Year 6 Home Learning Statements

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 listed below. These assigned roles will change across the term.

  • Summariser
  • Questioner
  • Literary Luminary
  • Word Wizard
  • Visualiser 
  • Connector

 

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. We began identifying 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 debate successful. 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 – 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.