Year Four
Welcome to Year 4’s class page.
Your teacher this year is Mrs E Burghelea and your TA is Mrs S Jackson
My email address is Year4@featherstonewood.herts.sch.uk
Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries or concerns about your child or the work we are doing in class. We are always more than happy to speak to you.
We have PE on Monday afternoon and Thursday lunchtime - please ensure your children have the appropriate kit on these days although we advice parents to check their children have their PE kit in school every day as some sessions happen with very little notice. PE kits can go home Friday afternoon to get washed but must be back the following Monday.
Children go swimming every Wednesday this term. Please make sure children bring swimming kit and a towel to school every Wednesday. They could bing goggles and nose clip if they wish.
Homework will be given out on a Friday and is expected to be handed in by the following Wednesday. We expect children to read at home daily and this should be indicated in their reading diaries. We aim to check diaries daily to remind children about reading.
English
In Writing this term we are doing work based on the book Gorilla by Anthony Browne. Children always start a unit by exploring features of the text and they end the unit by writing a text in the style of the text studied and, depending on the type of the text they could publish or present their edited writing to an audience. Before writing their final piece of writing, children are taught how to write correct single clause and multiclause sentences, how to use fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and, where necessary, how to punctuate speech correctly.
Reading
This term we will explore the collection of folk tales and legends ‘A world full of animal stories’ through a combination of whole class sessions and group sessions where children will have the opportunity to predict, clarify vocabulary, read, retrieve and explain.
All children also have access to ‘Bug Club’ (usernames and passwords are in their reading diaries). Here, they are allocated books, which they can read online which are appropriate to their reading level.
All children are given a reading diary. Our expectation is they read for at least 5-10 minutes every evening. Reading diaries are checked and signed by the teacher or teaching assistant daily. Children can write in their own diaries to indicate they have read at home but I kindly ask parents to check and sign the reading diary. Reading certificates are given out when children have read 25, 50, 75 and 100 books.
Spelling
This term we will:
start the year by assessing our understanding of theYear 1, Year 2 then year 3 and 4 spelling lists and then move on to using our new Spelling scheme ‘ Superhero spellings’
Maths
In Maths this term we are learning Place Value, Addition and Subtraction Mental and Formal strategies, Multiplication and Division Mental and Formal strategies and measurement- area. As part of our fluency sessions, we reinforce what we learn during Maths sessions, we identify and try to address misconceptions from previous years and we practice times tables.
Times tables practice doesn’t have to be boring and you can help your child by encouraging them to visit these websites as often as possible
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Science
In Science this term children learn States of Matter and Water Cycle. The children learn how to:
- recognise everyday substances are solids, liquids or gasses
- compare and group materials according to whether they’re solids, liquids or gasses
- make clear distinctions between the properties of solids, liquids and gases
- observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled
- measure or research the temperate that materials change state
- describe how liquids evaporate to form gases and gases condense to form liquids
- sequence and describe the water cycle
- identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature
- identify a range of contexts where changes take place
Geography
In Geography this term children learn about rivers and England’s regions with a focus on West Midlands. The children learn how to:
- explain what a river is, where it starts and ends and how it forms
- describe the features of the 3 stages of a river
- recall and describe the different features of a river
- name the longest and biggest rivers in the world
- compare England’s longest river, Severn with the world’s longest river Nile (History)
- explain the importance of rivers and the impact of river pollution
- use maps, atlases, globes and digital computing mapping to locate countries and cities in the UK, learn about and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features name and locate regions in England, including West Midlands region
- name and locate counties and cities in West Midlands region
- identify human and physical characteristics, key topographical features(including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers) and land use patterns of West Midlands region
History
In History this term children explore Ancient Egyptian Civilisation. They learn how to:
- create a timeline of Ancient Egypt civilisation
- explain the importance of River Nile for Ancient Egypt civilisation
- explain how Ancient Egyptians changed from being hunters and gatherers to farmers
- use artefacts to understand, investigate and make enquires about ancient Egyptians understand how evidence can give us different answers about the past– Tutankhamun understand the role of religion in the continuity of Ancient Egyptian civilisation
- recall similarities and differences between rich and poor in Ancient Egypt
- name ancient Egyptians inventions that are still used today
Computing
In Computing this term children explore CODING. They learn how to:
- use selection in coding with the ‘if/else’ command
- understand and use variables in 2Code
- use flowcharts for design of algorithms including selection
- use the ‘repeat until’ with variables to determine repeat
- know about the use of computational thinking terms; decomposition and abstraction
French
In French this term children explore vegetables. They learn how to:
- name and recognise ten vegetables in their plural form
- spell at least five of the vegetables correctly in French
- ask somebody in French for a particular vegetable using ‘Je voudrais’
- perform a simple French role play around buying vegetables at a market stall
Useful Websites:
English
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/
SPaG
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/spelling-and-grammar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/spelling_grammar/
Maths
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/ordering-and-sequencing-numbers
http://www.coolmath-games.com/
Science
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/living_things/teeth_eating/read/1/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical_processes/circuits_conductors/read/1/