gurdwara. We were able to explore each of the varied and fascinating places of worship and were guided through the beliefs and customs for each of the faiths. This gave the children a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the different belief systems as well as learn new information. It was a fantastic day that really enabled the children to develop their understanding and respect for different religions.
In PSHE this week we further developed our ability to show tolerance and respect for others as we considered some challenging community scenarios and in art we painted and evaluated our clay tiles.
We ended the week learning about the french vocabulary needed to describe houses!
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Harry this week who always shows a great amount of effort and commitment in his learning and whose hard work is serving him well - well done Harry!
Friday 6th January
Kestrel class started the new year in an artistic fashion we analysed artwork by Henri Rousseau and used this to inspire us to create a piece of layered clay work. We learned how to produce stencils for equally sized parts and use tools to vary the texture of our clay as well as using slip to join our clay tile design.
In literacy, we started to learn about journalistic writing by exploring a range of newspaper articles before identifying their key features. In maths, we reviewed our methods of division before applying all of the four operations to more multi-step problems.
We started our geography topic 'Amazing Americas' by developing our locational skills and knowledge. We learned how to use lines of latitude and longitude to describe the position of the Americas as well as using digital mapping tools to measure the size of these large continents. We also ensured that we used key geographical language to describe the location of the two continents.
In French this week, we created our own football player profiles as well as reading and answering comprehension questions about a range of French footballers. A great start to the term Kestrels - well done!
Friday 16th December
This week, we completed our narrative texts based on 'The Highwayman.' We worked incredibly hard and have produced some super writing.
In maths, we learned a range of different division strategies to support us when dividing by double digit numbers and we applied these strategies when solving multi-step problems. In R.E. we considered the challenges around forgiveness by learning about Corrie Ten Boom and Archbishop Desmond Tutu - two inspiring people who followed the teachings from the sermon on the mount. And finally, in D.T. we had great fun adding the circuits to our 'Steady hand' game.
We ended the week enjoying our KS2 carol service as well as our delicious Christmas lunch followed by some festive crafts - sock snowmen!
Kestrel Star of the Week: This week we celebrated with Mia, who, as well as being a wonderful learner in our class, is a wonderful friend! Well done Mia!
Happy Christmas everybody!
Friday 9th December
This week, we started to learn about the modern justice system in our history unit on crime and punishment. We thought about the societal factors that influenced the crimes that are common today, as well as how these crimes are punished. We reflected on things that have remained the same and then went on to consider how much fairer the modern justice system is compared with previous systems.
In literacy, we continued to write our 'Highwayman' narrative. We ended the week by writing the dilemma and events section ensuring that we used short sentences to build tension.
In DT, we employed our knowledge of nets to build the base of our 'Steady Hand Game' before adding suitable decoration to ensure it met with our design brief.
In ICT, we learned how to use spreadsheets to complete a probability investigation. We learned how to use the dice and counting tools as well as how to write formulas and copy and paste data and formulas within a sheet.
In science, we planned and completed an investigation into the impact that lengthening a wire has within a circuit. We worked brilliantly in teams and were shocked to find out the results! They were not what we predicted!
We ended the week, with the rest of the school, watching the dress rehearsal of the wonderful KS1 nativity 'Baubles'. The singing was lovely and we now all feel in the Christmas spirit!
Friday 2nd December
We had a a testing week in Kestrel class as we completed a number of assessments across a range of subjects. We all worked incredibly hard and I am pleased and proud of how the class applied themselves to these tests - well done Kestrels!
Over and above our assessments, we have been writing our narrative texts based on the ballad poem 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. We have also been learning about the Victorian era and the changes to crime and punishment that came about during this time. In R.E. we have been considering the underlying messages from the sermon on the mount and in D.T we have been designing electrical circuits for our 'Steady Hands' game.
We have also been enjoying opening our random acts of kindness advent calendar - so far we have taken on the challenges of saying something nice to someone and helping someone without them asking! Well done Kestrels.
Kestrels Star of the Week: We celebrated with Josh this week. Josh is a brilliant student in our class and has been particularly focused on his writing this week. Well done Josh for producing some super narrative writing!
Friday 25th November
We have had another rich and varied week in Kestrel class. In literacy, we have planned our narrative texts based on 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes; we thought about our backstories for the key characters in readiness for writing a flashback and identified key phrases from the poem that we could incorporate into our own writing.
In reading, we have been sharing the legend of Dick Turpin the infamous highwayman before moving onto our new class novel There's a boy in the girls bathroom by Louis Sachar
In maths, after having successfully interpreted remainders using short division, we moved onto learning the calculation methods required for long division. In science, we considered the impact that increased voltage can have on the brightness of a bulb and how exceeding a bulbs voltage will cause the filament to break.
In R.E. we learned about the key features of a mosque and how the mosque helps muslims worship and we also completed our end of unit assessment.
In history, we learned about the common crimes of the Stuart era - poaching, smuggling and highway robbery. We then compared and contrasted the criminal trends in the medieval times with those of the Stuart era.
In French, we learned vocabulary linked to football using our knowledge of cognates and near cognates while in DT we considered the term fit for purpose as we analysed both the form and the function of a range of electrical toys.
