Year 4 Blog

Hello everyone! We are thrilled to welcome the children back for their final term in Year 4. We can’t believe how quickly the year is going and how much the children have progressed. 

English

In English, we are reading the book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S Lewis. We will start by setting the scene by learning about World War II, the Blitz and evacuees. We will then look at poetry and the children will be planning and writing their own poems about a character from the story.  

We will then be using the skills we learnt in the Spring Term to plan and write persuasive holiday brochures to encourage people to go to Narnia on holiday. The children will be applying the GPS skills they have been taught so far this year to enhance their writing.  The children will still be working on their handwriting, text structure, audience and purpose when writing their pieces.  

Reading

In Reading, we will be reading and analysing a variety of texts in a reciprocal reading style. The children shall be encouraged to discuss the texts given to them in detail, before tackling comprehension questions. This half term, the children shall be exposed to examples of poetry, narratives, fables and non-fiction texts. Whilst discussing them, the children shall recap their understanding of our four key reading skills: summarising, clarifying, questioning and predicting as well as using other skills like inference, sequencing and retrieval.  

Maths

In Maths, we will be starting our new topic about Decimals. Firstly, we will be looking at a variety of representations of tenths and hundredths as decimals. This will then support us to divide 1- and 2-digit numbers by 10 and 100. Furthermore, we will also be learning how to flexibly partition, order and compare decimals. Towards the end of Summer 1, we will begin to learn about Money and Time. We will use our decimal skills to support us write money in decimals as well as how to convert between pounds and pence. Finally, we will end the term by learning how to convert between analogue and digital times. 

Science

In Science, our new topic is called ‘Living things and their habitats’. We will focus on recognising that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways, exploring and using classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment and finally recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things. We shall be getting out of the classroom and investigating the school grounds to see what wildlife surrounds us and classify those based on information such as whether they are vertebrates or invertebrates, 

Geography

In Geography, we are learning about Rivers. We all be getting stuck in, learning about their features, how rivers are formed, locations of major UK and worldwide rivers and how they are used. Based on all of that information we will then look at how our rivers are used and think carefully about what we can learn from them. We are going to be visiting Hams Hall to investigate features or a river and look at the surrounding wildlife too. 

D.T.

In DT, we will be working on simple circuits and switches. Our topic aim will be to create a sign that promotes an establishment of our choice. We will link back to previous topics both taught in Year 3 and Year 4. In addition, we will enjoy a day all about healthy and varied diets, which will involve the children needing to design and create a healthy lunch. 

Computing

In Computing, we will be moving onto our new topic ‘Digital wellbeing’. We will recap on our prior knowledge of Digital safety and link that to our new topic. We are focusing on the feelings and emotions we encounter while being online. We shall discuss a range of scenarios, how to deal with them, give advice and think carefully about why digital wellbeing is important. 

R.E./P.H.S.E.

Our new topic in PSHE we are continuing our learning about safety and changes to our world. Throughout this term we shall be moving on to citizenship. Primarily we will look at the rights of the child, rights and responsibilities, recycling and local community groups. 

Music

Our music topic this term is changes in pitch, tempo and dynamics. This will be largely themed around rivers. We will be focusing on listening to sounds, repetition of sounds and percussion. 

PE/Sports

Our P.E. topics this half term are:  

•  Athletics  

•  Cricket 

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

PE Days:

• 4A - Tuesday and Wednesday

• 4G - Monday and Friday

• 4MS - Thursday and Friday 

• 4P - Wednesday and Friday 

Outdoor Learning

On the days of Outdoor Learning lessons, pupils should come to school in clothing that is appropriate for being outside instead of their school uniform. Please note that these clothes are likely to get dirty! 

