Wednesday 15th July

Good morning everyone! I hope you're all doing okay  I hope to be seeing those of you who aren't at school for your leavers gifts this afternoon between 1:30 and 2:30! 

NASA have announced the new name of their headquarters in Washington DC. It will be named the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters after NASA’s first Black female engineer. 

 This is to recognise the huge achievements of Mary W. Jackson. She not only achieved a lot in her career but did so despite the challenges she faced as a Black woman. 

Mary worked for an earlier version of NASA, called NACA, at the West Area Computing Unit. Here, she worked as a ‘human computer’. 

She would crunch numbers and read data similar to how a modern-day computer would. This work was not valued much at the time. Back then, the job was given to women while men generally did better-paid roles. 

During her life, Mary W. Jackson faced racial discrimination. At the time, there was segregation in some parts of the USA. 

This meant that Mary W. Jackson had to ask for special permission to study with White students when training to be an engineer. 

Despite the prejudice at that time, Mary was recognised for her abilities. In 1958, she became the first Black female engineer at NASA. Here, she worked as an aerospace engineer for 20 years, researching how air flows around aircraft. 

She later became the manager of the women’s programme at NASA. In this role, she helped to improve the opportunities of women in aerospace engineering jobs. Jim Bridenstine, who is in charge of NASA, said that “she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology.” 

Carolyn Lewis, Mary’s daughter, said, “We are honoured that NASA continues to celebrate the legacy of our mother and grandmother Mary W. Jackson.”

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Today's Daily Challenge:

Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of Black female engineers that worked at NASA whose achievements were not recognised until recently. Find out more about Mary W. Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan.  

What did they achieve? What did they discover? When did they live? Use information books and the Internet to help you find out more about these engineers.

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Today's choice of activities:

English: Read Chapter 8 of our eBook 'Raider's Peril' and complete the Power Point listed below.

Maths: Watch the online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

General Knowledge: Test your general knowledge in today's end of year picture round! Why not try playing against your family to see who can score the most points?

Art: Design your own leaver's hoodie!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell

Tuesday 14th July

Good morning and welcome to another day of online learning! Thankfully it looks as though the sun will be shining today so I hope you manage to get yourself outside for some fresh air and enjoy it while it lasts! 

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching a Coronavirus Appeal to those affected by COVID-19 in refugee and other temporary camps.

The DEC says that the people have had to flee their homes and have lost everything. The camps they live in have little access to medical care, clean water or enough food. 

The camps are in places like Yemen, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In the camps, people often live in tents and shelters without running water.The camps are also crowded as many people live there. 

There are not enough hospital beds or supplies to treat those who fall ill. All of this makes these people extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. 

But, the DEC says that if we act now, we can protect millions of vulnerable people. 

The DEC wants people to donate to the appeal so charities can provide help to those in need.

The money raised from the appeal will help them to provide families living in camps with clean water, soap and information on how to keep themselves safe. 

The funds raised will also be used to get equipment for medical staff working in the camps. This will help them to protect people who are affected. The DEC will also use the money raised to help those in need get enough food.

The DEC

The DEC works with 14 charities and raises money through fundraising. The charities come together at a time of a humanitarian crisis. 

The DEC makes sure that support goes quickly and efficiently to the people who need it. Their job is to help communities who have been affected by a disaster.

 Since 1963, the DEC has run 72 appeals and raised more than £1.5 billion, saving lives and rebuilding communities. 

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

During the recent lockdown, there have been lots of examples of people raising money at home for charities.

Use these ideas to plan your own fundraising activity for the DEC. Could you climb the height of a mountain by going up and down your stairs? Could you complete a certain number of laps of an outside area? Jot down some ideas of an activity you could do to raise money

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Today's Choice of Activities:

English: Read chapter 7 of our eBook Raider's Peril and complete the Power Point tasks listed below.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

DT: Follow the recipe listed to create your own face pizza!

General Knowledge:  Test your general knowledge with today's quiz. Why not try working in teams against your family members to see who can get the most points?

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 13th July

Good morning and welcome to your final week of the summer term!  I hope you all had a lovely weekend and you're feeling ready for one final push before the summer holidays! 

People recently spent more time at home to help during the coronavirus lockdown. This has had an interesting effect on local animals and has allowed some to be tracked by scientists. 

With fewer humans around, animals have been investigating the quieter urban habitats.  

Goats were caught strolling into the Welsh town of Llandudno. They scampered over walls and fences and even nibbled the flowers in people’s gardens.

Goats also gave the people a surprise in San Jose, USA. They were seen trotting along the roads and also eating people’s garden plants!

Zach Roelands filmed the goats and posted the video online. He wrote on social media, “This is the craziest thing to happen all quarantine”.

In Japan, deer have been exploring the city of Nara looking for a bite to eat too. Wild boar have been recorded boldly roaming the city streets of Barcelona, Spain. 

In Thailand and in Florida, USA, they have seen an increase in leatherback turtles nests. In fact, in Thailand, there’s been a record number of baby leatherback turtles hatching. In both places, they think this is due to fewer tourists.

In Adelaide, Australia, an audacious kangaroo hopped along the main roads.

Some scientists have decided that now is a good time to examine the impact we have on nature. A group called the International Bio-Logging Society plans to track as many animals as it can during this period. 

To do this, they will use data collected from small gadgets called ‘bio-logging’ devices. These are attached to animals and can help track their movements and behaviours.

The scientists want to compare the data from lockdown with that from other years and see what changes they can spot. 

They hope that the information will help us to learn how we can better coexist with the animal world. 

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

The animals in the article are typically not found in urban areas. So, what are their normal habitats?

Choose an animal from the article and explore more about it.

• What type of animal is it?
• Where does it live?
• What does it eat?
• What’s the food chain it’s in like?

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Read chapter 6 of our eBook 'Raider's Peril' and complete the English Power Point below to create your own fire opal sword!

Maths: Watch the online lesson below and complete the activity.

Science: If you have the required items at home in your cupboard, follow the method to complete towards awe and wonder experiment 'fizzy colours'.

Art: Follow the step by step drawing practise to create your own woodland creatures!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell

Friday 10th July

Good morning and Happy Friday! Well done, you've made it through another week of home schooling and only 4 full days to go until your summer holidays! 

Did you know Comet NEOWISE is visible throughout July from anywhere in the UK. 

Astronomers were hesitant to predict that it would become visible with the naked eye after the disappointments of comets SWAN and ATLAS. 

However, it has survived its encounter with the Sun and can now be seen low on the northern horizon. 

Although binoculars will help, many people have reported being able to see it with just their eyes. 

Comet NEOWISE is currently near the bright star Capella in the constellation of Auriga. 

It will be closest to Earth on 23rd July. At that point, you will be able to see it underneath the constellation Ursa Major - also known as the Big Dipper or the Plough. 

It’s long path through our Solar System looks a bit like putting an elastic band over your finger and pulling it tight. 

The comet’s trajectory had it zooming straight past the Sun. It then curved sharply round the star, as it got caught in the Sun’s gravity, and is now flying back off into outer space.  

It is at this point, after being flung off away from the Sun, that we can now see it. 

Previous comets have broken up during their close brushes with our life giving star. But, comet NEOWISE is obviously made of tougher stuff. 

It survived temperatures of up to 593°C as it got to within 27.3 million miles from the Sun. 

That might sound like a great distance but, by contrast, we only orbit the Sun at roughly 93 million miles. 

Just in case you might be worried, it poses no danger to us. At its closest, the comet will still be 64 million miles away. 

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

Use the Internet and reference books to explore more about how the rest of the planets got their names.

Who are they named after?

Why does each planet have that name specifically?

Who chose the names?

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Today's Choice of Activities are:

English: Read chapter 5 of our eBook Raider's Peril then open the jar of imagination to reveal today's title!

Maths: It's Family Challenge Friday! Work alongside people at home to complete today's questions - remember they get more tricky as you work through!

Art: Follow the instructions to complete an 'inner self' portrait! 

Have a lovely weekend, 

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 9th July

Good morning everyone! It looks like the weather is going to be a bit brighter today! For those children at school, it is film afternoon on a Thursday and this week we are watching Disney's 'Flubber', why not join in with us at home as a treat for completing your tasks this morning? Would love to hear whether you enjoy it! 

The remains of a warrior who was buried 2600 years ago have been revealed to be those of a young girl.

The body of the 13-year-old warrior was discovered in 1988. However, archaeologists thought it must have been a boy.

The grave didn’t have any beads, mirrors or other things typically buried with girls. Instead, this girl was buried alongside a complete set of weapons.

With her, she had an axe, a one-metre-long bow, bronze, bone and wood-tipped arrows and even a fur coat.  

Archaeologists believe the mystery girl belonged to the Scythian tribe.

Scythians were nomadic and famed for their skill in fighting on horseback. They roamed the areas of southern Siberia around 900–200 BC.

Although it is clear that Scythian women fought alongside men, this is actually quite rare across history. 

It was only in 2016 that women stopped being banned from ground close combat jobs in the UK military. In fact, it was only two years ago that all military combat roles were opened up to women.

Yet, clearly, the Scythians allowed it 2600 years ago. 

Hippocrates, an ancient Greek, described female warriors among the Scythians. He said their women “ride, shoot, throw the javelin while mounted, and fight with their enemies.” 

He also wrote that young women have to kill “three of their enemies,” before marriage.

The new discovery supports a theory that the Amazons from Greek mythology were based on these Scythian warriors.

In Greek stories, the Amazons were a tribe of fierce female warriors. 

Many Greek heroes, such as Achilles, Hercules and Theseus, had to prove themselves against the Amazons.

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

Investigate the Scythians to learn more about them and their culture.

• How did they live?
• Where did they live?
• What countries are those places today?
• What were they famous for?
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Today's choice of activities are: 

English: Read Chapter 4 of our eBook this week, which I will attach below and complete the activity listed for today on the Power Point.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 8th July

Good morning! I hope you had a lovely sleep and you are feeling fresh ahead of a brand new day of home learning today! 

The deep rumble of thunder, the whip-crack of lightning. Few other natural phenomena can inspire such awe and wonder and, two years ago, a wondrous lightning bolt made history. 

On 31st October 2018, the longest lightning bolt ever seen happened in the skies above Brazil. 

Zigzagging across the sky on Halloween, the lightning bolt stretched for over 440 miles. 

That is a whopping distance! If it had started at the Scottish border, the lightning bolt would have reached all the way to the south coast of England, over the English Channel and even on into France.

It more than doubles the previous record for the longest bolt of lightning. That was spotted over Oklahoma, USA, in 2007 and was a huge 199.5 miles long. 

Although the new record-setting lightning was almost two years ago, it wasn’t confirmed until last month. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) used new satellite technology to verify the record.

With the same technology, they also noticed another record-breaking lightning bolt in 2019. 

It happened over Argentina and lasted for a massive 16.73 seconds. 

Both recent lightning bolts have been dubbed ‘megaflashes’.

“These are extraordinary records,” said Professor Randall Cerveny, who works for the WMO. Despite how epic these ‘megaflashes’ are, he thinks “it is likely that even greater extremes still exist”. 

