Year 4
'Let your light shine before others, so they see your good works and give glory to God' - Matthew 5 v. 16
Our teacher for this year is Miss Birkett. Our learning support assistants are Ms Davis, Miss Bell and Miss Renard.
Autumn One Learning
Over this term we have much to look forward to. The following information gives you an overview of each subject.
English
This half term the children will be reading and analysing two quality texts. The first fictional story will be Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl and the second will be Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman. When focusing on Fantastic Mr Fox, the children will be writing and performing their own play using the narrative of the chapter book. When reading and exploring Odd and the Frost Giants, the children will work towards writing a Norse myth focusing on effective characterisation, linking dialogue and interweaving speech and action. They will then create their own mythological creature, based on Viking versions, and write a report.
SPaG
Each week, the children will continue to have a spelling, punctuation, and grammar lesson. Every Friday, the children will be tested on their weekly spellings. Within the week, there will be an opportunity for the children to revisit these spellings ahead of the test.
Year 3 & 4 Spelling ListHigh Frequency Word Mat.
Maths
In Maths, we will start the year by revisiting place value. We will now learn to recognise the value of each digit in a 4-digit number; order and compare numbers beyond 1000; count in multiples of 1000 and find numbers which are 1000 more or less than a given number. These skills will be useful when we then move on to Addition & Subtraction of 4-digit numbers, with and without exchanges. Throughout all of these, we will look to apply our knowledge to solve a range of both numerical and reasoning problems.
Science
In science the children will be learning about sound and how sound is made and detected. Throughout this half term the children will take part in a number of scientific experiments.
Key knowledge for the topic:
Sounds are made when objects vibrate. This makes the air around the object vibrate and the air vibrations then travel to and enter your ear. Sound is detected when the vibrations enter your ear and send messages to your brain
Sound waves can travel through solids (such as metal, stone and wood), liquids (such as water) and gases (such as air).
Sound can travel through solids, liquids and gases. Sound travels as a wave, vibrating the particles in the medium it is travelling in. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum.
Pitch is a measure of how high or low a sound is. A whistle being blown creates a high-pitched sound. A rumble of thunder is an example of a low-pitched sound.
Useful Link:
Spanish
In Spanish this half term, the children will be learning the names of animals, will classroom instructions and other instructions and parts of the body.
Geography
In Geography, our focus this term will be on Rivers. We will start by identifying what rivers are, where they lie in the water cycle, and how they are formed. After this, we will look to expand our locational knowledge of rivers around the world, before looking at the causes and effects that human pollution has on rivers and their local ecology. Given our close proximity to the River Thames, this unit will provide us with an excellent opportunity to undertake some fieldwork to better understand the features of the Thames, but also the problems it faces from the dense human population on its banks.
History
Anglo-Saxon & Viking Knowledge Organiser
Anglo-Saxon Britain will be the stage of our History studies this term. This unit will help us understand how the languages and cultures of the British Isles have been influenced by the invasion of historic peoples from other regions. We will first look at the state of Britain after the romans and the reasons for the eventual Saxon invasion. We will then explore the Saxon way of life and the changes that came with it. Lastly, we will look at key figures of the time, such as King Alfred, and identify the meaning behind the naming of the Dark Ages.
Art
The children will begin the year by studying Pop Art by Andy Warhol. The children will begin by recapping their portrait drawing skills by sketching facial features with accurate proportions. They will then use tracing paper to copy their portraits and then print them several times to replicate the style of Warhol. The children will use bold, block colours throughout this unit and will incorporate the use of onomatopoeias.
Pop art is a style of art based on simple, bold images of everyday items, such as soup cans, painted in bright colours. Pop artists created pictures of product labels and packaging, photos of celebrities, comic strips, and animals.
RE
People of God Knowledge Organiser
The big question that we will be exploring in RE up until half term is ‘how did belief in God affect the actions of people in the Old Testament?’ In order to do so, we will discussing what is meant by the term ‘People of God’, and revisit the stories of key biblical figures, such as Abraham. Furthermore, we will look at how these stories impact the lives of believers, and in turn shape their actions.
RSHE
Being Me in My World is our first unit for RSHE in Year 4. We will look to understand the thoughts and feelings we feel when we are in a team, and the importance role we each play within our school community. This will be helpful when we then start to explore the idea of democracy, and the need to give all members of our community a voice.
Computing
We are software developers Knowledge Organisers
In Computing, we will be taking on the role of software developers as we look to create an educational computer game using selection and repetition. We will need to use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work. As we build them, we will also be evaluating their performance to detect and correct errors in the program as necessary.
PE
The children will have their PE lessons with Mr Maura. This term our lessons will be on a Wednesday and Thursday.
