Year 6: Blog items

Year 6 Blog Friday 20th January 2023

Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 7:18pm

Welcome to the Year 6 blog. This week, some of our Year 6s (along with a team of Year 5s) took part in a swimming competition at Hutton this Friday after school. It was a tough competition but our team managed to come 2^nd in our Penwortham/Longton area. A fantastic result!

REMINDER

For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.

Our learning in Year 6 this week:

• In Maths, we have learnt how to accurately measure, draw and estimate angles using a protractor. We have started to find missing angles but this learning will continue into next week.
• In English, we have begun our new novel, The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, by predicting the plot and themes based on clues of the four main characters. We then met the novel’s main protagonist, Vita, which we described using our knowledge from the text.
• In Geography, we investigated the similarities and differences between three digital maps: Google Earth, Google maps and Ordinance Survey maps (through the digimaps website). Next week, we will look into more detail of how an Ordinance Survey map is useful, using our local area of Longton.
• In PSHE, we helped a fictional character, Sita, with online friendships, and gave her advice on how to keep the friendship safe.
• In PE, we were joined by Year 5 to work together for improving our stamina in cross country, learning different tactics in tag rugby and creating new sequences in gymnastics.
• In Computing, we continued 3D modelling using Tinkercad. This week we learnt to add 3D shapes to a project and modify them.
• In Science, we investigated the reflection of light with mirrors and tin foil. The children were then able to use their understanding of reflection to invent a periscope using junk materials. Some worked better than others, but everyone could say how they could improve their design next time.

Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:

• Reading – Continue to read every night for 30 minutes. You can now change your book on any day – in Year 6 we aim to change it every week.

• Spellings (challenge words)
  • Sumdog (Spellings Sp1 wk 3 silent and unstressed letters 2)

guide, history, knee, know, lamb, often, parliament, recognise, rhyme, sign, separate, surprise, vegetable, weight, wrong.

• Maths challenges:
  • Counting:
    • This week we have been counting in mixed number steps. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
    • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
    • Start with these numbers: 4/5, 4 1/5, 3 ½ , 8 ½ and count up 10 times then back again in 3 1/5 and 3 2/5:

4 1/5, 7 2/5, 10 3/5, 13 4/5, 17, 20 1/5, etc

and in 4 ½ :

8 ½, 13, 17 ½, 22, 26 1/2, etc

• Number facts:
  • To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 7 + 8 = 15, 9 + 7 = 16.
  • The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (7 + 8, 9 + 7, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
  • Another great way is to use HIT THE BUTTON which you can access by clicking here
  • Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.7 + 0.8, 0.09 + 0.07, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)

• Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 3)

• Sumdog (NEW diagnostic test)
  • For this week’s Sumdog challenge, I have asked Sumdog to retest everyone. Questions may vary from person to person. The result will benefit all children, when they use Sumdog outside of the challenges I provide. Please let me know if there are any issues with it.

Year 6 Blog Friday 13th January 2023

Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 3:31pm

Welcome to the Year 6 blog.  This Friday, our football A team headed to Poolfoot Farm Sports & Leisure Complex in Thornton-Cleveleys for the Lancashire Football Finals. This is the first time we have ever achieved this, and thanks to the hard work from everyone, they achieved runners-up in the shield finals of the competition. A fantastic achievement!

REMINDER

For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.

Our learning in Year 6 this week:

• In Maths, we have learnt to find fractions of amounts using our multiplication facts, and converted between fractions, decimals and percentages.
• In English, we are nearing the completion of Private Peaceful. This week we have learnt to use new vocabulary to describe a deadly gas attack scene and used various sentence structures to write an action scene.
• In RE, we learnt that there are seventy-three books in the Bible, forty six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. We used our school Bibles to look up references to decide what genre the writing was and a short summary of them.
• In Geography, we began our mapping work by relating our previous learning of mountains to discuss whether we would live near a volcano. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of living near one.
• In PSHE, we explored how people on social media can create identities which can affect the way other people perceive them.
• In PE, we divided the class into learning new tactics in an invasion game and prepped our gymnastics routine for our final lesson next week.
• In Computing, we began a new topic of 3D modelling, using Tinkercad, a web-based 3D modelling application. Each child has their own private log in to save work, which we will be adapting over the next 5 weeks.
• In French, we recapped weather and clothes words using the story Quel temps fait-il, Berthe? We answered questions about the text to show our understanding.
• In Science, we looked for patterns between an object, the position of the light source and the size of the shadow. We also used our knowledge of how light travels to explain why shadows are always the same shape as the object. 

Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:

• Reading – Continue to read every night for 30 minutes. You can now change your book on any day – in Year 6 we aim to change it every week.

• Spellings (challenge words)
  • Sumdog (Spellings -silent letters and unstressed letters)

answer, favourite, bruise, actually, build, guarantee, certain, guard, definite, library, difference, muscle, exercise, doubt, environment.

• Maths challenges:
  • Counting:
    • This week we have been counting in fraction steps. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
    • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
    • Start with these numbers: 4/5, 4 1/5, 3 ½ , 8 ½ and count up 10 times then back again in one fifth and then two fifths:

4/5, 1 1/5, 1 3/5, 2, 2 1/5 , 2 3/5, etc

and in 2 ½ :

3 ½, 6, 8 ½, 11, 13 ½, 16, etc

• Number facts:
  • To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 7 = 15.
  • The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
  • Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)

• Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 2)
  • This week, to see how confident the children are with the lower times tables, I have set a challenge for x4, x5, x6 and x7. Try to focus on speed as well as accuracy again this week.

• Sumdog (Adding and subtracting fractions)
  • For this challenge, you may need a pencil and paper to make quick jottings, especially if you have a question with same multiples, e.g. ½ + ¼ Remember that you need to convert the fractions to have the same denominator.
  • Therefore, ½ = 4/8
  • The question is then 4/8 + 1/4 = 5/8
  • Do not try to complete each question or game quickly, focus on getting as many correct as possible.

Year 6 Blog Friday 6th January 2022

Date: 6th Jan 2023 @ 1:06pm

Welcome to our first blog of 2023. It has been a short week but we have managed to fit in quite a bit of work, which the children have responded very well to.

On Friday, the juniors celebrated The Feast of Epiphany in church with Father Michael. Well done to those in Year 6 who did the readings and bidding prayers.

REMINDER

For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in.