Lightning is cool and fascinating; however, always remember the 30-30 rule. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says if the length of time between a flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder is less than 30 seconds, go inside. 

Then, wait 30 minutes after you last saw a flash before playing outside again. 

That might seem like a long time to wait, but, remember, lightning can travel a long way!

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

Thunderstorms and lightning fall under the category of extreme weather. Explore what that term means using books at home and the Internet.

What other types of weather can be called extreme?

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Today's choice of activities are:

English:  Read Chapter 3 of our new eBook Raider's Peril and follow the Power Point to create your own stronghold which meets the criteria listed.

Maths: Watch the online video below and complete the task listed.

Art: After finishing the Power Point, use the isometric alphabet worksheet to create your name using 3d letters!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 7th July

Hello again! How are you feeling today?  Hopefully the rain stays off today and you can get some time for fresh air outside!

Did you know.. J2157 Is Fastest-Growing Black Hole in Universe!

Astronomers from the Australian National University have worked out how big the fastest-growing black hole in the universe is. The black hole is called J2157 and is 1.2 billion light years away from Earth. 

The team of astronomers used the Very Large Telescope, in Chile, to learn about J2157. 

The team discovered the black hole in 2018, but it has taken until now for them to work out just how big it is.

Dr Christopher Onken, one of the astronomers, says that J2157 is 34 billion times bigger than our Sun. What’s more, it’s 8000 times bigger than the black hole at the centre of our stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravity.'>galaxy, the Milky Way. 

The team say that the hungry black hole is gobbling up a lot of nearby stars. It devours stars the size of our Sun every day!

It’s quite a way away from Earth — 1.2 billion light years away to be precise. A light year is how far light travels in a year. 

So, if a black hole is 1.2 billion light years away, you’re actually seeing what the black hole looked like 1.2 billion years ago! 

“We’re seeing it [J2157] at a time when the universe was only 1.2 billion years old, less than 10% of its current age,” Dr Onken said. 

J2157 could help the team at the Australian National University find out more what the universe was like over a billion years ago. 

So, what are black holes and how are they created? When some stars come to the end of their lives, they collapse in on themselves in a spectacular explosion. 

This is called a supernova. All of the material of the star then falls into an infinitely small point creating huge amounts of gravity. The gravity is so strong in the black hole that it sucks everything nearby into it.

The team at the Australian National University will now continue to study this black hole to see what more they will learn.

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

Inspired by this space-themed story, write the opening paragraph to a story about a journey into space.

Maybe, you are queueing up with your fellow astronauts, waiting to get into your spacecraft. Perhaps, the characters have spent years already travelling. How are the characters feeling? What can they see, touch, hear and feel?

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Today's choice of activities are:

English: Read chapter 2 of our new eBook 'Raider's Peril' and follow the Power point below to create your own guild. I have attached a copy of the book below too!

Maths: Watch today's online Maths lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Geography: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvybp4j Follow the link to complete a project on Florida, use the information and quizzes to find research to create a persuasive poster and fact file about an animal which you would find there!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 6th July

Good morning and welcome to a brand new week of home learning! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and you are feeling ready for some brand new challenges this week! 

With a lot of our favourite restaurants opening at the weekend, think about how far would you journey for your favourite meal? Well, one cuckoo travelled an incredible 12,000km!

Scientists have been tracking cuckoos in Mongolia and have observed one migrate an incredible round trip of 26,000km.

To engage children with cuckoos and their migration, scientists collected four cuckoos and put tags on them. The tags allowed them to watch where the birds travelled. 

They then asked children at a local school to name the birds and follow their journeys. 

They decided to call one particular bird Onon. They named it after a river nearby.

The birds set off in June last year and were carefully tracked. Onon flew from Mongolia all the way to Zambia, in southern Africa. That is a distance of 12,000km.

Because the cuckoo travelled such a long way, it was not expected that Onon would survive the journey back. He had to overcome long distances, bad weather and predators.

It was, therefore, exciting news in May when Onon arrived back in Mongolia. Birding Beijing, one of the groups involved in the project, commented on social media, ‘‘After an epic 26,000km round trip, including 27 border crossings, involving 16 countries, ONON is back.’’ 

So, why do cuckoos travel so far? Well, according to Chris Hewson, one of the researchers on the project, they are following their stomachs.

 Cuckoos like to feast on caterpillars. These can be found in warm, wet climates. This is the climate in Mongolia during the summer. They then follow the monsoon season in India to find more to eat and then later the wind to the east of Africa where there is even more caterpillars to find. This keeps them well fed for the year. 

Now that Onon is back, it is time for him to set up his territory and have a well-earned rest. 

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Today's Daily Challenge: Cuckoos are brood parasites. They trick other birds to raise their young for them.

Explore, using the Internet and reference books, how they trick other birds into doing this for them.

Once you have found out how cuckoos use other birds, create a poster explaining to someone else the process.

Remember to use labels and clear illustrations to explain what is happening.

Once you have finished, see if there are any other creatures that are parasites.

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Today's choice of activities: 

English:  Today we are starting a brand new eBook called 'Raider's Peril', read chapter 1 and design your own gaming alter ego by following the lesson Power Point listed below.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity that I have attached.

Art: Complete today's lesson on toning. 

Friday 3rd July

Good morning and happy Friday! You made it through another week of home learning! Hope you all have something nice planned for the weekend! 

Scientists say the fossils of a huge, flightless bird are like those of ancient ‘monster penguins’ found in New Zealand.

The massive birds called plotopterids lived in the northern hemisphere between 37 and 34 million years ago. 

“Plotopterids looked like penguins, they swam like penguins,” said Dr Paul Scofield, a museum curator. He went on to say that they weren’t actually penguins.

Dr Scofield was involved because these fossils are very similar to some found in New Zealand a few years ago. 

The remains of a ‘monster penguin’ were discovered there in 2018. The massive penguins lived 62 million years ago. They could grow up to 1.6 metres tall and weigh up to 80kg. That’s more than an average fully-grown woman and nearly as tall!

But, the plotopterids would have loomed over even these ‘monsters’. The largest known were over 2 metres tall. That’s taller than most doors!

Despite living “in different hemispheres, millions of years apart,” added Dr Scofield, “from a distance you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart.”

Experts say that both types of bird’s beaks were similar. They both had similar wings, and chest and shoulder bones. 

Another curator at the museum, Dr De Pietri, explains that the birds are an example of “convergent evolution”. This is when animals look similar despite evolving in different places and times. It happens because of similarities in their environments.

As well as their size and appearance, they both used their wings to help with swimming and diving. This is rare as most birds use their feet. 

The researchers hope to learn more about how and why birds started using their wings to swim instead of fly.

They can’t use any live examples of these birds to help them though, as they died out many millions of years ago.

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Today's Daily Challenge: 

Both of the birds mentioned in the article were enormous.

What is the largest bird alive today? How big is it? Why is it so large? Where does it live?

What about the smallest? How small is it? Why is it so small? Where does it live?

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Today's choice of activities:

English: Read the final chapter of our eBook, 'Cole's Kingdom', and complete the book review i have listed.

Maths: Use the Power Points attached to complete three rounds of the million pound drop! You will need 20 counters/ objects to play!

Speak to you all again next week,

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 2nd July

Good morning! How are you feeling today? 

Almost two years ago, archaeologists in Norway made a rare discovery. They found a Viking longship buried in a place called Gjellestad using radar.They recently decided that, after more than 1000 years underground, it was time to dig it up. 

After examining the ship with a small trial excavation, they saw that it was in poor condition.

They realised a fungus was eating away at the wooden remains. If they left it any longer, there might not be much of the ship left to study.

So, the Norwegian government has given more than £1 million to the project. It will take five months to dig it up this rarity and hopefully it will be money and time well spent.

Even though Vikings came from Norway, finding longboats is very rare. This artefact, found in 2018, was only the fourth ever found in Norway. It was also the only one discovered for more than 100 years.

“With so few ships discovered, a new Viking ship will have a great impact on understanding the ships themselves,” said Viking ship expert, Knut Paasche.

He also said the find will “provide valuable information to understand the historical era as a whole”.

This is because the ship will have been dragged from the sea and buried as a coffin for someone important. That means other Viking artefacts and remains are likely to be found with it.

Once dug up, the wood will need to be sprayed with chemicals to preserve it. They will use the same stuff that has managed to save the famous Tudor warship the Mary Rose.

Let’s hope that they win their race against time to recover and save this important piece of history.

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Today's Daily Challenge: Craw your own Viking ship, labeling the different parts.

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Today's choice of activities:

English: Read Chapter 9 of our Cole's Kingdom eBook, and complete the lesson listed below!

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity attached.

DT - Follow this link https://www.facebook.com/SEALIFELondonAquarium/videos/2914249398858326/ to watch SeaLIFE live. I have attached a craft activity to create your own 3d turtle 

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

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Wednesday 1st July

Good morning and happy brand new month! It's the first day of July and a brand new chapter of the year! 

Have you ever asked yourself the question: "is there life out there in the universe?"  It’s a big question; however, scientists from NASA think it may be able to exist on one of Jupiter’s moons— Europa. 

Layers of ice cover Europa and underneath this layer of ice, NASA believes that there is a deep ocean filled with water. This has excited them because liquid water is essential for life to exist. 

In fact, this ocean is incredibly deep — almost 100 miles deep! Scientists thought it was formed when minerals that contained water broke down. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have done some calculations to figure out how much water there is in there. 

According to their calculations, Europa could contain twice as much water as Earth. NASA says that Europa may contain water but it would be impossible for humans to survive there at the moment. This is because its atmosphere is very thin, making it difficult for people to breathe.All this information has made scientists more eager. Speaking to reporters, team leader Dr Mohit Melwani Daswan said, “We believe that this ocean could be quite habitable for life”. 

So, what else do we know about Europa? Well, it’s one of Jupiter’s 79 confirmed moons, and it’s actually smaller than our Moon. 

In 2016, the Hubble Space Telescope observed plumes of water erupting from its surface. All this has made NASA eager to go to Europa to search for evidence of life. 

So, doesn’t all this make it the ideal place for a space mission? That’s what NASA is planning! It wants to launch a mission called the Europa Clipper. This spacecraft will fly past the moon 45 times, gathering data for scientists.

The mission is likely to set off in the next few years. Who knows what it will find out and what NASA will discover about this intriguing moon?

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Today's daily challenge: 

Europa is one of Jupiter’s moons and it is a Galilean moon. But, do you know why it is called that?

Investigate who Galileo was and which moons are named in his honour.

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Today's choice of activities: 

English: We are nearing the end of our eBook! Read Chapter 8 of Cole's Kingdom and construct your own persuasive speech following the instructions on the Power Point listed below.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson on scale factors and complete the activity listed below.

Geography: Follow this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zf6vtrd to research the Galapagos Islands and create your own brochure using your new knowledge!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 30th June

Hello again Year 6! How are you all today? Hope you managed to get a good nights sleep and you're feeling well rested for today's home learning. 

Has anyone been watching any football now that it has been back on the TV? 

Liverpool have won the Premier League! The title was confirmed when Manchester City, the team in second position, lost to Chelsea on Thursday.  

It’s the first time in 30 years that they have won the top division in English football. 

