Bear Class (Year 6) 2025 - 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the class page for Bear Class.

Class Staff

Teacher: Mr Dunning

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Cavanagh

Here you will find all of the exciting and wonderful things that your child will be learning during their time in Year 6. If you have any questions, please use Class Dojo or speak to a member of our team at drop off/ pick up.

Thank you 

Spring 1 - On the Origin of Species by Sabina Radeva

In English this half term, we will be looking at the book, On the Origin of Species by Sabina Radeva

In this unit, pupils explore On the Origin of Species as inspiration for both fiction and non-fiction writing. Children will write a discovery narrative and an explanation text, developing their ability to narrate events and explain ideas clearly. Alongside this, they will build their grammatical knowledge by learning how to choose vocabulary appropriate for formal writing, use expanded noun phrases, and link ideas within and across paragraphs. Pupils will also practise using a range of punctuation, including colons, semi-colons, dashes and brackets, to improve clarity and precision in their writing.

In Reading, the children will explore multiple texts as we explore a new text and genre each week. 

Here's a list of the texts we shall explore this half term:

• The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow
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• Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky
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• The Place for Me: Stories About the Windrush Generation by Various Authors
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• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
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• The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
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• Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner
• 

We will be using our different VIPERS skills: Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve and Summarise to improve our understanding of what we read.'

'Reading for Pleasure' has great amounts of benefits for your child. In Year 6, we ensure your child has time to read for pleasure and each day, we set time aside to read our class book for pleasure. 

Benefits of 'reading for pleasure':

Inspires imagination and creativity.

Enrinches cultural awareness and understanding. 

Increases empathy and improves relationships with others.

Lifts well-being levels and improves mood.

Improves progress in vocabulary, spelllings and even maths.

Encourages children to take a screen break.

Read with your child every day even if it is just 2 minutes- this can make all the difference. 
Record in their reading diaries to ensure that your child is receiving their stamp for their book from the vending machine, or reading buddy. 

You could ask your child about what they think might happen next in the story, how do they think the character is feeling, who is the author and what do they do. 

This half term, the children will explore Algebra!

Algebra is about spotting patterns, making rules, and explaining why something works. That strengthens problem-solving and reasonings skills that will help your child. It is also a useful topic to study as your child will study Algebra in Year 7!

During our maths topics, there is a large focus within TimesTables. We will, therefore, be building on our times table knowledge as we will be using this to help us solve our maths problems. 

Children will have ongoing access to their TT Rockstars logins at home. I will set your child specific times tables for them to practice. Please ensure that your child is practising them at home as it is very beneficial for their learning.

If you have misplaced your child's login, please drop me a message on Dojo and I will resend for you.

In science this half term, our class will learn about Evolution and Inheritance which will coincide with our English text.

In Year 6, Evolution and Inheritance will help the children understand how living things change over time and why organisms share similarities as well as differences. This topic builds scientific thinking by encouraging pupils to observe patterns, ask questions, and use evidence to explain how traits are passed from parents to offspring. Learning about evolution also helps pupils make sense of biodiversity and how species are adapted to their environments. It prepares them for further science learning in secondary school and supports informed discussions about the natural world, while developing curiosity, critical thinking, and respect for life on Earth.

In our upcoming History lessons, the children will be learning all about 'The Sikh Empire'.

In Year 6, the children will be studying The Sikh Empire as part of their History lessons. Through this topic, pupils will learn about the rise of the Sikh Empire, key historical figures such as Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the impact the empire had on life in the Punjab region. The unit helps children develop their understanding of chronology, cause and consequence, and how empires shape societies and cultures. It also encourages respect for different histories and traditions, while strengthening pupils’ enquiry skills as they explore evidence from the past.

In our music lessons, the children will be exploring film music!

This is a very exciting topic! Children in Year 6 explore film music to understand how music can create mood, support storytelling, and influence an audience’s emotions. By studying how composers use rhythm, melody, and instruments to match characters and events on screen, pupils develop their listening skills and musical vocabulary. Exploring film music also encourages creativity, as children experiment with composing and performing pieces to accompany scenes. This topic helps them think critically about how music is used in the wider world and builds confidence in expressing ideas through sound.

Your child will have 2 PE lessons each week. Their days this half term are Wednesday and Friday. Please ensure they come into school in their PE kit on these days. This half term we will be developing your child's Hockey skills  as well as learning how to play Handball!           

Homework activities will be sent out every Monday. Your child will have a range of activities to take home including Maths, Reading and Spag tasks which will ultimately help them towards achieving their SATS targets.

Other useful links:

Please see below links to useful websites for your child to use when they are at home. I will be adding to the list throughout the course of the year so please make sure you check for updated links.

Oxford Owl - Linked to our phonics Read, Write Inc programme https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/free-ebooks/   

Story Nory - A range of stories by classic authors as well as poems musicals and fairytales. https://www.storynory.com/archives/classic-authors 

Story Berries- Read along with audio clips. https://www.storyberries.com

Monkey Pen-  Free downloadable children’s books in PDF format. https://monkeypen.com/pages/free-childrens-books

Free Children’s Stories-  https://www.freechildrenstories.com

Keeping Safe Online-  www.esafety.gov.au/kids 

Topmarks- A great way for children to practise many of their maths skills https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16&AgeGroup=3

Newsround is a very good outlet for your child to watch each day to gain a wider understanding of what is happening not only in our country, but the rest of the world. We will be watching newsround every afternoon in class.