Grade 6
Reading – Can You See Me?
This week, Grade 6 students commenced our new class novel, Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. The novel follows Tally, an 11-year-old girl who is autistic and beginning a new school. Through Tally’s experiences, students are exploring themes of friendship, belonging, difference, acceptance and understanding how people may experience the world in different ways.
During the first 10 chapters, students are introduced to Tally, her family and her experiences at school. We begin to understand that Tally sees, hears and experiences situations differently from many of the people around her. Students are exploring the challenges Tally faces when communicating and navigating friendships, as well as the strategies she uses to manage situations that can feel overwhelming. The opening chapters provide opportunities for students to consider perspective, empathy and the importance of accepting people for who they are.
Students will continue developing their reading skills by making predictions, analysing characters, identifying themes and using evidence from the text to support their ideas.
Writing – Persuasive Writing
In Writing, students are putting their persuasive writing skills into practice by tackling a topic close to school life:
“Why should Grayling Primary School have a therapy dog?"
Students are developing arguments, considering their audience and using persuasive devices to convince the reader of their point of view. They are learning how to structure a strong persuasive piece, including an introduction, clear arguments, supporting evidence and a powerful conclusion.
Students will also explore how emotive language, rhetorical questions, statistics, examples and persuasive vocabulary can make their arguments more convincing.
Maths – Measurement
Our Mathematics focus has shifted to the metric system of measurement. Students are learning about different units and how they are used to measure the world around us.
We are exploring:
- Length – millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres
- Mass – grams and kilograms
- Capacity – millilitres and litres
- Volume – cubic units and measuring the space objects occupy
- Converting between metric units – understanding how and when to move between different units of measurement
Students are applying their knowledge to practical problems and developing their ability to choose an appropriate unit and measurement strategy.
Humanities – Campaigning for Change
In Humanities, Grade 6 students are becoming campaigners for change!
Students have been asked to identify something they would like to change or improve at Grayling Primary School. Working in groups, they are developing their own campaigns and considering issues that matter to them and the wider school community.
Groups are beginning to:
- Identify a problem or issue they would like to change
- Research and gather information
- Develop a clear campaign message
- Identify their target audience
- Create persuasive arguments
- Consider solutions to their chosen issue
- Plan how they can convince others to support their cause
This project is giving students an opportunity to develop their leadership, collaboration, communication and persuasive skills while learning how campaigns can create positive change in a community.