This season, Liverpool have been in sparkling form. They are currently 23 points ahead of Manchester City. 

The team has won a lot of trophies recently. Last June, Liverpool won the Champions League — European men’s football’s most prestigious trophy! They have also won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. 

Liverpool fans, though, will have to wait to celebrate winning the Premier League with the players. 

The news comes as sports fans reflect on an unusual year so far. Football matches stopped because of the coronavirus lockdown. In March, the Premier League said matches would stop. 

The matches then restarted on 17th June. Inside the stadiums, though, things are quite different. 

For example, there are no fans inside the football stadiums. Instead, supporters have had to cheer on their team from home. 

The coronavirus lockdown has affected a number of sporting events. Organisers cancelled Wimbledon, a famous yearly tennis tournament in London, this year. 

The Olympic Games are postponed until next year. This is one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world. Countries from around come to compete against each other. It was going to take place in Tokyo in August but will now happen in 2021.

Other events have been rescheduled until later in the year. The Tour de France is a cycling competition that normally happens in June and July. This year, though, organisers will try to hold it between 29th August and 20th September if it is safe to do so. 

It’s been a strange year for sports fans. But, for Liverpool supporters, it will be a year they won’t forget. 

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Today's Challenge: Come up with an exercise routine that people could do at home. Remember, your routine should be safe and easy to follow.

Write down some instructions for how people should complete it. Include diagrams as well to accompany your text, so your reader can understand the exercises more clearly.

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Today's choice of activities: 

English: Read chapter 7 of our eBook, Cole's Kingdom, and follow the lesson Power Point to create a wanted poster for Cole.

Maths: Watch the online maths lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Art: Complete the lesson listed below to start your teaching block on creating tone.

Escape Room: Follow the instructions to answer the clues and escape the forest!

Speak to you all again tomorrow!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Hello Year 6,

This is a message from Mrs Thompson, I hope you are all well. I have missed teaching you Computing!!

I have been busy putting together your Leavers DVD and Year Book. Thank you to everyone who has already sent me your very cute baby photos, however I am still missing a few photos and would love you all to be part of the DVD.

Please ask an adult to send the photos in via email - email address was sent via text message.

Alternatively the photos can be dropped off at school and will be scanned, all photos will be returned.

Year Book - email entries to Y6lhps@gatedu.org

I require an entry from each of you for the year book. It has 3 sections for you to complete

• About Me - This could include: How old you are? Favourite Foods/Sports/Computer Games/ Arts and Crafts. Do you have any pets or siblings.
• Things you have enjoyed this year: This could include: Subjects, Favourite Lessons, School Visitors, School Trips or anything else you can think of.
• What you will miss most about School: This could include: Friends/Teachers/School Subjects or anything else you can think of.

Below is an example of the Year Book page to give you an idea of how much you need to write for each section. Each A4 page is split into 2 entries so you don't need to write loads.

Please email photos or year book entries to the following email address Y6lhps@gatedu.org

Thanks Mrs L Thompson

Monday 29th June

Good morning everyone! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing weekend and you are feeling ready for a brand new week of learning! 

Today's newsroom is all about a robot jelly elephant!  You wait for an animal-inspired robot story for ages and then two come along at once! Last week, it was SlothBots and now it’s edible Robo-elephants!

Scientists in Austria have created a robot in the shape of an elephant’s head, which contains edible parts.

Although you wouldn’t want to eat the electronics or bits made from wood, parts of the robot are constructed from gelatin. 

Gelatin is an ingredient found in many chewy sweets. But, the robot (named Percy the Gellyphant) isn’t designed to be a snack for humans. He was designed by robotic engineers to show off the uses of the technology and then to be a snack for bacteria.The trunk can curve and bend like a real elephant’s trunk more than 330 000 times before cracking. However, when the ‘biogel’ is exposed to the bacteria in waste water, it begins to biodegrade.  

As well as being potentially better for the environment, the engineers suggest that biogel could serve other uses too.

The sensors on the end of its trunk allow it to pick up different objects. The softness of the biogel might lead to the technology being used to pick fruits or other delicate objects.

They also suggest that it could help in caring for animals. Edible robots which look like prey or food could be used to get medicines into animals when eaten.

If a young child’s toy were constructed of biogel, it also wouldn’t matter as much if they nibbled on bits of it.

Although, that might not be such a good idea at the moment as the sensors and electronics are definitely not edible! 

So, Percy the Gellyphant might be a step towards more environmentally friendly robotics — if not food.

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Today's Challenge: The scientists decided to use gelatin because it was a flexible material and can biodegrade.

If you were making a robot, what material would you use?

Design your own robot for a purpose. It could be for monitoring animals or it could be for helping people cook.

Think about what material you would create the robot from and why it would be useful.

Draw your design on a piece of paper. Next, label your design to explain what your robot can do and why your chosen material is helpful.

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Today's choice of activities are: 

English: Read Chapter 6 of our eBook 'Cole's Kingdom and follow the lesson Powerpoint to consider both sides of Cole's conscience to help him to decide what he should do.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Science: Complete today's experiment to understand how soap works and why washing our wands is so important, especially at the moment.

Art: Complete our final lesson on expressive line and create your own observational drawing of an object around your house.

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 26th June

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! You have made it through another week of home learning, well done! 

When you think of a robot, you might envisage a small beeping droid? Maybe a human-shaped machine that cleans up or helps fight crime? I’d guess that you didn’t think of a sloth! 

However, that’s what the robotics engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, have now designed and made.  

They were inspired by these slow tree-dwelling animals when they built a robot to observe plants and animals. 

“SlothBot embraces slowness,” said Professor Magnus Egerstedt. It is designed to be “slow and hyper-energy efficient”.  

Professor Egerstedt took inspiration for the robot from a sloth he saw on a visit to Costa Rica, a country in Central America. 

The funny-looking shell protects the solar-powered equipment inside. It can track temperature, weather, and carbon dioxide levels. The robot is programmed to avoid moving if possible. But, it will search out sunlight when its batteries need recharging.  The engineers know that it is whimsical and charming to look at. But, they hope it will do a better job than a land-based robot. 

These might scare away or damage the species they are trying to watch, or get stuck on bushes, roots or rocks. 

The SlothBot is about a metre long and currently hangs from a 30m long wire in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, USA. 

 Emily Coffey, who works at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, said it’s a one of a kind “way to engage the public and bring forward a new way to tell our story.”  

The team chose to put SlothBot there because they want to test their machine before sending it to South America to observe plants and animals. However, they also hung it there to show off their idea to adults and children who visit the gardens. Professor Magnus Egerstedt hopes that the SlothBot “will get an entirely new generation interested in what robotics can do to make the world better.”

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Sloths, like an enormous number of species, live in rainforests.

Using reference books, the Internet and this Rainforest as Habitats PowerPoint explore these fascinating habitats as today's challenge.

Try answering these questions:

• Where can you find rainforests?
• What are the different rainforest layers?
• What animals live in rainforests?
• What percentage of the world’s species live in rainforests?

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Today's choice of activities are:

English: Take a look at the story title which was taken out of the jar of imagination this week! 

Maths: Complete our Family Challenge listed below.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 25th June

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to another sunny day! 

From an early age, we all learn that bees go buzz. However, we’re not often taught that they can also ‘toot’ and ‘quack’!

Scientists have known for years that queen bees make noises described as ‘piping’. Yet, there has been disagreement about why they do this.

Recently, researchers at Nottingham Trent University have been studying these noises and they have a theory.

When a queen bee is ready to hatch, she makes ‘quacking’ noises. The scientists think this is to let the worker bees nearby know that she is ready to emerge. After hatching, her ‘quacks’ become ‘toots’.It used to be believed that the sounds the queen bees made were aimed at other queen bees still waiting to hatch. However, the new theory suggests that the ‘toots’ are instructions for the worker bees. When they hear the new queen bee ‘tooting’, the worker bees try to keep captive the other queen bees still waiting to hatch. 

If two queen bees emerge at the same time, they will fight to the death. When hearing the ‘toots’, the worker bees also get ready to swarm. This is when a new queen bee, and up to half the bees in the hive, leave to set up a new colony.

When the queen bee leaves, her ‘tooting’ can’t be heard any more. The waiting queen bee’s ‘quacking’ can be heard again. 

So, the worker bees release a new ‘quacking’ queen. She begins ‘tooting’ and the cycle continues.

When there is only one queen left in the hive and no ‘quacking’, the worker bees know not to swarm any more. All this is thanks to teamwork and good communication!

The researchers hope that their findings will help beekeepers know when a colony is about to swarm.

Honeybees, like all pollinators, are very important to our environment. Knowing more about them could help to support and protect these important little creatures. 

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There are hundreds of different types of bees in Britain alone.

Use reference books or the Internet to investigate what some of the most common bees in your area are for today's challenge.

How can you tell different types of bee apart?

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Today's choice of activities are:

English: After reading Chapter 4 of our eBook this week, follow the lesson PowerPoint to help you to write a newspaper report on Cole's kingdom.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Art:  Practise your skills in drawing natural form with this lesson on wax sketching!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Have a lovely day & stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 24th June

Hello again everyone, how are you feeling today? it's going to be a lovely, sunny one by the looks of it so don't forget to get some fresh air if you can! 

Archaeologists have made a discovery close to Stonehenge. They have found 20 shafts that were dug 4500 years ago during the Stone Age. It’s believed to be the largest prehistoric structure ever found in the UK!

The shafts are large holes and they measure 5m deep and 10m in diameter. The team of archaeologists believe that the shafts marked a boundary for a sacred site, close to a Stone Age settlement called Durrington Walls. The holes appear to have been dug to form the outline of a circle which is over a mile wide.

Experts say that Durrington Walls is very important historically. Dr Nick Snashall, from the National Trust, said that Durrington Walls was “the place where the builders of Stonehenge would have lived.”

He went on to say that the discovery could “offer us new insights into the lives and beliefs of our Neolithic ancestors.”

Another member of the team, Dr Richard Bates, says it gives them “an insight into the past.” The shafts were made during a period of the Stone Age called the Neolithic. The Stone Age was a time in the past when people made weapons and tools from stone. 

The Stone Age was such a long period of time that experts have split it into three periods: the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and the Neolithic. The Neolithic was a significant period in human history. It was when humans started living in settlements. Also instead of moving around to find food, they began to farm. The Neolithic was also the period when Stonehenge was built. It’s one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. 

Experts believe that Stonehenge was built in several stages. The earliest part was built around 5000 years ago. Archaeologists, though, still have more to find out about it. 

English Heritage, the group that looks after Stonehenge, says that there are "many questions about the monument that we have still to answer.”

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How much do you remember about the Stone Age era from your learning in class?

Using reference books, the Internet and this Stone Age Facts Poster learn more or refresh your knowledge of the Stone Age.

Why is it called the Stone Age?

How long did it last?

What was life like during this period?

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Today's choice of activities:

English: Read Chapter 3 of this week's eBook, which was listed on Monday, and complete the lesson PowerPoint on creating your own magic portal.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Geography: Following our lesson last week on European capitals, we are going to research our own countries capital today!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 23rd June

Good morning everyone and welcome to a brand new day! The sun is shining for you all today so why not try working outdoors today if you can?  

