Dear all,

And so we here we come to the end of your fist term in Year 6. It has been a long one, but as I have mentioned many times in my blog before, it has gone by very quickly and it will continue to do so until you leave in the summer. 

It has been a fun-packed week to lead us into the Christmas break and although we just didn’t get time to make our creations in D & T in the end, we will start the New Year by making these which will be something to look forward to when we return. 

For those of you who were in today, as I told you all earlier, I think that Michael Morpurgo is a fantastic children’s author and I hope you get to read your books over the break and you tell me all about them when we return as I have only read half of his books to date still.

I want to finish by saying thank you very much to you and your parents for the voucher and the other gifts –it was very generous of you all and I am very grateful.

One thing I didn’t say to you all before you left today is that we still have 24 hours left of the Sumdog competition so if you haven’t answered all of the 1000 questions yet, then do try and get on there before it ends.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. It has been a pleasure teaching you all this term and I look forward to the hard work resuming again in January.

Take care

Mr Gradwell

Dear all,

What a fabulous week we have had with all of the festivities well under way! The week of course didn’t start in the best of ways with the boiler breaking down, but at least it ended well with our Christmas lunch and film afternoon today. Thank you on behalf of all of the staff for serving us –I hope you enjoyed it –especially the ‘seconds’ that you got to enjoy at the end of it.

This morning in church, I am very pleased to say that you were amazing and your parents have something very special to look forward to on Monday night. Remember that we will be meeting at the church at 6:45pm for a 7pm start.

As well as the Carol Concert, the Christmas activities will be continuing next week with the KS2 party taking place on Tuesday afternoon (and for which you can bring in your own clothes to change into) and the panto is to be held on Wednesday morning before we finish at 2pm.

In the meantime, remember that your home learning projects are due back in on Monday and don’t forget to play Sumdog whenever you vcan over the weekend –I would really love it if we managed to top the Hertfordshire leader board!

Have a lovely weekend

Mr Gradwell

Dear all,

So here we are with just a week and a half to go until the end of term. I know I was not with you all week but I am pleased to hear from the other teachers that you worked hard even in my absence.

In maths and English next week, you will be completing some practice SATs tests in order to see which areas of learning we need to focus on when we return in January.

In science, you will be finishing writing up your investigation from yesterday before considering what makes a healthy lifestyle as a result.

In geography we will be looking at how climate change is impacting the populations of countries around the world.

In D&T you will be creating the seams and hems that you did not get to do this week due to my absence.

Homework this week is maths and is found on the sheets that have been given to you. As ever, these are due to be returned on Monday.

Have a lovely weekend

Mr Gradwell

 

Hi all,

As we come to the last couple (and a bit) of weeks of term, it is quite clear that some of you are getting into the Christmas spirit already now. It is always a special time of the year that I know we all look forward to in school. On that note though, whilst we will be starting to have lots of different festive things going on at various points over the next fortnight, it is important to stay focused and keep working hard until the very end of term, as the challenges of Year 6 are far from over!

 

Related to the above, as I sat here writing this week’s blog, I realised that I had completely forgotten to thank you and your parents last week for all of the generous donations that you made for the Christmas hamper on our mufti day -it will definitely be worth winning a hamper in the raffle draw with all of the wonderful things on offer, so thank you all very much for contributing.

 

In English next week, we will be focusing on the publishing aspects of writing, by putting the finishing touches to our pages about our own creatures before printing them out onto the ‘aged’ paper.

In maths, we will be continuing with our work on fractions by finding fractions of amounts, before then moving on to looking at calculating and converting metric measures.

In science you will be finding out what blood is made up of and the function of each part.

In geography we will be looking at the reasons for population changes.

In D & T, we will be continuing with our joining fabrics unit by practising creating hems and seams which we will use to create the finished products before the Christmas break.

Homework for this weekend is reading and you will have either been given the extension sheets to complete or it is pages 19, 20 and 21 of the CGP Reading Non-Fiction book if you have not completed these pages already. Once again, this is due to be returned on Monday so don’t leave it until Sunday night to complete it!

Have a good weekend.

Mr Gradwell

 

Dear all,

Are we really almost at the end of November already? The weeks continue to fly by but I’m pleased to say that the good work is continuing and though we will be into December by this time next week, there will be no taking our feet off the pedal just yet.

In English next week, we will be starting to put together a plan for our pages about our own creatures before beginning to write the various pages about them.