Forest School dates are as follows: 

4A - Tuesday 9th April, 23rd April, 7th May, 21st May 

4G - Tuesday 9th April, 23rd April, 7th May, 21st May 

4MS - Wednesday 17th April, 1st May, 15th May 

4P - Tuesday 16th April, 30th April, 14th May 

Class Assemblies

4A - Thursday 25th April (see letter)

4P - Thursday 11th April (see letter)

4G - Friday 26th April (see letter)

4MS - Thursday 2nd May (see letter)

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please follow us to keep up to date with all the wonderful things your children are up to  - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

We also encourage the use of websites such as Times Table Rockstars.

Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed. 

More news will follow regarding end of half term celebration assemblies.

Thank you for your continued support. We are here if you have any questions or need support with anything. 

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.

Another fabulous term 4A!

We’ve spent this term showing off all of the skills learnt since we entered Year 4 in September. I am looking forward to seeing even more progress as we enter our last term of Year 4.

For Maths, we have been looking at fractions. We’ve learnt how to identify equivalent fractions, compare fractions, convert improper fractions to mixed numbers as well as how to add and subtract fractions. As always, we are continuing to improve our times table recall fluency and I am so proud of all the progress made by all the children this term. Keep practising! 

In English, we have continued to develop our writing techniques. At the start of the term, we wrote a narrative aimed at KS1 children which focused on the importance of being environmentally friendly.  In addition, we wrote a formal letter to Mrs. Lawson-Mills, with the purpose of persuading her keep the on-site swimming pool.

In Science, we have enjoyed our topic called ‘Animals Including Humans’. Within this topic we have learnt about both human and animal teeth, the digestive system and food chains. We’ve also conducted many exciting experiments this term which has further supported our learning and interest in Science.

In History, we have enjoyed learning about ‘Invaders and Settlers’. In this topic, we have learnt about the Anglo-Saxons and what happened after the Romans left Britain. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about how the Anglo-Saxons lived and who the different leaders were. 

In Art, we completed a topic called ‘Light and Dark’. We explored how to make different tints and shades as well as different painting techniques. At the end of the topic, we created our own still life drawing and painted it using the techniques we practiced in previous lessons.

In Computing, we have been really engaged with our new topic, 2Logo. We have been using our coding skills to create shapes, letters of the alphabet and even our own names. 

Finally, we had a wonderful time further developing our swimming skills within week 4 and 5 by swimming every day in the on-site swimming pool.

I hope you all rest over the Easter holidays. I can’t wait to see you back for the summer term.

Miss Ashmore x

Well done, 4G! It has been another short term but it has been jam packed with learning! First and foremost, the children have had a wonderful experience with swimming and have taken on board vital life-skills. This has been positively received all round and the progress that has been made is fantastic.

In English, we have developed own individual writing styles while including the correct grammar and punctuation. We have focused on writing a short narrative and a formal letter this term, whilst we have published some of our great writing too.

Our reading sessions have allowed us to apply our reading skills to a wide range of texts, both fictional and non-fiction. We have continued to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions. We are still focusing on inferring as it is a difficult concept that provides the pupils with challenge.

In Maths we have primarily focused on fractions. This includes: improper fractions, mixed numbers, equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. We have learnt a lot this term in a short time and this shall set up us fantastically for our next topic which are decimals.. As usual, the children are enjoying their Times Tables sessions in school and many have made great progress this year.

During Science lessons, we have explored both ‘Animals including humans’ and ‘Living things and their habitats’. We built upon our previous learning about these topics and began to explore new ideas. We were able to go and explore our local habitat in school and observe the living things surrounding us. The children have enjoyed exploring various habitats and have been able to classify living things depending on this. 

In Art, we have learned about ‘light and dark’. In our lessons we learned about tinting and shading to help us create 3D images. We honed our skills and developed our techniques so that we could then compose and paint a still life picture.

Our term has been fast paced but it has been one of pleasure. Sadly, we will say goodbye to the swimming pool but it has been an amazing experience. Over the holidays make sure you continue reading and developing the rapid recall of the 12 time tables.

Another very short half term but we have had an action packed half term! 

