Cwmaber Collaboration
Dosbarth Chwech
Croeso i Dosbarth Chwech
We are looking forward to an exciting year of learning, discovery and new experiences. Throughout Year 6, learners will develop their knowledge and skills across the six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs), while continuing to develop the cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence.
Our topics have been carefully planned to provide meaningful opportunities for learners to question, investigate, create, problem-solve, communicate and make informed choices. Wherever possible, learning will be connected across different areas so that learners can see how their knowledge and skills can be applied in different contexts.
This approach reflects the Curriculum for Wales, which aims to develop learners who are ambitious, capable, enterprising, creative, ethical and informed, healthy and confident.
Teachers Email: BarnettL51@Hwbcymru.net
🌈PE DAY - Tuesday🌈
💻Homework - Continuous tasks are set via Google Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2NDg4MjMxOTE0
During this topic, learners will investigate what life was like during the Second World War, with a particular focus on Wales and the experiences of children and families.
We will explore key events, people and experiences and encourage learners to consider different perspectives and ask questions about the past.
📚 Languages, Literacy & Communication
Our class book this term will be Rose Blanche.
Through this powerful story, learners will explore the experiences of Rose and develop their understanding of point of view, emotions, empathy and perspective.
✍️ Diary Writing
Learners will write a diary entry from Rose's perspective, imagining what she might have thought and felt during the events of the story.
They will develop their ability to:
- write in the first person
- describe events from a particular point of view
- explore emotions, thoughts and feelings
- use descriptive and emotive language
- sequence events effectively
- develop a character's voice
- use appropriate paragraphing and punctuation
- write for a specific purpose and audience
Learners will be encouraged to think beyond simply describing what happened and consider how Rose may have felt and why.
📰 Newspaper Reports
Learners will also become wartime journalists!
They will research important aspects of WW2 and use their knowledge to create their own newspaper reports.
We will explore:
- Parliament's role during WW2
- Neville Chamberlain
- Winston Churchill
- important events of the war
- evacuation
- life on the home front
- air raids
- rationing
Learners will take part in role-play interviews, including interviews with evacuees, before using their ideas to develop newspaper reports.
This will give learners opportunities to research, evaluate information, ask effective questions, consider different perspectives and communicate information clearly.
🎨 Expressive Arts
Our Expressive Arts focus will be pencil drawing, inspired by the artist L.S. Lowry.
Learners will investigate Lowry's distinctive style and explore how he represented people, buildings and everyday life.
They will develop their:
- observational drawing skills
- use of line
- shading and tone
- proportion
- composition
- ability to communicate ideas through art
We will then give this work a WW2 twist, encouraging learners to use what they have learned about wartime Britain to create their own artwork inspired by Lowry.
This will provide opportunities for learners to experiment, make creative choices, reflect on their work and communicate ideas through the expressive arts.
❤️ Health & Well-being
We will use the Jigsaw PSHE programme to support our Health and Well-being learning.
Our Autumn topics will be:
🌍 Being Me in My World
Learners will explore:
- identity
- belonging
- responsibilities
- making positive choices
- recognising their strengths
- understanding their role within a community
🌈 Celebrating Difference
Learners will explore:
- respecting differences
- diversity
- empathy
- challenging stereotypes
- understanding different perspectives
- building positive relationships
These areas support the Curriculum for Wales focus on developing learners' physical, mental and emotional well-being, decision-making and healthy relationships.
🏛️ Humanities – History
Our Humanities learning will have a strong history focus.
Learners will investigate:
- key dates and events surrounding WW2
- the causes and development of the war
- the role of Wales during WW2
- the experiences of child evacuees
- blackouts
- rationing and life on the home front
- Parliament's role during the war
- important historical figures and their decisions
We will encourage learners to work as historians by asking questions, examining evidence, considering different perspectives and developing their own interpretations of historical events.
This directly supports the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience, where learners develop understanding of the past and investigate how human experiences can be interpreted and represented in different ways.
🔬 Science & Technology – Physics
Our Science and Technology focus will be light and materials.
Learners will investigate:
Transparent → Translucent → Opaque
They will sort and classify different materials according to how much light passes through them.
Our learning will then become a practical investigation:
💡 Which material would make the best blackout curtain?
Learners will:
- investigate how light travels
- classify materials
- make predictions
- carry out fair tests
- use torches and light readings
- record results
- compare data
- draw conclusions
- explain which material would be most suitable for a blackout curtain
This gives learners the opportunity to behave like scientists by asking questions, testing ideas, collecting evidence and using evidence to draw conclusions. It also connects science learning meaningfully to our WW2 topic.