Our learning in Year 6 this week:

• In Maths, we we learnt how to find common multiples and common factors of numbers. We used this knowledge to add and subtract fractions with different denominators.
• In English, we continued our novel, Private Peaceful, by improving our reading skills, retrieval and inference, to gain information about the new character Sergeant Horrible Hanley. We also learnt to describe an action scene using the scene of how Tommo and Charlie rescued their Captain.  
• In RE, we started our new topic, Sources, by discussing the impact that books have on our lives. We asked ourselves whether books can enrich our lives, have they ever inspired us, and is there a book that changed the way we perceive the world.
• In History, we used sources to predict what happened from the start of the World War I to the end. We then learnt about the Treaty of Versailles and how USA, Britain and France felt towards Germany and whether we felt it was harsh or fair decision.
• In PSHE, we discussed what social media is, how it can affect our lives positively and negatively.
• In French, we recapped telling the time in French to prepare for the Question of the week : Quelle heure est-il?
• In Science, we continued our learning about light, investigating how we see a light source, then how we see objects. Finally, we were able to draw a ray diagram correctly. We also looked at all the vocabulary associated with light - you can't explain what you know if you don't have the right words to do it!

Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:

• Reading – Continue to read every night for 30 minutes. You can now change your book on any day – in Year 6 we aim to change it every week.

• Spellings (challenge words)
  • Sumdog (Spellings -cial / -tial)

official, artificial, partial, confidential, essential, crucial, glacial, spatial, judicial, financial, beneficial, substantial, social, controversial, racial

• Maths challenges:
  • Counting:
    • This week we have been counting in whole numbers steps. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
    • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
    • Start with these numbers: 400, 165, 5000 and count up 10 times then back again in 25:

400, 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, etc

and in 250:

400, 650, 900, 1150, 1400, etc

• Number facts:
  • To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 7 = 15.
  • The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
  • Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)

• Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 1)
  • This week, to see how confident the children are with the lower times tables, I have set a challenge for x3, x4, x5 and x6. Try to focus on speed as well as accuracy.

• Sumdog (Multiples and Factors – part 2)
  • For this challenge, see if you can use the learning from this week to answer questions on various multiples, common multiples, factors and common factor questions.

Year 6 Blog Friday 16th December 2022

Date: 16th Dec 2022 @ 12:37pm

Our last week in December has been very exciting, filled with Christmas carols sang to the parents, Christmas jumper day and the Christingle, which was led very well by the Year 6s!

Learning Times for this term has finally been completed, edited and published. Thank you to Year 6 for working hard on this. You can view the edition here online. 

On Tuesday, we had a visit from Lancashire Adult Learning who led a workshop for our Year 6 with parents / grandparents. The campaign aims to help those in a care home who are lonely this Christmas. The gallery here, Year 6 Cards for Kindness, shows how super the cards were that both the children and adults made. If you managed to make it on Tuesday, thank you for coming!

On Thursday, we celebrated Mrs Sullivan and her 31 years as a teacher here. The children and adults sang her favourite songs, reminisced over lovely memories and presented her with hand-made cards from each class. We hope you enjoy your retirement Mrs Sullivan; Year 6 will miss you!

Our learning in Year 6 this week:

• In our Design and Technology topic of sewing, we completed the planning, prepping, sewing and adding the finishing touches to our project. Please see the pictures here on our website for their brilliant work.
• In PE, we have been working on creating a range of team strategies to outwit an opposing team. We then practiced them in various invasion games.
• In Maths, we used various problem-solving skills to solve Math questions as a group.
• In English, we learnt how Tommo and Charlie’s relationship as brothers became stronger as they headed off to France to fight in the Great War. 
• In History, we investigated what life was like for people at home when the Great War began and how propaganda had an affect on them.
• In Art, we learnt a new skill of printing, with paint and polystyrene to create our Christmas cards. You can view this super artwork by clicking on this link, Year 6 Printing Art.

You will have also noticed that there is no Sumdog being set for the Christmas break so you can have a rest and come back fresh and ready for the exciting learning in January!

BUT please keep reading as much as possible – like I always say, ‘It is the number one thing that will unlock all your future learning!’

Year 6 Blog Friday 9th December 2022

Date: 9th Dec 2022 @ 8:16am

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

Congratulations to our Year 5/6 Football team who came second in the South Ribble finals on Tuesday. They have worked incredibly well as a team, helping to reach the Lancashire Finals for the first time ever for St Oswald’s.

Also on Tuesday, the juniors were very lucky to see the infant nativity in church. We thought they did an amazing job and sang beautifully.  You can also see the Nativity video here.

On Friday, eleven of our children volunteered to be carol singers at this month's Caritas lunch at St Teresa's church. They did a brilliant job singing for the parish. 

Our learning this week:

• In Maths, we have been learning how to solve word problems by highlighting the important information, finding the numbers and working out what the calculation is.
• In English, we have had our last lesson with Gareth Walker, who has been teaching us how to be a sport journalist. We have used the skills he has taught us to create this term’s edition of the Learning Times, which will be available next week.
• In PE, we used this term’s learning of invasion games tactics to play small sided games of hockey. The most important thing we learnt is to move into space to gain a better advantage against an opponent.
• In PSHE, we learnt how important sleep is for a healthy lifestyle and discovered ways of improving our own sleep.
• In French, we wrote a story called Qui a tue le pere Noel? Who killed Father Christmas, based on a game of Cluedo. Fantastique, y6!
• In Science, we carried out a carousel of activities to prove that light travels in straight lines. 
• In Design and Technology, we began our final design for our Christmas tree decoration using tapestry thread and needles. It has been great to see everyone develop their stitching skills this week.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Thursday:

1. Reading – Please read up to 30 minutes a night, complete your reading task and change your book one last time.
2. Maths challenges:

• Sumdog (Lancashire Sumdog Winter Wonderland Contest))
  • This week’s Sumdog contest is once again against Year 7 from All Hallows’. Try your best to get as many questions completed before next Thursday 15^th The questions will be based at your Sumdog level and will vary across many topics.

No spellings for home practice:

• Due to a double sitting of spellings this week, no spellings are to be completed as ‘Home Practice’. Although, we will be recapping our learning of our spellings this term, in class.

Year 6 Blog Friday 2nd December 2022

Date: 2nd Dec 2022 @ 1:01pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

This week the athletics team continued their winning streak by becoming champions of South Ribble! An excellent achievement, which means another trip to the Lancashire finals. We will update you soon on when that will take place.

Also, the Santa Dash was on Friday. The whole class completed a very quick mile, and then supported the infants really well. Thank you to everyone for any sponsorship money raised.  

