Spring 1

Reading 

This half term we will be reading the Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie. We will be using this book to inspire our portal stories into our very own rooms of wonder! 

About the book 

This sparkling fantasy adventure is a glorious hymn to the powers of the imagination. Young Daniel Holmes first stumbles into the Nowhere Emporium as he’s running from a couple of the bullies from the children’s home where he lives. He’s fascinated – and who wouldn’t be – the shop is a cave of wonders, stacked from floor to ceiling with beautiful objects. As for the shop owner, he seems to be a magician. Next day Daniel is knocked down by a car, only to wake up in the Emporium, which becomes his home. He realises the shop truly is magical, travelling through time, entertaining and delighting customers across the ages, while Mr Silver the owner builds strange and wonderful worlds from their imaginations. Not all in this world is happy however, and when Silver’s enemy Vindictus Sharpe threatens to destroy it, Daniel is the only person who can stop him.  Mackenzie creates a dazzling fantasy world, so engaging and vivid it reminds one of Cornelia Funke’s books. Young readers – particularly those who like making up stories themselves – will be entranced. 

Maths

This half term we are learning about fractions and decimals. Have a go at some of the questions below!

Learning Challenge

This half term we will be learning about the Victorians. We will be deciding whether they deserve to be called "vile" or "victorious" through our Learning Challenge lessons. Below are some activities you can complete at home to support your learning. 

Autumn 2

Our learning challenge topic this half term is all about evolution. Find below some home learning projects you can complete to support your learning. 

Autumn 1 

RE

Reading 

Everyday year 6 will listen to their class novel, keep your eyes peeled below to find out what book is being read to your child. 

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain 

Blurb 

Fourteen-year-old Shif and his best friend Bini are ordinary boys with big ambitions, but their world implodes when they attract the attention of the military "giffa". Wrenched from their families, they’re sent to a remote desert prison, where their cellmates are barely clinging on to life.

However, the boys’ arrival sparks hope in the imprisoned men, and they give everything to ensure their escape. Reaching the nearest town, Shif has only just begun the perilous journey which he hopes will end in safety and freedom.

Set in an unnamed country, this is a timely and important book which illuminates the realities of life as a refugee. The first-person narration simply but powerfully conveys Shif’s terror at the violence and cruelty he encounters, as well as his sense of loss. The horrors he is escaping are all too real, but this is ultimately a story about the power of kindness and the strength of the human spirit.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston 

Amari must compete against kids who've known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent - one that the Bureau views as dangerous.

With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn't pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton ...

Little Badman by Humza Arshad and Henry White

Humza (aka Little Badman) great ambition is to be a super cool rapper and he devotes most of his time and energy on pursuing this goal.

Something weird is happening at school though: teachers are disappearing and being replaced by food-obsessed Aunties intent on fattening everyone up! When his music teacher vanishes, putting a halt to Humza’s rapper dreams, he’s determined to figure out what’s going on – and then things start to get really crazy...

But Humza’s famous for telling not-entirely-true stories: how’s he going to get anyone to believe him? Recruiting his best friend Umer, his elderly uncle ‘Grandpa’ and Wendy, the smartest girl in school, it seems Humza’s particular musical talent is the only thing that will save his school, town – and possibly the whole world – from potential alien invasion. As long as he doesn’t let stage fright defeat him first…

Learning Challenge Autumn 1: Bazaar Baghdad 

Year 6 have been learning about the Ancient Islamic Civilisation. Check out their work below, from comparing Baghdad to Britain, travelling on the Silk Road to finding out about all the amazing discoveries during the Golden Age! 

Science 

For World Space Week, year 6 were fortunate enough to attend a live webinar to find out how to tackle climate change from space. The event was hosted by RAL Space. Check out their website below for a virtual tour.

Welcome Back!

Miss Hill and Miss O'Neill are so excited to welcome you back to Year 6! We will be starting the year with a Learning Challenge topic about the Golden Age of Islam and by writing motivational speeches. We can't wait to get started!

Open Evening Information

Please find below the presentation from your child's open evening. If you have any questions, concerns or worries please speak to your child's class teacher Miss Hill or Miss O'Neill and they will be happy to help!