Year 6 made purple poppies to remember the animals that have helped in war. We were really impressed with the concentration and grit and determination shown by all the children!
QHYear6
Year 6 Romeo and Juliet drama workshop!
Year 6 were fully immersed in the world of Shakespeare during their drama workshop with our expert visitor!
Children took part in a series of warm-up activities – including becoming Madame Tussauds waxwork models and terrifying monsters! They then developed Romeo and Juliet freeze frames in groups and asked each other insightful questions surrounding these still images.
Next, they used these skills as a way into both exploring the text and language whilst also considering how the Prologue and Act 1 Scene 1 are ‘delivered’.
Everyone was so enthusiastic and engaged – it was wonderful to see. We are very much looking forward to seeing how children get on with their newspaper reports this week. They will be reporting on the civil disturbance caused by the two warring households – the Montagues and the Capulets – causing bloodshed and pandemonium amongst fair Verona’s streets!
Year 6 Historians
As part of The City of Norwich Aviation Museum’s outreach, Year 6 were able to explore World War Two primary and secondary sources by handling some interesting artefacts today!
When you do research, you gather information from a variety of resources. These can be defined as primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources give you direct access to the subject that you’re researching or learning about. They can provide you with a first-hand account of an event or time-period, represent original thinking and give you new information.
Secondary sources provide second-hand information and often offer explanations for primary sources. They analyse, interpret and restate information from primary sources.
Children looked at gas masks, a warden’s steel helmet and even a German incendiary bomb!
Romeo & Juliet: A Prologue!
We have started studying Romeo & Juliet this half term. We watched a performance of the Prologue and dissected Shakespearean language and translated it into modern day English. We also looked at all the fun phrases we still use that come directly from Shakespeare; ever “worn your heart on your sleeve” or “been in a pickle”?
As part of the first week, we re-enacted parts of the prologue in small groups and created tableaux stills (“living pictures”). The children did amazingly at learning the lines and dramatising them for their peers. Watch this space for more theatrical fun!
African Drumming and Dance workshop
Year 6 were treated this afternoon to a bespoke session of African dancing and drumming with the PanAfro Band in honour of Black History Month. Every single child had an incredible time learning the patterns and rhythms, and the smiles were so huge they lit up the room! It was a joy to see everyone moving and enjoying themselves and experiencing this wonderful style of music and dance. Feel free to look them up online to enjoy some more at home!
We also did research projects where we looked at influential Black people; Chadwick Boseman, Kadeena Cox, Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Mo Farah and John Boyega. We looked into their achievements and contributions and why they have inspired people across the world with their work and their amazing approaches to life.
Throughout our school year, we are committed to celebrating diversity across our curriculum and in all of our learning and so this is just an opportunity to extend the already wonderfully diverse curriculum we have here at Queens Hill.
Avid Year 6 Readers!
Year 6 have been reading enthusiastically using our new digital library ‘myON’. It has been fantastic to see the children engaging with the platform so brilliantly. The children have been reading a wide range of texts including some informative digital books about World War Two. There really is something for everyone to enjoy, keep it up, Year 6!
Compassion
Across our afternoons in Year 6 we have been learning about a plethora of things! In RE, we have been learning about ‘non violence’ and what this means in Hinduism; non violence is known as ‘ahimsa’ and refers to the idea that all violence against any living creature is prohibited because all living creatures have souls. Within Hinduism, there is the belief that if one causes suffering, that person will then have suffering in their own life later on.
“True ahimsa should mean a complete freedom from ill will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all!” Ghandi.
Maybe this week you can spend some time thinking about the compassion that you cultivate in your own lives – how do you help those around you feel loved? How do you like to feel loved and appreciated? What can you do as an act of kindness this week for family, friends, a stranger?
Helicopter seeds!
Year 6 had great fun in their outdoor learning lesson testing out paper helicopter seed models!
Third time is a charm…
It’s the end of week three and Year 6 has settled into their new routines. They have already achieved so much in a short space of time. We finished our Creative Arts Week in which we made from amazing rag rugs in a Make Do and Mend style. We have started learning about WW2 in History and English, where we are reading an all time favourite Goodnight Mister Tom.
In Science, we have created glossary pages to aid us in our new Living Things and Their Habitats unit, and the classes played a spirited game of Guess Who but with a twist! We have finished this week with a thoughtful lesson on Peace and what that means to us individually and what it means to different religions around the globe. The children came up with brilliant ideas about how we can create peaceful spaces, maybe you’d like to try a few this weekend!
Ideas of creating peaceful spaces and relationships: Walking in nature, listening/ singing to music, meditation, rocking out, snuggle up in some blankets with candles and a hot chocolate, drawing, kindness, taking deep breaths, and concentrating on the good things that bring us together.
Year 6 – Creative Arts
Year 6 have had a fabulous start to the term! As part of our Creative Arts project, children have produced wonderful ‘no-sew’ rag rugs. In the spirit of wartime Britain and inspired by the ‘Make Do and Mend’ initiative, children thought carefully about how items could be repaired, reused and reimagined. All have shown a huge amount of grit and determination during the process as well as reflecting on their end results in order to evaluate their efforts. Their wonderful rag rugs will be on display in the UKS2 corridor for all to see! Well done, Year 6!
