Welcome to Year 4!

4MT – Miss Thomas

4BK – Miss Broadbent and Mrs Kittendorf

4JH – Mr Haslam

TAs: Mrs Ridgway and Mrs Croston (split across three classes)

Autumn 1

We begin the year by looking at poetry. This year we began by creating our own monsters and recapping our Year 3 descriptive writing. Our main topic for this half term is ‘Protecting our World’. During this topic, we will be exploring the books ‘Tale of a Toothbrush.’ During English lessons, we will be focusing on using direct speech when producing a narrative story, and developing our editing skills through improving vocabulary. Through our topic lessons, there will be a focus on science and geography. We will learn about the states of matter, the water cycle, polar biomes, including the Arctic region, and the health of our planet. In art lessons, we will look David Hockney and focus on the arrival of Spring. Children will create their own version titled the arrival of autumn. Later in the term, during Black History Month, we will research a significant Black History figure and will write a biography about their influential life and significance today. In maths, we will be focusing on number and place value with numbers up to 10,000. Throughout the year, there is a strong focus on times tables, with the expectation that children are fluent up to 12x12 by the end of Summer 1. In RE, we will be focusing on Christianity and will consider the big question: ‘What is it like to follow God?’. We will study the story of Abraham and Sarah to consider how they had faith in God.

Autumn 2

Following on from our Autumn 1 topic, this half term, we continue thinking about how to ‘Protect our World’. The books we will focus on in English are ‘A Planet full of Plastic’ and ‘Tidy’. During English lessons, we will start by writing a formal, persuasive letter. We will be focusing on sentence structure, using fronted adverbials, and descriptive vocabulary. Through our topic lessons, there will be a continued focus on science and geography. We will learn about living things and their habitats, climate change and sustainability. In maths, we will be focusing on addition and subtraction. Throughout the year, there is a strong focus on times tables, with the expectation that children are fluent up to 12x12 by the end of Summer 1. In RE, we will be focusing on Christianity and will explore the concept of ‘Incarnation’ and what this means to Christians. We will also consider the big question: ‘What does it mean to be a Christian in Britain today?’ in our main lessons.

Spring 1

In the new year, we focus on ‘The Digestive System’. During this topic, there is a science focus, learning about our digestive system, with a particular focus on teeth. We also explore food chains during this term. Throughout this term, we will look at the book ‘Voices in the Park’ and will create a narrative piece of writing, with a focus on the key features of a diary entry, verb tenses, sentence openers and conjunctions. We also explore the poem ‘The Winter’, and focus on the key features and language such as metaphors, personification and similes. We end this term as detectives, investigating the mysterious event that occurs in the book ‘Tuesday’. Our findings are reported in a journalistic newspaper report! We will carry out a DT cooking project this half term, learning how to adapt a recipe. In maths, we will look at perimeter and area, then move onto multiplication and division. Throughout the year, there is a strong focus on times tables, with the expectation that children are fluent up to 12x12 by the end of Summer 1. In RE, we will be focusing on Buddhism and will consider the big question: ‘What is good and challenging about being a Buddhist in Britain today?’

Spring 2

This half term, we begin to consider the question ‘What makes Great Britain great?’. We begin our first history topic, on the Romans. We begin the term reading the book ‘You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Soldier’ and create an informal letter about life as a Roman soldier. In history lessons, each week we consider a ‘big question’ about this period, for example: ‘How did the Roman army help to expand the Roman Empire?’ In DT, we look at textiles where the children create their own Roman coin purses. In maths, we will look at fractions, and begin our unit on decimals. Throughout the year, there is a strong focus on times tables, with the expectation that children are fluent up to 12x12 by the end of Summer 1. In RE, we will be focusing on Christianity, and the unit ‘Salvation’, considering the big question: ‘Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’?’

