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

Our theme learning this half term

This half term, Year 6 will be focusing on Evolution and Inheritance in Science. Through enquiry, investigation and discussion, pupils will explore how living things have changed over time and how characteristics are passed from one generation to the next. Our learning will encourage pupils to think like scientists, ask thoughtful questions and evaluate evidence.

Science – Evolution and Inheritance

In Science, pupils will learn that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide evidence of creatures that lived millions of years ago. They will explore how fossils are formed and what they can tell us about Earth’s history.

Children will investigate how living things produce offspring of the same kind, but that offspring vary and are not identical to their parents. We will explore inheritance, including how characteristics are passed from parents to offspring, using examples such as different dog breeds and crossbreeds.

Pupils will also study how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environments, and how these adaptations can support survival. They will consider how variation over time can make species more or less suited to their environment, helping them understand how adaptation may lead to evolution. We will examine well-known examples, such as how giraffes’ necks became longer over many generations.

The unit will introduce pupils to the work of significant scientists and palaeontologists, including those who helped develop ideas about evolution. Pupils will consider the evidence behind evolutionary theory and explore our enquiry question: Why is evolution still classified as a theory?

Wider curriculum links

Our learning is enriched through links across the curriculum. In English, pupils will write a diary entry and a formal letter of complaint, developing control over tone and formality. In DT, children will design and make calzones, linking to our celebration event. Computing will focus on blogging, while PSHE explores managing hurtful behaviour, aspirations and future careers. RE will examine diversity within the Church, and French lessons will focus on Le week-end.

It promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking half term, helping pupils understand how scientific ideas develop over time and how evidence helps us explain the natural world.