I have some news from Madagascar today! A new species of huntsman spider has been named after climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg. It was discovered on Madagascar, a large island in the Indian Ocean.

It’s not the first time that a scientist has named a newly discovered creature after Greta. A beetle and a snail have also been named after the Swedish activist.It’s not the first time that spider expert Peter Jaeger has discovered the creature. In fact, this is the 400th species of spider he’s found! 

Peter, however, isn’t the only scientist to name animals after well-known people or characters. In 2017, a new monkey species was named the Skywalker hoolock gibbon, a character from the Star Wars movies. 

So, who is Greta Thunberg and why are creatures being named after her?

In the summer of 2018, she became famous for her protests outside the Swedish parliament. She did this because she wanted politicians to do more about climate change. Every Friday, Greta would miss school to protest.

Her campaigning, though, hasn’t just been in her home country, Sweden. Last year, Greta visited different countries to talk about climate change. In April 2019, she visited the Houses of Parliament in the UK to urge politicians to do more about climate change. Then, in August, she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to attend meetings in the USA. At the end of last year, a magazine called TIME said that Greta had won their Person of the Year in 2019 award. They said she won because she showed “us all what it might look like when a new generation leads”.

Now, Peter has chosen to name his spider after Greta because he was inspired by her campaigning. He said, “Her commitment to the fight against climate change and for a better future on our planet is impressive.”

As the list of species named after Greta increases, who knows which new animals will be named after her next?

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In some parts of the world, huntsman spiders can have a leg span of up to 30cm! That might be frighteningly large to some people, but are these spiders dangerous? Using reference books and the Internet, as today's challenge, explore more about spiders. Which spiders live in your country? What are the most venomous spiders? Why are spiders useful?

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Today's choice of activities are:

English: Read chapter 2 of our eBook 'Cole's Kingdom' which was listed yesterday and follow today's writing PowerPoint to complete a diary entry as Cole.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

DT: Complete lesson 3 of your theme park project! Today is all about financing.

Art: Learn all about Vincent Van Gogh and his use of expressive lines to create landscapes. If you have your own water colour paints at home, try the activity with us! 

Speak to you all again tomorrow, hope you have a lovely day!

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 22nd June

Hello again everyone and welcome to a brand new week of learning! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are feeling ready for the week ahead!  

Did you know Giant Larvaceans are famous for making their homes out of mucus (which you might know as ‘snot’!). Now, scientists from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have used a special laser tool to find out how these the sea creatures do it!

The results of their investigation could be used for other things. The scientists think that, by understanding how larvaceans build their homes, we might be able to design better 3D printers or even how to build homes on the Moon or Mars.

So what do we know about giant larvaceans? Well, they look like translucent tadpoles and they’re actually quite small - only around 10cm! Nevertheless, they can create ‘snot palaces’, which not only house but feed them too.Giant larvaceans construct small mucus homes around themselves. However, they then inflate the snotty homes to almost a metre, which is a massive structure compared to their size. Were the little larvaceans the size of a person, these balloons of mucus would be the size of a five-story home! These ‘snot palaces’ are so delicate they can’t be studied on land. Instead, the team used lasers mounted on an underwater robot to help them look more closely at the larvaceans. 

“It could be the most kind of complex structure that an animal makes,” said the lead author of the study Kakani Katija. Adding, “It’s pretty astonishing that a single animal is able to do it.”

As these mucus mansions bob along under water, they protect the larvaceans from predators and filter food for them from the surrounding water. When the ‘snot palace’ gets clogged up, the larvacean discards it and builds a new one. This happens every day or two.

You might be wondering, if they change homes every day or so, what becomes of their big snotty homes? Well, they get eaten by other marine animals… yuck!

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Snot is a strange substance. Why do animals produce snot? Why do you have snot up your nose?

Explore these and other snotty questions using books at home and the Internet as today's challenge.

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Today's choice of activities are: 

English: Read chapter 1 of this weeks eBook (Cole's Kingdom) and follow the online lesson powerpoint to complete today's task. file:///R:/Old%20Public%20Folder/Miss%20Bell/COVID/Week%203/eBook/Cole's%20Kingdom.pdf

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Science: Follow the instructions to make your own slime! If you have the ingredients in the cupboard! 

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Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 19th June

Hello again everyone and happy Friday! Well done - you all made it through another week of home learning! 

Has anyone heard about Marcus Rashford in the news this week? The gifted Manchester United and England footballer, has persuaded the government to provide children with vouchers over the summer who get free school meals.

Currently, some children receive free school meals. However, during the lockdown, these children’s families have been given vouchers to buy food at shops instead. Originally, the government was going to stop giving out these vouchers during the summer holiday. 

When Marcus Rashford heard this, he decided to take action. He wrote a letter to all MPs in parliament. He urged them to make sure that those in need could get free meals during the summer holidays too. In his letter, he wrote: “Please reconsider your decision to cancel the food voucher scheme over the summer.” He also mentioned how, when he was a child, his family “relied on breakfast clubs [and] free school meals.” 

 After they received Marcus’ letter, the government changed its mind. Now, the vouchers will continue be available over the summer holidays. When he heard the news, Marcus said on social media: “I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together.” 

Boris Johnson told journalists on Tuesday that he had phoned the football star. Mr Johnson said he “thanked him for what he had done.” Manchester United, his team, posted that he was “A hero. An inspiration. One of our own. We are so proud of you.” United’s rivals Liverpool FC called him a “role model.”

This is not the only action that Marcus Rashford has been taking. He has been working with a charity called FareShare that aims to tackle hunger and food waste. So far, he has helped the charity to raise almost £20 million. The money has been used to feed schoolchildren that get free school meals during the lockdown. 

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Marcus Rashford wrote a letter to MPs who work in parliament. But what are MPs? What do they do? What is parliament?

Talk with someone at home or school about MPs and parliament.

Use the Internet and this UK Parliament: What is Parliament? PowerPoint to help you explore more about how the UK is run as today's challenge!

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Each Friday, we open our 'Jar of Imagination' for our writing inspiration! This week, we pulled out the title 'The Terrific Pig'. Using this title, write your own story, poem, character or setting description, diary entry, newspaper report - anything you like! Just make sure it matches the theme! 

Maths: Today is Family Challenge Friday - work with your grown ups to get through today's Maths questions.

Art: I have listed some template Father's Day cards for you to complete if you'd like to. Remember it's Father's Day on Sunday as well as a recipe for Father's Day biscuits!

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Hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Stay safe.

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 18th June

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to a brand new day! I hope you're all feeling good today and ready for a brand new day of home learning! 

On Monday, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter made its first close pass of the Sun.Launched in February, it has been zooming through our Solar System waiting for this moment. Now, the team can begin testing the spacecraft’s ten bits of equipment which includes six telescopes.

“We have never taken pictures of the Sun from a closer distance than this,” said Daniel Müller, an ESA Scientist.

The Solar Orbiter is the first spacecraft to look at the Sun’s poles. Almost all other spacecraft looking at the Sun have circled around its middle.

“Now, we’ll be able to look down on the Sun from above,” said space scientist Russell Howard.

This is important for understanding the Sun better and for forecasting space weather events.Space weather events can cause beautiful colours to appear in the sky above our North and South pole. However, they can also disrupt the use of some technology. This is why understanding when space events might happen is important. 

The equipment will take readings as the spacecraft curves around the Sun before slingshotting away again.It will soar back as far away as the Earth before curving around and repeating 22 similar elliptical orbits over the next few years.

As well as getting near the Sun, it will fly close to Venus eight times and the Earth once as it glides silently along.

Despite the vastness of space, the orbiter has already come close to one solar object. By happy chance, the spacecraft soared through the tail of comet ATLAS at the end of May. The scientists were quick to turn on the equipment and collect this rare data. Hopefully, the Solar Orbiter will continue to be lucky as its mission continues.

For today's challenge, explore the movement of the planets around the Sun in our Solar System.

Use the internet to find out the order of the planets, how they orbit the Sun and how the planets might have moons orbiting them. 

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Following on from yesterday's text 'Alice in Wonderland', follow the writing instructions to write your own setting description of Wonderland, imagining that you have suddenly become tiny!

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

DT: Complete an under the sea craft!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Have a lovely Thursday and stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 17th June

Good morning everyone! How are you all today?  Hopefully this drizzly weather passes quickly and we can enjoy some sunshine today!

Did you know, over 550 people have been into space; only eight have been to Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the ocean. Now, though, Kathy Sullivan has become the first person to do both! 

Kathy Sullivan visited Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. The trench lies about 200 miles from the small island of Guam, in the west of the Pacific Ocean. In doing so, Kathy becomes the first person to have done so who has also been into space. As only the eighth person to ever reach the deepest part of the ocean, she was also the first woman to do so. However, Kathy is used to breaking records. 

In 1978, she was in the first NASA class of women astronauts. Then, in 1984, she became the first American woman to complete a spacewalk.However, rather than a spacecraft, she set her most recent record in a specially built submersible called Limiting Factor. Kathy slowly descended for almost 11,000m into the Mariana Trench. The trench is so deep that if you were to drop Mount Everest down to Challenger Deep, the mountain’s peak would still be more than 2000m below the surface of the water!

The journey down took around four hours. But, they couldn’t stay for long because of the enormous water pressure down there. At that depth, it is like having 2200 tonnes of pressure pushing down on the small underwater vehicle.

It is so deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench that sunlight can’t reach it. This layer of the ocean is pitch black and temperatures are very cold. As today's challenge, find out more about the ocean habitat and the different living things that call it home. 

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Today's comprehension text is an extract from Alice in Wonderland.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Geography: Complete the activity by researching the capital cities of the European countries listed on the map below.

Speak to you all again tomorrow, 

Have a lovely day & stay safe! 

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 16th June

Hello again year 6! How are you all feeling today? 

Due to the lock down, there has been less demand for electricity. It has also been a record-breakingly sunny May causing more solar power to be produced. Therefore, last week a significant breakthrough occurred as Britain went for two months without using coal to create energy. 

This is remarkable because coal has been used in powering Britain for over 130 years. In fact, even ten years ago, Britain got around 40% of its power from coal-fired power plants. However, instead of coal, Britain has recently been using more renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and tidal power. These are called renewable because they don’t run out. They also don’t release greenhouse gases as they make energy.

When burnt in a power plant, coal heats water up to create steam. This steam is able to power large turbines, which spin to create huge amounts of electricity. This is the electricity we use to power our homes, TVs and games consoles. 

However, when coal is burned, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change. Climate change is when the climate of an area changes. Scientists from all over the world have seen climates changing and becoming warmer. This ‘global warming’ is caused because there are too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Because of the impact of climate change, the UK government is aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

The UK government says that this means that carbon released into the atmosphere by things like cars and factories must be completely balanced out by things which capture the carbon. To do this, the UK government wants to plant more trees and move away from using fossil fuels to create electricity.  Sustainability is about making sure that the planet and all of its resources, such as coal, are used in such a way that all animals and plants can continue to live here for many years to come. In light of this. use the Internet, books at home and explore this Sustainability PowerPoint to learn more about sustainability and why it is important.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Following on from yesterday's comprehension on Tsunamis, write a shape poem all about them! I have included some examples to help you  (Remember a shape poem, is a poem written in the shape of the topic!)