Our learning this week:

• In Maths, we have learnt how to use our times tables knowledge to quickly divide with partitioning.
• In English, we have learnt the structure of persuasive writing, by analysing, planning and writing our own. We became Mrs Peaceful, from our Private Peaceful novel, trying to persuade the Colonel to not shoot Bertha the dog.
• In PE, we were able to be outside for both athletics and invasion games. We worked on our baton changes in athletics and how we pass and receive in hockey.
• In History, our World War I topic continued with investigating sources from the past to uncover what life was like on the front line. We listened to audio files, read letters from soldiers and explored pictures of the trenches.
• In RE, we used the hymn of Maranatha to help understand the meaning of Advent and how Christians prepare for the coming of Jesus. We then created our own Advent calendar filled with positive actions to do, people to think about and prayers to say each morning of Advent.
• In French this week, we played Cluedo (in French!) to guess who killed Pere Noel. Next week, we will write a story in French based on the game.
• In Science, we checked on the food that's going nicely mouldy to see if our predictions were correct. Then we revisited all our learning about Classification before moving on to our new topic about Light. We began by recapping what we recalled from Y3, understanding that light comes from a source, that we need light to see and explaining what darkness is.
• In Design and Technology, we continued our topic of sewing by learning new skills of the running stitch and over stitch.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Please read up to 30 minutes a night and complete your reading task.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings 

• Sumdog (A2 wk 6 -ough words)
  • though, although, rough, tough, through, cough, nought, brought, ought, thought, fought, plough, dough, enough, thorough

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps again.
  • Start with these numbers: 7.5, 2.46, 19.05 and count up 10 times then back again in 0.3:

7.5, 7.9, 8.2, 8.5, 8.8, 9.1, etc

and in 0.03:

7.5, 7.53, 7.56, 7.59. 7.62, 7.65 etc

• Number facts:
  • To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 9 = 17.
  • The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
  • Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.5 + 0.9, etc)

• Sumdog (Times Tables A2 wk 6)

• Sumdog (Fractions, Decimals and Percentages)
  • This challenge will help cement the knowledge of equivalent fractions to decimals to percentages. Hopefully this task will be straight forward so we can build on this learning next week. Please get in touch if it becomes too tricky.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 25th November 2022

Date: 25th Nov 2022 @ 4:08pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

We have had a fabulous week getting back to our curriculum, following Robinwood last week. As we had missed one of our sports journalist sessions, Gareth Walker came for an extra visit to help us understand how an editor edits a journalist’s work before we then created our own. We will be using what we have learnt to help create articles for the upcoming Learning Times.

Our learning this week included:

• In Maths, we have learnt to use bar models to find percentages of numbers and continue to use the grid method for up to four-digit by two-digit numbers.
• In English, we have read more of our novel, Private Peaceful, and inferred main characters words and actions to help us write in role.
• In PE, we focused on net/wall and gymnastics this week. In net/wall, we introduced the children to using better accuracy with the sport of table tennis. In gymnastics, we used the paired sequences from last week and applied them to different apparatus focusing on good transitions and slow and accurate movements.
• In History, we began our new topic on World War I with an introduction of how it started and who was involved. Out topic will delve into what life was like for people living during this time.
• In RE, we looked at the expectations of ourselves now and in the future, what expectations we have of others, and what it’s like when people let others down.
• In French, we used a dictionary to look up the meanings of adverbs of frequency (sometimes, always, never etc) then we read some sentences about the climate in different seasons in the Alps and in Marseille - two contrasting locations in France. Some of us were able to continue by writing about the climate in England in French - fantastique! 
• In Science, to hone our working scientifically skills, we looked at some investigation plans and worked out what kind of graph the scientists would draw to show their results. We then recapped our learning about Classification as we are coming to the end of this topic. Finally, we looked at the food we set up to grow mould last week and checked to see if our predictions were correct. 
• In Design and Technology, we began our new topic of sewing by evaluating last year’s products before designing our own, which we will create in the coming weeks.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Please read up to 30 minutes a night and complete your reading task.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings 

• Sumdog (A2 wk 5 -ent, -ence)
  • persistent, persistence, violent, violence, intelligent, intelligence, inconvenient, inconvenience, obedient, obedience, conference, difference, conscience, reference, excitement

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class.
  • Start with these numbers: 7.5, 3.9, 25.4 and count up 10 times then back again in 0.7:

7.5, 8.2, 8.9, 9.6, 10.1 etc

and in 2.5:

7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, etc

• Number facts:
  • To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 7 + 8 = 15, 4 + 7 = 11.
  • The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
  • Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)

• Sumdog (Times Tables A2 wk 5)

• Sumdog (Adding and subtracting fractions)
  • This challenge will help to cement the learning we have done with adding and subtracting fractions. Try to work through them quickly as they now should be easier to answer. Let me know if you find this tricky and we can work on this together.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 18th November 2022

Date: 18th Nov 2022 @ 10:50am

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

This week has been our fabulous residential to Robinwood in Todmorden. We all had a super time. Click the link - Robinwood 2022 – to see some of the pictures. Also, look out for our Robinwood video coming soon on our YouTube channel, St Oswald's TV .

Our highlights included:

• Accurately firing an arrow in archery
• Crawling through tight spaces in caving
• Using our strength and coordination to combat indoor climbing
• Finding the courage to release the wire on the giant swing
• Working together creatively to solve the dungeon challenge
• Using our senses to navigate through the night line blind folded
• Developing great communication skills to solve the quest challenge
• Building confidence to head down the large zip wire

The children have been a credit to the school this week and we hope to build on the 12 qualities learnt at Robinwood:

Responsibility, cooperation, confidence, resilience,

Patience, respect, support, listening,

Developing skills, problem solving, encouragement, communication

Our learning continued on Thursday and Friday with:

• Maths – we have learnt to accurately use the grid method effectively with large numbers and begun to find fractions of amounts.
• English – we learnt how to write a detailed letter so we could thank Robinwood for our fantastic time there.
• Science - we recapped what we learnt about microbes last week, then researched ways of preserving food to slow down the growth of microbes. We used this knowledge to predict which foods will grow mouldy the quickest, giving reasons for the order we predicted.  We will watch what happens to the various food items over the next few weeks!  Safety: All foods will be kept in sealed bags.
• Art – having researched the flags of the World Cup, we designed our own flag using the skill of cutting materials to make a collage.
• RE – we began our new topic of ‘Expectations’ where we discussed different scenarios, and the expectations we have of ourselves and what others expect.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Please read up to 30 minutes a night and complete your reading task.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings 

• Sumdog (A2 wk 4 -ant, -ance)
  • assistant, assistance, arrogant, relevant, important, importance, appearance, extravagant, hesitant, reluctant, nuisance, hindrance, ignorance, resistant, restaurant.

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in steps of: 20 000, 200 000 and x 2. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.

• Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
• g. Start with 5 digit numbers and count up 10 times then back again in 20 000s:

43 654, 63 654, 83 654, 103 654, etc

and in 200 000s:

43 654, 243 654, 443 654, 643 654                

Start at a different number and count up 10 numbers and down again but this time in x2:

9, 18, 36, 72, 144, 288, 576, 1 152, etc    

• Sumdog (Times Tables A2 wk 4)

• Sumdog (Factor pairs linked to division)
  • Remember that a factor is a number that divides into a number, leaving no remainders. 42 ÷ 7 = 6 and 42 ÷ 6 = 7, so both 7 and 6 are factors of 42. In fact, 7 and 6 are factor pairs – which is what we have looked at these past few days.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 11th November 2022

Date: 11th Nov 2022 @ 4:20pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

For our second week back after half term, Year 6 have had two more visitors.

