Welcome to the Summer Term

We have a very busy term with; SATs, transition to secondary schools, the Summer Production and the residential! SATs week is the week beginning 8th May. The Monday is a bank holiday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles, SATs will take place the Tuesday-Friday. In the lead up to SATs week, our class will focus on revision of previously taught content to support our understanding. We will continue to focus on our learning after SATs to ensure every child is ready to start their new school journey in September at their secondary school.

In the Summer term, our topic will be called Britain at War. In the Britain at War project, we will learn about the main causes of the First World War and which countries were the major players. We will investigate why so many men volunteered to fight and then sequence the events at the start of the war. Using various sources of evidence, the children will learn about life in the trenches and the consequences of new weaponry. They will listen to first-hand accounts of life on the home front and evaluate the impact of war on everyday life. They will also discover the events that led to the Allied Powers’ victory and the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles. Also, we will be learning about the causes and main events of the Second World War. Additionally, we will find out how Britain prepared itself for war and the war’s impact on civilian life. Our learning will include the Battle of Britain and how it proved to be a key turning point for the Allied Powers. We will also hear about Anne Frank and discover what her story tells us about the treatment of Jewish people by the Nazi Party. Year 6 will research the causes and consequences of the end of the Second World War and investigate the legacy of the wars in Britain. Closer to home, the children will research the life of a local First World War hero who sacrificed their life fighting for Britain. They will also investigate the legacy of these global conflicts in the post-war period.

At the bottom of this page are three documents - vocabulary, a knowledge organiser and home learning tasks for this unit. The home learning tasks are optional and do not need to be brought into school but will support your child's learning.

In addition, we will be following the national curriculum requirements of English, Maths, Science, RHSE and R.E.

English:

In English, 

At the bottom of this page are four documents - vocabulary, a knowledge organiser and home learning tasks for this unit. There is also a knowledge organiser for our current Science unit. Knowledge organisers give an overview of the key information needed for each unit of learning. The home learning tasks are optional and do not need to be brought into school but will support your child's learning.

English

We use the Herts for Learning scheme to teach English at Oaklands. Children will learn reading, writing, speaking and listening through different units based on high-quality texts. This term the children will learn about: gothic-style texts, basing our initial learning from the book 'The Wind in the Wall'.

Reading

We teach Reading through the Destination Reader scheme at Oaklands. Children will be learning the reading skills of prediction, inference, clarification, evaluation, questioning and making links. This term we will be reading Holes.

Maths:

At Oaklands we teach through the White Rose scheme. In year 6, we have now completed all National Curriculum content and will be completing themed projects designed to consolidate knowledge. We will also spend the Summer term covering any gaps or misconceptions with children who need specific support.

Science:

In Science, we will be exploring light theory, this will be achieved through a blend of theoretical learning and practical investigations. The children will observe how light travels in straight lines. They will use their research skills to discover what happens to light when it enters the eye and how this relates to how we see. They will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, finding out about visible light in detail. They will investigate how we perceive colour, learning that the stimulation of cells in the eye helps us perceive light, dark and colour. Please see the knowledge organiser for details!

Computing:

We use Purple Mash to help with our Computing learning. This term the children will learn about Text-based adventure games.

French:

Language Angels is the scheme we use for French teaching at Oaklands. This term the children will be learning how to introduce themselves and discuss their families.

Music:

Using Charanga, the children will learn how to: listen and appreciate music; sing in groups and to play along with known songs. They will have the opportunity to improvise using instruments as well. 

PE:

In PE, children will learn Volleyball and Outdoor Adventure Activities (OAA) P.E. at school will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays where we will continue to wear our PE kit to school. The kit consist of a sky blue polo, royal blue Oaklands jumper, royal blue cotton shorts, socks and suitable sports trainers. For health and safety reasons earrings and watches should be removed for all PE lessons and long hair must be tied up.

Homework

Reading: Every night (15 minutes)Reading books will be changed on a Tuesday and each pupil will take two books home depending on their level of reading ability. Please make sure children have their books available to read every day.

Maths/Literacy:  Maths and literacy homework will be set every week, it will focus on skills currently being taught in class, areas previously taught and occasionally will contain content that is upcoming, allowing your child to apply their knowledge. The purpose of this homework is to support in-class learning but to also prepare your child for the increased level and quantity of homework as they enter secondary school.

On Monday afternoons, Mrs Bissmire will be teaching the class and on Wednesday afternoons, Mrs Bissmire and Mrs Andreas will teach PE and RSHE. We are supported in class by Mrs Pepechkova every day. If you, or anyone you know, has skills or knowledge that could enrich our in-class learning, we would love to hear from you and see if we can make use of this in our lessons. 

If you have any concerns, or questions regarding your child, please contact the school office (admin@oaklands.herts.sch.uk) to arrange a meeting. 

Kind regards,

Miss Jones

Year six teacher

Useful information to support your child in the project 'Britain at War'

Below are three PDF documents.

- The first is an optional home learning activity document that will support your child in their learning and developing their knowledge.

- The second is a topic information sheet showing you the main areas of learning that we will be covering in the classroom. 

-  The third is a range of vocabulary that we will be using throughout the project. 

 Please discuss these with your child, as it will enhance their overall understanding of the project.