In maths, we will be continuing with our work on fractions by multiplying and dividing improper fractions and mixed numbers.

In science, you will be continuing the work started on the circulatory system by finding out how the heart functions.

Geography will continue by looking at what birth and death rates are (and we will probably have another peak or two at the global population clock to see how much the global population has risen by again).

In D & T, we will investigate the different stitching types as we look at creating neat hems and seams.

Homework for this week is some maths work on fractions or addition and is to be done on the sheets that I have given out. As ever, these are due to be returned by Monday. Please also remember to log-in to Sumdog when you can. I want to say another huge congratulations for coming 18^th place nationally –hopefully we can smash the Hertfordshire challenge next month and get the 5000 coins each!

The final thing I have to share with you all this week is a link that Mrs Lawrence has put together for you all to practise singing the carol concert songs at home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWc1g5zqMrQ 

Many thanks and have a good weekend everyone!

Mr Gradwell

Dear Year 6,

Sorry that this blog is a day late, but better late than never.

We had a very productive week this last week with some excellent discussions taking place as part of anti-bullying week. Remember that, as your teachers, we are here for you during school time if you need to talk about anything that might be bothering you, but more importantly, your family are always there for you and I would strongly urge you to talk to them if any issues of bullying arise at any point of your school-life. ‘Make a Noise’ -don’t stay silent!

It was nice to see you all getting to come to school in your own spotty clothes yesterday, helping to raise money for what is a very special cause –Children in Need. Thank you for all of the money that you donated.

In English next week, we are continuing with our series of work based around the book, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to The Fantastical World Around You, by looking at how hyphens are used before putting them into a poem and focussing on making links within and across paragraphs.

In maths, we will be adding and subtracting mixed numbers before solving multi-step problems involving fractions.

In science, linked to healthy living, you will be looking at how the heart works and carrying out an investigation about the pulse rate.

In D & T, we will begin our new topic by looking at and trying out different stitching techniques.

In geography, we will be starting our new topic on population change by looking at the reasons for changes over time.

Homework for this week is to complete pages 16, 17 and 18 of the CGP Reading Non-Fiction book as a minimum and as an extension, I would like some of you to complete pages 19, 20 and 21 as well -anyone is welcome to complete these pages.

As I discussed with you yesterday also, I have now set your half termly project (due to be returned by Monday 18^th December). This project will involve you finding out as much as you can about coastal erosion (put into your own words, not just copied directly from the internet) and to present this in as creative way as possible. Remember that I have set a challenge as part of this for you to write a newspaper article based on the collapse of the Holbeck Hall Hotel in Scarborough in 1993, though even if you choose not to write the article, I would still like you to find out all about the event, including watching the clip of the chimney stack falling down on live TV.

Finally, remember that the Sumdog competition also began yesterday so try and complete as many of the 1000 questions as you can between now and Thursday to get us on the leaderboard.

Have a great weekend

Mr Gradwell

Hi Year 6,

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was writing my blog to say how I would see some of you at the firework display and now here I am a week later sitting down to write something similar again. I’m pleased to say once again that there has been some good learning that has taken place in the class though and I look forward to seeing this continue next week.

As part of Anti-Bullying week next week, Monday will see us wearing odd socks and there will be a number of lessons and activities throughout the week related to this. On Friday, we then have our mufti day for Children in Need with the theme this year being ‘Spotacular’, meaning that we all need to wear something spotty as we donate at least a pound each to the very worthy cause.

In English next week, we will continue with our unit of work based on the text, ‘Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You’, by looking at a range of clause structures and active and passive voice which are both used throughout the book.

In maths we will be comparing and ordering, and adding and subtracting, fractions.

In science, you will be starting a new topic looking at and learning the parts of the circulatory system. You will also be writing up the conclusion of your mould experiment.

Your homework for this week is in two parts. The first is a piece of maths which is due to be returned on Monday. You can work and answer directly on the sheets. The second piece is the feelings/emotions sheet on which you will need to list your emotions twice a day between now and next Friday.

Have a good weekend.

Mr Gradwell

Dear all,

I hope that you all had a lovely half term break. This half term has begun just as the last one finished –it seems like the week has just flown by!

In English next week we will continue our unit of work related to the fantastic text, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide… by writing letters to Mrs Custis about our concerns for a new child in the class (don’t worry –this is about an imaginary child!) and we will be writing our own captions for pages from the text.