On Wednesday, Gareth Walker visited again, who is the founder of Literacy Kicks. He is working closely with Year 6 to write their own sports journalist articles.

Mr Pickles, our Mount Everest expert, joined us this Wednesday to show Year 6 a different side to Mount Everest. The pictures and videos of his journey to base camp, along with his stories, were a delight for the children to see. 

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we have learnt different mental jottings of multiplying whole numbers and decimals to help become more efficient, and we have learnt how to find equivalent fractions to decimals and vice versa.
• In English, we began our new novel, ‘Private Peaceful’, through predicting the themes based on the synonyms of the words ‘peaceful’ and ‘private’. On Friday, we wrote our own Remembrance Day poems, thanks to the inspiration of John McCrae’s In Flander’s Fields and Moina Michael’s We Shall Keep the Faith.
• In PSHE, we discussed ways of helping ourselves and others when faced with difficult challenges. We then related this learning to what we can do next week at Robinwood.
• Our ‘Mountains’ topic in geography concluded with a story of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay – the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. We then had a visit from Mr Pickles, who has ventured to the base camp of Mount Everest, and gave us a different view of what it was like there.
• In PE, we learnt how to pass and receive a ball with hockey sticks. Then applied that learning in mini games. We also learnt how to show different paired balances in gymnastics, before creating a mini performance for the class to evaluate.
• In RE, we learnt about the celebration of Rosh Hashana, a Jewish festival to celebrate their new year. We designed a card with various signs and symbols for a Jewish person. 
• In French this week, we used a bi-lingual dictionary to look up nouns to write a poem in French on the theme of Remembrance Day. We had to be careful to find the word happiness (noun) rather than happy (adjective). 
• In science, we learnt about another group of living things - Microorganisms. We planned and carried out a fair test using yeast. How does ______ affect the amount of gas produced by yeast? We researched ways of preserving food and used this research to predict which foods will go mouldy first.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next MONDAY:

• Pack your bag. Check the list of items you will need for Robinwood (NO EXTRA BAG IS NEEDED. JUST USE ONE)
• Bring a water bottle
• NO LUNCH – Robinwood is providing ALL your food for the entire stay.
• Do not forget your coat!

Reading

• Try to do your best to read over the weekend. Enjoy a really good book!

Year 6 Blog Friday 4th November 2022

Date: 4th Nov 2022 @ 3:36pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

For our first week back after half term, Year 6 have been working very hard and have remembered the importance of being of being good role models for our school. This was evident as a few of our Year 6s led St Oswald’s All Saint’s Mass on Tuesday.

This week, we had two visitors to our class. On Wednesday, Gareth Walker visited, who is a Sports Journalist with over 20 years’ experience of working on National Newspapers and founder of Literacy Kicks. He will be working with Year 6 to help teach them how to be a Sports Journalist over the next six weeks.

On Friday, Father Michael visited us to discuss how he became a priest and what it means to commit yourself to your faith. The children asked super questions and learnt a great deal. Thank you for visiting us, Father.

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we have been improving our fraction addition and subtractions strategy by using common multiples. We also looked at various strategies to work out multiplication questions mentally.
• In English, we completed Clockwork by creating our own alternative ending, which had to include suspense writing tools: short sentences, different senses and exciting vocabulary.
• In RE, we completed our topic of ‘Vocation and Commitment’ by interviewing Father Michael about being a priest and how he was ordained.
• Our ‘Mountains’ topic in geography continued, with research into three tectonic disasters (volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes) which the children will present next week.
• In PE, we concluded one invasion games topic (Tag Rugby) by evaluating our performance in small game of 4 v 4. We also started a new topic through the sport of Hockey, where the same strategies and tactics (of Tag Rugby, Netball and Handball) will be used, but with the added skill of holding and running with a stick.
• In French this week, we looked at how to say the sound 'an/am/en/am' then we began learning to read, pronounce and write weather phrases. 
• In Science this week, we used our knowledge of the characteristics of invertebrates to create our own new species. We challenged a partner to classify our newly-discovered creature, giving their reasons why. Then we used natural materials to make a collage picture of our new invertebrate.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for up to 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (Spellings of Autumn 1)

• Sumdog (Autumn 1 mixed spellings wk 6)
  • politician, magician, electrician, optician, musician, technician, Egyptian, vision, session, decision, permission, compassion, expression, progression, impression.
  •  

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in whole number steps of 50, 90 and 900. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 times then back again in 50s:

233, 283, 333, 383, 433, 483, 533, etc

and in 90s:

233, 323, 413, 503, 593, 683, 773, 863, etc               

Start at a different number and count up 10 numbers and down again but this time in 900s:

740, 1640, 2540, 3440, 4340, 5240, 6140, 7040, etc     

• Sumdog (Times Tables A2 wk 1)

• Sumdog (Multiply whole numbers and decimals)
  • These questions are practice of the work we have done recently. Work through as many as you can as they will help hugely for next week’s learning.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 20th October 2022

Date: 20th Oct 2022 @ 3:44pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

On Monday, alongside the Juniors, Year 6 performed ‘Down in the Valley’ with recorders to our first live performance of the year.

On Tuesday, Mr Kimmins, a firefighter, came to be interviewed to help us understand our RE topic ‘Vocation and Commitment’ better. After school, the Athletics team showed excellent determination and teamwork and won the Indoor Athletics competition for our local area. We are looking forward to competing again in the South Ribble finals.

Wednesday saw the South Ribble Coaches deliver ‘Young Leaders’ training to the whole class. We split into groups to devise our own new activities, which will help the infants develop their fundamental skills during future lunch times.

Also, the football league concluded at Hutton this week. The A team and B team gave excellent performances with the best teamwork play we have seen so far this season. After a tough three weeks of games, the results are in.

Results for A team:

St Oswald’s A 3 – 0 Little Hoole A

Play Off game St Oswald’s A 1 – 0 Howick A

A team finished 1^st. Congratulations A team!

Results for B Team:

St Oswald’s B 0 – 1 St Leonards

Play Off game St Oswald’s B 1 – 2 Ashbridge

B team finished 4^th. An excellent effort everyone!

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we learnt how to explain the column addition and column subtraction method and discussed when to use it best.
• In English, we have learnt that three separate timelines are occurring in Clockwork and how the writer has combined them to create an exciting ending.
• In RE, we interviewed Mr Kimmins, a firefighter of over 23 years. The children’s questions gave some super responses and we now have a better understanding of why people commit to such a demanding job. Please see our Year 6 gallery where we pretended to be firefighters ourselves.
• In PE, we continued developing our evaluating skills with various activities in both athletics and rugby. Working in small groups, we discussed how we can give positive feedback to each other.
• In Music, we concluded our unit of recorders with a live performance in the Music Showcase, with the song ‘Down in the Valley’.
• In Science, we researched an invertebrate group and presented the information in the form of a poster, explaining the characteristics of a particular group.

