Year 6 Assembly: Budding Researchers

During their most recent assembly, Infants and Juniors heard about the Independent Research that Year 6 pupils have been working on this term. It was an inspiring and informative talk, where the class walked through the process of researching and developing their projects. 

Beginning with the process of choosing a topic, the children emphasised the importance of choosing subject matter that, first and foremost, they were really interested in, because they would be working on it over the course of several weeks. They also warned against picking too broad a topic (like ‘Space’), pointing out that it’s better to take a smaller topic and think about answering an interesting question about it. The class noted that the process of choosing a topic proved tricky at first but during some Enrichment sessions, Librarian Mrs Pilkington and Year 6 Teacher Mrs Parkinson helped the class by defining four types of questions that helped as a starting point for a research project: Compare and Contrast, Explain, Define, and Discuss. 

The children then talked about the importance of making sure that there would be plenty of information available for them to research their topic. Sources of information could include books, the Internet, primary sources (like an interview with grandparents), or visiting relevant places of interest. Throughout the presentation, Infants and Juniors heard about some of the topics that Year 6 are working on. Among them are ‘Explain what you know about very rare and expensive Lego figures,’ ‘Compare and Contrast Strong Female Characters from Harry Potter,’ ‘Compare and Contrast the Dog Rose with Catmint,’ ‘Discuss wartime life for children in the UK,’ ‘Explain what zodiac signs are and their personalities,’ ‘Define BMX cycling and Slope Style’ and ‘Discuss the life and career of Kobe Bryant.’ Such a diverse array of topics, and we can’t wait to hear more!