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Constantly questioning, always curious - Year 6

Please see below for an outline of our curriculum for Term 3. We approach everything through inquiry; we are constantly questioning, always curious.

Inquiry

For our current Unit of Inquiry, ‘Where We Are in Place and Time’, we are immersing ourselves in various migration stories.

Our central idea is: Sharing stories of immigration builds compassion and understanding.

Lines of inquiry:

This unit is an inquiry into:

  • the reasons that people migrate
  • the impact of migration on people and places
  • how telling stories of migration can build compassion and understanding.

Through the learning experiences within this unit of inquiry, we are learning to empathise with people and their stories, both known and unknown. We are learning to take notes and synthesise ideas. We respond to written and visual texts, identify keywords and phrases and convey our ideas succinctly. We are learning about the many different internal and external reasons people migrate. We are discovering the impact of migration on people, communities, and the environment. We are learning that it is essential to listen to other people’s stories before making judgements.

Later in the term, we begin a very hands-on inquiry under the trans-disciplinary theme of ‘How the World Works’.

The central idea is that: Design of structures is influenced by a variety of factors.

Lines of inquiry:

This unit is an inquiry into:

  • principles that underpin the design of structures
  • the influence of the environment on the design & construction of structures
  • how technology influences design and construction.

We will be learning about different materials and how they are suited to different environments and how types of environments might influence design. We will research design principles and put them into practice. We will examine how technology has greatly influenced how the design process has changed. During the unit, we will be hypothesising, planning, and testing. We’ll collaborate and work in teams throughout the design process, becoming designers, scientists, and engineers.

Literacy

Reading remains our priority throughout this term. We have an incredible, healthy culture of reading for pleasure, relaxation and inspiration established in Year 6. We are currently sharing in the class novel A Long Walk to Water and tapping back into the sequel to Pax whenever we can find the time. Students can read non-fiction articles each week, which become the focus of analysis and comprehension practice. In our differentiated reading groups, we hone in on the main idea of a text, the author’s purpose, and various concepts such as sub-text, bias and intent.

Our focus this term will be on two main writing genres: Narrative and Procedural, which integrate well with our inquiry units. The creative piece will take the form of a first-person narrative written from the perspective of an immigrant. Procedural texts will be written and tested through our design unit, where we will have the opportunity to write instructions for a construction project. We will focus on building vocabulary through glossaries linked to our inquiries and used within writing tasks. Spelling and grammar programs continue to evolve based on individual student needs identified through ongoing review and assessment of work.

This term will provide plenty of opportunities for listening as we enjoy hearing stories of migration via different forms of media. We use various thinking routines to scaffold notetaking and to sort out information and our ideas. Speaking and listening are crucial throughout the Production process; we are listening to direction, to castmates for cues, and we are speaking through the lens of our characters. We recognise that how we speak allows us to connect with our audience.

Mathematics

Throughout this term, we will explore the following areas:

  • Fractions, decimals, and percentages are connected and can be used to represent whole-part relationships. We will build knowledge in…
  • Ordering and comparing fractions, decimals, percentages
  • Operations involving fractions, decimals, percentages
  • Data analysis, including range, mode, median and mean about global statistics and migration
  • Describing relationships between units of measurement (perimeter, area, and volume) and the connection between angles and lines (perpendicular and parallel). During our inquiry unit into design and construction, we will test the theory that the accuracy of the measurement depends on the situation and the precision of the tool

To cement knowledge, we will…

  • revisit the properties of numbers (prime, composite, factors, and multiples)
  • continue to represent numbers, including fractions, decimals and percentages on number lines
  • apply our understanding of the base 10 system when multiplying and dividing decimals
  • convert between metric units of measurement
  • revisit the order of operations

Individual Maths Goals are a regular part of our Maths routine where students have time at school and home to work on areas of focus and need.

We will hold the MMTQ – the Minimbah Maths Talent Quest - this term across the Homestead. Students will investigate a topic of interest and develop a maths-related question that will drive their investigation. The entire process will be documented, from brainstorming ideas to questioning, hypothesising, testing and presenting their findings. At the end of the term, we will hold a Homestead MMTQ expo to allow the students to share their learning with the school community.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent Parent/Teacher/Student conferences. They are a valuable experience for us all and allow us to be on the same page and set goals for the remainder of the year.

Please see below for some photos from the classroom and the Production workshops over recent weeks.

We look forward to sharing the juggernaut that is Production with you in the coming weeks. Chookas to everyone!

JACQUI AND JONNO
Year 6 classroom teachers