On this page, you can read about the staff working with your children, find out what topics are being covered and find useful information for supporting your child at home. These pages will be updated regularly. You will also find photographs of your children at work!
Welcome to your new class- we hope you had a lovely break and we are looking forward to a great first term with you all.
Our main focus in maths this term is Place Value.
We are learning to identify the value of each digit within a number, place numbers up to 10,000 on a number line and rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. We will be using a range of resources to support understanding of place value.
To support with this at home, children can continue to practise these strategies by logging on to IXL and TTRockstars.
We will begin with adding and subtracting numbers with up to 4 digits. Within this, we will look at formal written methods for these calculations, as well as learning how to estimate and use the inverse to check answers. We will also learn about mental strategies we could use to be more efficient with our calculations.
Towards the end of term, we will be learning to use formal written methods to multiply and divide numbers. Within this unit, we will continue to practise strategies for learning multiplication and division facts up to 12 x 12. We will also be linking this knowledge with understanding how to find the area of a shape.
We will start this term learning how to read and write the time using analogue and digital clocks. We will also learn how to convert the time between 12 and 24-hour clock.
We will also be learning to use formal written methods to multiply and divide 2 and 3 digit numbers. We will use our knowledge of the times tables up to 12 and apply these to bigger numbers.
The focus this term is fractions. We will be learning to count in tenths and hundredths and find the equivalent decimals of these. We will also be adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. We will be comparing and ordering mixed numbers, understanding improper fractions and identifying equivalent fractions on a number line.
This term, we will mainly focus on shape. We will start by finding the perimeter of regular and irregular shapes, as well as working out strategies for finding the missing lengths.
We will also be learning about different types of triangles and quadrilaterals and the properties of each of these. We will also be finding lines of symmetry in regular and irregular shapes.
We will start this term writing autobiographies. Our main focus is to ensure we structure our sentences accurately with capital letters and full stops. We will then build on this by adding conjunctions to connect our sentences.
We will also be writing setting descriptions of an African landscape. Our focus will be using adventurous vocabulary, with a particular focus on expanded noun phrases to set the scene for the reader.
Towards the end of term, we will be learning to write diary entries as we put ourselves in the shoes of 'Anglo-Saxon Boy'.
Spellings:
We are following the Read, Write Inc Scheme which has a different focus each week. The children get to practise their new skills in a number of separate lessons across the week.
We will start this term looking at a film clip of a journey through a Viking village. We will be using adjectives to create expanded noun phrases and learning about how to add prepositions to explain where something is. These will then be used to create our own setting and character descriptions. We will also be linking this with our class text of How to Train Your Dragon.
Towards the end of the term, we will be writing newspaper articles all about the battle of Hastings. This is when William the Conqueror won the battle and became king and put an end to the Anglo-Saxon/Viking rule. This will include learning how to write direct and reported speech and ensuring our writing is formal.
We will be using 'The Shirt Machine' as inspiration for designing our own inventions. We will use these to create a set of instructions to use our machine. We will then be creating a persuasive advert to persuade someone to buy our new product. Following on from this, we will be continuing to use our persuasive language to write a letter to persuade a company to buy and sell our new invention to their customers.
Towards the end of the term, we will be writing a setting description and diary entries from the perspective of a Borrower. This will be creative writing, using adjectives, adverbs and expanded noun phrases.
We will be using Egyptian Cinderella as our writing focus to start with this term. We will be using expanded noun phrases and descriptive language to write our own versions of the story.
We will then put ourselves in the shoes of Howard Carter, the man who reportedly discovered the elaborate tomb of Tutankhamun. We will be writing diary entries from the day of discovery and formal letters back home to explain what we have found.
We will begin this unit of work with The Rhythm of the Rain which follows the story of a boy called Isaac, who lives by a river. He empties his jar of water, which ends up travelling through lovely countryside and murky cities and ends up in Africa with a girl called Cassi. We will be writing setting descriptions to show a contrast between the two locations, as well as letters to detail what water means to those living in different parts of the world.
We will also be writing diary entries from the points of view of characters from The Explorer. They are very scared after their plane crashes in the middle of the Amazon rainforest.
We will end the term writing non-fiction explanation texts about the water cycle, linked with our learning in science.