In PE, we have been so lucky to have our own swimming pool on site! We have had swimming every day for three weeks! The coach told Mr Bulloch that she was really impressed with our determination, resilience, enthusiasm, positivity and respect during our swimming lessons. We all made so much progress and our confidence has really increased. For some of us, it was our first time swimming and so we were nervous but the coach was fantastic and really helped us conquer any anxiety we had and we are now all able to swim! The more confident swimmers are now able to swim at least 25 meters when they are in the pool. 

In History, we recapped what we remembered about the Roman’s and then learnt all about the Anglo-Saxons. We created a History timeline and plotted all of the points in History that we have covered during our time at Yardley and we plotted our own History as well. This helped us to see the Anglo-Saxon’s place in History. This topic ran as a project and we worked in teams to produce our Anglo-Saxon project book. Each day, whilst swimming was happening, we would work in our teams to complete our project work. This project required us to use our skills from other subjects; we used our computing skills to carry out research, we used DT skills to use clay when making an Anglo-Saxon building, our art skills were used to produce a stained glass window and our English skills were used when writing a fact file about Alexander the Great. We learnt so much about the Anglo-Saxons and had a great time doing it! 

In English, we started the half term with an eco focus. We read stories that have messages about recycling and clearing up after ourselves. We thought about the audience and purpose of these stories and used them as an inspiration to then plan and write our own stories with a message about recycling. We then spent time looking at the features of a formal letter. After that, we had a discussion about the pros and cons of having the swimming pool on site; we used these ideas to plan and write a formal letter to Mrs Lawson-Mills and the Governors asking for the pool to either return to school or go back to using a pool further away. (Most of us just want the pool to stay!) 

In Maths, we started looking at fractions this half term and at first, it was quite tricky. We have learned about mixed number and improper fractions and how to convert between the two. We then started adding and subtraction mixed number and improper fractions with the same denominator. Although we found it hard at first, we have all made amazing progress with our understanding of fractions. 

In Science, we started by recapping what we know about human teeth and we looked at tooth decay and how to prevent tooth decay. We then moved on to look at animals teeth and how they differ from humans. After teeth, we learnt all about the digestive system and what happens to food once we eat it- it was fascinating!  

In Art, our topic has been about Light and Dark. We have experimented with colour mixing to create tints and shades, we then used these to paint 2D pictures to make them appear 3D! We worked together to create the tints and shades and we were amazed with what happened to the colours when you add a bit of white or a bit of black paint. The finished pieces have been fantastic- check out our X page to see them!  

In Music, we have begun to look at Samba music. We have been listening to Samba music and then working in groups, we have started using instruments to create our own Samba music. 

Mr Bulloch and Mrs Stepien

We’ve reached the end of yet another half term and what a one it has been! The children have continued to impress me with their hard work and dedication and I have loved watching them progress and thrive in everything they do. I can’t believe we are two thirds of our way through the school year already!

In English, we have been doing lots of super writing. We wrote a narrative aimed at EYFS/KS1 children, all about the importance of being environmentally friendly. We included enhanced vocabulary and ensured it was aimed at our target audience. We also naturally included fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and subordinate clauses throughout.  In addition, we wrote a formal letter to Mrs. Lawson-Mills, persuading her to let us keep the swimming pool on the school site.

In Maths, we have been doing more work on fractions. We have learnt about equivalent fractions, how to add and subtract fractions and the difference between a mixed number and an improper fraction. Additionally, we have been working hard on improving our times tables and most of the class are now achieving 25/25 in our weekly assessments ahead of the MTC in June. Miss Perkins is so proud of us all!

In Science, we have enjoyed our topic called ‘Animals Including Humans’. We have learnt about the digestive system, how the human teeth work and have conducted many exciting experiments to support our learning. We have learnt about different types of animals, their teeth, and their diets.