Home Practice

As it is half term this week, I have just three activities for you to practice (if you have time).

Reading – Please read as much as possible over this period. Some of you have taken an extra book. I cannot stress enough how little and often reading can make a difference and, with 10 days off school, that could be 300 potential minutes of reading that would benefit you massively.

Spellings (Spellings of Autumn 1)

• Sumdog (A2 wk 1-tion, -sion, -ssion) Only 45 questions to answer (deadline is 04.11.22)
  • direction, collection, addition, action, rotation, creation, punctuation, subtraction, division, television, discussion, session, mission, percussion, profession

Maths

• Sumdog (Times Tables wk 7) 150 questions to answer (as the deadline is 04.11.22)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on a mixture of x4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9s.

Online Safety Update

Date: 19th Oct 2022 @ 1:52pm

Welcome to your latest Online Safety Update

At St Oswald's, we regularly discuss online safety with the children to find out what they are experiencing in their online spaces. We find out what new games and platforms are trending and if any of our children have worries or concerns about what they experience online. A lot of children continue to access YouTube so we have added a refresher guide on the platform. 

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as connecting with strangers, inappropriate content and high visibility.

We have also spotted that some children have the new FIFA 23 football game for the PlayStation and XBox. Gaming has changed massively in the past few years with social connection now becoming an integral part of the gaming experience. We have added the latest guide for this game also. 

Below you will find a link to join the National Online Safety platform and gain free access to a huge range of videos, resources and support.

http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-oswald-s-catholic-primar-school-pr45eb

Year 6 Blog Friday 14th October 2022

Date: 14th Oct 2022 @ 1:43pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

This week, Year 6 had a super time on their taster day at All Hallows’ school. They enjoyed burning crisps in Science, playing a handball tournament in PE and designing a moving robot in Computing. Please view our pictures in the Year 6 gallery.

Also, the football league continued at Hutton this week. The A team played really well with a great win and draw, which has set them up for a tense last week as we head towards the play offs. As for the B team, they are working incredibly well together and managed to win one and lose one. Please do not forget that the last week of football is at Hutton, Wednesday 19^th October at 3.45pm – 5pm.

Results for A team:

St Oswald’s A 1 – 1 Howick A

St Oswald’s A 4 – 1 Whitefield B

Results for B Team:

St Oswald’s B 4 – 2 Cop Lane B

St Oswald’s B 0 – 2 Middleforth

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we have continued investigating different strategies for addition and subtraction using ‘compensation’ and ‘finding the difference’ to then decide on which strategy is the appropriate for different questions.
• In English, an evil character (Dr Kalmenius) has dramatically entered our novel, ‘Clockwork’. We then described this character and attempted different ways of entering him into a story. We then created a play script to practise our spoken language skills in front of the class.
• In RE, we started our new topic of ‘Vocation and Commitment’ by discussing the jobs that require these values. We then created questions for a firefighter that we will be interviewing next week.
• Our ‘Mountains’ topic in geography continued with a look into how mountains were formed and are still forming. We learnt that the tectonic plates that surround the Earth have moved to create various mountains over millions of years.
• In PE, we focused on developing the children’s evaluation skills. We discussed what to look out for (e.g. various tactics to outwit an opponent) and whether these were successful. If they were not, we changed them and tried again.
• In Music, we practised with recorders this week as we prepared for our ‘Music Showcase’, which is at 2.45pm in the hall, Monday 17^th October 2022.
• In French, we recapped the months of the year and learnt the vocabulary for the four seasons.
• In Science, we created an interview with Carl Linnaeus, the ‘father’ of classification, and we sorted the characteristics of different classes of vertebrates and invertebrates.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for up to 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (Spellings of Autumn 1)

• Sumdog (Autumn 1 mixed spellings wk 6)
  • discussed, usually, happiness, unavailable, changeable, comfortably, dependable, horrible, impossible, incredible, possible, difference, preferred, reference, transfer

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps of 8, 80 and 800 Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 times then back again in 8s:

5, 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, 53, 61, etc

and in 80s:

13, 93, 173, 253, 333, 413, etc                   

Start at a different number and count up 10 numbers and down again but this time in 800s:

456, 1256, 2056, 2856, 3656, 4456 etc     

• Sumdog (Times Tables wk 6)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on a mixture of x4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9s.
  • (Every Tuesday there is a tables test).

• Sumdog (Estimating addition / subtraction)
  • These questions will focus on rounding, which we have done these past few weeks. The questions will eventually seem quite simple once you realise that you do not need the exact answer, just the estimate. This practice will help with next week’s learning.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 7th October 2022

Date: 7th Oct 2022 @ 3:45pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

This week, Year 6 attended church to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Thank you to Father Michael for inviting us.

Also, the football league began with pupils from Year 5 and 6 competing against schools from the local area. Both teams represented the school brilliantly, with superb hat-tricks from Finley (Year 6) and Morgan (Year 5). Everyone worked really well as a team – we are looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the next two weeks.

Results for A team:

St Oswald’s A 3 – 0 Whitefield A

St Oswald’s A 4 – 0 New Longton A

Results for B Team:

St Oswald’s B 4 – 1 Ashbridge

St Oswald’s B 1 – 2 Howick B

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we have learnt how to use the partitioning and bridging strategies for both addition and subtraction. Next week, we will learn a few more before deciding which strategies are most appropriate for different questions.
• In English, we began our new novel, ‘Clockwork’ and have improved the reading skills of retrieval and inference to help find evidence that explains the impressions we have on the two main characters.
• In Art, we used Lola Dupre’s artwork to inspire us further with the mediums of sketch pencils and charcoal. We focused on the skill of shading.
• In RE, the school ambassadors led a lovely collective worship to complete our topic on ‘Unconditional Love’, before learning how people choose jobs that become a vocation and are extremely committed to.
• Our ‘Mountains’ topic in geography continued with a closer look on what features are in a mountain range. We worked as groups to gather the information before making a presentation to the class.
• In PE, the children learnt how to improve their running skills by evaluating their arm and leg movements. They also developed their swing pass, dodging and tackling through the sport of rugby.
• In PSHE, we learnt that any situation can have hopes and challenges. We discussed a scenario of moving to high school and the hopes and challenges we might face. We then wrote to ourselves to give advice for how we might overcome some of these challenges.
• In French, we recapped the months of the year and question words - Qui? Quand? Ou? Comment? Qu'est-ce que...? etc We translated some sentences from French to English, understanding that we had to translate the sense, not the exact words. We also chose the first pair of Language Leaders who will be helping everyone to answer questions in French about themselves. 
• In Science, we learnt about the work of Carl Linnaeus, known as the father of Classification. We discussed how science is constantly evolving as we develop new technology and understanding so some of his ideas are no longer valid.  Then we researched some animals to find their classification and scientific names. Finally, we looked for evidence to answer the question: Are humans primates? 