We will be learning about the 7 kingdoms named by the Anglo-Saxons when they defeated Britain and how many of them are still used as our county names today. We will explore the reasons for the Anglo-Saxons staying in Britain after defeating the king and his army. We will also investigate how people's lives changed when they first brought Christianity over from Northern Europe. We will finish our topic investigating just how great Alfred the Great really was.
Our topic in term 2 is the Vikings. We will be learning all about where they came from and how they travelled over to Britain on longboats. We will also be finding out about some of the battles they had against the Anglo-Saxons in the fight for land in England. Throughout the topic, we will be using evidence to help us answer our Big Question of 'Vikings - Heroes or Villains?'
The three main religions we will be covering within this unit are Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism. We will be discussing what we think is meant by life being a 'journey' and reflecting on our own life journeys since birth. We will be finding out what happens at a Christian baptism and why this is important in their faith. We will also find out about Jewish Bar and Bat Mitzvahs which is ceremony performed and celebrated when they turn a particular age.
We will be starting this topic by locating Egypt on a world map, as well as the main areas of Egypt located along the river Nile. We will be researching what daily life was like for ancient Egyptians. During our Egyptian day, we will be looking at death masks, Tutankhamun's in particular, and making elaborate jewellery. Towards the end of the term, we will be finding out about the process of mummification and what the ancient Egyptians believed happened to a person after death depending on how rich they were.
This term, we are learning all about the water cycle. This will link with our learning in science about properties of materials and how they can change state. We will look at the processes of evaporation and condensation and then end with precipitation, where the water ends up back on the ground and the process starts again.
In RE, we will be learning about what it means to be Hindu. We will be learning about how Hindus show their faith, particularly in Britain in the modern world. We will also be discussing why Mahatma Ghandi is perceived as a Hindu hero.
Our class text this term is How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.
This is an adventure story set in a fictional Viking world. It is the first book in a series of 12 and they focus on the experiences of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third (son to the chief Viking) as he overcomes obstacles on his journey of "becoming a hero the hard way". This text has been chosen for its fantastic description, humour and use of Year 4 writing objectives, such as expanded noun phrases and adverbs.
If you enjoy this book, here are some suggestions of other books you might like to read.
This term, we are reading the classic children's novel, The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. It features a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house, who "borrow" from the big people in order to survive.
It is a humorous story, but also has themes of collaboration and resilience when the family need to work together to survive.
Our text this term is Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll. It is a beautifully written adventure that weaves the history and mystery of Ancient Egypt into the daring adventures of a young girl called Lilian. It follows her quest to return a mysterious jar to Egypt after Lillian's grandfather's request. They go on an epic adventure by boat and train and get into trouble along the way.
This term, we will be reading The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. It tells the tale of two main characters, Fred and Conn, along with a Brazilian girl (Lila) and her little brother Max, who they meet along the way. All four children find themselves lost in the Amazon rainforest after a plane crash.
The story has many unexpected twists in their race to be reunited with their families. We get to know the characters more as the story goes on and find out that they have very different backgrounds, but eventually all learn to appreciate each other for who they are.
Our topic this term is Living Things and Their Habitats. The children will be learning all about how we can group animals in a variety of ways, including whether they are vertebrates or invertebrates, their features and which habitats they can be found in. They will be learning to use keys to classify animals into specific groups.
We will be exploring what habitats can be found in our local area and identifying and naming a variety of animals that can be found in each.
We will finish our topic by learning about how environments can change and what effect this has on some animals and their habitats.
This term we will be learning all about sound. We will be investigating how a sound travels to your ear. We will also investigate how loud and quiet sounds are made as well as setting up our own enquiry to find out what happens to a sound the further away from the source you are and why.
We will be learning all about which appliances run on mains electricity and which appliances are battery-powered. We will be making our won circuits and testing whether we can make a light bulb light up when our circuit is complete. Towards the end of the term, we will be investigating whether different materials are conductors or insulators of electricity by testing whether or not the lightbulb in a circuit still turns on.
This term in our science lessons, we will be learning about different materials and how they can be grouped according to their characteristics (e.g. solid, liquid, gas). We will be investigating how materials can change state and what happens to a gas when it is heated.
We will then finish the term by looking at the process of the water cycle and how solids, liquids and gases play a big part in this. We will consolidate our understanding of this by completing an investigation into whether the location of a puddle affects how quickly it evaporates.