In maths we will be looking at addition and subtraction of fractions and mixed numbers as well as exploring decimal fractions.

In science, you will finding out about the scientist Edward Jenner and what he discovered.

We will conclude our history topic next week by exploring crime and punishment in the Victorian era.

Computing/Art will be finishing off the photomontages.

As I mentioned to you all already, I will be at the fireworks tomorrow (in a fetching high-vis vest) so if you are coming please look out for me and say hi.

Have a good weekend.

Mr Gradwell

Dear Year 6,

 

I say this every year at this point but I genuinely cannot believe how quick this half term has gone. Being a slightly longer half term than usual, I am sure that you are all as ready as we are for this break and I trust you will get plenty of rest before returning and the hard work continues.

 

It was a pleasure to speak to those of your parents who I managed to see this week, listening to your presentations and getting to share with them the progress that you have already made so far in year 6. Now it is up to you to remember and work hard on meeting your targets for the rest of the year in order to achieve everything that you want to.

 

In English when we return, we will begin our much anticipated unit of work related to the fantastic text, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You.

 

In maths, we will be moving onto equivalent fractions.

 

In our foundation subjects, we will be completing our history topic on crime and punishment by looking at the Victorian era.

 

We will be spending one more week finishing off our photomontages in art before we then move onto D & T in the following weeks. Those who have already finished a picture will be able to ‘polish’ them to make them as life-like as possible.

 

Have a lovely break and see you all when we return.

 

Mr Gradwell

Hello all,

Another week has flown by all too quickly and now we find ourselves going into the final week of the half term already. I hope you enjoyed the ending of the book Varjak Paw today and were either surprised about finding out, or were happy to confirm your theories and predictions, about the fate of Tam and what the ‘Vanishings’ really were.

Next week, Mrs Custis and I look forward to seeing you and your parents on either Wednesday or Thursday where you yourselves will get the chance to discuss your learning with us as well –something that we do differently in the autumn of Year 6 to how you have had your consultations in the past.

In maths and English next week, we will be carrying out some assessments during the week in order to identify any areas of your learning in grammar, reading, arithmetic and mathematical reasoning to focus on for the rest of the term.

In science, you will be trying to find out the approximate age of some of the trees in the school grounds before carrying out some activities linked to the Woodland trust website.

We will be completing the photomontages in Art and computing next week.

For your homework this week, I have asked you to prepare for a short ‘presentation’ that you will share during your parent consultation appointment next week. This should be returned by Monday. In case any of you lose it, or were absent today, the headings to write about are as follows:

·       What have you enjoyed about and learned in Year 6 so far?

·       What do you want to achieve this year?

·       What do you think that you need to improve in, in order to achieve your goals?

In addition to this homework, I would also like you to log-in to Sumdog over the weekend to take part in the competition that began today. It would be great to be able to put up some certificates in class from winning one of the daily competitions. If you are not able to log-in over the weekend, the competition is on until next Thursday so do try to go on before then. 

Finally, do not forget about your half termly projects that are due to be returned by Monday.

Have a good weekend!

Mr Gradwell

Hello all,

I am very sorry –this blog did not upload on Friday so hopefully this will work now! I hope you have all had a good weekend so far.

In English next week, we will be continuing with Varjak Paw by reading more of the text before answering comprehension questions and writing a recount, as well as writing poems next Thursday on ‘National Poetry Day’.

In maths we will be continuing to solve problems before using formal written methods for multiplication and division.

In science, you will be finding out about the different invertebrate groups and designing classification keys to sort them.

In history, we will be exploring crime and punishment in the Anglo-Saxon period.

In computing, we will be continuing our unit of work on e-safety by looking at the different forms of communication, ensuring that we stay safe using each.

In art, we will be taking photos to be used to create a photomontage based on works by David Hockney.

Your homework this weekend is found on pages 9, 10 and 11 of the CGP Reading Non-Fiction book for most of you, with 2 extension tasks on Rosa Parks and Floella Benjamin for those of you who already completed those pages last week.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Mr Gradwell

Hello Year 6.

Here we are at Friday again already –blink and you will have missed it! I am sitting here writing this blog just as Mrs Robinson and I have finished rearranging the classroom, so for those of you who didn’t get a sneak peek after football club today, and even if you did, I can assure you all that you have a nice surprise awaiting you when you come in on Monday –especially the amazingly comfy sofa!

