YEAR 6
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Our Parents SATs Information Meeting
SATs parent information video from the Government
Take a look at the links below that were all used as part of our literacy topic to inspire the children to write climate change speeches.
BBC website link - for Music and English source from our trip to Northumberland.
We used Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bare Mountain as the inspiration for our piece of writing themed on the eternal battle between light and dark. Night and Day.
As part of the music curriculum for this term, the children have also been composing and developing pieces of music in groups based on Modest Mussorgsky's world renowned piece.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1gKvMXSQVvqyfcv1Xjjnkr5/a-night-on-the-bare-mountain-by-modest-mussorgsky
A few photographs from our Y6 residential to Northumberland in February
Y6 Northumberland Update
Wow - this trip just never stops giving - challenge, courage, inner strength and utter, utter perseverance. Your children are astounding in every possible way. They are a credit to the year group, to the school but most of all, they are a credit to you.
Thursday arrived to the early hope of some blue sky... that hope quickly disappeared as the clouds came rolling in and the familiar pitter-patter of raindrops woke the children from their tented slumber.
With another hearty breakfast consumed, our brigade of now hardened warriors, set out on the their last day of activities.
Shouts of encouragement were heard throughout the camp, as children, once again, encouraged and supported each other to the top, to the edge, to the maximum of their capacity and beyond. The climbing wall was summitted, the abseiling tower was conquered and Jacob’s ladder was consummately beaten - no challenge was left unsurpassed. Warriors on the water were driven back by lashing rain and strong winds but were they beaten - no they were not. They kept up the rhythm of their paddles and made it all the way across to the other side of the lake.
In the afternoon the Birds of Prey, once again, delivered a spell-binding experience and back at the lake, the children building rafts, pushed the cold and the tiredness to one side, rolled up their sleeves and dug deeper into their reserves of Woody Spirit than they had ever done before.
In the familiar rain and wind, two giant rafts were built by the squad of hardy saracens and launched into the icy waters!! All children climbed aboard and paddled as if their lives depended on it! I was there - amongst the shouts and the we-shall-not-be-beatens! All children made it back safe to shore - even those who chose to jump in the water to help swim the rafts back to dry land!
All was not finished there, as the greatest challenge remained - taking apart and putting back all the wet logs, barrels and lake sodden ropes. The kids kept to their task and many still had enough left in the tank to take part in the final ‘Jetty Jump’ - the pictures will tell the glory!
The evening BBQ was conducted under the traditional cover of tarpaulin and the final night talent show and disco went on until late into the evening.
Wow - as previously said, your kids are amazing - they have kept it going until the very end. I think there will be some long sleep catch-ups to be had over the weekend - and we’ve still got one more day to go!!
See you all later today back at school!!
The year 6 team.
Y6 Northumberland Update
Day 3 broke to...yes, more rain, however this group of intrepid explorers are not easily broken and in the manner they have chosen to take on this 5 days away in the wilds of Northumberland, a collective rolling up of the sleeves, tightening up of the boots laces, sent a clear message to the weather: ‘We will not be thwarted!’
With hearty breakfasts once more consumed, the merry gang gathered in the neighbouring barn to erect tents ready for the night ahead - our new venue for the evening a suitable alternative to the original forest site, too sodden for Plan A. Like a well-oiled military drill, temporary canvas homes were up and ready in record time, affording the children opportunity to position sleeping bags, teddies, books and of course snacks in case rationing was reinstated before the end of the day!
Lunchtime came and went and the refuelled wild ones were ready for an afternoon in the forest adjacent to Kielder Castle, shelter-building and fire-making. As if bending to our mercy, the weather eased allowing shelters to be built and fires to be lit and of course the now mandatory marshmallow (or three) to be toasted and devoured.
The rain once again signalled our departure so onward we marched, returning to Hawkhirst for ‘Camping Night’
Following a brief pit-stop in rooms, the hardy crew had constructed Trangias in a trice; the billowing steam rising to the tree canopy a sign that evening meal was on the go.