On Tuesday, we helped the local community by undertaking a litter pick in the park and along Calvert Road. In just that short distance, we collected plenty of litter using the special litter pickers provided by the county council.
Kestrel Star of the week: We celebrated with Isabella this week. Isabella is an incredible role model in our class. She is always ready for learning and focusing hard. To top it all, Isabella is a great friend and a supportive member of the team.
Friday 18th November
In literacy this week, we have identified the structure of narrative texts and unpicked some of the grammatical features that authors employ in order to engage the reader. In reading, we have been responding to our class text 'Outlaw' by Michael Morpurgo. We all thoroughly enjoyed this novel and we generated some excellent analysis of its plot and characters as well as drawing comparisons with other texts that we have read.
In maths, we have been exploring methods of division. We have learned the language of division and how to use short division to divide whole and decimal numbers including expressing remainders. In science, we have learned how to draw accurate circuits using the correct symbols to represent a range of components in an electrical circuit.
In R.E., we considered the important messages that muslims might glean from the Qur'an and how this reflects what they feel as important.
We ended the week by learning how to identify healthy relationships online and in french we learned how to write an interview about the Olympics.
Kestrels Star of the Week: We celebrated with Lilly-May this week. Lilly-May is a brilliant learner in our class; always listening and making sure that she includes everything that has been modelled for her. Well done Lilly-May - keep up the good work.
Friday 11th November
This week in Kestrel class, we have been learning to use formal methods of calculation for long multiplication in maths. We have also been using manipulatives to model division sentences to produce generalisations about remainders before finessing our calculation methods for short division.
In literacy, we have been learning how to use semi-colons as well as a range of relative clauses and in reading we have been learning how to explain patterns and trends across a text by considering how characters change over the course of a narrative.
In history, we learned about the Stuart era and discovered that the inappropriate use of witchcraft was the prevalent crime at that time. We then went onto to consider who was worse - the witches or the witch hunters?
In science, we reviewed our understanding of electricity before identifying some significant scientists from this field, alongside the chronology of their contributions to our society. While in music, we compared and contrasted two types of classical scores referencing texture, dynamic, instruments and tempo.
We joined the rest of the school for our special remembrance service on Thursday. In preparation for this service we had spent some time understanding the significance of the poem 'In Flanders Field' by John McCrae and how he had contributed alongside Moina Michael to our tradition of wearing poppies at this time of remembrance. A special mention to Olivia, Harry A and Blessing who read this poem brilliantly for the service.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Annabelle this week. Annabelle is a wonderful member of Kestrel class who is always working hard and putting in her best efforts to produce work to an excellent standard. On top of all of this, she is a great team member - Well done Annabelle we are lucky to have you in our class.
Friday 4th November
Kestrel class have completed a great variety of lessons this week!
In our reading lessons, we have been immersing ourselves in the ballad of 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. We have used visualisation techniques to help us picture the setting for this dramatic tale of love and loss. In literacy, we have been learning how to use speech punctuation within and across sentences and in spellings we have been deepening our understanding of spelling rules associated with suffixes.
In maths, we started the week exploring prime, square and cubed numbers before moving on to formal written methods of multiplication.
This week, we also completed our music unit. We considered how music can bring us together before developing our musicianship by learning how to create different note patterns in 2/4 time. We responded to a range of orchestral and pop music in this unit - reflecting on the texture, dynamic and tempo of each piece. We also started to learn how to read music before improvising musical riffs using instruments and learning to sing and perform a range of songs.
To end the week, we completed our lessons on coding by using variables and functions and then learned a range of sporting verbs in french - Phew!
Friday 21st October
Kestrel class have had a busy week to end the term.
We completed our setting descriptions and everyone should feel very proud of the quality of writing that they produced. In maths, we immersed ourselves in a range of number properties including factors and multiples before learning about rules of divisibility. In science, we learned about the impact of drugs on the human body. We focused particularly on the effects of alcohol and tobacco on our health as well as learning that legal drugs need to be takin in accordance with the usage instructions.
In reading, we have been learning how to identify the main points from a text in order to summarise it. We have looked at a range of non-fiction texts and have developed our skills at providing an accurate overview.
In PE, we completed and showcased our gymnastics routines as well as applying our netball skills in the context of some netball matches. In ICT this week, we learned how to use the repeat function to move objects before moving onto to use if/else commands to create more complex algorithms. We ended the week by learning how to conjugate the verb aller (to go) in French before applying this to describe countries that we could visit.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Owen this week, who produced an amazing setting description as well as completing his end of unit history assessment to a very high standard - well done Owen!
Friday 14th October
We immersed ourselves in descriptive writing this week as Kestrel class created their ideas and planned their setting description for an abandoned Viking village. We thought carefully about our vocabulary selecting powerful adjectives and adverbials and ensured that we had used a range of senses other than sight to add detail to our descriptions.
In maths, we practised our formal methods of addition and subtraction of whole and decimal numbers and applied this to a range reasoning and multi step problems. In history, we learned all about the punishment of the scold's bridle and what this type of punishment indicated about society's view of women in Tudor times. In R.E., we learned all about the significance of the pilgrimage Hajj for Muslims and in our art lesson this week, we created complementary and harmonising colours by mixing our own shades using only primary colours.
