Oak Class 2021 - 2022

WELCOME TO OAK

Class teacher - Mr M Thomas (mthomas@whitegate.cheshire.sch.uk)

Learning Support Assistant - Mrs W Rowland

This term, we are explorers … adventuring to Bustling Bazaars and Spices from Afar.

Hello! I'm Mr Thomas and I couldn't be more excited to be your new Year 6 teacher. I know that we are going to have a wonderful time together as we dive into all of the opportunities and experiences ahead in your final year here at Whitegate.

From bustling bazaars to ancient cities of wonder, our Autumn term learning will link our Science and History topics with the theme: Light Out of Darkness: The Golden Age of Islam. We'll journey from Cordoba to Baghdad as we uncover the achievements and wonder of these fascinating times and places.

Building on our learning about the history and geography of the Early Islamic Civilisation, we’ll learn about the lives of some people in these regions today. We’ll also focus on Syria and the plight of refugees which will be further enhanced by our second class novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class.

We’ll apply all of this knowledge to pen persuasive letters written as Anglo Saxon refugees fleeing the Viking raids in Britain asking to be allowed into the safety and splendour of ancient Baghdad. In Maths, we’ll investigate the use of symmetry, shape and pattern in Islamic art, including tessellation.

Reading is at the heart of successful learning and we will immerse ourselves in a range of quality texts over the course of the year. As Reading is a priority across all subjects, we regularly use a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in our whole-class morning Reading lessons to help inform richer learning across the curriculum in the afternoon. In addition to this cross-curricular learning, a single day might also see us exploring the motivations of characters in our gripping class novels or simply allowing children time to develop a love of reading through our provision of high-quality fiction books. Wherever and whenever possible, we will prioritise developing the skills and positive attitudes towards Reading that will enable Oak class to become confident, informed and engaged learners.

Our first class novel is the incomparable Holes by Louis Sachar and our first focus author will be the tremendous Malorie Blackman - we’ll be diving into some of her best novels in full reading lessons to give us a taste of her style and stories. Home Reading expectations are detailed below, but should your child express and interest in a particular author, series or genre, please let us know and we would be delighted to order books from our library partners free of charge. Visits to your local library are also encouraged!

PE will be on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Please can children come into school on Wednesdays and Thursdays already dressed in their PE kits.

Homework

Please ensure your child reads at home at least 4 times per week for 15-25 minutes. In Year 6, they are expected to record their own reading in their Home – School contact books; parents just need to sign each time.

TT Rockstars should be practised at least 5 times per week also for a minimum of 5 minutes each time.

Mental Maths will be sent home twice per week in addition to a weekly SPaG activity.

All Oak children will be given their own personal spelling lists to practise at home. These are linked to the statutory spelling lists for each year group available at the bottom of this page.

Some homework may also be set on Education City.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the Home-School book or by email via the address listed above. We love to celebrate any out of school learning or achievements by our children so please email or send in anything your child would like to share with us.

Meet the Teacher: Oak Wednesday 22nd September at 6pm
‘Meet the Teacher’ evenings will take place in the school hall. As part of our up-to-date risk assessment, we ask that parents/carers wear a face covering. (Unfortunately, children are not able to attend.)

If your child is absent from school due to COVID-19 and requires remote learning, please download and read the PDF document listed below.