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for up to 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (-fer words)

• Sumdog (-ious wk 5)
• Cautious, various, precious, vicious, conscious, conscientious, gracious, suspicious, perilous, hazardous, marvellous, adventurous, dangerous, glamorous, famous

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25 Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 numbers then back again in 0.1:

5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, etc

and in 0.2:

6.5, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7.3, 7.5, 7.7, etc          

Start at a number with two decimal places like 8.12 and count up 10 numbers and down again:

8.12, 8.32, 8.52, 8.72, 8.92, 9.12, etc        

Now try to count in 0.25 from 7 and 23 and 54:

7, 7.25, 7.50, 7.75, 8, 8.25, etc

• Sumdog (Times Tables wk 5)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on 4s, 6s and 8s.
  • (Every Tuesday there is a tables test).

• Sumdog (Add / Subtract numbers mentally)
  • This week, these questions vary from two to three-digit numbers with both adding and subtracting. This will be great practice for the future as I hope you will continue to answer questions like these without the use of a formal written method.

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 30th September 2022

Date: 30th Sep 2022 @ 3:42pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

This week we have focused on our speaking and listening skills when having class discussions or working in groups. We also focused on presenting our work to be made as neatly as possible, with regular handwriting sessions to help.

The Reading Ambassadors have started their leadership role of reading with the infants. They made a great impression on the infant staff and are looking forward to more reading time in the coming weeks.

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• In Maths, we have learnt how to use bar modelling to add fractions and how improper fractions relate to mixed numbers. We then used our knowledge of place value to add and subtract different powers of 10 from any whole number or decimal number.
• In English, we finished the Aladdin story and looked in detail how to introduce an evil character with either description (focusing on adjectives) or action (focusing on our verbs).
• In Art, we investigated a new artist, Lola Dupre, to improve our developing skills of sketching.
• Our ‘Mountains’ topic in geography lead us to research famous mountains in groups. From the information, we presented our facts to the class and challenged other groups to see what they could remember.
• In PE, we divided into different track and field events to focus on our individual skills to improve our previous scores on jumping, running and throwing.
• In PSHE, we learnt that there are many strategies to help keep our mental health healthy. We used the scenarios of last week to give our advice.
• As it has been European Day of Languages, the children have had a taste of Polish and German as well as French this week. We have talked about similarities and differences between the sound of the languages and how the skills acquired when learning one language can really help learn another. Many thanks to Mr Hawryluk who came into school to offer this opportunity to the children. Dzi?kuj?!
• In Science, the children were research biologists this week, finding out about non-flowering plants such as conifers, ferns and moss and how they reproduce without flowers or even seeds. They presented their findings in the form of posters – a super science skill with which to communicate. Well done, Year 6.

Home Practice

Please try to complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for up to 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (-fer words)

• Sumdog (-fer wk 4)
• differ, different, difference, differently, prefer, preference, preferred, preferring, referred, referring, reference, referral, transfer, transferred, transferring

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in fraction steps of ¼ and 2/4 Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line and some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 numbers then back again in halves:

2 ¼ , 2 2/4, 2 ¾, 3, 3 ¼ , etc

and as improper fractions:

¾, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4, etc               

Start at 13 and count up 10 numbers and down again:

13, 12 ¾, 12 2/4, 12 ¼, etc    

Now try in 2/4 with these numbers:

8 8 2/4, 9, 9 2/4, 10, 10 2/4, etc

• Sumdog (Times Tables x3, x4, x8 week 3)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on 4s, 6s and 8s.
  • (Every Tuesday there is a tables test).

• Sumdog Competition VS All Hallows’ Year 7
  • This week we have prepared to go head-to-head against All Hallows’ Year 7s in a Sumdog competition. Simply click on the competition to get started and try to complete as many as you can (you do not have to do more than 100 questions if you are busy). The more people that play, the better the chance we have at beating All Hallows’!
  • Each day we will reveal the leaderboard and All Hallows’ have announced that certificates will be provided by them for the top winners. Good luck!

Maths Training

For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following the diagnostic test, which they completed in the first week of school.

Year 6 Blog Friday 23rd September 2022

Date: 23rd Sep 2022 @ 3:48pm

Welcome to Year 6 weekly blog.

On Friday, we celebrated all the children that will be representing the school as a Digital Leader, Eco Team or part of the School Council. The leaders (in Year 6) are very excited to start working with them all. Next week, the Reading Ambassadors will begin their roles by helping the infants to read. 

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• We have been learning how to use our times tables as related facts to answer questions like 0.4 x 500 = ? We have also used number lines to show why numbers round up or down to 1, 10, 100, 1 000, 10 000, 100 000 or even a million.
• In English we took another scene from Aladdin to construct our own dialogue and focused on the rules of speech marks within a story.
• In Art and Computing, we learnt how to use digital media to create artwork of self-portraits. The finished results are amazing. Please check out the Year 6 gallery to see.
• In PSHE, we continued our ‘mental health’ topic by looking at different scenarios that can happen over time and how that affects our feelings and emotions.
• In Music, we have been learning how to use recorders with various songs.
• In French, we recapped the French vowel sounds and actions. Then we played some games to practise reading words with the vowel sounds in. After that, we completed our piece of writing 'Tout sur moi' - All about me, checking that all the adjectives agreed with their nouns and all verb forms were correct. We are getting much more confident to pronounce our French writing correctly - C'est super! 
• In Science, we looked at the data we gathered last week about the trees in the school grounds and came to a conclusion about which trees were most common. Then we used all our new knowledge and vocabulary from the last couple of weeks about trees to make a Classification Key - a flow chart used by scientists to identify living things. 

Home Practice

Please complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (-ible / -ibly words)

• Sumdog (-ible / -ibly wk 3)
• Horrible, horribly, illegible, illegibly, impossible, impossibly, incredible, incredibly, possible, sensibly, terribly, visible, invincible, edible, indestructible

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps of 100, 100 and 250 Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 numbers then back again in 100:

645, 745, 845, 945, 1 045, 1 145, etc

and in 200:

645, 845, 1 045, 1 245, etc          

Start with different numbers and count up and back in 250s:

1 850, 2 100, 2 350, 2 600, etc      

• Sumdog (Times Tables x4, x6, x8 week 3)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on 4s, 6s and 8s.
  • (Every Tuesday there is a tables test).

• Sumdog (Place Value week 3)
  • This week’s learning is to continue practicing place value with finding more or less with different powers of 10.
  • For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following a recent diagnostic test.

