Year 6 Curriculum Guide

All learning at our school is based around the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (PYP), an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework.

Throughout the year, students will be guided through six Units of Inquiry of global significance, providing opportunities to broaden their learning by developing their conceptual understandings, strengthening their knowledge and skills across, between and beyond subject areas.

The following six Units of Inquiry will be explored throughout the year. Each unit is developed around a concept, a Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry.

In Year 6, students partake in the PYP Exhibition (PYPx). The PYPx is a culminating, collaborative experience in their final year of the PYP. It is a process for all Year 6 students to explore, document and share their understandings of an issue of their choosing or something of personal significance. The unit that is the basis of the PYPx is the Sharing the Planet unit (see details below).

Central Idea: Knowledge of ourselves and the impact of our interactions helps us to flourish

An inquiry into:

• Myself: My health and wellbeing
• Interactions: My relationships with others and my sense of belonging
• Growth: The impact on my learning and development

Unit timing: All year

Central Idea: Humans have different theories about the origins of life 人類有不同關於生命的起源的理論

An inquiry into:

• Origin stories 起源故事
• The evolution of life on Earth 地球生命的進化
• Why humans inquire into the past 為什麼人類要探究過去

Unit timing: Term One

Central Idea: Individuals and organisations are working to create a more sustainable world 個人和組織正在努力創造一個更可持續的世界

An inquiry into:

• Sustainable Development Goals 可持續發展目標
• Case Study (NGOS in HK) 個案研究（香港的非政府組織）
  
• The United Nations 聯合國
  

Unit timing: Term Two

Central Idea: Taking action can leave a legacy in a community 採取行動能為社區留下遺產

An inquiry into:

• Connecting own passions to ATLS and SDGs 連結熱情與學習方法和可持續
  
• Planning sustainable action 規劃可持續行動發展目標
  
• Taking action in the community 在社區採取行動
  
• Reflecting on the impact (legacy) 反思影響（遺產）
  

Unit timing: Term Three

Central Idea: Forces, shapes and materials play an important role in building structures 力、形狀和材料在建築結構中起著重要作用

An inquiry into:

• The basic elements of engineering 工程的基本要素
  
• The connection between forces, shapes & materials 力、形狀和材料之間的聯繫
• How to build strong & stable simple structures 如何建造堅固而穩定的簡單結構

Unit timing: Term Two

Central Idea: Elements of drama are used to communicate messages to an audience 戲劇的元素用於向觀眾傳達信息

An inquiry into:

• The elements of drama 戲劇元素
  
• Collaborating with others during the creative process 在創作過程中與他人合作
  
• Audience awareness 觀眾意識
  

Unit timing: Term One

The development of language is fundamental to all areas of our learning programs. Language helps us communicate our thinking and understanding.

Language is socially constructed - it is dependent on social interactions and relationships. It permeates all subject areas. As such, we view all of our teachers and assistants to be language teachers.

English is our main language of instruction, with Chinese (Mandarin) taught as an additional language.

Our English curriculum is taught via five main strands: speaking and listening, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting and information literacy.

In Year 6, our reading program focuses on developing strategies needed to be an independent reader. Students are taught different comprehension strategies to understand what is written beyond the literal text. These are developed through a mixture of guiding reading, shared reading, read aloud and independent reading sessions.

Students will explore a range of text types: to entertain, to inform and to persuade. Specific writing skills will be developed around how to create a range of informative and persuasive texts.

Our Chinese curriculum is taught via three main strands: speaking and listening, reading and writing. Our Chinese program is taught through three main streams: Chinese Foundation, Chinese Language and Chinese Language and Literature. Traditional characters are used in all streams.

Chinese Foundation focuses on speaking, listening and social Chinese. Students read texts and environmental print and learn to write the most commonly occurring characters.

Chinese Language focuses on Chinese speaking, listening and the reading of longer texts. Students write their own longer pieces of writing.

Chinese Language and Literature focuses on extended reading and writing tasks, using more complex language.

Mathematics is a global language of concepts and symbols through which we make sense of the world around us.

Mathematics is taught through three main stages:

1. Constructing meaning and ideas about a mathematical concept through interactions with objects, discussions, experimentation and play;
2. Transferring these ideas and understandings into symbols;
3. Applying these ideas and understanding in real-life and hands-on problem solving activities.

Mathematics is taught through the strands of number, data, shape and space, measure and problem solving.

In Year 6 students will explore numbers to 10,000,000 and decimals to thousandths. They will explore the relationships between fractions, decimals and percentages. They will apply the column method for adding and subtraction decimals, as well as, multiplying whole numbers. They will learn short division and divisibility rules.

Students will explore the concept of space by using the Cartesian coordinate system. They will measure and classify angles, as well as, the properties of a circle. They will investigate the use of timetables.