In ICT, we started our unit of work on coding by using commands and debugging to move objects and create events within our individually designed backgrounds.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Georgia this week. Georgia is always ready to learn and always has a brilliant attitude to her studies. Another amazing week Georgia - well done!
Friday 7th October
In our history lesson this week, we learned all about the changes to crime and punishment from the start of the Norman era through the medieval period. We learned how punishments became harsher and life became increasingly difficult for the peasants during this time. We used a range of sources to compare wages for unskilled labourers and the relative prices for everyday items - a historic cost of living crisis to match our own!
In maths, we have started to look at adding and subtracting larger numbers. We have been solving missing number problems using the inverse supported by a range of part part whole representations.
In art this week, we produced some amazing Banksy inspired prints linked to our history topic and in R.E. we learned all about the importance of fasting and Ramadan to Muslims.
On Thursday, a number of Kestrels joined other children across KS2 to take part in a rugby competition at Sponne School. Congratulations to all those who took part.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Lilly this week. Lilly has the most amazing attitude to her learning and has produced some excellent work across all areas of the curriculum. Fantastic job Lilly - Well done!
Friday 30th September
We have really been enjoying our class novel 'Outlaw' by Michael Morpurgo this week and it has inspired much of our learning.
In history, we have been learning about the notorious outlaw Robin Hood. We thought carefully about the historical questions we could ask to find out more about the legend. We then used a range of sources to help us research these questions before debating whether the legend was based on facts. In reading, we made predictions about our novel using evidence to justify our thinking.
At the start of the week in maths, we learned how to round decimals up to 3 decimal places and we completed some excellent reasoning challenges using mathematical vocabulary to explain our thinking. At the end of the week, we reviewed our understanding of negative numbers in context before moving on to abstract calculation - We used concrete equipment to support our thinking with this tricky concept. In literacy, we have been identifying a range of different phrases and clauses. We focused on adverbial phrases and subordinate clauses- experimenting with altering the position of these within our sentences.
In our gym lessons, we worked well as a team compiling our routines to showcase our balances and in netball we learned how to develop our shoulder passes.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Hannah this week. Hannah has produced some excellent pieces of work as a direct result of her amazing attitude to her learning. Well done Hannah!
Friday 23rd September
Another week of learning has whizzed past in Kestrel class.
In Literacy, we applied our newly honed descriptive skills to a short setting description based on the short story 'Way Home' by Libby Hathorn while in our reading lessons we further finessed our understanding of characteristics and used evidence to justify our inferences on character traits.
In maths, we have been partitioning and ordering decimal numbers to 3 decimal places before moving on to rounding whole numbers.
In science we planned and conducted an experiment aimed at understanding the impact of exercise on our heart rate. We thought carefully about our dependent and independent variables and how to measure our pulse rates accurately. In art we added shading to our perspective drawings and in RE we learned about the 5 pillars of Islam.
We ended the week by considering what makes a healthy balanced friendship. We worked in teams to solve a range of friendship challenges in an assertive and respectful manner.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Belle this week who has completed a tremendous week of learning. Belle is always a brilliant role model in our class for how to learn and behave!
Friday 16th September
A great week of learning was completed by our year 6s this week.
In literacy, we learned how to expand noun phrases with adjectives and prepositional phrases for effect. We also learned how to use a range prepositional phrases in different positions within our sentences. In guided reading, we focused on the reading skill of inference. We were using clues within the text to determine characteristics of characters within our novel 'Outlaw' by Michael Morpurgo.
In maths, we compared and ordered numbers up to 10 million before moving on to understand the value of digits within decimal numbers with up to 3 decimal places.
Our science focus this week was the digestive process. The children used excellent scientific language to describe how nutrients are extracted from our food as it travels through our body. In history, we identified the trends from the Anglo Saxon and Viking eras with regard to crime and punishment - in particular the incredible trial by ordeal. Our pictures this week show us taking on the role of jury members as we made sentencing decisions for a range of crimes.
Kestrel Star of the Week: We celebrated with Matilda this week who has had an amazing week of learning. Focusing hard and contributing well to class discussions. She has also been a kind and caring Kestrel providing help to her peers. Well done Matilda!
Friday 9th September
Welcome back Kestrels and what a fantastic week you have all had as you start your journey into year 6!
In literacy, we have started to get to grips with our new spelling programme and begin our three week focus on writing skills. In maths, we have reviewed the value of numbers up to a million while in science we have explored the workings of the heart. We also started our crime and punishment history unit by learning how the romans punished crimes.
The children were given the opportunity to apply for the positions of house and vice captains. All children who completed a speech should be commended for their enthusiasm and commitment. Congratulations go to;
Blue House: Georgia and Blessing
Green House: Annabelle and Matilda
Red House: Sephie and Isabella
Yellow House: Seth and Harry A
Although all children worked hard and gave their best this week. Congratulations goes to Holly who was chosen as our first Star of the Week! Holly has had an amazing week showing great determination and focus. Well done Holly!