Maths: Watch today's online maths lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Art: Use tracing paper to complete our layering lines lesson!

DT: Complete the second lesson of our Theme Park Project - today's focus is on advertising your park!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 15th June

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to a brand new week of home learning! I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing weekend and you're feeling ready for the week ahead! 

Over the weekend. archaeologists have discovered London’s oldest Elizabethan theatre. Buried in the East End of London, it could reveal the history of the birth of theatres. Researchers believe that they have found the remains of the Red Lion theatre. It is the oldest purpose-built theatre in London. 

At a dig in 2019, a team of archaeologists came across an unusual rectangular shape and 144 timbers. The location seems to match that of the Red Lion theatre in historical documents. This suggests that the theatre was built in 1567. 

The Theatre would host many plays, including a young William Shakespeare’s. William Shakespeare is one of the world’s-most famous playwrights. He wrote well-known plays, such as Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Even though he lived so long ago, we still study and perform his plays today. Shakespeare also built his own theatre called the Globe. A replica of that theatre is still used as a theatre in London today.

Archaeologists are still confirming their finding to make sure the site is exactly what they think it is..

With so many things buried yet to be found, who knows what is out there still to be discovered next?

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwriters to have ever lived. Using the Internet, find out more about the life of William Shakespeare. You could think about: what plays he wrote; when he lived; how he influenced other writers.

Then, create an information booklet about him using what you find out.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Today's reading text is all about Tsunamis.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Science: Follow the experiment method to work out how soap works.

Art: Complete the lesson on cross hatching and use this new skill to draw the tone in your hands.

Speak to you all again tomorrow, 

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 12th June

Good morning Year 6 and happy Friday! We made it through another week in lock down, which means one week closer to normality! 

An international team of scientists have confirmed that the strange rhythm given off by a supermassive black hole has continued like a heartbeat for more than a decade. (When some stars come to the end of their lives, they collapse in on themselves in a spectacular explosion. This is called a supernova.)

Initially spotted in 2007, the pulse was lost when the satellite’s view of it was blocked by our Sun.To the scientists’ amazement, in 2018, it was still going strong. Even across our almost infinite universe, you’re unlikely to find anything as mysterious as a black hole! And certainly nothing darker. After forming, black holes have such immense gravity that they suck everything towards them. Even light. Because no light can bounce off or escape a black hole, they are invisible. The only way we know about them is by studying the light and objects near them. The scientists believe that the pulse they’ve spotted is made when matter falls into the black hole. As it sucks matter towards it, a huge burst of energy is released. 

This burst of energy is repeating every hour, which begs the question… what is it eating?

The team is hoping that they can use the information to work out what is near the black hole. They also want to see how it compares to other black holes closer to home.Luckily for them, the closest ever black hole to Earth was only discovered a few weeks ago. It is 1000 light-years from Earth. Although this sounds far away, it dances with two stars that can be seen from Earth without a telescope. This new black hole has a mass four times that of the Sun. However, that’s tiny compared to supermassive black holes like the one emitting a heartbeat. Mind-bogglingly, they can have a mass many billions of times that of our Sun!

Today's choice of activities are:

English: In light of today's news,some science fiction stories, black holes are used as a way of travelling through the universe. The idea being that by entering at one end you will come out somewhere completely different. Write your own short story about approaching and travelling through a black hole. Where will you end up? What is it like there? 

Maths: Complete today's Friday challenge.

Speak to you all again on Monday,

Hope you all have a lovely weekend & stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 11th June

Hello again Year 6! How are you all feeling today? 

Two years ago, there was a heatwave across the UK. It dried out the earth so much that strange shapes began to appear in the soil across Wales. Aerial photography showed that some of the lines and boxes were the remains of ancient Roman ruins. Since then, researchers have been studying the patterns in the photos. They revealed what some of these hidden Roman structures were once used for. Forts, villas and roads were all identified. They give clues to how the Romans conquered Wales roughly 2000 years ago.

The most exciting discoveries were of three marching camps. These camps were built quickly at the end of a day’s march. The soldiers used them in enemy territory as a safe place to rest and to show off their skill and power. It shows that the Roman’s fought many battles against Welsh tribes. However, the most surprising findings were parts of an unknown Roman road.

It suggests that the Romans fought their way south to the Welsh coast. They also think there should be an important fort in or around the town of Kidwelly yet to be discovered. The researchers hope to get back outdoors to look for new clues as this May has been the sunniest on record. Interestingly, these aren’t the only Roman remains in the news at the moment.

An entire Roman city has been revealed in incredible detail in Italy. A team member drove a quad bike around fields 50km north of Rome, Italy. They pulled along a trailer loaded down with radar equipment. As the radio waves went through the ground, they bounced off of the Roman ruins. This worked so well that even the city’s plumbing could be seen.

They hope to use the technology to map even bigger sites in even clearer detail in the future.

For today's challenge, use  the Internet to explore what other things the Romans introduced when they invaded.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Following on from yesterday's reading task, complete a diary entry from the perspective of a war time child. Follow the instructions on the power point listed.

Maths: Watch the online lesson and complete the activity below.

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 10th June

Good morning again Year 6!  How are you all doing today? I hope the sunshine decides to come out a little later on today so that you can get some fresh air!

Today's sports news story is all about Lily Parr. Lily Parr, the superstar footballer, will be honoured with her own gallery in the National Football Museum in Manchester! 

You might not have heard the name of Lily Parr but without groundbreaking athletes like her, football today would look very different. She was one of the first female professional footballers, playing between 1919 and 1951 and scoring a massive 986 goals in her career. That’s more than Ronaldo or Messi!

She even played in the first ever recognised women’s international match between England and France in 1920. Her football team, Dick, Kerr Ladies FC, represented England and beat the French team 4-0!

Women’s football was more popular than men’s at the time. A whopping 53,000 people went to see her team play in 1920. 

However, the sport faced serious challenges. The FA banned women from playing on their pitches in 1921 because they didn’t think football was suitable for them. This meant they had to play on much smaller pitches. That ban wasn’t lifted until 1971! There are 110 statues of male players but, despite the amazing success of players like Lily Parr, there wasn’t one of a female footballer until last year when a statue of her was created.

Lily Parr’s statue will be part of a whole new gallery about Lily’s life and career. It will celebrate her influence on football as well as the challenges women footballers have had to face and overcome. 

Hopefully, shining a light on Lily and her amazing achievements could inspire the next football superstar of the future! In light of this. why not investigate the history of football. How does it differ today from the past? Then, create a timeline of some of the most important dates of its history. It could include: When the first competition was set up; When the first international competition happened; Lily Parr’s career.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Today's comprehension activity is a diary entry from World War 2. 

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

Geography: Complete the mapping activity, using tracing paper if you've got some (if not just copy the map free hand!) and plotting the different ocean habitats. Once you've done that, research the marine wildlife that lives in each of those habitats.

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 9th June

Hello again Year 6! I hope you are all doing well 

Scientists have been struggling to track the rare kakapo. Luckily, they have come up with a clever technological solution to the problem. New Zealand scientists have been tracking the elusive kakapo bird. It is, however, hard to reach on foot. Now, by using drones, they have been able to track the bird with much more success. The kakapo, also known as the owl parrot, is a fascinating creature.

It is the only flightless nocturnal bird in the world. They were once high numbers in New Zealand because they had no predators. However, explorers and settlers brought animals with them, such as rats and cats, which hunted the animals. They have also suffered from habitat loss.There are there only 211 kakapos left in the wild. There are so few that each one of them has been named, such as Suzanne and Zephyr. Because there are so few birds, it is important to track them carefully. The scientists have been tracking them by attaching electronic tags on the birds. They then use equipment to track them, find them and check they are OK.  Although this has allowed the team to track the birds, it is expensive and takes a long time. The team has now been trialling using drones to track the birds instead. The drones are able to fly over land which is otherwise hard to get to by foot. This has allowed scientists to find the birds in record time. In just one flight the drone has been able to find up to 40 birds. It is also cheaper than the other equipment used for tagging and tracking the kakapos.

Dr Digby, who is in charge of the revival programme said, ‘‘Having people walking around the Island causes a lot of disturbance for the animals, but a drone 100m up in the air is hardly noticeable.’’

By allowing scientists to keep a careful eye on these endangered birds, it should be easier to track and protect them in the wild. 

As your extra challenge about this, explore the Kakapo bird! Kakapo are not the only flightless bird. What other flightless birds can you think of? Use the Internet and reference books to research flightless birds. Are there things that are similar about the birds. Are there things which are different? Why did these birds not evolve to fly? Once you have found answers create a fact file on flightless birds. 

Today's choice of activities are: 

Writing: Following on from yesterday's comprehension activity, read the story of Theseus and the minotaur.

Use your i-Pad to research a Greek God of your choice. Complete a fact file about your chosen God.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity listed below.

DT: We are starting a theme park project today! Watch the online lesson and complete your budget and initial plans.

Art: We are looking at continuous line art today, complete the lesson to create your own facial features using these new skills.

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 8th June

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to a brand new week! 

Today is World Ocean's Day! Its aim is to celebrate and think about how we can look after our blue planet. Today’s news focuses on how seahorses in the UK seem to be making a recovery.

 In Studland Bay, Dorset conservationists have found 16 spiny seahorses. These have been rare in recent times.

 The Seahorse Trust has been monitoring seahorses in the the bay since 2008. Not a single seahorse had been seen since 2018. It has been suggested that the anchors of boats in the bay destroy the habitats of the seahorses. Also, seahorses are scared by the noises of boats and their passengers.So, why are seahorses being spotted now? Well, since lockdown, there have been fewer people and boats visiting the area. This means that there has been less noise to scare the seahorses away.Also, according to Neil Garrick-Maidment who runs the Seahorse Trust charity, their habitat of ‘‘seagrass has started to repair itself, and the spiny seahorses have taken advantage of this.’’ 

Seahorses live near the top of the ocean where they can enjoy lots of sunlight. Did you know there are different names for different layers of the ocean? It depends on how deep you go. As today's challenge. Use  the Internet and this Layers of the Ocean PowerPoint to explore more about the layers and the animals that live in them.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Complete today's comprehension about the Minotaur.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and answer the questions listed below.

Science: Complete today's fun experiment  and grow your own rainbow!

Art: Practise your drawing skills in today's online lesson.

Friday 5th June

Hello again Year 6 and happy Friday! You made it through another week! 

In recent news, scientists have captured the noise of narwhals for the first time! Narwhals are famous for their tusks which are actually a tooth pushing through their lip. They are sometimes called the unicorns of the sea. Despite their intriguing appearance, studying them can be hard. They spend a lot of their time up to one mile deep in the Arctic Ocean. They are also well known for being shy. Despite this, scientists have recently managed to record some of the noises that these majestic mammals make. They managed to capture the narwhals making several distinct noises. 

They recorded them whistling when communicating with other narwhals. This sounds a bit like a drill. They also found that the narwhals made a rapid clicking sound when trying to locate food. When very close to food, though, they made a buzzing sound a bit like a chainsaw. The scientists hope that their research will be useful in the future when trying to better understand narwhals and their habitat.

