Life in the Star Room begins with a flurry of activity as our girls and boys make the final preparations for senior school exams. The autumn term in particular sees the children engaged in highly focussed work, refining their exam technique and confidence by sitting weekly practice papers.
But the Star Room is about much more than exams. It is also about reaching the top of the school and taking on the responsibilities and privileges that come with that. Some of our Star children, for example, become prefects or library monitors; some are asked to act as ambassadors for the school by giving tours to prospective parents; and all of them take great delight in acting as ‘buddy partners’ to children in the Green Room.
During the spring term of course, there comes the much anticipated four-day residential trip and then there is the final Valedictory Service at the Charterhouse Chapel, where we bid a fond farewell to our school leavers.
It all makes for a memorable year, filled with challenges and successes, opportunities and excitement. It is a year that we make sure all of our Star children enjoy.
Please use the links below to download the timetable and curriculum for the Star Room, as well as this term’s letter from the classroom teacher. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
By the end of the Star Room children should be achieving the targets set out in the left hand column. The right hand column is an overview of what the children are working towards at the next stage.
Speaking
Use a range of oral techniques to present persuasive arguments and engaging narratives Participate in whole-class debate using the conventions and language of debate, including standard English Use the techniques of dialogic talk to explore ideas, topics or issues.
Listening & responding
Make notes when listening for a sustained period and discuss how note-taking varies depending on context and purpose Analyse and evaluate how speakers present points effectively through use of language and gesture Listen for language variation in formal and informal contexts Identify the ways spoken language varies according to differences in the context and purpose of its use.
Word structure & spelling
Spell familiar words correctly and employ a range of strategies to spell difficult and unfamiliar words Use a range of appropriate strategies to edit, proofread and correct spelling in their own work, on paper and on screen
Understanding & interpreting texts
Appraise a text quickly, deciding on its value, quality or usefulness Understand underlying themes, causes and points of view Understand how writers use different structures to create coherence and impact Explore how word meanings change when used in different contexts Recognise rhetorical devices used to argue, persuade, mislead and sway the reader.
Engaging & responding to texts
Read extensively and discuss personal reading with others, including in reading groups Sustain engagement with longer texts, using different techniques to make the text come alive Compare how writers from different periods and places present experiences and use language.
Creating & shaping texts
Set their own challenges to extend achievement and experience in writing Use different narrative techniques to engage and entertain the reader In non-narrative, establish, balance and maintain viewpoints Select words and language drawing on their knowledge of literary features and formal and informal writing Integrate words, images and sounds imaginatively for different purposes
Sentence structure & punctuation
Use varied structures to shape and organise text coherently Use paragraphs to achieve pace and emphasis Express subtle distinctions of meaning, including hypothesis, speculation and supposition, by constructing sentences in varied ways Use punctuation to clarify meaning in complex sentences
Presentation
Use different styles of handwriting for different purposes with a range of media, developing a consistent and personal legible style Select from a wide range of ICT programs to present text effectively and communicate information and ideas |
Progressive Year 6/7
Use exploratory, hypothetical and speculative talk as a tool for clarifying ideas Tailor the structure, vocabulary and delivery of a talk or presentation so that it is helpfully sequenced and supported by gesture or other visual aid as appropriate Use standard English consistently in formal situations and promote, justify or defend a point of view using supporting evidence, example and illustration which are linked back to the main argument Listen for and recall the main points of a talk or reading, reflecting on what has been heard to ask searching questions, make comments or challenge the views expressed Identify the main methods used by presenters to explain, persuade, amuse or argue a case, e.g. emotive language Investigate differences between spoken and written language structures
Revise, consolidate and secure knowledge of correct vowel choices, pluralisation, prefixes, word endings and high frequency words Record and learn from personal errors, corrections, investigations, conventions, exceptions and new vocabulary Draw on analogies to known words, roots, derivations, word families, morphology and familiar spelling patterns Locate resources for a specific task, appraising the value and relevance of information and acknowledging sources
