Oaks
SP Curriculum
Year 6 Autumn Term
In this section, you will find a brief summary of what children will be learning in each subject in the SP Curriculum this term. In addition to this, you will find the key knowledge the children should know for each unit. It would be helpful if you could discuss your child's learning with them in each subject area.
Art
In the first half term children will develop their drawing skills, in particular their use of value and line. They will study cubism and the work of Pablo Picasso. In the second half term, the art work is linked to the children’s history unit: Benin - A Lost Kingdom. The children will study masks made by Benin craft workers and then design and create their own masks.
Art Knowledge:
Avant-garde, which means “advance guard” – in other words, the people and ideas were cutting-edge and ahead of their time.
Picasso was born in Spain (1881 - 1973) but for most of his life he lived in France.
Picasso Invented Cubism. Cubism is when the artist paints an object, like a bottle, from lots of different angles all in the same picture so you see the front, the back and the sides of the bottle at the same time.
Key features of cubism: objects overlapping/ drawn from different viewpoints/ positive and negative colours.
Benin (900 to 1300) masks were made by skilled craftsmen and had symbolic meaning. These masks influenced many art forms including cubism
The most commonly used material for masks is wood, a wide variety of other elements can be used, including light stone such as steatite, metals such as copper or bronze, different types of fabric, pottery. Some masks are painted (for example using ochre or other natural colorants). A wide array of ornamental items can be applied to the mask surface; examples include animal hair, horns, or teeth, sea shells, seeds, straw, egg shell, and feathers. Animal hair or straw are often used for a mask's hair or beard.
DT
For the first half term our unit is Textiles:Stuffed toys. In this unit the children will be designing a stuffed toy, as well as learning how to do Blanket stitch. They will then create and add chosen decorations to their fabric,then finally they will use the blanket stitch that they have learnt to sew the components and assemble their stuffed toy. In the second half term the unit will be Cooking and Nutrition: What could be healthier?(bolognese sauces). In this unit the children will be understanding where our food comes from as well as knowing what the term ‘healthy’ means. They will then learn how to adapt a traditional recipe and finally complete a food product.
DT Knowledge:
Knowledge:Textiles
• I know that blanket stitch is useful to reinforce the edges of a fabric material or join two pieces of fabric
• I know that it is easier to finish simpler designs to a high standard
• I know that soft toys are often made by creating appendages separately and then attaching them to the main body
• I know that small, neat stitches which are pulled taut are important to ensure that the soft toy is strong and holds the stuffing securely
Knowledge: Cooking and nutrition
• I know where meat comes from - learning that beef is from cattle and how beef is reared and processed, including key welfare issues
• I know that I can adapt a recipe to make it healthier by substituting ingredients
• I know that I can use a nutritional calculator to see how healthy a food option is
• I know that ‘cross-contamination’ means that bacteria and germs have been passed onto ready-to-eat foods and it happens when these foods mix with raw meat or unclean objects
Geography:
In Geography our first topic is 'The World Jigsaw'. We will be looking at naming, locating and describe major cities in our world, identifying the location and function of the Prime Meridian and the time zones, identifying and describing the similarities and differences of human and physical geography across the seven continents and describing the relative location of cities, counties or geographical features in the UK in relation to other places or geographical features.
Geography Knowledge:
Locational Knowledge
Relative location is where something is found in comparison with other features.
Major cities around the world include London in the UK, New York in the USA, Shanghai in China, Istanbul in Turkey, Moscow in Russia, Manila in the Philippines, Lagos in Nigeria, Nairobi in Kenya, Baghdad in Iraq, Damascus in Syria and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The Prime (or Greenwich) Meridian is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres. The time at Greenwich is called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Each time zone that is 15 degrees to the west of Greenwich is another hour earlier than GMT. Each time zone 15 degrees to the east is another hour later.
Place knowledge
The seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America) vary in size, shape, location, population and climate.
Science:
The children will be studying properties of materials. They will sort materials by their state of matter (solid, liquid or gas) as well as by their physical properties, such as their hardness, transparency, and thermal or electric conductivity. They will use their knowledge of states of matter to investigate dissolving, filtering and evaporating to separate substances. In the second half-term, we will go on to study changes to materials, including reversible and irreversible changes.