With cooked rice carefully transported in upturned pan lids, the chilli accompaniment was complete and only the sound of fork on plate could be heard as the well-warned meal found its way into hungry stomachs!
Stomachs now satisfied, we trudged contentedly to camp-fire to sing songs into the rising flames; ‘I have a mango’ undoubtedly the favourite!
Last but not least, this day of days came to a fitting end as now weary travellers closed tent zips to a chorus of ‘Goodnights’.
Day 3 a resounding success!
Year 6 - Northumberland 2019
Y6 Northumberland
Tent city erected in the barn due to our campsite resembling a bog
Y6 Northumberland update 06/03/19
All tucking into a hearty breakfast after a good nights sleep by all. An amazing day of activities yesterday with many personal challenges achieved in driving rain (the 'dry' activities proved to be any thing but!). Showers and hot food soon warmed us all and then due to continued torrential rain we decided on a mass pyjama party with sweets, onesies and a DVD to finish off a busy day. A Night under canvas to look forward to now.....
Y6 Northumberland residential 05/03/19
After a fond farewell in the finest tradition of Woodlesford residential ‘wave-offs’, we settled into a music, sweet and chatter filled journey up the A1.
A quick loo stop at the services near Newcastle and then onto ‘The Wall’.
The sun was out, the wind was light and once again, we were treated to the best of it over lunchtime out in the open.
Hats, gloves, scarves all donned - over trousers, extra layers all applied and we were off for our 3 hour excursion along the UNESCO world heritage site that is Hadrian’s Wall.
After the first 5 minutes of accent, many of the kids realised that they were going to have to dig deep to keep the pace.
This year, we kept closely together, to share all the experiences, whatever our experience or fitness. The sense of support shared and comraderee was amazing - many, many children pushed themselves beyond their personal limits.
For the first time, in my experience, all children, completed every climb and every descent - nobody dipped out to take the easy route - a true Woody spectacle - as staff, we were very proud.
The support shown by those with more confidence to those that needed greater encouragement was superb - a testament to the character of this group.
Then - onwards to Hawkhirst.
Arrival and orientation, unloading the vans and collecting luggage.
Tea time for the hungry adventurours - 2nd and 3rd helpings all round.
Once rooms were sorted and children were ready - at 9:30pm - we set off on our night forest walk.
Torches, darkness and forest! Amazing - the kids were great and they pushed through tiredness and nerves about the dark to finish up back at the main centre, ready for the last briefing of the day before and we’ll deserved bedtime.
Lights out by 10:30....
Well mostly!!
Here we are at breakfast - all bright and chirpy - ready for day 2.
The Northumberland Team.
Local history and geography never fails to inspire. Our trip to The National Coal Mining Museum provides a rich opportunity to inspire the children in their learning. A non-narrative explanation on Victorian mining along with child-labour conditions was completed. Then a narrative based a child's perspective of working in the mine was written. This topic really inspired the children to understand their locality and direct history.
Take a look at our Blitz pictures as part of our World War topic
As part of the cross-curricular topic of WW2, we take the chance to go creative with our ART. The whole topic is taught across many parts of the curriculum - mainly History, RE, English and ART. After the Topic launch with a visit to Eden Camp, the children quickly become immersed in information gathering and evidence building to create the full tapestry of experiences they need to complete all the work surrounding this topic.
The ART medium of pastels and silhouette pictures then becomes the way the children can express the drama they now fully understand concerning this important time in our history.
These pictures shown, capture just some of the final pieces that were achieved over many weeks.
Stage 1 - Understand the meaning of a silhouette - looking at various silhouette images.
Stage 2 - Sketch and try out various potential silhouette shapes.
Stage 3 - Develop an understanding of background colour for search lights and fires across the sky.
Stage 4 - Finalise and create the finished silhouette shapes.
Stage 5 - Develop a finished background pastel sky.
Stage 6 - Place all the final silhouettes upon the pastel background - finishing with searchlights.
After our visit to the coal mining museum we created on own mining pictures
