Our teachers are Miss Smith, Miss Finnie and Miss Bell

Hi, I’m Miss Smith

This will be my fourth year at Longtown teaching year six, so lots of you will already know my face!

I am originally from Carlisle but before I came to Longtown, I lived in London for four years also teaching year six in a very big city school with nearly eight hundred pupils – many who spoke different languages;  as well as coordinating the provision for children with special educational needs.

Many of you already know – I absolutely love Harry Potter! I even have two cats called Harry & Ron.

In my spare time I love to get outdoors, exploring the Lake District with my fiancé.

I also love music and listening to live bands, you will often hear music playing in my classroom.

My favourite subject to teach is English because I absolutely adore reading and vocabulary, you will regularly find me with my nose in a good book! I make sure I read lots of new children’s books that I can share with everyone at school, if you have a favourite story to share do let me know.

 

Autumn Term 2020

This term our topic is ‘The Victorians & The Industrial Revolution’

We will build on our knowledge from Year 5 and learn all about how the Victorians shaped the future and the importance of the British Empire.
During this topic our class texts will also have a Victorian theme, beginning with ‘Cogheart’ by Peter Bunzl.

We will look at how Longtown has changed since the Victorian Era, creating a ‘know where you walk’ project.

Did you know Longtown once had two workhouses?

In English we will be focussing on a range of text-types and genres linked to our topic, developing our creativity as a writers and working towards the

expected standard for end of year six. Children are expected to have an understanding of audience and purpose (what they are writing and why they are writing it!)

 

In Maths we are focusing on securing our number facts, revising the four operations and applying this to problem solving.
Later in the term, we will cover Geometry and statistics looking at area, perimeter and coordinates.

We will have huge focus on arithmetic, practising calculations daily to support our preparation for SATs.
You will soon receive a letter regarding additional materials that parents have the option to purchase to help with revision.

Spring Term 2021

This term our topic is ‘Turbulent Britain’ 

We will be exploring what happened after the Victorian Era came to an end and the build-up of events leading to the Great Wars.  

As part of our History unit we will explore the chronology of both the first and second world war and how it affected both Britain and our local area. We will learn how soldiers from Longtown and surrounding areas, left to fight for their country at such a young age – and many of them never returned. We will use a range of real-life sources to explore how both world wars affected our locality and still continues to have an impact today.  

In Geography, we will learn about the Allied Forces, the triple entente and how political unrest affected many countries globally, linked to the impact of the war. Using grid references and maps we will locate the places most affected and how their economy suffered as a result.  

Our class texts will include: ‘Poppy Field’ by Michael Morpurgo, ‘Where the Poppies now Grow’ and ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’  

In English, we will cover a range of text types including poetry, diary entries, newspaper reports and adventure narratives. Writing creatively using historical vocabulary to reflect the time period and linking to our topic theme.   

In Maths we are focusing on fractions, decimals and percentages as well as securing known number facts and being able to complete the four operations fluently and accurately.  

Later in the term, we will cover Geometry and statistics looking at area, perimeter and coordinates. 

We continue to have huge focus on arithmetic, practising calculations daily to support our preparation for securing expected standard within the end of year assessment framework.  

Spelling Shed & Timestable Rockstars continue to be part of our daily routine and contribute to achieving a high standard of accuracy across expected standard in both English and Maths.
It is expected that children will practise both programmes daily at home and in school.  

 

PE

Our PE days are Tuesday and Thursday, please ensure kit is appropriate and in school for the week.

The first topic is gym, aesthetics and dance so an indoor PE kit with shoes or pumps will be fine.

Homework

For homework; we will be producing a project linked to topic – watch this space for updates on our work!

It is also expected that pupils will read daily and ‘Strive for Five!’ as well as practising our spellings and accessing times table Rock stars.

SATs Preparation

In preparation for SATs, we run a Tuesday morning breakfast club from 8am to help children with their revision and support with any topics they may be struggling with.
Throughout the year extra revision sessions, intervention and homework will be set to help the children be the best they can be.

However, we strive to make this prep as easy as possible and keep the children’s wellbeing at the heart of our decisions.

We will have a meeting later in the term to explain expectations and discuss any queries you may have.

Useful websites:

Year 6 News