As today's challenge, why not try researching Narwhal whales or another arctic animal in greater detail? Try creating a poster about that animal. Choose facts that you think other people will find interesting about your chosen animal!

Today's choice of activities are:

Maths: Today is Family Challenge Friday! Work together with your grown ups to answer the questions!

English: I have listed a poetry text for your 60 second read today!

DT: There is an ice cream cone craft attached for you to have a go at. 

Speak to you all next week,

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 4th June

Good morning Year 6! What's happened to our lovely warm weather?! Hoping the rain doesn't stay too long for us! 

How would you describe a snake? Which words would you use? Stories sometimes describe snakes as being cold-hearted characters. However, a team of scientists have cast doubt on this. They say that one type of snake makes close friendships! The team of scientists from Wilfred Laurier University in Canada wanted to see how garter snakes interacted with each other. In particular, they investigated whether or not snakes make friends. The results turned out to be rather interesting. So, what did they do? Well, the team gathered 40 garter snakes. The scientists put groups of ten garter snakes in an enclosure. Inside the enclosure, there were shelters for the snakes to go inside. The team then watched to see how the snakes behaved towards each other. They were observed forming groups.The experiment lasted eight days. Every day, the scientists removed the snakes from the enclosure so it could be cleaned. When the snakes were put back in, they then slithered straight back to the same groups again! The scientists believe this could be evidence of the garter snakes making friends! 

With this in mind, explore what you think the word friendship means to you. Afterwards, use these insights to write an acrostic poem in response to the word ‘friendship’ and remember your poem doesn't have to rhyme!. It could be a poem that describes what it means to be a good friend or it could be about the animals in this story. Try to use different poetic devices in your work, such as:

• alliteration;
• metaphors;
• personification;
• similes.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Following yesterday's non fiction text, follow the instructions below to create your own persuasive advert for a place of your choice!

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity below.

Geography: Follow the guidance to complete your own local area study and hopefully learn some new facts about the area around you!

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Wednesday 3rd June

Hi again everyone!  Did anybody see the launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on Saturday?  The launch from Florida is a huge step for future space exploration as it is the first time a commercial company has sent humans into orbit using its own rocket! This is also a big step in the journey towards space tourism. According to the SpaceX website, it “lays the groundwork for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond”.

Humans have never set foot on Mars and there have only ever been six manned missions to the Moon. The last of these was Apollo 17 all the way back in 1972. The success of this launch makes further projects more possible. NASA plan to return people to the Moon by 2024 as part of the Artemis programme. The programme is developing brand-new spacesuits, rockets, spacecraft  and even an outpost which will allow astronauts and supplies to be transported to the Moon’s surface. 

With so many plans being made for future exploration of space, who knows where we could travel in the future? Why not investigate the different names of spacecraft and command modules that have been to space and why they were given those names.Then, think about what you would call your own spaceship.

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Today's 60 second daily reading activity is a non fiction text.

Maths: Watch today's online lesson and answer the questions below.

Geography: Research the world's largest deserts and complete the labelling activity below.

DT: I have listed a shark paper making model to try!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 2nd June

Good morning again! How are you all?  Yesterday, there was an announcement made of a dinosaur discovery! 

Sometimes, a team of scientists work together to make a huge discovery. Sometimes, instead, a chance discovery of a tiny clue is all it takes. Five years ago during an annual dig at a site called Eric the Red West, near Cape Otway in Australia, a volunteer digger called Jessica Parker found a small delicate fossil. They realised that it was from a rare dinosaur called an Elaphrosaur, “A meat-eating dinosaur, related to Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, and modern birds,” said palaeontologist Dr Poropat. He went on to say, “as dinosaurs go, they were rather bizarre” because “this ‘meat-eating dinosaur’ probably didn’t eat meat!” 

Recent research has found evidence that the climate was very different 100 million years ago. In fact, the Antarctic probably had a swampy landscape and forests like those found in New Zealand today. Nevertheless, Elaphrosauruses would still have had to survive the dark winter months when temperatures dropped below freezing. What remains remarkable is that all of this new knowledge came from one tiny find by a volunteer. It makes you wonder what discoveries are still out there to be made? Why not try creating a fact file of the Elaphrosauruses and see what interesting information you can find out! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Writing: Following on from yesterday's reading task, I have set the task of writing a setting description of the eerie Riddle house from Harry Potter. I have attached some examples and instructions below.

Maths: Watch the online lesson and complete the activity below.

Art: Today's challenge is practising your painting skills through an egg box painting. You could try painting a scene from outside if you can.

DT: I have listed a recipe for football biscuits!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham
 

Monday 1st June

Good morning again Year 6! Welcome to a brand new week ahead of home learning and a brand new month!  I hope you have all had a lovely weekend and have been managing to enjoying the lovely weather that we've been having safely.

There has been a new and fascinating finding in the world of science over the weekend: high on a mountain in the Atacama Desert, Chile, the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) telescope has spotted what scientists believe is the birth of a planet for the very first time! Deep in the swirling dust and gas surrounding a young star called AB Aurigae, astronomers have observed two spiral arms reaching out to each other. The telescope allowed the team of scientists to see a bright yellow ‘twist’ in the spiral arms. They believe this means that a baby exoplanet is being formed there. It is thought that exoplanets are created as gas and dust surrounding new stars begin to stick together.

Did you know that the different planets in our Solar System fall into two categories? Some are terrestrial (rocky) and some are gas planets. Why not try investigating which of our planets fall into each of those two categories?

Today's choice of activities are:

Maths:  Watch today's online lesson and complete the activity attached below.

Daily Reading: Today's 60 second task is a fiction text.

Science: Follow the instructions to build your own bird feeder at home!

Art: Work on your drawing techniques to finish the picture.

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Missing you all,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 29th May

Good morning Year 6 and happy Friday! You made it through another week of home learning, well done!  I hope you are all keeping well and staying safe. I will speak to you all on Monday with our new resources for a fresh week!

Enjoy your weekend in the sun everyone,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 28th May

Good morning Year 6! I hope you are all well and still trying to stay as positive as you can  What are you most looking forward to after lock down? Where are you most looking forward to going or going to see? 

Today's choice of activities are:

English: Handwriting practise

Maths: Colour by number - Multiplying decimals

Science investigation: Clean Pennies - Remember, only try if you have the things at home and investigate with your grown ups 

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 27th May

Good morning everyone! Hope you're all doing well today!  Has anyone been doing any of their work outside, enjoying the sunshine? I hope you're enjoying the summery weather while it lasts! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Maths: Multiplying decimals code hunter.

Writing: Today's tasks have the theme of 'The Artist'. Choice which activities you would like to do and follow the instructions on the page.

Home challenges: I've included some May half term home challenges, some of which include hunts outdoors!

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 26th May

Hi again Year 6! I hope you all enjoyed your Bank Holiday  As this week would have been our half term week, I have included some activities which are slightly different to those that we've been setting for you. Remember, these activities are optional and it's up to you and your grown ups at home which of them you would like to do and when. 

Today's choice of activities are:

Writing: Today's task is called 'The Magic Library'. Instructions for the different tasks are included.

Maths: Iceberg area challenge. Remember the formula for finding the area of a triangle is base x height and half your answer!

Topic: Today's final lesson on the Tudors is all about the Spanish Armada. Watch the online lesson included and complete the comic strip activity afterwards!

Science: Fizzy colours challenge! If you have the things at home, follow the instructions! I would love to see your findings!

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 25th May 

Good morning everyone!  As it is Bank Holiday Monday, your task today it to relax and have fun  Since this bank holiday is slightly different and some of you may be still be looking for something to keep you busy, I have included some fun activities that you might like to have a go at. 
 

Hope you all have a lovely day,

Stay safe.

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Friday 22nd May

Happy Friday Year 6! We made it through another week of Home Learning!  I hope you are all okay and enjoying the lovely weather that we've been having! Don't forget your sun safety if you are spending time in the sunshine!

This week has been Mental Health Awareness Week. Remember, everyone has mental health, whether that's good or bad. Sometimes when you're feeling upset or a little nervous (which some of you might be at this time) it's important to know that there are things that you can do to cheer yourself up! One of the most important things is to talk to someone; sharing your worries always makes things a little easier. Other things might include watching your favourite film, diving into a book you love, getting some exercise or colouring, anything that you enjoy and makes you happy!  In light of this, I have included some resources today to focus on everything positive to help you relax, unwind and, most importantly, smile! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Reading: Today's 60 second read is a poetry text.

Maths: It's Family Challenge Friday! Work together with people at home to try and tackle this weeks problems.

Art & DT: Create your own board game. I have included a template for inspiration but feel free to design your own. Think about what the theme is going to be, characters (if you want them) and the way to win! I would love to see your designs! 

Mindfulness Minute: An activity booklet to work through to make you relax and think positive thoughts.

Baking: I have included a recipe for jammy heart biscuits. Enjoy!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Missing you all,

Stay safe.

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 21st May

Hello again Year 6! I hope you are all feeling well today and managed to enjoy the sunshine we had yesterday - what a lovely day it turned out to be! Hopefully today will be just as nice. Why not try working outdoors for a change today if you can? 

Today's choice of activities are:

Writing: Today's writing activity is called 'All around the world'.  All the instructions are listed on the activity page.

Maths: Remember to watch today's online Maths lesson and complete the activity below.

Science: I have listed a microorganism investigation - showing how mould grows on bread! You will test whether mould grows more in different conditions. Remember to ask your grown ups at home to help!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Missing you all lots, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 20th May

Good morning Year 6! It looks like it's going to be another lovely sunny day for us today - I hope you all manage to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily reading: Today's 60 second read is a non fiction text.

Maths: Watch the online maths lesson and complete the activity below.

Geography: Research the world landmarks; see how many you can find!

Speak to you all tomorrow

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 19th May

Hello again Year 6! I hope you are all well today  Thank you again to those of you who are continuing to send photographs and messages in to let us know how you are and what you have been doing while you're at home! It's lovely to see that a lot of you have been baking and trying different meals and treats to what you normally would! Please do keep sending them in as it's lovely to get to see you all! 

Today's choice of activities are: 

Daily reading: Today's 60 second read is a fiction text.

Maths: Remember to watch the online maths lesson first before completing the activity listed below!

Topic: Today's topic lesson is all about Mary Queen of Scots and how dangerous a threat she was to Queen Elizabeth 1. It might be a good idea to have your activities ready when looking through the online lesson and it will tell you as you go through when you will need them. 

Speak to you again tomorrow,

Missing you all, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 18th May

Good morning everyone and welcome to another brand new week of home learning! If you have been feeling a little down in the dumps last week, try starting today as a fresh start. Set yourself a timetable if needs be to get yourself motivated and make sure to give yourself some time for games, fresh air as well as some school work.  I hope you all have had a lovely weekend and managed to make the most of being at home! Hopefully the sun will be shining a lot more this week for us too! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily News Bulletin: Today's positive news story is all about an 11 year old who had managed to break the world record in skating! Do any of you already enjoy skating? If not, this might be something you want to start practising your skills in!

