Fantastic 4

Term 2 Week 6

Year 6 Newsletter

Welcome to Week 6 of Term 2!

Literacy:

This term, students have been developing their skills in writing information reports. An information report is a type of non-fiction writing that presents facts about a particular topic. It may focus on animals, places, people, or objects, with the aim of informing the reader clearly and accurately.

To support this learning, we have been explicitly modelling how to construct an effective information report as a class. Using an angler fish as our focus, students observed how to research, plan, and organise factual information before turning it into a structured piece of writing. Together, we explored how to write an engaging introduction, group related ideas into paragraphs, and use appropriate technical vocabulary linked to the topic.

Students are now applying these skills independently by researching and writing their own information reports on a chosen animal. They are using the class model as a guide to help them plan, organise, and publish their writing. As part of this process, students are learning about the key features that make an effective information report. These include:

• A clear title that tells the reader what the report is about• An introduction that provides a general overview of the topic• Organised paragraphs that group similar information together• Subheadings to help structure ideas and guide the reader• Factual information presented in the present tense• Technical vocabulary related to the topic• Images, diagrams, or labelled illustrations to support understanding

Science:

This term in Science, students have been exploring the differences between living, non-living, and once-living things. They have been learning to identify the key characteristics of living things, including their need for food, water, and air, and have been practising how to group and classify items from the world around them based on these features.

Students have also been investigating the life cycles of plants and animals, developing an understanding of how living things grow and change over time. They have compared a range of life cycles, including those of insects, mammals, and plants, and have begun to recognise that some living things undergo dramatic transformations, while others change more gradually.

A key focus of this unit has been understanding that offspring are similar to their parents, but not identical. This has helped students identify patterns in how living things grow, change, and reproduce.

To further support both our Science and Literacy learning, students recently attended an excursion to Melbourne Zoo. This experience provided students with the opportunity to observe a variety of living things up close, deepening their understanding of classification, habitats, and life cycles, while also inspiring their information report writing. It was wonderful to see students so engaged and excited about their learning throughout the day.

Phonics focus for the term:

Week	Phonics Focus	Example
Week 6	BIO & RUPT	Biography, erupt
Week 7	RUPT	Corrupt, abrupt
Week 7	RUPT	Interrupt, bankrupt
Week 8	ZOO & Homophones	There, their
Week 9	Homophones	Practise, practice
Week 10	Tract	Tractor, extract