What a week it has been in Year 6! We have been busy learning, experimenting, performing, building, painting and, most importantly, trying to solve the very serious mathematical problem of how many chips actually count as two lots of fish and chips!
Here is a little look at what we have been getting up to…
This week, we have been getting to grips with BIDMAS and discovering just how much the order of operations really matters. At first, it seemed fairly straightforward… until Mrs Tweedale introduced us to the world of fish and chips!
Imagine sending someone to the chippy and asking for two lots of fish and chips. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean: 2 × (fish and chips) or… (2 × fish) and chips?
It turns out that getting the calculation wrong could have some very serious consequences. You might end up with far too many chips or, even worse, not enough chips!
We have certainly learnt that BIDMAS isn’t just something we need to remember for our maths books – it can be a matter of great importance in everyday life. Especially on a Friday!
We have had lots of fun this week getting to know one of our new poems, Alfred Noyes’ The Highwayman. We have really enjoyed the character of the Highwayman and the exciting, mysterious atmosphere that Noyes creates. However, the poem certainly takes a dramatic and rather dark turn when King George’s redcoats arrive. Poor Bess!
We have been exploring the language, rhythm and imagery in the poem and thinking carefully about how the poet makes us feel as the story unfolds. Our next challenge? Learning the whole poem off by heart! This could take some serious brain power, but we are up for the challenge. We might just need to start clearing some space in our memories first!
Science was certainly electrifying this week! Our challenge was to design an innovative switch that would allow us to light one lamp, the other lamp, or both lamps at the same time. To do this successfully, we needed to use our knowledge of simple circuits and conductors and think carefully about how electricity travels around a circuit. Let’s just say that our classroom looked a little unusual during this investigation… There were teaspoons. There was foil. There was quite a LOT of foil! We tested our ideas, discovered that not everything worked first time and had to make changes along the way. It was a brilliant reminder that being a scientist isn’t about getting everything right immediately – it is about testing, adapting and persevering when things don’t go according to plan.
Our Anderson Shelters have had their final makeover this week! After all our measuring, drilling, sawing and sanding, we finally got to paint them. They are now looking incredibly authentic and, we have to say, we are very proud of them. It has been fantastic to see our designs gradually transform into miniature versions of the shelters used during the Second World War. But… we aren’t finished yet! Next, our shelters will face their ultimate test of strength and durability as we investigate just how much weight they can support. Will they survive? We certainly hope so. We have become rather attached to them!
There has also been lots of excitement behind the scenes as our Captains have been busy moving books into our brand-new library bus. It is beginning to look fantastic, and we are all incredibly excited for the official grand opening next week.There is something very exciting about having a new space filled with books just waiting to be explored. We can’t wait to climb aboard and see what treasures are waiting for us.
So, another week in Year 6 comes to an end – and what a week it has been! From BIDMAS and fish and chips to dramatic poetry, electrical circuits, Anderson Shelters and our brand-new library bus, we certainly haven’t been short of things to keep our brains busy. We are already looking forward to what next week has in store… Although perhaps we should leave the fish and chips to someone else for a while!
Have a wonderful weekend! From all of us in Year 6