Our outdoor learning is a central pillar of our school and a wide range of engaging experiences enable our students to learn about and connect with nature. Students develop specific skills in school and are provided opportunities to apply them during Forest School outings throughout the year.

In Year 6, students will explore a range of land-based, freshwater and coastal environments. They will learn how to identify organisms in a local habitat. Students will also design and create original structures that encourage native fauna to visit the school.

Our PE program from Year 6 focuses on developing fitness and an understanding of four different types of games: target, net/wall, striking/fielding and invasion. Each unit focuses on developing appreciation for the game, different tactics that can be applied, how to make decisions within a game, how to apply a range of skills and performance.

Wellbeing is another central pillar of our school. Throughout our wellbeing program, our students explore relationships, identity and aspects of health (physical, social, emotional and spiritual). Our wellbeing program also teaches our students about child protection, anti-bullying and mindfulness strategies.

In Year 6, students will explore the complexity of own evolving identity, including the impact of media on self-concept and self-worth. They discuss how stereotyping and prejudice can lead to misconceptions. They will explore ways to manage the changes that come with with puberty. They will learn strategies in dealing with bullying, discrimination and harassment, including what to do as a bystander. Students will learn about nutrition, as well as, the importance of sleep, physical activity and mindfulness practices.

Our Arts program is taught through four main strands: music, visual arts, drama and dance. Music and visual arts are taught by specialist teachers.

In Music, Year 6 students will learn how to play the angklung and the ukulele. They will explore how to use digital tools to create music. They will read, write and apply a range of notation and time signatures.

In Visual Art, Year 6 students will be provided opportunities to use various artistic elements, techniques and materials appropriate for a concept, theme or subject matter. They will explore how culture, gender, age, time and place impact on how an audience interprets an artwork

In Drama, Year 6 students will perform devised and scripted drama. They will learn how to use props, costumes, instruments and technologies to enhance action, mood and atmosphere. They will be provided opportunities to apply a combination of voice, movement, situation, time, place and tension when developing own dramas.

In Dance, Year 6 students will practise a combination of fundamental movements to refine technical and expressive skills. They will be given opportunities to present their own dance ideas in performance for an intended audience.

Science and Social Studies are primarily taught through the Units of Inquiry (see above).

In Year 6, students will investigate the effects of forces on the shape, strength and stability when building structures. They will also explore the properties of materials during this process. They will inquire into the Big Bang theory, the evolution of the Earth and the Universe, and the pattern of movement of humans ‘out of Africa’ across other continents over time. Students will learn about the role of NGOs and charities and ways they can take sustainable action.

Our technology program is taught through two strands: ICT and Design.

In Year 6, students will use a visual programming language to experiment with different ways of instructing a program or device to make choices and repeat instructions. They will learn about agreed ethical, social and technical protocols when online and how to use referencing conventions when using web-based information sources. They will experiment with camera angles as an effect when creating short films. Students will conduct tests to understand the properties of materials. They will explore the importance of form and function in design. They will test a range of materials, components, tools and equipment to determine the appropriate technologies needed to make products.

• Comprehend information, which is presented to them by teachers, peers, younger students and guest speakers.
• Express ideas, views and questions and appreciate the opinions of others.

• Read and comprehend narrative and information texts with a reading age that corresponds to chronological age or higher.
• Answer various types of comprehension questions, including literal, reorganisation, inferential, evaluative and reaction questions.
• Read a wide range of texts independently and use a range of resources to find information and support inquiry; evaluating sources and synthesising information.

• Adapt writing to inform, entertain or persuade.
• Use academic language when writing to inform or persuade.
• Use figurative language when writing to entertain.
• Use planners and graphic organisers.
• Edit writing, making improvements when necessary.
• Display an awareness of the reader and use a wide variety of sentence structures and punctuation, varying sentences for effect.
• Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed.

• Accurately and fluently apply mental and written strategies when working with whole numbers, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios.
• Begin to use algebraic expressions to record the rules for patterns.
• Find, interpret and compare information from tables, charts and graphs.

• Identify and use scale to transform, reduce and enlarge 2D and 3D shapes.
• Compare and classify geometric shapes based on their properties and sizes and find unknown angles in any triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons.
• Draw, plan, front, side and perspective views of objects.
• Convert between units of measure, using decimals to at least two places.
• Calculate, estimate and compare volume of cubes and cuboids using standard units.

• Work systematically, using visualising strategies and trial and improvement, when investigating authentic Maths scenarios.

To see the Subject Guidance for all subjects from Nursery to Year 6 please click on this link

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Email: info@ichkhly.edu.hk
Website: www.ichkhly.edu.hk
Location: 3 Hong Lok Yuen 20th Street, Hong Lok Yuen, Hong Kong
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