Hello again,
Half term has come at just the right time as Y6 deserve a break following an intense week of assessments. These tests (which are administered only at carefully planned times) are useful in several ways: they allow Y6 to get a feel for the assessments, to bcome familiar with their layout, timings and challenge; they allow for the identification of concepts that require consolidating, both at a class and individual level and also, demonstrate that while challenging, they can be conquered and demonstrate a wide range of important skills.
Away from that, we have listened to an extract from an old radio play about a young lad called Jimmy Turton who was a trapper that worked in the north east down a Victorian coal mine. We have used this "hook" to produce our own tales of Jimmy's first day on the job. We have encouraged use of technical terms such pit head, coal seam and fire damp to lend some authenticity. The children have also been encouraged to use carefully selected colloquialisms in order to make their writing more like the speech of a working class, Geordie lad. They're a great read!
Have a great half term break,
Y6F