Year 6 Blog Friday 16th September 2022

Date: 16th Sep 2022 @ 4:07pm

Welcome to a Year 6 weekly blog.

We have had individual and sibling pictures taken this week with everyone looking super smart in their autumn uniforms. They should take a couple of weeks to come back to us, if you are thinking of ordering any.

Our leadership roles have started this week, along with buddying. The Year 6s are showing great responsibility and are so far doing an excellent job at being role models for the school.

This week’s learning in Year 6:

• We have continued our place value knowledge in Maths through comparing, ordering and rounding whole numbers and numbers with three decimal places.
• In English we took the good and evil characters of both Aladdin and the Moor to write in role, making sure we kept good control over the style for each. We then watched a clip from the new Aladdin film (the cave of wonders) to write a descriptive action scene.
• In Geography, we introduced our topic, Mountains, and used atlases to search for the largest mountains ranges in the world and where they are located.
• In PE, we decided to alternate the learning from invasion games to athletics, helping the children to focus on the skills of running and throwing, and working together as a team.
• In Art, we completed the sketches of our self portraits. You can view these in our Year 6 gallery.
• In PSHE, we introduced our topic of ‘Mental Health’ through a discussion of what it is, and how we can help identify it. Then we looked at strategies of reducing mental anxiety.
• In French, we wrote a first draft of a piece of writing about ourselves, using a bilingual dictionary if needed. 
• In Science, we discussed the 6 types of scientific enquiry and matched a question to an enquiry type. Then we recapped all the new leaf vocabulary that we learnt last week and used the words to play 'guess my leaf' with a partner. We then went outside to investigate which tree is most common in our school grounds. We also presented our data in a bar chart. There was some very careful graph drawing - well done, year 6. 

This is the first week of our Home Practice. Please complete the following tasks by next Wednesday:

Reading – Use your Home Reading to read every night for 30 minutes. You also have a Reading Journal/Diary that must be used for the title of the book and any reading challenge chosen.

• You may change your book any day between Monday and Wednesday

Spellings (-able / -ably words)

- Sumdog (-able / -ably wk 2)

• enjoyable, unavailable, changeable, noticeable, unbelievable, probably, considerable, unacceptable, comfortably, respectable, dependable, incapable, unachievable, uncomfortable, miserably

Maths challenges:

• Counting:
  • This week we have been counting in decimal steps of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25 Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
  • Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
  • g. Start with different numbers and count up 10 numbers then back again in 0.1:

5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, etc

and in 0.2:

6.5, 6.7, 6.9, 7.1, 7.3, 7.5, 7.7, etc          

Start at a number with two decimal places like 8.12 and count up 10 numbers and down again:

8.12, 8.32, 8.52, 8.72, 8.92, 9.12, etc        

Now try to count in 0.25 from 7 and 23 and 54:

7, 7.25, 7.50, 7.75, 8, 8.25, etc

• Sumdog (Times Tables x4, x6 week 2)
  • Each child has their own tables target which they should know. The Sumdog challenge may relate to their target but this week we have focused on 4s and 8s, which will be great practice for the future. (Every Tuesday there is a tables test).

• Sumdog (Place Value week 2)
  • This week’s learning is to practice questions on the value of each place and be able to round numbers up to 1 000 000.
  • For further maths work, please visit the ‘Maths Training’ section which you can find in the tasks box on the left of the main screen. This will enable your child to push their learning further with the skills that Sumdog has given them, following a recent diagnostic test.

Online Safety Update

Date: 9th Sep 2022 @ 5:42pm

With your children returning to school, it is a great time to review online safety in your homes and make sure we are all up to date with developments in the online world. At St Oswald's, all classes will be beginning their Online Saftety learning where they will learn all about safe practices online in the following areas. 

Self image and identitiy

Online relationships

Online bulllying

Health, Well-being and lifestyle

Online reputation

Managing online information

Copyright and ownership

We will blog regularly to keep you updated with developments in the online space, sharing platform guides and links to expert training for you to keep your children safe when exploring the internet. Below you will find a guide on some back to school online safety tips for children.

To access a huge range of information on the National Online Safety website click the link below and join our school online safety hub.You will get access to videos, training and guides to keep you informed of the best practices in keeping your children safe online.

http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-oswald-s-catholic-primary-school-pr45eb

Year 6 - Friday 9th September 2022

Date: 9th Sep 2022 @ 3:40pm

Welcome to the first of Year 6s weekly blogs.

Well done to all the pupils for completing their first week of Year 6. They have all been exceptional in transitioning into the routines and getting used to the expectations of this new year. Congratulations to everyone for receiving a leadership role, whether that be as school ambassadors, sports captains, eco team, reading ambassadors, school council, science ambassador, golden team or digital leaders.

Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to complete their summer holiday autobiographies. They read really well, with some becoming very brave to read it out loud to the class.

We were also very fortunate to have Father Michael visit our class with a special blessing. As a Faith in Action reminder, please do check the rota for when your child has been chosen to read in church. We also had a very special Golden Assembly as we took some time to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We had a minute silence and said some prayers for the Royal Family at this difficult time. 

_______________

This week in Year 6:

• We have improved our place value knowledge in Maths through identifying, comparing and partitioning whole numbers and numbers up to 10 million.
• In English we are reading ‘Aladdin’ by Phillip Pullman. The children have used clues to predict what this edition may be about and have written well as the new version of Aladdin.
• In Geography, our first lesson focused on using atlases to search for various cities around the world, and using coordinates to help others identify them.
• For RE, we have begun our first topic of ‘Loving’ and what the class believe unconditional love means to them.
• In PE, invasion games is our theme for the next few weeks, focusing on improving our throwing and catching skills and starting to develop advanced tactics to give an advantage for the attacking team. We have used the rules of Netball and Handball to explore this through.
• In Art, we have begun our sketching topic with our first self-portrait, focusing on the proportion to help it look more realistic.
• In French, we revised how to describe ourselves, ready to write next week.
• In Science, our new topic is called Classification. We searched the school grounds to identify trees. We learnt lots of new scientific vocabulary to describe leaves.

As mentioned during the ‘Meet the Teacher’ meeting on Wednesday, we are to start the Home Practice officially from next Friday.

However, there are two important points to mention this week:

1. Reading – your child will have received their first few books this week. Please encourage to read as often as possible, working up to 30 minutes a day. This will help greatly in all areas of the curriculum.
2. Spellings – your child will also come home with spellings this week. There is nothing to do with it other than practice a few before Monday. The learning of these spellings will begin on Monday, with a spelling test every Friday.

The slides for 'Meet the Teacher' presentation is attached to the bottom of this blog.

Have a great weekend Year 6!

Year 6 Blog - Friday 22nd July 2022

Date: 21st Jul 2022 @ 11:37am

Welcome to our last blog of the year.