Science Knowledge:
Properties and changes of materials
compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including…
Hardness
Solubility
Transparency
Conductivity (electrical and thermal)
Response to magnets
know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution
In some solid materials the bonds between particles break when surrounded by a liquid
This allows the liquid to absorb the solid
When this happens, the solid is called a solute, the liquid is called a solvent and the result is a solution
When a solid dissolves in a liquid it is ‘soluble’ in that solvent (e.g. sugar in water); when it cannot it is insoluble (e.g. sand in water)
A given amount of solvent can only absorb a certain amount of solid before no more will dissolve
When this happens the liquid is said to be saturated
use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
Dissolve a solute in a solvent and evaporate the solvent to recover the solute
Separate a mixture of sand, salt and small stones by sieving, filtering and evaporating
When a solvent is evaporated from a solution, the original solute is left behind
The remaining solid will often form crystals – the slower the solvent evaporates, the larger the crystals that will be formed
give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
Clothing: plastic
Cooking: metal (pan), wood (wooden spoon)
Eating: metal cutlery
Glass: windows/drinking glasses
Why plastic water/wood bottles instead or metal/wood water bottles?
demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
Reversible Changes – This is when materials can be changed back to how they were before the reaction took place.
Examples: melting chocolate, dissolving salt in water and then boiling the water, melting ice.
explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.
In an irreversible change, new materials are always formed and they can’t go back to their original form. Sometimes these new materials are useful to us.
Examples: burning, boiling an egg, the reaction of bicarbonate of soda and acid, toasting bread, baking a potato
PE:
This term, our first unit will be netball in which we will be learning and applying the footwork rule, how to pass and receive a ball with accuracy, use the correct technique to shoot a ball into netball post and to get into space. In the second half term, in our gymnastics unit, we will be learning to perform body shapes and balances accurately, identify and practise symmetrical and asymmetrical body shapes, use counterbalances and incorporate them into a sequence of movements and to perform movements in canon and unison.
PE Knowledge:
Netball
Sending & receiving: know that not having a defender between myself and a ball carrier enables me to s&r with better control.
Dribbling: know that dribbling in different directions will help to lose a defender.
Space: know that moving to space even if not receiving the ball will create space for a teammate.
Tactics: understand the need for tactics and identify when to use them in different situations.
Rules: understand and apply rules in a variety of invasion games whilst playing and officiating.
Gymnastics
Shapes: understand that shapes underpin all other skills.
Inverted movements: understand that sometimes I need to move slowly to gain control and other times I need to move quickly to build momentum.
Balances: understand how to use contrasting balances to make my sequences look interesting.
Rolls: understand that I need to work within my own capabilities and this may be different to others.
Jumps: understand that I can use jumps to link actions and changing the shape of these will make my sequence look interesting.
Strategy: know that if I use different pathways it will help to make my sequence look interesting.
RE:
For the first part of the term, children will consider why people have to stand up for what they believe in. They will begin the term by recognising how religious beliefs vary, and recognise the importance of religious freedom. The children will then go on to assess the challenges some religious figures faced in the past. After this, they will analyse the meaning and symbolism of different festivals of light. They will then consider how the meaning of festivals can differ by exploring the origin of Bonfire Night.
. Finally, they will be able to explain how and why people stand up for what they believe in.
For the second part of the term, the children will think about why Christianity doesn’t always look the same. They will begin the unit by assessing the significance of Jesus to some of his followers, before recognising factors that influenced the spread of Christianity. Following this, the children will identify some of the features of a Catholic church. They will then recognise why Christianity changed over time, and consider the impact of Christian practices. Finally, they will learn to appreciate that culture and tradition can influence the way Jesus and Christianity are portrayed around the world.
RE Knowledge:
To know the meaning of atheist, agnostic and theist.
To know that in the UK religious beliefs are a protected characteristic.
To know that in some times and places, people did not or do not have religious freedom.
To know that throughout history and modern times, people have had to protest or fight for religious freedom.
To articulate the importance of Guru Hargobind’s inclusivity of others.
To know that some festivals commemorate times when religious freedom has been fought for (e.g. Bonfire night).
To know that within and between religious and non-religious groups people may disagree about challenging issues.
To know that people are inspired and led by others from within and outside their community.
To know that communities sometimes fight or protest for the rights of themselves or others.
To explain why some people believe Jesus was the Messiah.
To give examples of how Christianity spread as a religion.
To identify different features of a Catholic church.
To explain the uses of different features of a Catholic church.
To identify some reasons why people began practising in different ways.
To organise different Christian practices according to their impacts on believers.
To identify how different people represent Jesus depending on personal and cultural influences.
Computing:
For the first part of the term the children will be taught to spot the early signs of manipulative, pressurising and threatening behaviour by people they might meet online, and develop their confidence to respond safely and get help.
In the second half of the term the children will develop their understanding of computer systems and how information is transferred between systems and devices. They will explain the input, output, and process aspects of a variety of different real-world systems.