Progressive Year 6/7 Read between the lines and find evidence for their interpretation Identify how print, images and sounds combine to create meaning Infer the meanings of unknown words using syntax, context, word structures and origins Identify the ways writers of non-fiction match language and organisation to their intentions Read a range of recent fiction texts independently as the basis for developing critical reflection and personal response Explore the notion of literary heritages and understand why some texts have been particularly influential or significant Write reflectively about a text, distinguishing between the attitudes and assumptions of characters and those of the author and taking account of the needs of others who might read it Independently write and present a text with the reader and purpose in mind Use a range of narrative devices to involve the reader Identify criteria for evaluating a situation, object or event, presenting findings fairly and adding persuasive emphasis to key points Experiment with the visual and sound effects of language, including the use of imagery, alliteration, rhythm and rhyme
Organise ideas into a coherent sequence of paragraphs In non-chronological writing, introduce, develop and conclude paragraphs appropriately Extend their use and control of complex sentences by deploying subordinate clauses effectively Use punctuation to convey and clarify meaning and to integrate speech into longer sentences Use standard English confidently and consistently in formal writing, with awareness of the differences between spoken and written language structures Review the legibility and neatness of their handwriting Set personal targets to improve presentation, using a range of presentational devices, on paper and on screen |
Using & applying mathematics
Solve multi-step problems, and problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages; choose and use appropriate calculation strategies at each stage, including calculator use Tabulate systematically the information in a problem or puzzle; identify and record the steps or calculations needed to solve it, using symbols where appropriate; interpret solutions in the original context and check their accuracy Represent and interpret sequences, patterns and relationships involving numbers and shapes; suggest and test hypotheses; construct and use simple expressions and formulae in words then symbols (e.g. the cost of c pens at 15 pence each is 15c pence) Explain reasoning and conclusions, using words, symbols or diagrams as appropriate
Counting & understanding numbers
Find the difference between a positive and a negative integer, or two negative integers, in context Use decimal notation for tenths, hundredths and thousandths; partition, round and order decimals with up to three places, and position them on the number line Express a larger whole number as a fraction of a smaller one (e.g. recognise that 8 slices of a 5-slice pizza represents or 1 pizzas); simplify fractions by cancelling common factors; order a set of fractions by converting them to fractions with a common denominator Express one quantity as a percentage of another (e.g. express £400 as a percentage of £1000); find equivalent percentages, decimals and fractions Solve simple problems involving direct proportion by scaling quantities up or down
Knowing & using number facts
Use knowledge of place value and multiplication facts to 10 × 10 to derive related multiplication and division facts involving decimals (e.g. 0.8 × 7, 4.8 ÷ 6) Use knowledge of multiplication facts to derive quickly squares of numbers to 12 × 12 and the corresponding squares of multiples of 10 Recognise that prime numbers have only two factors and identify prime numbers less than 100; find the prime factors of two-digit numbers Use approximations, inverse operations and tests of divisibility to estimate and check results
Calculating
Calculate mentally with integers and decimals. Use efficient written methods to add and subtract integers and decimals, to multiply and divide integers and decimals by a one-digit integer, and to multiply two-digit and three-digit integers by a two-digit integer. Relate fractions to multiplication and division (e.g. 6 ÷ 2 = of 6 = 6 × ); express a quotient as a fraction or decimal (e.g. 67 ÷ 5 = 13.4 or 13 ); find fractions and percentages of whole-number quantities (e.g. of 96, 65% of £260) Use a calculator to solve problems involving multi-step calculations
Understanding shapes
Describe, identify and visualise parallel and perpendicular edges or faces; use these properties to classify 2-D shapes and 3-D solids Make and draw shapes with increasing accuracy and apply knowledge of their properties Visualise and draw on grids of different types where a shape will be after reflection, after translations, or after rotation through 90° or 180° about its centre or one of its vertices Use coordinates in the first quadrant to draw, locate and complete shapes that meet given properties Estimate angles, and use a protractor to measure and draw them on their own.