In Art, we completed a topic called ‘Light and Dark’. We experimented by making shades and tones and practiced using different techniques. We added materials like sand and oats to our paint in order to create different effects. To finish, we created our own still-life drawing and painted it using the techniques we practiced in previous lessons.

In History, we have enjoyed learning about ‘Invaders and Settlers’ via topic work. The topic was primarily about the Anglo-Saxons but we enjoyed recapping our learning about the Romans and being introduced to the Vikings. We learnt about how and why the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain, how they lived and how they were introduced to Christianity.

During week 4 and 5 of this half term, we were lucky enough to go swimming every day! We enjoyed this exciting opportunity and enhanced our swimming skills massively whilst working in groups of 10.

In Computing, we have enjoyed exploring 2Logo on Purple Mash. We used different commands in order to create shapes and the alphabet.

Have the most wonderful Easter break, 4P! I look forward to seeing you all on Monday 8th April after a fabulous two weeks off of rest and relaxation.

Miss Perkins 🙂

Hello everyone! This half term marks us being half-way through Year 4. We cannot believe how fast the time is going and how much the children have achieved and impressed us.  

English  

In English this half term, we are going to be consolidating all the GPS skills that we have been taught in KS1 and KS2 so far. We are continuing to work on handwriting and presentation as we get ready for Year 5.  

To start this half term, we are having an “eco” focus and we are reading a range of children’s books about pollution and in particular pollution in the ocean. We will use these stories to plan and write our own stories about pollution in oceans to raise awareness of recycling and the impact litter has on the planet.  

We are then going to be finishing reading the book “The boy at the back of the class” and using this as an inspiration to write formal letters to the Prime Minister about immigration. We will look at the features of formal letters first and plan our letters before we write them.  

Reading

In Reading, we will be recapping our key reading skills (summarising, predicting, clarifying and questioning) during reciprocal reading lessons that involve a lot of discussion and exposure to a variety of texts. The children will answer comprehension questions based upon texts discussed week by week.  

Maths

In Maths, we will be learning about fractions. We will start by firstly discussing what a fraction is and what above 1 looks like. We will ensure we understand proper, improper and mixed fractions by ordering them and converting them to their equivalents. We will be using lots of resources during this topic to ensure that we understand what a fraction is. Towards the end of our topic, we will be adding and subtracting a variety of different fractions. 

Science

In Science, our new topic is called ‘Animals, including humans’. We will be looking at the functions of the human digestive system and discuss the important roles of each part. Additionally, we will be identifying different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions. Also, we will be discussing the importance of keeping healthy teeth and learning about tooth decay. Furthermore, we will be constructing and interpreting a variety of food chains, whilst identifying producers, predators and prey.   

History

In History, we will be exploring our new topic called ‘Invaders and Settlers’. We will learn about Anglo-Saxons, and how they settled in Britain. We will explore their everyday life and learn how Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity. Additionally, we will discuss who King Alfred was and he was called ‘the Great’. We will finish with the topic with exploring how Anglo-Saxon rule ended. 

Art

In Art, our new topic will be ‘Light and Dark’. Within this topic, we will be developing skills in colour mixing, focusing on using tints and shades to create a 3D effect. Additionally, we will be experimenting with composition and applying painting techniques to a personal still life piece. 

Computing

In Computing, we will be moving onto our new topic 2Logo. The children will be continuing to improve their computer science skills by creating algorithms to direct an object.  

RE/PHSE

Our new topic in PSHE will be about keeping safe and the changing body. The children will discussing a range of topics and issues around different areas such as ages restrictions, sharing information online and the difference between private and public. In RE, we will be looking at how people within different religions create inclusion, identity and belonging as well as how to show mercy and what it means to be forgiving.  