This supports the Science and Technology Area, particularly the idea that being curious and searching for answers is essential to understanding and predicting phenomena, as well as understanding matter and how it behaves.
In the Spring Term, we will travel around the world as we investigate climate, environments and the ways in which people, plants and animals adapt to different conditions.
Our learning will encourage learners to think about our planet, its diversity and the ways in which humans interact with and depend upon the natural world.
📚 Languages, Literacy & Communication
🏰 Myths & Legends
Our class book will be The Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle.
Learners will explore the features of traditional stories, myths and legends, with a particular focus on Welsh storytelling.
They will retell the story in their own creative way, developing:
- characterisation
- setting
- atmosphere
- dialogue
- descriptive language
- narrative structure
- vocabulary choices
- suspense
- paragraphing
- editing and improving their writing
This work will also support preparation for the Eisteddfod, giving learners an opportunity to celebrate Welsh culture and storytelling.
✍️ Poetry – Open the Door to Wales
Learners will also explore poetry, creating an anaphora poem entitled:
Open the Door to Wales
They will explore how repetition can create rhythm, emphasis and impact, while using poetry to express their ideas and feelings about Wales.
🔢 Mathematics & Numeracy
Our Spring mathematics learning will focus on:
- multiplication
- division
- fractions
- pie charts
- volume
- 2D shape
Learners will continue to develop their fluency, reasoning and problem-solving, applying mathematical ideas to increasingly complex situations.
We will encourage learners to explain their mathematical thinking, justify their answers and select appropriate strategies.
This reflects the Curriculum for Wales emphasis on developing conceptual understanding, fluency, logical reasoning, communication and strategic competence.
🎵 Expressive Arts – Music & Dance
Our Expressive Arts focus will move into music and dance.
🎧 GarageBand
Learners will use GarageBand to compose their own pieces of music.
They will experiment with:
- loops
- instruments
- sounds
- rhythm
- tempo
- layering
- composition
They will make creative decisions about how different sounds can be combined to create a finished piece.
💃 Welsh Dance & Song
Learners will also explore traditional Welsh dances and songs, developing their understanding and appreciation of Welsh culture and heritage.
They will have opportunities to perform, collaborate and reflect on their own creative work.
❤️ Health & Well-being
Our Spring Jigsaw PSHE topics will be:
🌟 Dreams & Goals
Learners will explore:
- aspirations
- personal goals
- perseverance
- resilience
- overcoming challenges
- supporting others
- celebrating success
🥗 Healthy Me
Learners will consider how their choices can affect their physical and mental well-being, including topics such as:
- healthy lifestyles
- nutrition
- exercise
- making healthy choices
- understanding influences
- taking responsibility for their well-being
The Curriculum for Wales places an emphasis on developing learners' independence and agency in matters relating to their own health and well-being.
🗺️ Humanities – Geography
Our Spring Humanities focus will be Geography.
We will investigate:
- the world map
- continents and countries
- climate zones
- why different countries experience different climates
- how deserts are formed
- how plants survive in desert environments
- how animals adapt to desert conditions
- whether people live in deserts
- how humans interact with different environments
Learners will develop their geographical enquiry skills by asking questions, using maps and information, identifying patterns and considering how physical processes and human actions influence our world.
This supports the Humanities Area's focus on understanding our diverse and dynamic natural world and the influence of natural processes and human actions.
⚡ Science & Technology
Our Science and Technology learning will focus on energy and chemical reactions.
🌱 Renewable & Non-renewable Energy
Learners will investigate different sources of energy and compare:
- renewable energy
- non-renewable energy
- advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources
- how energy can be transferred
We will also explore how energy is transferred during a flood, linking our scientific understanding to real-world events.
🧪 Temperature Investigation
Learners will carry out a practical investigation using vinegar and baking soda.
They will explore the temperature changes that occur during the reaction, developing their understanding of:
- making predictions
- carrying out fair tests
- measuring temperature
- recording results
- identifying patterns
- drawing conclusions
This develops the scientific enquiry skills that are central to the Science and Technology Area of Learning and Experience.
💷 Money Makes the World Go Round
This will be a careers and enterprise-focused topic designed to help learners prepare for their future by developing their understanding of work, money, enterprise, decision-making and personal strengths.
Learners will explore different careers and consider the skills and attributes that can help them achieve their goals.
The Curriculum for Wales specifically highlights the importance of learners developing experiences and skills for careers and the workplace, alongside the ability to make informed choices.