Computing knowledge:
What steps to take before sending a message online (using the THINK mnemonic).
Some of the possible risks online.
Pupils should know about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help
When we share something online we can choose who to share it with.
It’s only safe to share things such as photos, videos and personal information with friends you know in real life.
They should never share a photo or video of someone else without their permission.
Some tactics such as flattery and too good to be true offers are difficult to spot as they involve people being nice to them
A system is a set of interconnected parts which work together
Computers can be connected together to form IT systems
Data can be transferred between IT systems
Know the role of a particular IT system in their lives
Search engines are examples of large IT systems
Search engines create indices, and they are different for each search engine
Know the role of web crawlers in creating an index
Know how ranking is determined by rules, and that different search engines use different rules
The order of results is important and to different people
Search engines make money by selling targeted advertising space
History:
In History, our first topic will be 'Benin - A Lost Kingdom'. We will be learning about the similarities between Benin and British society in the 17th century and the impact of Britain on Benin. We will examine a variety of sources to ask and answer questions and to consider different accounts of history.
In every unit of history children will be learning and utilising skills in: historical enquiry; historical interpretation; chronological understanding; knowledge and understanding of past events, people and changes in the past; and presenting, organising and communicating knowledge.
History Knowledge:
Benin (West Africa) AD 900-1300.
Civilization of cities and towns, powerful kings and a large empire which traded over long distances
Craftsmen were skillful in bronze and ivory
Religious belief systems including animism (the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence)
West Africa invented the smelting (a process of applying heat to an ore, to extract a base metal) of copper and zinc ores as early as 10th century
Benin still exists as a civilization with its Oba, palaces, court, artists etc
Timeline
AD 900 The kingdom begins to develop and boundaries are established around the region called Igodomigodo in what is now Nigeria.
AD 1180 Eweka became the new ruler and changed the name Igodomigodo to Edo. He calls himself the Oba.
AD 1300- 1700 The ‘golden age’ of Edo.
AD 1489 The Edo people began trading with the Portuguese, who called the place ‘Benin’. B
AD 1553 The first British ships arrive in Benin.
AD 1897 The British entered Benin City without permission. Fighting breaks out (the ‘Benin Massacre’) and only two British officers survive. As punishment, the British launched the ‘Benin Punitive Expedition’ and destroyed Benin City, stealing many treasures which are sent all around the world. The Oba is exiled and the British colonised Benin.
Music:
In this unit we will be developing an understanding of the origins and forms of music first heard in the 1960's. We will be singing, playing and developing our musical literacy and ensemble skills in the performance of five ‘Sixties' classics.
Music Knowledge:
: The 1960’s was an important period in modern history because of the changes that occurred in society as well as in the arts.
: The changes that occurred in the arts reflected the changed that occurred in society. The production and sound of Popular Music in the 1960’s developed as a result of advances in recording technology;
: The popularity of Popular music in the 1960’s increased as a result of advances in television, radio and cinema.
Autumn term
Maths
During the Autumn term, in maths, we will be learning about integers and decimals, multiplication and division, fractions and missing angles and length.
English
During the Autumn term, in English, we will be analysing and writing different text types:
Instructions text: Incredible edibles
Narrative: Vixen Road
Letter: Letter of application
Recount (diary): Ballet shoes
Science
Autumn term: Animals including humans
News and events
Water bottles
Please, ensure your child has a water bottle every day. We have drinking water in class for refilling.
PE kits
This term, our PE lesson will be on Thursday. Please, be aware that this year we will expect children to come to school wearing their PE kits (plain white t-shirt, navy blue shorts and suitable outdoor trainers) on the day they have PE.
Home learning
Maths
Daily arithmetic
Daily times tables practise on TT Rockstars
Reading
Reading every day is another important part of learning at home - books will be sent home and should be brought to school each day, along with the school library book mark.
It is often difficult for parents to decide which books to buy for their children. To help you we have added a list of recommended books below.
Spellings
There will be weekly spellings following a range of spelling
patterns as well as common exception words.
Recommended books for Year 6
Books are perfect presents but it is often difficult for parents to decide which books to buy for their children. To help you we have added a list of recommended books below.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark HaddonPeter PanJ M BarrieWizard of OzF BaumRobinson CrusoeDaniel DefoeOliver TwistCharles DickensJungle BookRudyard KiplingThe Railway ChildrenE NesbitThe BorrowersM NortonThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark TwainAlex Rider seriesAnthony HorowitzMy Story seriesVarious authorsAnne Frank: The Diary of a Young GirlEd. Otto H FrankBoy OverboardMorris GleitzmanSabrielGarth Nix