Music

Our music topic this term is Samba, carnival sounds and instruments. We will be identifying the features of Samba music, including where it originates from, the main instruments used and its dynamics 

PE/Sports

Our P.E. topics this half term are:  

• 4P and 4A – Athletics and Swimming  *Swimming will start on Tuesday 12th March - further details to follow via email*

• 4G and 4MS – Swimming and Football

PE Days from Monday 19th February until Monday 11th March

• 4A Wednesday

• 4G Every day (swimming)

• 4MS Every day (swimming)

• 4P Thursday

PE Days from Tuesday 12th March until Friday 22nd March

• 4A Every day (swimming)

• 4G Friday

• 4MS Friday

• 4P Every day (swimming)

On the days of swimming lessons, pupils should wear either their school uniform or school P.E. kit to school on swimming days (details below), whichever is easier for them to change quickly and independently out of and in to.  They will get changed for swimming lessons in school.

Jewellery is not permitted during school swimming lessons, this includes watches.

If your child wears earrings there are two options on swimming days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have swimming. 

2. Children remove their earrings before swimming.  Earrings are the responsibility of the children - staff are not able to look after them.

On the days of other P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Swimming Reminders

• Your child will get changed for swimming lessons in school.  They should wear either their school uniform or school P.E. kit to school on swimming days (details below), whichever is easier for them to change quickly and independently out of and in to. 

• Make sure your child has everything they need to participate in their school swimming sessions. Your child will swim for up to 45 minutes every day for 3 weeks.   

• As your child will be swimming every day, swimming kit can be left in school Monday to Friday, to dry overnight.  Kit will be sent home at the weekends.  If you would prefer your child to change swimming kit throughout the week then feel free to do so, but they must have kit in every day. 

For more information about our swimming programme and to see answers to some frequently asked questions, visit our swimming page here.

Forest School

On the days of Forest School lessons, pupils should come to school in clothing that is appropriate for being outside instead of their school uniform. Please note that these clothes are likely to get dirty! 

Forest School dates are as follows: 

4A - Tuesday 20th February, 27th February 

4G - Tuesday 12th March , 19th March 

4MS - Wednesday 13th March, 20th March 

4P - Wednesday 21st February, 28th February 

Parents Evening

If you haven't booked an appointment already, we would like to invite you to attend our Parents Evenings, taking place on the following dates:

• Wednesday 6th March 3.40pm - 6.50pm

• Thursday 7th March 3.40pm - 5.30pm

Click here for further information and to book.

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

We also encourage the use of websites such as Times Table Rockstars.

All classes are on X (Twitter) so please follow us to keep up to date with all the wonderful things your children are up to - use the buttons below.

More news will follow regarding celebration assemblies.  

Thank you for your continued support. We are here if you have any questions or need support with anything.

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.

Wow! I can’t believe how quickly this term has gone. The children have all worked incredibly hard this term and I am so proud of all the progress they have made.

In Maths, we have covered Multiplication, Division, Length and Perimeter. We have learnt how to multiply and divided by using a range of different methods such as, compact column multiplication and partitioned division. Additionally, we now know how to find the perimeter of rectilinear shape as well as calculate the missing length. 

In English, the children have created an amazing non-chronological report all about the Amazon rainforest, which linked to our Geography topic. We have worked really hard on expanding our sentences with interesting subordinate clauses as well as adding fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases. 

In PE, we have finished our swimming sessions and I am proud to say that everybody has improved and become a much more confident swimmer. We have also completed our Dance topic, where we learnt different dance routines as well as making our own. It was lovely to see so many confident performers and creative routines.

In Art, we learnt all about sculptures. Within this topic, we have created a range of different sculptures using different materials such as, soap and wire. 

In Geography, we have loved learning about rainforests and how important they are in our world. To show our appreciation of the Amazon rainforest, we wrote a letter to the president of Brazil which explained threats facing the Amazon rainforest and suggestions on how we can help to save it.

Again, I am overwhelmingly proud of all the wonderful effort everyone has put in this term. I can’t believe we are half way through and only have 3 more terms left. Have a lovely half term, 4A! 

Remember to keep practising your times tables. You’ve all made excellent progress so keep it up!