Writing: I have set a task today all about unlikely friends. Follow the instructions on the activity sheet to help you. 

Maths: Watch today's online lesson attached below and complete the activity.

Geography: Learn all about some of the most famous European landmarks!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Missing you all, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 15th May

Hello Year 6 and happy Friday! Well done to all of you for making it through another week of home learning! Today is International Day of Families. Held on 15th May every year, the International Day of Families was established by the United Nations in 1993 as a way to raise awareness of issues faced by families throughout the world. With this in mind, as today's challenge why not try completing your family tree, discussing with your family members, see how far back you can go and find out some new facts about your relatives that you might not have known otherwise!

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Reading: Today's text is a poem. It should only take around 60 seconds to read 

Maths: It's Family Challenge Friday! Work alongside your grown ups to tackle this week's questions!

Geography: Study the World Flags poster (try and find a way of remembering something special about each one to help you) and complete the World Flags Quiz afterwards. Can you beat someone at home?

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will speak to you all again on Monday!

Stay safe, missing you all lots,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 14th May

Good morning everyone! Today is another lovely, sunny day for you all to enjoy safely! Thank you again to everyone who is managing to send photographs to me of what you have been getting up to. It's lovely to see what you all have been getting up to!

Today's choice of activities:

Daily News Bulletin:

Grammar: All about homophones (words that sound the same but are spelt differently) Today's is all about there, their and they're

Writing: Thank you activity - Read the instructions at the top of the activity.

Maths: Watch the online maths lesson and complete the activity below.

Geography: Today's lesson is all about countries and their capitals.

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe, missing you all

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 13th May

Hello again Year 6!  I hope you are all feeling well today and still staying as positive as you can! Yesterday was the start of National Nurses Week as it was the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale! What do you already know about Florence Nightingale? Although born in Italy, Florence Nightingale's family were British and Florence was raised in England. Florence Nightingale believed that God had destined her for a life devoted to others. In 1844 she decided to become a nurse, against the wishes of her family and contrary to expectations of women in society being only wives and mothers. During the Crimean War, Nightingale trained a number of female volunteer nurses and successfully urged the British Government to improve medical facilities for those wounded in battle. She implemented hand washing and other hygienic practices to improve care and reduce the suffering of the wounded soldiers. and after returning to Britain, Nightingale worked to improve sanitary conditions in hospitals and living conditions for the poor. As an extra challenge today, why not research Florence Nightingale further, and in particular why she was named 'the lady with lamp'?

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily reading: Today I have given you a non fiction text which should take around 60 seconds to read.

Maths: Watch today's online maths lesson and then complete the activity below.

Art: Follow the guidance to improve your skills in portrait drawing and complete a family portrait.

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Tuesday 12th May

Hello again Year 6!  How are you all feeling? There have been some interesting and confusing news around us lately, however, some fun news has shown that a museum in East Sussex has reopened, letting 5 people at a time virtually stroll the galleries using a robot!

Read today's daily news bulletin to find out more! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Bulletin

Writing: I have included a writing activity today. All instructions are included on the page!

Maths: Watch the online maths lesson and complete the activity below..

Topic: Learn all about Elizabeth and her marriage. Help her choose who the most suitable husband would be to help her to run the country!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 11th May

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to a brand new week! A week that under normal circumstances would have been our SATs week - can you believe it?! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are feeling fresh and ready for some more home learning 

This week is National Vegetarian Week - National Vegetarian Week runs from 1th - 17th May 2020 and is an annual event to educate people about the benefits of a meat-free diet. During National Vegetarian Week,  people are encouraged to try going meat-free for a week, with vibrant and exciting vegetarian recipes being promoted and shared. Why not give it a go if you can, even for one meal a day? I will post one vegetarian recipe each day for inspiration but would love to see if anyone gives going veggie a go!

Today's choice of activities are: 

Daily News Bulletin: A story all about NASA.

Daily Reading: I have attached a fiction activity today which should only take around 60 seconds to read 

Maths: Watch today's online maths lesson listed below and complete the activity.

Science: Today's Science activity is all about Space. Have a look through the online lesson attached and use the information to complete the activity afterwards.

Missing you all lots,

Speak to you again tomorrow, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 8th May

Happy Friday everyone and Happy VE Day!  

Victory in Europe Day - also known as VE Day - celebrates the Allied Forces accepting the Nazi’s unconditional surrender from World War 2. The final document was signed on 8 May 1945. Today, countries throughout the world celebrate VE Day annually, on either 8th or 9th May. There were street parties and parades throughout the Western world - especially in the UK and the USA. More than a million people took to the streets in Great Britain, with the greatest crowds in London and the day was declared a national holiday.

For lots of people, the day was a solemn affair. Throughout Europe, wives had lost husbands and families had been torn apart by the war. VE Day was a chance to grieve and reflect. Still, for many people of both nations, VE Day signalled an end. It gave them a glimpse of a future that was not entirely governed by a global war. And for the families who were lucky enough to be reunited with loved ones, it was a day worth celebrating. Please remember to send me any of your VE day photographs of how you've been celebrating at home!

Today's choice of activities:

Daily Reading: Complete the final activity this week of our Space eBook (remember the link for the story is at the top of the activity page.

Friday Maths Challenge

VE Day: Watch the online lesson listed below, complete the morse code breaking activity, create your own spitfire glider or create some treats from the wartime recipe book!

SEALIFE! Live: Click this link (https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2966879050036418&ref=watch_permalink) and join Harriet and Andre from London Sea Life Aquarium for a live video from the turtle enclosure as they introduce, feed and answer questions about the turtles at the aquarium. Why not try studying turtles and see what fun facts you can find out about them?

Hope you all have a fun and safe weekend,

Speak to you all on Monday,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 7th May

Good morning everyone, how are you all doing today? It looks as thought it's going to be a lovely, sunny one today, so please remember to enjoy the warm weather safely! As it is VE day tomorrow, I know a few of you are researching the War and celebrating at home, so I have attached some decorations that you might like to complete in preparation for tomorrow!

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Reading: Watch the link on the activity sheet for today and answer the questions

Grammar: Spot the pronouns & nouns

Maths: Watch today's online maths lesson and complete the activity listed below

Topic: Today we are thinking about what Elizabeth 1 might have looked like. Go through the online lesson, analysing portraits and completing the activities as you go. Feel free to research what certain elements of portraits represented in the Tudor times to help you 

VE day: Complete the bunting and war time colouring posters to prepare for tomorrow.

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 6th May

Good morning everyone!  I hope you all had a lovely nights sleep and feeling fresh and ready for a new day! From today until the 10th May it is National Sun Awareness Week which is a campaign led by The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) to highlight the dangers of exposure to the sun. With us all staying at home, and spending a lot more time in the garden, enjoying the sun, why not try creating a poster to promote sun safety and raise awareness of potential dangers of the sun for others?

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily News Bulletin: All about glowing plants.

Daily Reading: Answer the questions on Chapter 2 Part 2 of our eBook. Remember you can click the link on the activity sheet to access the story too. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/jazz-harper-space-explorer-ebook-t2-or-650

Maths: Watch the online lesson below and complete the activity attached.

Topic: Today's lesson is all about the reign of Henry's daughter: Queen Mary. Look at the online lesson first and then complete the activity to test your new knowledge!

Speak to you all again tomorrow,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 5th May

Hello again Year 6! How is everyone feeling today? Today is African World Heritage Day 

African World Heritage Day was proclaimed in 2015. During the 38th session of the UNESCO General Conference, its aim is to promote and celebrate the fantastic heritage and culture that the Continent of Africa possesses through its communities and people. Africa has numerous threats that other continents around the world do not have, from Climate Change, Civil unrest and instability to poaching, many wonders in Africa are at risk of disappearing. This day is used to highlight how important Africa is and that its value needs to be protected at all costs. Why not try learning some new facts about  Africa or completing the activities below?

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Bulletin

Daily Reading: Read chapter 3 and 4 of this week's eBook. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/jazz-harper-space-explorer-ebook-t2-or-650

Maths:Today's online maths lesson is listed below,as well as the activity to complete.

Art:Complete an African silhouette drawing or painting.I have included silhouettes that you could cut out - or try drawing our own!

I hope you all have a lovely day,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham  

Monday 4th May

Good morning everyone and welcome to a brand new week! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are feeling fresh and positive ready for a new week of home learning! 

All this week is Children's Book Week! Children's Book Week is an annual celebration of reading for pleasure for children of primary school age. The idea for this event was conceived by Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, in 1913. He thought that a celebration of children's books would help get more children into reading, helped by the backing of publishers, booksellers and librarians in the US. Now going for over 100 years, Children's Book Week continues to grow in popularity year on year! In light of this, why not celebrate your favourite book at home? You could create a book review, turn your favourite story into a comic strip, copy some of the illustration or simply read an old favourite or try something brand new!

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Bulletin - Today's news is all about VE Day which is celebrated later this week.

Daily Reading -  Read 2 chapters of this week's eBook: Jazz Harper Space Explorer https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/jazz-harper-space-explorer-ebook-t2-or-650

Maths  - Today's Online Maths Lesson is all about simplifying fractions

Global Themes - I have attached a challenge today which is all about plastic pollution. Research as much as you can about the topic, and plan a speech or a PowerPoint trying to include as many of the words listed as you can.Present your findings to your grown ups at home or send them in for me to see - tally up how many points you get. Let's see who gets the most!

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 1st May

Hello again everyone and happy first of May!  I hope you are all doing okay and staying positive going into the new month ahead! Did anyone see the celebration of the new Colonel Tom Moore yesterday? What an outstanding achievement to raise over £30 million! I wonder how he is celebrating turning 100 and how many of us will be celebrating our birthdays quite differently this year!

Today's choice of activities:

Daily Bulletin: Telling us all about Crane Spotting.

Daily Reading: Answering questions relating to chapter 5 of our eBook (The man who bought a mountain).

Writing: I have included some activities today all about creating your own characters. Once you have done this, why not try creating a story based around this character as an extra challenge over the weekend? 

Maths: Remember, our Friday is a Family challenge. Questions 1-5 are most suitable for Year 6, however, why not give the others a try and help each other out to answer them 

Topic: Our topic lesson today is all about Henry's son Edward taking the throne at a very young age!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will speak to you all again on Monday.

Stay safe, missing you all.

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 30th April

Good morning Year 6!  I can't believe it is the last day of April! Does any one else think it has gone so quickly? Today is Captain Tom Moore's 100th birthday and he is making a special message this morning on television! Who will be watching? Remember tonight at 8pm is the Clap to show our appreciation for our NHS staff. You could design some posters or cards to stick outside your house to show your neighbours your support when they come outside!

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily News Bulletin: Our positive news story is all about the veteran Captain Tom Moore and receiving his post mark for his 100th birthday.

Daily Reading: Answering the questions on Chapter 4 of our eBook.

Grammar: Copy out the sentences and decide whether the sentences have fronted adverbials or not, underlining them if they do. If the sentence does not, could you add in an appropriate fronted adverbial that would work in the sentence?

Maths: Today's online Maths lesson is carrying on with problem solving.

