Term 5
Sharing the planet
Resolving conflict may enable humans to live peacefully with one another.
This term, we will conduct an inquiry into:
How conflict affects everyone in society in different ways
How conflicts have changed over time
How conflicts started in different places
Our three key concepts for this term's inquiry will be perspective, change and causation.
This week, Year 6 have learnt all about rationing. One of our lines of inquiry was to find out how conflict affects everyone in society in different ways. We found out that rationing meant that people in the UK were actually treated the same; wealthy people and poor people were all given the same access to food, clothes and building materials (even the royal family)!
Rationing changed many people's lives throughout the war.
In the first two weeks of term, Year 6 learnt about the perspectives of different people during WWII. They imagined what it would be like to hear Neville Chamberlain announce war, and wrote some diary entries, based on how different people would have felt after hearing the news. Children, parents and grandparents all would have had very different thoughts and experiences.
Over the past week, Year 6 have continued to learn about different perspectives of the war. They have learnt about how children were evacuated during the war, and thought about what this would have been like. We realised that many children thought they were going on holiday, and didn't know how long they would be apart from their parents. Year 6 have begun writing evacuation stories, based on what they've learnt. The photos below show some early drafts; please click on the photo to see a larger version. We can't wait to show you the finished stories!
Year 6 created some beautiful artwork inspired by the Blitz! Have a look at these fabulous examples.
To learn more about the Blitz, watch this video clip from the BBC website.
Earlier this term, we learnt about the different types of air raid shelters used during the war. Anderson shelters were built in gardens; their corrugated metal exterior kept the people inside safe from flying rubble. In contrast, Morrison shelters were built inside a person's house. They were designed to look like a large dining table, but had metal beams and wire to protect people during an air raid. We were surprised to hear that lots of people slept in their shelters most nights, despite how uncomfortable it was!
In DT, we have created models of these shelters. We developed so many skills during this process, such as measuring and cutting wood, strengthening and securing structures and cutting and moulding wire. Here are some photos of the process (and yes, both classrooms were beautifully cleared up afterwards)!
Here are some of our finished shelters! We think that they look fantastic!
Here are some of our finished evacuation stories. They have been so well thought through; it is clear to see that we have a fantastic understanding of the perspective of child evacuees during the second world war. Please enjoy reading some of these stories!
Finding my new homeThe evacueeEvacuee storyevacuee story unaLeaving home - New Beginnings Joshua's Evacuee StoryEvacuee story-Carys FThe Evacueethe evacuee storyThe mystery of an evacuee storyThe Lost Hope - an evacuee story