Year 6 investigate blood vessels

Year 6 have been learning about the circulatory system and how it is made up of the heart, blood vessels and blood.

This week they investigated which substances could pass through different materials. This represented the crossing of substances in blood through blood vessel walls.

What is the function of blood? What are the different components of blood? Why do these components need to be able to travel through blood vessel walls?

The Blitz

What do you think it would have been like to have lived in London during the Blitz?

Circulatory system

This term Year 6 have been learning about the heart and the circulatory system. This week we got to look at some real hearts. We used different tools to explore the parts of the heart and how blood enters and exits the heart.

What did you find out by looking at a real heart?

What questions do you still have about the heart and circulatory system?

The littlest hobo

Where do you think the robot came from?

Why do you think it is alone in the woods?

How can you tell that it is lonely?

Challenge question

Does the film remind you of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and why?

Halloween maths

Last night a pupil in Year 5 commented that she couldn't think of any maths to do with Halloween. 

How about these?

Last night I hollowed out a pumpkin and placed it outside my front door for Halloween. 

1. Estimate how many seeds you think I found inside.

2. How much do you think my pumpkin weighed before and after?

3. What do you think is the circumference of the pumpkin? 

When you have finished answering them, post your own maths problems about Halloween for everyone to solve.

Creative writing challenge: 1

To start the new term we are introducing the first in a new series of story writing challenges for all pupils in KS2. We are looking for you to continue the story below. Aim to write as much as you can and remember, if you haven't finished you can always end your comment with To be continued. Simply publish your comment and then continue at a later date.

So Year 3 sharpen your pencils, Year 4 ready your quills, Year 5 dust off your bureau and Year 6 get ready to type. The challenge begins!



Harry Shepherd opened his eyes and gazed up at his bedroom ceiling. He crinkled his eyes up and yawned, then rubbed the sleep from them and sat on the edge of his bed. The previous evening his mum had opened the window slightly, letting a gentle breeze through. Mrs Shepherd knew that her son preferred it when the house was cool at night.

However, when Harry sat on the edge of his bed, his room was not cool: it was freezing! Harry shivered, pulling his Spiderman duvet over his bare legs. “What on Earth?” he muttered to himself. There was a gale blowing through his bedroom window. Thinking that it must be an extremely windy day, Harry walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a jumper. Pulling the jumper down over his head, Harry strolled over to the open window. He drew back the red curtains expecting to see the leaves blowing all over their garden. Maybe even the garden furniture had blown over like it had last time the weather was bad.

The sight that met Harry as he gazed out of the window was certainly not what he had expected …

Now continue the story. Make sure you use a range of punctuation and try hard to make your writing interesting and believable. You might find it useful to think about the following questions:

What did Harry see what he looked out of the window?
How do you think he felt when he looked out?
Why might Harry not have realised what was happening sooner?
Of all the possessions you have in your house?
Which are the most important to you?
If you could afford to buy everything that you ever wanted, what would you buy?
Would buying all of these things mean that you were happy?

KS2 Maths Challenge: No 5

Two girls and two boys can play tennis.

Nathan said: "I will only play if Zoe plays".
Zoe said: "I won't play if Destin is playing".
Destin said: "I won't play if Mory or Laura plays".
Mory said: "I will only play if Monica plays".
Monica said: "I don't mind who I play with".

Which two boys and which two girls play tennis?

Year 6 become paleontologists

Year 6 have had an exciting start to their Science topic Evolution. During a lesson about how fossils are formed everyone had the chance to make a fossil. A week later, it was time to excavate! Like all good paleontologists we used a range of tools to carefully uncover the fossils.

What questions would you ask a paleontologist?

What do you know about fossils already?

Colour Poems

Year 6 have been enjoying poems from Cosmic Disco, our class poetry text by Grace Nichols. Last

week we wrote and performed our own versions of the poem When the colours spoke.

What colour do you think is most important? Why?

Could you write a line or stanza that persuades others why your colour is most important?

Poetry please

This term we will be exploring lots of different poems. 

What poems have you read?

What is your favourite poem and why?

Blog for victory

So we begin another year of blogging. Welcome to all the children in Year 3, who will be
commenting on the Hill Mead  KS2 blog for the first time. Just like last year, each Year group will have a blogging supremo. Someone who you can go to for all your blogging needs. So start thinking about ideas for new posts. They could be about the Maths, English or Topic work you are doing in class. Mr Highman, Miss Thilthorpe, Mr Amiss and Miss Smith are all really looking forward to reading your comments and sharing all your ideas and work online. So ...

Ready, Steady, BLOG!

Year 6 Memories: Part 2

Carry on camping

We have just come back from our residential.

Tell the rest of the school what we did there.

What activities were there?

What did you enjoy the most?

Did you overcome any fears?

Year 6 Memories: Part 1

KS2 Maths Challenge: No 4

The pages in this pupil's book are numbered from 1.

The page numbers have a total of 555 digits.

How many pages has the book?
How many of the digits are a 5?

KS2 Maths Challenge: No 3

Make up a story that fits the graph above.

Foreign tongues

Knowing more than one language is extremely good for you. It opens you up to new friends and jobs as well as making you a better learner.

Tell me about yourself in a different language.

Specialist vocabulary

When we are discussing parliament, the Mayor, and the government we use a lot of specialist language.

Can you think of any examples of specialist vocabulary that we might use?

Can you explain it in your own words?

What do you think about other children's explanations?

Truth, lies and democracy

Use the internet and your own knowledge to write two facts about the Houses of Parliament.

But mix these facts with one lie which you think sounds like believable.

Can you spot the truth from the lies?

Our favourite fairy tales

What's your favourite part of your fairy tale?
Write it in the comments below.

Then look at your classmates' favourite bits in the comments.

What do you like about them? What do you think they could do to improve them?