Year 6 have had a great final week with super performances on Monday and Tuesday for the Joseph production. Check out St Oswald’s TV to enjoy the performance again and again.

It was lovely for us all to gather together for the Leavers Mass on Wednesday, with special thanks to Father Michael for giving us his wishes of hope for the future.

The Leavers Assembly had a few parents in tears with great memories shared and excellent hopes and dreams – we cannot wait to see what your children achieve in the coming years.

On Thursday, we took a trip to the Liverpool Cathedral to complete our Faith in Action and to remember the time this class have spent together these past 7 years.

I have had an amazing time teaching you all and I wish you all the best at All Hallows’ and beyond.

Mr Mears

Year 6 Blog - Friday 15th July 2022

Date: 15th Jul 2022 @ 12:35pm

Welcome to our Year 6 blog. This has been a very busy week:

• Rehearsals have been completed, with the inclusion of music, lights and the Year 5 choir. We are looking forward to everyone seeing our super performances next week.
• In Maths, we have been improving our calculation knowledge with quicker division strategies to help with large division questions.
• In English, we reminisced over the last 7 years to help us write about our memorable moments. Also, as we are about to leave primary school, we discussed our hopes and dreams for the future.
• In Music, we worked closely with Year 5 to add extra volume to our Joseph production.   
• In our last PE session, we gave the children the option of which sport they would like to take part in. They all chose invasion games, with football and dodgeball being the most popular. It was great to see everyone’s developed skills after a year of so much PE and sport.
• In Science, we were fortunate to have a zoom visit from Richard Butcher, a geologist, who taught us more about fossils and explained the various jobs that any budding scientist may want to explore: seismologist, palaeontologist and engineering geologist.
• Finally, Year 6 led an amazing Tough Kidder event. They set up, planned and executed a fun filled afternoon for the whole school, which ended in the teachers becoming very wet.

NEXT WEEK REMINDERS

Monday         Production for whole school (please remember your outfits)

Tuesday        Three productions for parents (10am, 2pm and 6.30pm – please be in school around 6.15pm).

Wednesday   Bring in a t-shirt or shirt for people to sign.

                     Please bring in a plastic bag for all your books.

                     Leavers Mass at 6pm, then fish and chip van at 7pm – finishes at 9pm.

Thursday      Leavers Assembly at 9.15am then visit to Liverpool Cathedral and Crosby Beach (please wear sun cream).

Friday           School closes for Summer 1.30pm.

Home Practice

Last time to rehearse these three tasks:

1. Final time to practise all the words from your script and any acting parts you have been given.
2. Perfect all the songs – all 14 are uploaded on a separate blog named, ‘Joseph production song lyrics 2022’.
3. French – final weekend to learn the song Je suis un enfant de paix on Youtube.

Year 6 Blog - Friday 8th July 2022

Date: 8th Jul 2022 @ 1:45pm

Welcome to another Year 6 blog. Year 6 completed their ‘Advanced Cycling’ course this week, which focused on how to keep safe whilst practising on our school playground. After all this practice, please continue to help your child learn how to keep safe and, if you think they are ready, take them on the road.

Just to note that this course does not allow the children to ride on the road - that is a decision up to the parent/carer.

This week in Year 6:

• Rehearsals are coming along with more stage directions and dances being included. We are becoming excited to show you our production, in just a few weeks’ time.
• In Maths, we have been improving our calculation knowledge with quicker times tables to help with large multiplications.
• In English, we have learnt that Aiden’s uncle is really a villain and what that might mean for future of the story. We also wrote about our love of reading and what our favourite books have been.
• In Music, we have used the time to give extra rehearsal practice to perfect the songs before we go into our final week of rehearsals.    
• In PSHE, we explored what a good friend is, what a good friend does and what a good friend does not do. This should help us to identify new friends when everyone transitions to high school.
• In French, we practised the phonic sound et/er/ez. Then we practised our cafe conversations - Mr Hennigan, Head of Languages at All Hallows came in and he was very impressed with the children's pronunciation. Finally we watched the first episode of Le Fantome Cycliste - a drama related to the Tour de France. 
• In Science, we discussed the dangers of electricity, learnt how to represent circuits in symbols and we had a go at making simple circuits. 
• Finally, it was great to see the parents/grandparents who visited our class to celebrate the learning in our books. If you did not have chance to make it, do not worry, as all the books will be coming home in two weeks.

Home Practice

Please continue to rehearse these three tasks:

1. Continue to learn all the words from your script and any acting parts you have been given.
2. Learn all the songs so you do not need to read the lyrics – all 14 are uploaded on a separate blog named, ‘Joseph production song lyrics 2022’.
3. French – please keep learning the song, 'Je suis un enfant de paix' on Youtube.

Year 6 Blog - Friday 1st July 2022

Date: 1st Jul 2022 @ 3:53pm

Welcome to another Year 6 blog.

This week in Year 6:

• ‘Mini Coaching’ has continued during lunch times. The Year 2s have really enjoyed taking part on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• We have continued with rehearsals and have now, with everyone learning their lines, started to include dance routines and actions.
• In Maths, we have been learning how to become quicker with our long division and how to use all four quadrants to translate shapes across an axis.
• In English, we have learnt that our main character (Alfie) has been found hiding and tried to run from the police. We then wrote an action scene of how this happened.
• In Geography, we learnt about the physical geography of Brazil with groups researching and presenting information about the Amazon Basin, the Pantanal, and the Brazilian Highlands.
• In Music, we used the time to perfect the 14 songs of the Joseph production, with a few of us working with Mrs Winter on the solos.
• In PSHE, we discussed what we are looking forward to and what might worry us about the transition to high school. We realised that a lot of our worries are the same by quite a lot of people.
• In Science, we looked at some real fossils and talked about what we could tell from them and what we could not. Then we watched a clip from an Attenborough programme about the Tiktaalik and how animals evolved from living in water to living on land. Next, we explored the different stages of human evolution from 5 million years ago to the present day and the advantages that each change brought.  We discussed about how humans might continue to evolve in the future.
• On Wednesday, some of our Year 6s led Mass for the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.
• Finally, Year 6 completed their bike checks. Do not forget to bring your bikes in for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week. 

Home Practice

Please continue to rehearse these three tasks:

1. Continue to learn all the words from your script and any acting parts you have been given.
2. Learn all the songs so you do not need to read the lyrics – all 14 are uploaded on a separate blog named, ‘Joseph production song lyrics 2022’.
3. French – please keep learning the song Je suis un enfant de paix on Youtube.

Year 6 Blog - Friday 24th June 2022

Date: 24th Jun 2022 @ 10:01am

Joseph production song lyrics 2022

Date: 17th Jun 2022 @ 10:40am

Here are the 14 song lyrics for the Joseph school production.