Year 6

The Learning Projects

The children will work on a variety of Learning Projects and have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to many different situations.

Each term the children have studied English following the new curriculum guidelines and the Learning Project ideas.

In Mathematics the children have studied number and calculation, shape, space and measures, and data handling.

Princes, Peasants and Pestilence

Lock your doors and pull up the drawbridge: the dreaded ‘Great Pestilence’ is here.

At the start of this project, we’ll meet a strange character and use a range of source materials to research the symptoms of the Black Death. Our geography skills will help us understand how the black death came to Britain and why it spread so quickly. We’ll investigate the effects of bacteria on the human body and find out about disgusting and dangerous plague ‘cures’. We’ll learn about different social classes, understand the reasons for the Peasants’ Revolt, take part in a mock battle and learn what it was like to be a knight. At the end of the ILP, we’ll find out about the Black Death through history and make a timeline of outbreaks around the world.

Frozen Kingdom

Welcome to the planet’s coldest lands, which are incredibly beautiful, yet often deadly.

During this project, we’ll start by making and observing icebergs. We’ll then find out more about them using non-fiction books. We’ll learn technical vocabulary so we can write reports in the role of engineers. Using globes and maps, we’ll identify the Polar Regions, comparing the Arctic and Antarctic. We’ll also think about how we can protect the polar environment. Then, we’ll investigate the tragic story of the RMS Titanic, and find out about the people on board. We’ll download images of polar features and save our information in digital folders. When we’re more familiar with the Polar Regions, we’ll write exciting stories and diary entries from the perspective of brave explorers and newspaper reports to report their discoveries. Researching our favourite polar animals will be fun, and we’ll create animal artwork inspired by the Inuit people.

A Child's War

A siren sounds and a Spitfire zooms overhead!

It’s 1939 and Britain is at war. During this project, we’ll imagine what it was like to be evacuated and live with a family other than our own. Using different source materials, we’ll learn about evacuation and write letters to our families ‘back home’. We’ll plot the Second World War’s events on a timeline and learn about rationing, Pearl Harbour and the Battle of Britain. From a range of maps, we’ll identify safe and dangerous places during the war and make persuasive posters to support the war effort. From a range of sources, we’ll find out about children and school during the war and learn about discrimination that existed at the time. We’ll learn about what it was like during the Blitz and think about how soldiers might have felt. In D&T, we’ll make Anderson shelters.

Blood Heart

Let’s explore our circulatory system!

During this project, we’ll dissect an animal heart, finding out about the different parts and how the blood flows. Afterwards, we’ll write a report of the experience and use software and models to learn more about how the circulatory system works. We’ll use a data logger to measure our heart rates and test how it is affected by exercise. In D&T, we’ll dissect pig hearts. We’ll learn about how smoking affects the heart and write adverts to persuade people to stop smoking. We’ll visit the ‘Give blood’ website, and find out about the work of the British Heart Foundation.