Namibia Class Year 6
Autumn 2023
The children in Namibia class have settled in really well and have been really enjoying their Victorians unit. Over the last couple of weeks in English, the class have been creating different pieces of writing based on our class story: Street Child. This story is about a young boy called Jim and his adventures in Victorian London. They have been writing setting descriptions and diary entries, writing as Jim and describing his life inside the cruel workhouse. In maths, we have been exploring squared, cubed and prime numbers. The children challenged themselves by making the tallest square number skyscrapers by multiplying same digits together. They have also been working very hard on multiplying 4-digit numbers by 2-digits with great success! In history, the children have begun learning about the impact the industrial revolution had on England during Queen Victoria’s reign. They have learnt about how life was different for people depending on whether they lived in the cities or in the countryside. We have also been learning about the Navvies who helped build the new steam railways, improving the lives of many Victorians across the country.
SPRING 2 2023
We have had a very productive term in Namibia class! The children have created some fantastic pieces of work, as well as having a variety of experience days along the way. Science day was a real hit, as some of the children went to an event at Yeovil College whilst the rest of the class completed some exciting experiments (one even involved testing biscuits!). We loved our trip to Paignton zoo, especially getting to see the red pandas and water-hogs! World Book Day was also great fun: we had some really creative costumes and enjoyed learning about a new author called Frank Cottrell-Boyce!
In English, the children have been writing stories and setting descriptions based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a poem called Chocolate cake by Michael Rosen. They used some excellent vocabulary to describe the delicious, rich cake: making us all very hungry!
In geography, we have been learning all about trade and how it impacts this country. The children produced a fantastic double-page spread at the end of this unit to demonstrate how much they had learnt about trade, both in modern day and in Tudor and Victorian times! Did you know that 90% of items which Britain traded during King Henry VII’s reign were made from wool?
In science, our light topic has really dazzled us, as we have learnt all about different light sources and how shadows are created. A firm favourite lesson was when we discovered the different parts inside our eyes and how they work together to help us see. We even got to look at a model of an eye and take it apart to see how the pieces connect.
Finally, in DT, the children thoroughly enjoyed designing and then making their very own chocolates. They got to choose from a variety of ingredients and toppings, as well as design their own box to put the chocolates in after they had set. The children loved every minute of this and created some very clever slogans to tempt you to their tasty treat!
We can’t wait to see what the next half-term has in store for us!
SPRING 1 2023
Namibia class have settled back onto the Milford site really well and we have all been really enjoying our new classroom!
In English this term, we have been focusing on non-chronological reports. The first report was based on the story ‘The Mischievians’, which is about tiny creatures which exist all around us, purely to cause mischief (such as the Homework Eater). The children created their own Mischievians based on annoying things that happen to them in their own lives which could be the result of a sneaky Mischievian. We have also started reading our next class reader (War Horse) and the children have worked hard on creating a report about how horses were utilised by the army during the First World War.
In maths, we have explored how to plot coordinates in the different four quadrants, as well as how to translate 2D shapes into entirely new positions. We recently moved onto multiplying and dividing decimals.
In geography, the children have been exploring which countries produce cocoa as part of our chocolate topic. They have used atlases to locate these countries and have been investigating what life is like in Ghana in particular. Next term, we will be looking at which countries we trade with and how this has changed compared to trade within Queen Victoria’s reign.
In DT, the children have investigated what common features are found on different types of chocolate packaging and discussed what makes each brand successful. The children even got to taste some of these brands, but the dark chocolate was a bit too bitter for everyone’s liking. They are looking forward to making their own chocolates next term.
Namibia news update 12.12.22
Namibia class have had a very busy half-term! In English, we have continued with our class reader (Street Child), learning more about Jim Jarvis and what his time with the cruel Grimy Nick was like. Our writing focus has been to persuade and the children have written some fantastic letters about Bristol zoo, as well as letters to persuade Grimy Nick to let Jim leave his employment. In maths, the class have been learning all about fractions and they now can multiply and divide them, including mixed number fractions! Our focus in history has remained the Victorians and the class have particularly enjoyed learning about the lives of children in this time period. They were shocked to learn that children as young as eight could have been working in factories, but they were amused by the idea of having to wear a ‘dunce cap’ if they had been naughty in a Victorian school. The children also learnt about Yeovil’s gloving industry in this era and they had a go at drawing some fantastic glove designs of their own! In music, we have been full of festive cheer as we practise our songs for the Christmas performance in the final week of term. The children have really enjoyed this, particularly the song ‘unto us a child is born’ which has been their favourite. Finally, in art, the class have been completing their designs for their own tile based on William Morris’ wallpaper. We are in the final stages of painting their design using water colour paints. We hope the designs will really resemble some of William Morris’ nature-themed pieces from the Victorian era.
08.11.22
Since our last website post, Namibia class have tackled their first round of practise SATs papers and have seen what these exams will be like later on in the academic year. They should all be pleased with their first attempt! In English, we have been continuing with our class reader (Street Child) and the children have written character descriptions about a new character called Shrimps. In maths, the children have been enjoying learning about how to simplify and compare fractions. We have also begun exploring a variety of bar-model problems in our maths skills as part of ‘Barvember’ month. In history, we have considered the impact on the railway on Yeovil and how this might have improved the lives of Victorian people. Lastly, in science, we have been learning about microorganisms and have completed an investigation into how quickly they grow on bread in varying conditions. We cannot wait to review the results of this experiment later on this week and see how much mould has grown on the bread pieces!
18.10.2022
Over the past couple of weeks, Namibia class have been working very hard across all subjects. In history, our focus on the Victorians has continued, learning about the impact the introduction of the railway had on everyday life. Last week, the class discovered what life was like for a Navvy worker on the railway and the dangerous conditions in which they had to work. They produced excellent letters as Navvy workers, writing back home to their families. In English, the children have written diary entries from the point of view of Jim Jarvis, who is the main character in our current class reader: Street Child. They described a typical day in Jim’s life in the cruel and gloomy work house. In maths, the children have enjoyed learning about BODMAS and have applied their learning with great success to a variety of fluency and problem-solving questions. They are especially confident when a question contains brackets, such as (7x8)-30=. Lastly, in science, the children have started a new topic on living things and their habitats. We have re-visited the different ways creatures can be classified into key groups, such as mammals, crustaceans and reptiles. The children then created their own creature, selecting aspects from different classifications to create really strange and unusual living things!
AUTUMN 2022
The children in Namibia class have settled in really well at Buckler’s Mead and are enjoying their Victorians unit. It was great welcoming them into their new classroom and seeing what they had learnt about Namibia through their home learning activities.
Over the last couple of weeks, the class have been writing their adaptions of the Dream Giver story and have been focussing on using ambitious vocabulary to make their stories exciting. In maths, we have been exploring squared, cubed and prime numbers. The children challenged themselves by making the tallest square number skyscrapers by multiplying same digits together. In history, the children have begun learning about the impact the industrial revolution had on England during Queen Victoria’s reign. They have learnt about how life was different for people depending on whether they lived in the cities or in the countryside. For the majority of the class, they feel the countryside would have been a better place to live due to the nicer surroundings to look at and because there was less pollution in the air from the factories.
