Year 6 Home Learning Statements
Term Three
Reading
Students are focussing on the non-fiction reading signposts. These are features in a non-fiction text that alert readers to significant details and encourage them to read closely. This allows for in depth analysis and comprehension. The non-fiction signposts are:
- The three big questions
- Contrast and contradictions
- Quoted words
- Word gaps
- Numbers and statistics
- Extreme and absolute language
Students will continue to work on and practise their literature circle roles and engage in weekly meetings, participating in robust and insightful conversations about their assigned novel. They will be exposed to three new literature circle roles. These are:
- Meeting of the mastermind
- Predictor
- Alternate ending
To support this learning at home:
- Question your child about any literature they are reading, ask them to give you a brief summary of the key events.
- Encourage your child to access non-fiction articles via the Kids News website.
- Have discussions with your child about what they have read and encourage them to ask questions and pose wonderings.
- Encourage your child to research and find the definition for words they are unsure of.
- Discuss with your child what role they are currently assigned for Literature Circles and what that entails.
Writing
In writing this term, students are focusing on Memoirs. Students will be planning, drafting, editing and publishing a piece of writing for the Year 6 graduation book, where they will reflect on a memorable time in their life. In class, we have been analysing different memoirs so students can get an understanding of the different elements and structures that authors use.
Students will be exploring the importance of ‘show don’t tell’ in order to allow the reader to experience the story through their lens.
To support this learning at home:
- Discuss memorable events that have happened throughout your child’s life, and the lesson your child has learnt.
- Share with your child some of your most memorable life moments.
- Photo talk: as a family, look through old photos and discuss the events and the emotions felt.
Mathematics
In number this term, students are focusing on fractions, decimals and percentages, and the links between them. In this unit, we are exploring:
- Equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages.
- Fractions of a collection and linking in our knowledge of division (e.g. ¼ of 20= 5. Think 20 divided by the denominator).
- How to order and represent fractions on a number line.
- The application of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division when working with fractions and decimals.
- Providing opportunities for students to apply their percentage understanding in real life situations.
For Non-Number, students have been collecting comparative data from the Olympics and using this data to create tables and graphs. Students will be identifying similarities and differences between their graphs and commenting on the effectiveness of each.
To support this learning at home:
- Cooking following a recipe and using fraction knowledge e.g. 1 ¼ cup.
- Roll a dice to create addition and subtraction fraction equations.
- Discussions of temperature, money, time and measurement linking with decimals.
- Challenging your child to calculate percentage discounts when you are shopping.
- Continuing to practise multiplication and related division facts.
- Watching the Olympics and keeping an eye on the medal tally, making comparisons between various countries.
Term Two
Reading
Students are focusing on the reading signposts. These are features in a text that alert readers to significant moments in a work of literature and encourage them to read closely. This allows for in depth analysis and comprehension. The fiction signposts are:
- Contrast and contradictions
- A-ha moments
- Tough questions
- Words of wisdom
- Memory moment
- Again and again
Students will continue to work on and practise their literature circle roles and engage in weekly meetings, participating in robust and insightful conversations about their assigned novel.
To support this learning at home:
- Question your child about any literature they are reading, ask them to give you a brief summary of the key events.
- Encourage your child to read a variety of literature.
- Have discussions with your child about what they have read and encourage them to ask questions and pose wonderings.
- Encourage your child to research and find the definition for words they are unsure of.
- Discuss with your child what role they are currently assigned for Literature Circles and what that entails.
Writing
In writing this term, students are focussing on science fiction narratives. Students will be immersed in the science fiction genre through narratives, short films and a feature length film. They will be analysing the elements included in a sci-fi setting, as well as the role the protagonist and antagonist characters play, and their importance to the storyline.
Throughout the term, students will plan, draft, edit and publish their science fiction narratives. Features of sci-fi texts include;
- Elements of science and/or technology.
- The story has a focus on a ‘what if’ question.
- Includes an orientation, complication and a resolution.
Students will be given opportunities to work with their peers and teacher to provide timely, relevant and constructive feedback, which will assist with future goal setting and editing their texts.
To support this learning at home:
- Watch sci-fi films and discuss what makes them part of the sci-fi genre.
- Encourage your child to read books of the sci-fi genre.
- Ask your child about the difference between sci-fi and fantasy.
- Encourage your child to think of some ‘What if’ questions that match the sci-fi genre.
- Encourage your child to write a sci-fi narrative at home.