📚 Languages, Literacy & Communication
📄 Writing a CV
Learners will create their own CV, considering the skills, qualities and experiences they already have.
They will learn how to communicate:
- their strengths
- skills and attributes
- achievements
- interests
- experiences
- aspirations
This will help learners understand how communication and literacy skills can support their future learning and career pathways.
💻 Explanation Text
Learners will also write an explanation text about the creation of an iMovie project.
They will develop their ability to:
- explain a process clearly
- use appropriate technical vocabulary
- organise information logically
- use paragraphs and headings
- give precise instructions and explanations
🔢 Mathematics & Numeracy
Our Summer mathematics learning will focus on:
- percentages
- money
- algebra
- ratio and proportion
These skills will be particularly relevant to our enterprise project, allowing learners to apply mathematics to real-life financial situations.
They will consider costs, prices, profit and how mathematical decisions can influence the success of a business.
The Curriculum for Wales encourages learners to apply mathematical knowledge in real-life contexts and to develop strategic competence and informed decision-making.
🎬 Expressive Arts – Film & Media
Our Summer Expressive Arts focus will be film and digital media.
Learners will create advertisements for their own entrepreneurial project.
👕 From T-Shirts to Business!
Learners will upcycle old T-shirts, transforming them into:
- drawstring bags
- tote bags
They will then develop their own mini-business and aim to make a profit.
As part of the project, learners will need to think like entrepreneurs and designers by creating:
- a business logo
- a slogan
- product ideas
- advertising campaigns
- promotional videos
They will use film and media skills to create advertisements designed to persuade an audience to buy their products.
The money raised will contribute towards our class's last-day celebration, giving learners a genuine reason to apply their creativity, enterprise and financial skills.
❤️ Health & Well-being
Our final Jigsaw PSHE topics will focus on:
🤝 Relationships
Learners will explore:
- healthy relationships
- communication
- respect
- resolving disagreements
- recognising positive and negative influences
- supporting one another
🌱 Changing Me
Learners will consider the physical, emotional and social changes that happen as they grow and prepare for the transition to the next stage of their education.
These themes support the Curriculum for Wales focus on healthy relationships, emotional well-being, decision-making and developing an understanding of change.
🕌 Humanities – Religion, Values & Ethics
Our Summer Humanities focus will be Religion, Values and Ethics, with a particular focus on Islam.
Using the Jigsaw scheme of work alongside our wider RVE curriculum, learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of:
- Islam
- Muslim beliefs and practices
- values and traditions
- similarities and differences between beliefs
- respectful discussion
- diversity
- making informed and respectful choices
Learners will be encouraged to ask questions, listen to different perspectives and develop their understanding of people whose beliefs and experiences may differ from their own.
This supports the Curriculum for Wales expectation that learners develop understanding of diversity, beliefs, values and different perspectives, helping them to become ethical and informed citizens.
🫀 Science & Technology – Biology
Our final Science and Technology focus will be the human body, fitness and the circulatory system.
Learners will investigate:
❤️ Our Heart
They will:
- label the main parts of the heart
- investigate how the heart pumps blood
- explore the function of the heart
- understand the role of blood in the body
- investigate how exercise affects heart rate
Learners will take beats-per-minute (BPM) readings using pulse readers before and after exercise and use their results to explore how physical activity affects the body.
🫁 Our Lungs
Learners will also investigate the function of the lungs and how the respiratory system works alongside the circulatory system.
Through practical investigation and discussion, learners will consider how taking care of our heart and lungs can support fitness and overall health.
This connects strongly with both the Science and Technology and Health and Well-being Areas of Learning and Experience, allowing learners to apply scientific knowledge to real decisions about their own health. The Curriculum for Wales specifically identifies the importance of understanding living things, as well as the links between physical health, lifestyle choices and well-being.
The Curriculum for Wales requires schools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, develop the six Areas of Learning and Experience and support the mandatory cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence.
Year 6 is a very special year. Alongside developing their knowledge and skills, we want our learners to leave primary school as confident, independent and capable young people, ready for the next stage of their journey.
Throughout the year, we will encourage them to:
✨ Be curious
Ask questions and investigate the world around them.
🧠 Think critically
Use evidence, question information and explain their ideas.
🎨 Be creative
Take risks, experiment and find different ways to communicate.
🤝 Work together
Listen to others, collaborate and value different perspectives.
💪 Be resilient
Learn from mistakes and persevere when things become challenging.
🌍 Make a difference
Become ethical, informed citizens who understand their responsibilities to themselves, others and the wider world.