Science: Research different types of animals in order to complete today's activity. There might be more than one tick for each category 

Look after yourselves and each other,

Speak to you all tomorrow, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 29th April

Good morning everyone! It was lovely to speak to most of you yesterday and hear how well you are all doing! Today is International Dance Day! International Dance Day is a worldwide event that celebrates all genres of dance. It was created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) - the world's largest organisation for the performing arts. Why not try celebrating at home this year by learning a new dance or try teaching your family members a dance that you've already been practising? Don't forget to send in any videos - I would love to see them! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily News Bulletin: Today's story is all about museums collecting household items to show what life was like during the lockdown in 2020.

Daily Reading: Answer the questions on Chapter 3 of this week's eBook - remember the link for the story is on the question activity sheet.

Writing: I have included an activity to help you practise your skills in showing, not telling the reader, as a method of describing.

Maths: Today's online lesson is focussing on problem solving.

Topic: We are still focussing on King Henry this lesson, but thinking more about why he broke away from Rome.

Look after one another,

Speak to you again tomorrow, stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 28th April

Hello again everyone, how are you all doing today?  Is everyone still looking for good news stories around them? It might be something that you hear on the tv or it could even be something positive that's happened to someone you know! Yesterday, there was a story released in America of firefighters who worked together and managed to save a litter of puppies that had become stuck; the prime minister of New Zealand announced that the spread of the illness has been eliminated in her country! And, who could forget, our own Captain Tom Moore who has now raised over £20 million! The war veteran is the focus of our daily news today, why not have a read and find out more about him?

Today's choice of activities:

Daily Bulletin: News story about Captain Tom Moore's fundraiser

Daily Reading: Answer the questions based on this week's eBook (The man who bought a mountain)

Writing: Complete the character profile template - try using your plan to write a description of your character as a stand alone piece of writing. Don't forget your new skills of showing not telling!

Maths: Today's online lesson is about calculating angles in regular polygons.

Science: Watch the online presentation on Classification (sorting) and afterwards, see if you can organise the animals three different ways (e.g type of animal: mammal, reptiles etc. number of legs. cold blooded/warm blooded and so on...)

Hope you all have a lovely day,

Speak again tomorrow, stay safe!

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Monday 27th April

Good morning Year 6 and welcome to another week of learning from home! I hope you all had a nice weekend and managed to enjoy the sunshine! Has anyone been starting any new hobbies or learning anything new while they've been at home? I've loved seeing all of your projects that you have been getting up to and doing things that you have never done before! 

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily Bulletin: Today's news is all about 3d printers being used to build houses!

Daily Reading: This week's eBook is called 'The man who bought a mountain'. Read Chapter 1 and answer the questions attached below - you can access the story through a link on the questions page!

Writing: Linked to our new story, complete the descriptive activity about a mountain trek.

Maths: Today's online lesson is about calculating angles in specific quadrilaterals. Watch the video below and complete the activity underneath.

Topic: Today's topic lesson is all about Henry VIII. Go through the PowerPoint lesson first and then look at the sources attached to answer the questions.

Hope you all have a lovely day,

Speak to you again tomorrow, stay safe 

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 24th April

Good morning Year 6 and Happy Friday! We made it through another week 

Did anyone see BBC's Big Night In last night, raising money for Comic Relief and Children In Need? What was your favourite part? I think I enjoyed the singers coming together to sing 'Times like these' the most. It's amazing the way the whole country is coming together despite the strange time we are going through at the moment!

Today's choice of activities are:

Daily News: Your positive news story today is all about last night's BBC's Big Night In fundraiser.

Comprehension: Reading Chapter 5 of this week's eBook and answers the questions attached as well as some dictionary work.

Writing: I have included a template for a comic strip today! You could try retelling one of your favourite stories or films or creating your own narrative. Don't forget to include your illustrations! 

Maths: Slightly different today - rather than an online Maths lesson, each Friday you will have a Math's challenge. The questions most appropriate for Year 6 are questions 1-5, but why not try solving the other problems with your family and help each other? Do as many as you can 

Science: Click this link (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zk7fy9q) to learn some interesting facts about our solar system! Then test your knowledge by completing the activity listed below 

Journal: I have attached your final journal entry for this week.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will speak to you all again on Monday!

Stay safe and look after one another,

Missing you all,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Thursday 23rd April

Hello again, Year 6! I hope you're all doing well today  Today is Saint George's day! Do you know anything about Saint George? He became a soldier when he was just 17 years old and became the patron saint of England after he defeated the French at the Battle of Crecy in 1350. Why not try learning some more interesting facts about him? There is an information PowerPoint included below, or you could try finding out information online -  I would love to see what you have been researching! 

Today's activities include: 

English: Reading Chapter 4 of our eBook for this week and answering the questions, as well as a grammar activity, focussing on synonyms (remember synonyms are words which has a similar meaning to each other!)

Maths: Our online lesson included today is all about calculating the value of missing angles.

Journal: I have included your Thursday template to include in your journals.

Art & Craft: Thank you colouring pages for our key workers keeping us safe. You may want to use them as inspiration to create your own drawing and posters! Don't forget to show your support tonight at 8pm! 

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 22nd April

Good morning everyone  Hope you had a lovely day yesterday. Did you know it was our Queen's 94th birthday? I wonder how she celebrated during quarantine! Do any of you have a birthday coming up? It's fantastic to see lots of you are managing to balance your school work and having your own down time activities! Keep up the good work everyone! 

Today's activities:

English: Read chapter 3 of our eBook (How to skin a bear) and answer the given questions. I have also included a grammar activity focussing on the prefect present tense - don't forget to read the helpful hints at the top of the worksheet to help you!

Maths: Today's online lesson, listed below, is all about finding the angles in special cases.

Craft: I have attached instructions to help you create your own sun beam weaving craft,

Journal: Here is Wednesday's journal entry for you to complete.

Speak to you again tomorrow,

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Tuesday 21st April

Hi again Year 6! Hope you are all well today and enjoying the sunny weather we've been having! Hopefully you all are getting back into somewhat of a routine to try and maintain some sort of normality! You could maybe try making yourself a timetable to keep yourself on track.

Today's activities that you might want to have a go at include:

Daily Bulletin: Today's newspaper story is all about an ancient woodland.

Maths: Today's online lesson is all about angles in triangles, don't forget the lesson is posted as a video below, and the activity to go alongside is listed underneath 

English: I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 1 of our new ebook! Today's task is to read Chapter 2 and answer the listed questions. There is also a conjunctions task listed to try.

Topic: Continuing with our Tudor topic, there is a task all about Tudor family coat of arms and what the different elements represent. Have a look through the powerpoint and try designing your own which represents your family.

Journal: Listed is Tuesday's template entry for your journal, or remember, if you'd prefer to, you could design your own.

Hope you enjoy!

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay Safe, 

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Monday 20th April 

Good morning Year 6 and welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely Easter (considering the circumstances!) and, most importantly, had plenty of chocolate! 

Thank you so much to those of you who have been emailing in to let me know how you are, what you've been up to or sending photos and videos - it really does brighten my day getting to see you all so please do keep staying in touch!

As this would be the start of the Summer term, we will be updating this page each day again with activities, to try and maintain as much of a routine for you as possible, remember try and get done what you can.

Daily News Bulletin: It's important to remember there are still positive things happening around the world! Read today's bulletin all about monkeys going on their own adventure to keep up to date and impress your family members!

Maths: Today it all about calculating opposite angles! I have attached your Maths Online lesson for today as a video below and the activities to do alongside are attached.

English: Read chapter 1 of the Ebook below: How to skin a bear and complete the activities provided

Crafts: Try printing the template provided to create your own corner page book mark, or get creative and design your own!

Journal: As you are living through something which will no doubt go down in history, I thought it would be lovely to keep a journal. I have attached Monday's entry (or you could use it as inspiration to create your own!) and will be posting each days for you to complete and look back on at a later date!

Hope you are all looking after yourselves,

Speak again tomorrow 

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham 

Monday 6th April

Good morning everyone! I can hardly believe it's the start of the Easter holidays!

As it is your break, we will not be updating this page daily with activities again until the 20th April. We will be checking our mailbox everyday to see what you all have been doing so please continue sending in your photos - we love seeing them!

Instead, here is a list of Easter activities which you may want to do over the holidays, but you can decide when you would like to complete them:

· Write an Easter or Spring poem

· Bake an Easter treat and write instructions for someone to follow.

· Decorate a boiled egg.

· Design and make an Easter card for someone in your house.

· Have an egg hunt around your house or garden. Can you write some clues to help find them?

· Design some packaging for a new Easter egg.

· Create an advert to promote a new Easter egg. This could be for a poster / billboard, a digital display advert or an advert for radio / television / cinema.

· Make a comic strip or an animation with an Easter theme.

· Find out how Easter is celebrated in different parts of the world. Could you create a news report, information page or a presentation to teach others about what you discover?

· Design a board game with an Easter theme and play it with your family.

· Design a vehicle that can transport a hard-boiled egg safely from one point to another.

Speak to you all soon,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Friday 3rd April

Hello everyone and happy Friday! Hope you are all feeling good today and ready to start your last Joe Wicks workout of the week! Did anyone clap at their front doors for the NHS staff last night at 8pm? Everyone in my street came out to clap, beep their horns and cheer - it was lovely to see everyone coming together and staying so positive  With this in mind, as part of today's activities, I have included a thank you card for the NHS for the amazing work they are continuing to do for all of us.

Today's online Maths lesson is linked below (Week 1, lesson 3: Introducing the ratio symbol) and your activities are listed below!

https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-6/

Stay safe,

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Thursday 2nd April

Good morning everyone! Hope you are all doing well today! Has anyone been reading any

new books while you have been at home? I have started reading the Disney Twisted Tales stories, starting with Reflection which is a twist on the story of Mulan! I know that we didn't manage

to finish the Nowhere Emporium at school so if you can manage to get your hands on a copy during this I would highly recommend!

Here is the link for today's Maths online lesson remember it's (Week 1, lesson 2) Ratio and Fractions:

https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-6/

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Wednesday 1st April

Good morning everyone! Happy first of April, and what a lovely sunny one it is to start the month  

Hope you are all keeping well - Thank you so much to those of you who have already started sending in some photos of what you'be been getting up to, it has been so lovely for me to see you all!

How are you managing to keep active? Are you still doing your Joe Wicks PE lessons? Have you been using your one hour of daily exercise outside?

Here are today's suggested activities - remember you might want to print these or complete them later in the week, or next week, or you might like to try and do them today - they are just daily suggestions to help your home learning  

Here is the link for the Maths online lesson today (Week 1, lesson 1) Using Ratio Language:

https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/year-6/

Speak to you all tomorrow,

Stay safe

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham

Tuesday 31st March

Hello Year 6!

We have moved over to this page to keep you updated with activities to help you through your home learning 

Here are some suggested activities for today if you're looking for a little extra to keep you going!

Don't forget to keep doing your tasks on MyMaths 

Your parents should have been sent an email address to send over any photos and videos of things that you have been getting up to. I will attach them onto our class page so please keep sending them in - I can't wait to see what you've all been doing and would be lovely for you all to see each other too!

We miss you all very much, stay safe and look after each other!

Miss Bell & Miss Walsham