Welcome to Year 6 at Hollinhey

Please remember that you can contact us via email: year6@hollinhey.cheshire.sch.uk

We are here to keep everyone in our school community safe. If you have a safety worry, Mrs Massey is here to help.

Email head@hollinhey.cheshire.sch.uk

A very warm welcome to you all as we continue our adventure together through Year 6!

Key Information:

PE Days are Tuesdays & Thursdays!  Please ensure that the children wear Hollinhey PE kit and their school jumpers/hoodies. 

Book bags

In year 6 the children only need a small book/rucksack. Please ensure the only things the bag contains are lunch/snack and  water bottles. All children will be provided with their own school equipment so there is no need to send in pencil cases etc.

All current planning and Knowledge Organisers are in the 'Files to Download' below.

Homework

Reading

Pupils should read every day. I recommend a minimum of 5 minutes of reading a day, but I hope they are inspired to go beyond this. They may bring a book home from school (they can exchange it when finished) or read a book from home or the library. They will have a different book in school and read in school for at least 15 minutes every day.

Reading Plus

We’ve introduced this exciting new online platform to support our reading fluency and comprehension. Please see the separate letter for usernames, passwords and how to login. We’re completing 3 sessions per week in school, and children should complete 2 Reading Plus sessions per week at home.

Spellings

Weekly spellings are set every week for the majority of Y6 Pupils – these will be sent home each week on Wednesdays. They are practised in school on Wednesday and Thursday then tested on the following Monday. To help their learning, they need to complete at least 5 online games of Spelling Shed per week, plus practise a quick test before Monday. Some pupils complete IDL rather than have set weekly spellings. This needs to be accessed at home too.

Times Tables

It is really, really important that Y6 pupils have quick and accurate recall of multiplication and division facts. I recommend at least 3 x 5 minute online TT Rockstars sessions per week. Every month in school we complete a 'Gig' on TT Rockstars in school which monitors their progress and sets their questions on TT Rockstars.

Suggested Homework Timetable 

          Don't forget that you should be Reading for Pleasure every day at home - either independently or shared.

Our theme learning this half term

This half term, Year 6 will be immersed in the fascinating world of the Maya civilisation. Through History and the arts, pupils will explore how the Maya lived, what they believed and what might have led to the decline of their great cities. Our learning will encourage curiosity, careful enquiry and thoughtful reflection on how we learn about the past.

History – The Maya

In History, pupils will investigate where the Maya civilisation came from and explore the four main periods of Maya history. We will compare the Maya timeline with key events from British and world history, helping pupils place their learning securely in time.

Children will study the geography of the Maya region, considering how different environments shaped Maya life. We will explore why the rainforest could be a challenging place to survive, how the Maya used natural resources to their advantage and why trade was so important to their civilisation. Pupils will examine Maya city-states, learning what surviving ruins can tell us about how these cities were organised and governed.

A key focus will be on historical enquiry. Pupils will evaluate the usefulness of historical sources, including drawings and records that have helped historians understand Maya life. They will explore what was important to the Maya, including gods and worship, social hierarchy, writing, maths and calendars, maize farming and ball games. The unit will culminate in pupils evaluating different theories about what caused the mass abandonment of Maya cities, answering our enquiry question: What happened to the Maya?