In English next week, we will be writing and editing our newspaper reports based on the events in the text called The Vanishings.

In maths we will be focussing on problem solving –choosing the correct strategies to use for a range of contexts.

In science, you will be using keys to classify animals.

In history, we will be focussing on Crime and Punishment specifically within the Anglo-Saxon period.

In computing we will be looking at e-safety, discussing how to ensure that personal information is kept safe and secure.

In art you will be completing some more of the water pictures using watercolour.

For homework this weekend, you have the reading comprehensions to complete –either in the CGP booklet or on the sheets provided. If completing the booklet, the questions that you all need to answer are found on pages 6, 7 and 8. As I mentioned, if you then want to stretch yourself then you can also answer the questions on pages 9, 10 and 11 as well then you will have an alternative homework in a fortnight. The homework is due to be returned on Monday.

As far as I am aware, we are due for some nice weather for much of this weekend, so make sure you get out as much as you can before the autumn and winter weather begins to keep us indoors.

Have a good weekend and we will see you all next week.

Mr Gradwell

Hello again Year 6.

I always say how quickly Year 6 goes by and if the start of this one is anything to go by then I am sure that this year will be no exception. It must be down to all of the hard work this week…

On to next week, where in English we will be using drama to explore the text further before writing newspaper reports about the Vanishings.

In maths, we will be looking at negative numbers before adding and subtracting integers and finding common multiples and factors of numbers.

In science, you will be continuing with the topic on living things and their habitats by looking at sub-divisions of broad groupings such as micro-organisms, plants and animals.

In history, we will be focussing on Crime and Punishment specifically within the Roman period.

In art we will be completing our watercolour pictures for the display.

You have no formal homework to complete this weekend, as you have now been set our half termly home learning project, All About Me. This project is to be completed over the next 4 weeks and the focus will be on presenting yourself to the world how you really want everyone to see you. I discussed the different ways that you may present this –as a poster, PowerPoint/Prezi presentation and/or shoebox but the choice really is yours. I was particularly pleased to hear some of you ask if it is OK to produce pictures/paintings as this is exactly what I would be looking for from those of you who enjoy being creative. This project is an opportunity to share YOU and what makes you tick with your friends, so the more effort you put in, the better the final outcome will be and the more you will get out of this process. Just remember though, I will be disappointed if, after this four weeks, you turn up with just a few items that you have grabbed together at the last minute or even just a scribbled note of paper written the night before the deadline. Enjoy the freedom that you have with this though and I genuinely look forward to what you all produce at the end of it. The deadline for completion will be Monday 16^th October, when you will be presenting your completed projects to the class.

Have a good weekend

Mr Gradwell

Hello new Year 6!

It has been great to welcome you all into Year 6 and I hope you have enjoyed being back to school and are relishing all of the challenges that the year will bring. I also hope you agree with me when I say we have had a good first week back and we have eased ourselves gently into the new school year before the real hard work begins in earnest next week!

Moving onto our learning next week, in English we will continue with our series of work based around the book, Varjak Paw. This is a brilliant text and we will focus on understanding the book next week, making links to other texts/real life. The writing focus for the text will be short story narrative, conveying a range of different genres.

In maths, we will continue the year by working on place value; comparing and ordering numbers; and rounding numbers.

In science, our topic will be classifying living things and their habitats. You will be describing how living things are classified based on differences and similarities.

In history, we will be beginning our unit on the trends of crime and punishment from the Romans to the present day. We will begin by identifying specific changes over the time period and how things have progressed rapidly in recent times.

In computing, we will be focussing on using technology safely, respectfully and responsibly.

Our art lesson will be focused on experimenting with different techniques to create texture, colour and pattern and will be used to create posters for the school fireworks.

We will be starting our spelling lessons next week and you will have a pre-test on Monday to identify the words that you will need to practise, then you will be retested on these next Friday.

While there is no formal homework sheet going home this weekend, please remember that I have asked you to write about what qualities that you have that would make you an ideal candidate for House Captain. Remember that this isn’t just for those wishing to put themselves forward for House Captain as the purpose of this activity is to reflect on all of your own positive qualities that you have. I expect you to write at least a paragraph (though many of you will hopefully choose to write more) giving a full list and explanation of all of your positive qualities and why these would make you suitable for House Captain should you choose to become one. This is to be returned on Monday.

Just to remind you all that you have PE on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday so make sure you have your kits in on these days.

Have a good weekend

Mr Gradwell