Summer 1

This half term, we continue to discuss the question ‘What makes Great Britain great?’. We begin our second history topic, on the Anglo-Saxons. Throughout English lessons, we explore the Norse myth ‘Arthur and the Golden Rope’. We write our own alternative myth, based on Arthur’s adventures, focusing on using dialogue and varying sentence openers and types, to engage the reader. We end the term looking at Anglo-Saxon poetry, with a specific focus on kennings. In history lessons, each week we consider a ‘big question’ about this period, for example: ‘How did the Anglo-Saxons find out about Christianity?’ In maths, we will continue to look at decimals, and then money and time. Throughout the year, there is a strong focus on times tables, with the expectation that children are fluent up to 12x12 by the end of this term. In RE, we will be focusing on Christianity, considering the big question: ‘Why is Jesus inspiring to some people?’

Summer 2

This half term, we end our topic ‘What makes Great Britain great?’. We begin our third history topic, on the Vikings. Throughout English lessons, we will explore the book ‘How to be a Viking’, reviewing the year 4 writing objectives and rewriting the narrative story. In history lessons, each week we consider a ‘big question’ about this period, for example: ‘What is Dane Law?’. During STEM week, we explore sound and electricity. In maths, we will end year 4 learning about statistics and geometry. Children are expected to be fluent in their times tables up to 12x12 by this point in year 4. In RE, we will be considering different beliefs and religions that we have previously studied, through discussing the big question: ‘Why do some people think that life is a journey? What significant experiences mark this?’

How to support your child in maths:

Children will complete their multiplication tables check in the summer term. To best support your child at home, please encourage them to practise their times tables using the following links. Regular daily practise will be highly beneficial for your child. Thank you for your support.

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth 

Hit the Button - Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds (topmarks.co.uk)

Multiplication Tables with times tables games

The day began with all of Year 4 in the hall for an introduction from “Maximus” followed by a storied timeline covering: Romulus and Remus, Julius Caesar, Caligula, Claudius's invasion of Britain concluding with Boudica's revolt. After break time the children then had the opportunity to experience 3 fun, educational and engaging activities in classroom. The children took part in an interactive quiz, Delta – a game of skill played by the Romans with a little mental maths thrown in – and an artefact talk and handling session. After lunch, Year 4 returned to the hall for an interactive talk on Roman weapons and warfare. We ended the day with the students recreating the battle of Watling Street.

During our Commando Joe sessions, we were warriors and had to complete challenges as a team to escape the brutal Roman capture. We completed missions that involved building a Roman soldier training camps, running away from Roman capture and how to collect and protect food in the wild. We used teamwork, communication, empathy and resilience to make these sessions fun and enjoyable!

During our outdoor learning this term we have explored our outdoor area. We have learnt about how to keep safe outside whilst also having a great time. We have played games in the mud, made stick photo frames, created fire pits and learn about wood knife safety. During our outdoor learning this term we have explored our outdoor area. We have learnt about how to keep safe outside whilst also having a great time. We have played games in the mud, made stick photo frames, created fire pits and learn about wood knife safety.

Year 4 pupils have taken part in a Reading Celebration run by Warwickshire Schools Library Service where they were asked to borrow and read any four books from their local library and record their thoughts in a specially designed Reading Log. A team of four pupils were selected to attend a Final Celebration Event to take part in a fun, book related quiz and activities, competing against other schools in the County, where they won! Congratulations Year 4 🙂

Today, Severn Trent came to our school to educate us on how to keep our water clean and safe. We were taught about the journey of water from the sky through the pipes to the factories and how this is then cleaned for us to drink. We ended by a workshop in our classroom to measure out water and think about how we can cut our usage down. We were taught some fun water saving tips and tricks, and what we need to do to protect our planet and keep our water clean. 

The children were given the question 'Where is the best place for a wind turbine in Bedworth?'. The children walked around their local area using anemometers to measure the strength of the wind. They also interviewed the public to ask for their opinion on fossil fuels,  renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The children followed maps to complete their journey.