Reading: debate
This week, our topic learning linked with our reading lessons. We were developing our ability to explain a personal point of view, giving reasons for our views.
As part of our learning about Ancient Egypt, we had a debate about Howard Carter – the archaeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Our debate statement was:
Howard Carter is a positive figure in history.
The children used trusted websites to research the topic and develop debate points. Half of the children were in support of the statement and the other in opposition.
We discussed good techniques for a debate such as projecting our voices, giving evidence and listening respectfully to other people’s opinions. Our oracy skills were very useful here. The children all used some great debate style sentence stems to help put their opinions across to the opposing team.
The result was a very respectful and articulate debate.
Help at home: Ask your child about their opinion of Howard Carter.
We are writers!
The year 5, 6 phase have been working really hard producing some recounts over the last couple of weeks. We used part of our class novel ‘Secrets of a Sun King’ by Emma Carroll as inspiration for our writing. There is a section of the novel in which the main character finds a parcel and has the dilemma of whether to open it or not. As writers, the children created descriptive paragraphs using adventurous vocabulary and they created tension for the reader. We worked hard to think about how to start sentences in different ways, such as using a verb or a question. We also added adverbials to add more information to the verb.
Help at home: Can your child write some sentences beginning with a verb that ends in -ed or -ing. For example:
Drifting down, the leaves suffocated the ground as the silence engulfed the darkness.
Connect Challenge
Thursday saw the whole school take part in the Connect Challenge in support of the Rob Burrow Foundation. This event was aimed at rasiing awareness of MND whilst also linking primary schools across Leeds. It promoted the idea of collaboration, physical education and friendship. We were the first school in Leeds to compete in which the children had to complete a challenge linked to the number 7. This was Rob Burrow’s shirt number when he played for the Rhinos. The children had 1 minute to complete 7 physical activities such as passing a rugby ball, hula hooping – all sorts of crazy activities! At the end of all the challenges, we filmed Lilly in year 6 throwing a rugby ball to her left. This will be incorporated into a video in which the next school receives the ball. It will eventually show all the primary schools taking part, linking together by passing the rugby ball. It was great fun and the children loved taking part in the challenge! 
Year 6 high school taster day
Today, the year 6’s enjoyed the opportunity to spend a day in the life of a high school student. Upon arrival, we kicked off the day with PE and and food technology. The children were challenged to beat their best times possible on the rowing machines. This resulted in lots of sweating and competitiveness. In food technology, we cooked a healthy vegetable stir fry. The children were able to apply their cutting and chopping skills that they had learnt at Scholes to this lesson.
Drama gave the children an opportunity to work collaboratively to create freeze frames to express their interpretation on different images. Finally, we applied our coding knowledge to crack a code and create a game.
Science: classification
In Science this half-term, we have been biologists and have been learning about the different types of organisms including: mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.
This week, we worked together to create our own classification keys. They allowed us to sort, classify and identify different animals. We created the questions for our classification key based on the physical characteristics of different animals.
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Help at home: Test your child’s knowledge of the different types of animals and the scientific vocabulary.
Reading Records
Children in 5/6 have been sharing their love of reading in our Book Club sessions. Each week, children complete one activity in response to what they have read during the week.
Help at home: Check the last few pages of the reading record. There are many activities to be completed and signed by an adult.
PE: hockey
We are learning a new sport this half term -hockey!
The children were very excited to be introduced to the game of hockey. They were even more excited to be able to use some brand new equipment! We played some warm up games first to get us warmed up and our hearts pumping faster – we love these!
The hockey sticks were handed out and our first job was to make sure we could grip the sticks accurately. The children were then allowed to explore with the hockey stick and a ball. This allowed the children to get used to handling the ball.
They then worked in pairs to learn how to pass accurately with the ball and by the end of the session they were much better and even played a game of possession ball.
Topic : history
In Topic, we have continued our work as historians. This week we focused on the innovations seen within the Stone Age and Bronze Age. As a class, we explored the innovations of the Stone Age and discovered the steps the society took to r
evolutionise farming.
Later in the week, the children took responsibility for their own learning. They created posters to show facts, which they had found themselves about the Bronze Age.
Help at home: continue to practice the vocabulary with your child.
Living and learning: I use the 8Rs to help me learn
Our living and learning statement has allowed the children to reflect on the skills they use in school. They quickly recalled all the 8Rs for learning and were able to match them with the images that are displayed in class. They talked about which ones they had used in class this week.
“I am always ready when my lessons are starting.”
“I was resilient when I found comparing numbers difficult this week.”
The children were able to also identify which of the 8Rs they would like to improve on.
Living and learning: I follow the school rules
Living and Learning this week has allowed the children to think about our school rules at the start of a new school year. The children remembered the rules well:
We’re respectful. We’re ready. We’re safe.
As a group, we discussed how these rules would look, sound, and feel in classrooms and around the school.
The Y5,6 classes also agreed rules for their Living and Learning sessions to ensure these lessons are purposeful and reflective.
We also looked at the purpose of the school rules and agreed that they were there to keep us happy and healthy.
Help at home by asking your child about the school rules. Can they explain what they have done this week to show they are following them?