Measuring
Select and use standard metric units of measure and convert between units using decimals to two places (e.g. change 2.75 litres to 2750 ml, or vice versa) Read and interpret scales on a range of measuring instruments, recognising that the measurement made is approximate and recording results to a required degree of accuracy; compare readings on different scales, for example when using different instruments Calculate the perimeter and area of rectilinear shapes; estimate the area of an irregular shape by counting squares
Handling data
Describe and predict outcomes from data using the language of chance or likelihood Solve problems by collecting, selecting, processing, presenting and interpreting data, draw conclusions and identify further questions to ask Construct and interpret frequency tables, bar charts with grouped data, and line graphs; interpret pie charts Describe and interpret results and solutions to problems using the mode, range, median and mean |
Progressive Year 6/7
Solve problems by breaking down complex calculations into simpler steps; choose and use operations and calculation strategies appropriate to the numbers and context; try alternative approaches to overcome difficulties; present, interpret and compare solutions Represent information or unknown numbers in a problem, for example in a table, formula or equation; explain solutions in the context of the problem Generate sequences and describe the general term; use letters and symbols to represent unknown numbers or variables; represent simple relationships as graphs Explain and justify reasoning and conclusions, using notation, symbols and diagrams; find a counter-example to disprove a conjecture; use step-by-step deductions to solve problems involving shapes Compare and order integers and decimals in different contexts Order a set of fractions by converting them to decimals Use ratio notation, reduce a ratio to its simplest form and divide a quantity into two parts in a given ratio; solve simple problems involving ratio and direct proportion (e.g. identify the quantities needed to make a fruit drink by mixing water and juice in a given ratio) Recognise approximate proportions of a whole and use fractions and percentages to describe and compare them, for example when interpreting pie charts
Consolidate rapid recall of number facts, including multiplication facts to 10 × 10 and the associated division facts Recognise the square roots of perfect squares to 12 × 12 Recognise and use multiples, factors, divisors, common factors, highest common factors and lowest common multiples in simple cases Make and justify estimates and approximations to calculations Understand how the commutative, associative and distributive laws, and the relationships between operations, including inverse operations, can be used to calculate more efficiently; use the order of operations, including brackets Consolidate and extend mental methods of calculation to include decimals, fractions and percentages Use standard column procedures to add and subtract integers and decimals, and to multiply two-digit and three-digit integers by a one-digit or two-digit integer; extend division to dividing three-digit integers by a two-digit integer Calculate percentage increases or decreases and fractions of quantities and measurements (integer answers) Use bracket keys and the memory of a calculator to carry out calculations with more than one step; use the square root key
Use correctly the vocabulary, notation and labelling conventions for lines, angles and shapes Extend knowledge of properties of triangles and quadrilaterals and use these to visualise and solve problems, explaining reasoning with diagrams Know the sum of angles on a straight line, in a triangle and at a point, and recognise vertically opposite angles Use all four quadrants to find coordinates of points determined by geometric information Identify all the symmetries of 2-D shapes; transform images using ICT
Convert between related metric units using decimals to three places (e.g. convert 1375 mm to 1.375 m, or vice versa) Solve problems by measuring, estimating and calculating; measure and calculate using imperial units still in everyday use; know their approximate metric values Calculate the area of right-angled triangles given the lengths of the two perpendicular sides, and the volume and surface area of cubes and cuboids
Understand and use the probability scale from 0 to 1; find and justify probabilities based on equally likely outcomes in simple contexts Explore hypotheses by planning surveys or experiments to collect small sets of discrete or continuous data; select, process, present and interpret the data, identify ways to extend the survey or experiment Construct, interpret and compare graphs and diagrams that represent data, for example compare proportions in two pie charts that represent different totals Write a short report of a statistical enquiry and illustrate with appropriate diagrams, graphs and charts, using ICT as appropriate; justify the choice of what is presented |
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