Mathematics
In number this term, students are focussing on multiplication, division and patterns and algebra. Students will be continuing to strengthen their number process knowledge by practising and finding the most efficient strategies to solve multiplication and division problems, and explore how they are interrelated. For patterns and algebra, students will create and continue number sequences, identifying the pattern that it follows. They will explore and apply the rules of brackets and order of operations to write and solve number sentences.
Year 6 are also focussing on data and graphing and tessellations. Students will be given opportunities to develop their knowledge through the use of open-ended project based tasks, which will follow a process of explore, explain and elaborate.
Through project based tasks, students will be planning and implementing the collection of data, which they will analyse and display in a digital graph. Students will be investigating tessellations in the real world and creating their own tessellations.
To support this learning at home:
- Encourage your child to teach you a strategy they like to use to solve multiplication and division problems.
- Create a list of the timetables facts (even beyond 12) and have your child practise them.
- Ask your child to explain the order of operations and create number sentences to be solved.
- Encourage your child to identify everyday situations where data is collected and used e.g., sports, economics, etc., and discuss interpreting the data. What can you learn/take away from that data?
- Ask your child to share with you their project question and discuss what their proposed plan is to solving their problem.
- Encourage your child to find tessellations in their day to day life.
Term One
Reading
Students are focusing on establishing our Literature Circle processes. In groups, the students have selected a text and will meet weekly to share and discuss their understandings with a focus on higher level thinking skills. As part of this process students are assigned a role which helps them analyse the text in a meaningful way.
Throughout the literature circle meetings, students will develop their ability to cohesively work in a group and challenge each other’s thoughts and ideas. The Literature Circle roles are:
- Summariser
- Questioner
- Literary Luminary
- Word Wizard
- Visualiser
- Connector
- Alternate Ending
- Predictor
- Meeting of the Masterminds
These assigned roles will change across the term.
To support this learning at home:
- Question your child about any literature they are reading, ask them to give you a brief summary of the key events.
- Encourage your child to read a variety of literature.
- Have discussions with your child about what they have read and encourage them to ask questions and pose wonderings.
- Encourage your child to research and find the definition for words they are unsure of.
- Discuss with your child what role they are currently assigned for Literature Circles and what that entails.
Writing
In writing this term, students are focusing on debates. The students will identify the structure and use of persuasive devices that are used to sway opinion. As part of this unit, students will explore how a debate is structured and view different debates to gain an understanding of what makes a successful argument. Students will plan, draft, edit and perform debates on a given topic.
Important features of a debate:
- Organisation and clarity.
- Arguments are supported by evidence.
- Rebuttals.
- Presentation style – including tone of voice, expression and body language.
Through the process of conferencing with the teacher and participating in a mock debate, individual goals will be set. Examples of these goals are; elaborating on arguments in greater detail, considering the other team’s point of view, developing confidence when arguing a topic, the use of text specific vocabulary, and working on structuring a rebuttal.
To support this learning at home:
- Encourage your child to verbally persuade you to let them do something (increase pocket money, play with a friend) with justifiable and valid arguments.
- Create a conversation around interesting topics, such as riding to school is better than driving. Have them list reasons for both sides of the argument.
- Discuss examples of persuasive texts in our everyday life e.g. advertisements on TV or print media.
- Discuss persuasive devices (alliteration, facts, opinions, repetition/ rhetorical questions, emotive words, statistics, triples) and ask them to give examples.
Mathematics
In number this term, students are exploring number properties and using efficient mental and written strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. The areas we are focussing on include:
- Prime, composite, square and triangular numbers.
- Factors and multiples.
- Addition and subtraction strategies; split, compensation, bridging, jump and hop and the written algorithm.
- Positive and negative numbers.
In measurement, students are learning how to convert between different units of measurement (mm, cm, m, km). Students will develop their understanding of how to calculate the perimeter and area of everyday objects. This may include using formulas to assist calculations.
To support this learning at home:
- Encourage your child to mentally add the total cost of your shopping list.
- Create a ‘wish list’ of items your child could buy and estimate and round the total amount.
- Encourage your child to add and subtract the score of their favourite sporting games to find the totals and differences.
- Ask your child to teach you the warm up games they have been playing in class such as Target Number, Follow My Number and Numble.
- Calculate the perimeter and area of spaces around the house.
- Practise converting between different units of measurement, for example, measure the heights of your family members and convert those measurements to mm, cm and m.