Miss Ashmore

What a short turn around, however it has still been an inspiring one. The children have made lots of progress and ultimately furthered themselves in more way than one.

In English, the children have worked hard building towards writing a non-chronological report and then doing so all about the Amazon rainforest. We have understood that we need these features to capture a great piece of writing: title, subordinate clauses, fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and rhetorical questions.

In Maths, we have completed our Multiplication and Division lessons, learning new methods to assist our understanding.. We have also learnt about Perimeter, where we enjoyed finding missing values and learning new vocabulary such as ‘rectilinear’. 

In PE, we have completed our Dance topic, where we developed routines focusing on timing, teamwork and creativity. We worked in groups to perform the dances and provided positive criticism to our peers. We have also enjoyed our football topic where we have honed our skills and improved our passing abilities.

In Geography, we learnt all about rainforests and enjoyed a visit from Dave the rainforest guy. We wrote a letter to the president of Brazil which explained the benefits of the Amazon rainforest and the threats it faces in today’s world. It has been interesting learning about the indigenous people and how the rainforest is not only important tot hem but important to us all.

In Art, we learnt all about sculptures. Some of the tasks we encountered were shadow, wire and soap sculptures which were all fantastic.

Have a great half term 4G and come back firing please next term as we are already halfway through the year.

Mr. G

Even though it was only a short half term, we have learnt so much and had a great time doing it!

In English, we have been looking at non-chronological reports and identifying the different features. We then planned, wrote, edited and then published our own non-chronological reports all about the Amazon rainforest. We learnt how to write subordinate clauses, which were tricky at first, and we are now trying to use these in our writing. We have also been trying really hard to improve our presentation skills including working on our handwriting- some of us are hoping to start writing in pen soon. 

In Maths, we have made so much progress this half term- it has been amazing. The half term started with us learning how to use compact methods for multiplication, we can now multiply digit numbers by 1 digit. We then learnt how to divide 2 and 3 digit numbers by a 1 digit number. At first, we found this hard but we persevered and were so proud of ourselves when we achieved our learning.

Over the past two weeks, we have been learning how to calculate the perimeter of different shapes. We now know how to calculate the perimeter of shapes and we can calculate the length of unknown sides of rectangles and rectilinear shapes.

We have continued to focus on our times tables, however, it is really important that we keep focusing at home- we need to be able to quickly recall all of the times tables.

In Science, we have been looking at states of matter (solids, liquids and gases) and we have carried out a variety of different experiments including looking at the viscosity of different liquids. It has been so much fun working together to explore the different states of matter. 

In PE, we have completed a topic all about dance and working together in teams to create dances. We are now focusing on the skills needed to play football. We are working on building our resilience through teamwork. 

Our topic this half term has been all about the Rainforests across the world, this topic has been in lots of our subjects.

In Art, we have looked at different sculptures and ways to show form. We used shading to create a 3D effect to line drawings, then we used soap and tools to create soap carvings. AT first when we were given a piece of wire we were nervous, but out wire sculptures were simply marvelous! We then moved on to using cardboard and torches to create shadow sculptures. It has been such a fun project. 

In Music, we have used a mixture of body percussion and glockenspiels to create pieces of music that changed tone, speed and layout based on the layers of the rainforest. We wrote the musical scores for the glockenspiels, choosing the best arrangement of notes, before adding them to our group pieces.

In Computing, we have been focusing on Coding. We have completed a range of different challenges including making magic with a magician and a rabbit! We then started creating PowerPoint presentations all about the rainforest and added different effects to them to make the presentations more interesting. 

In Geography, we have learnt all about rainforests. We focused on the Amazon Rainforest and the incredible abundance of life that lives there. We had a visit from Rainforest Dave which was just superb and he shared so many facts. We have become rainforest experts and we want to ensure that we all do our bit to protect the world’s rainforests.  

We are really looking forward to next half term because the swimming pool will be at Yardley and we will be swimming everyday as well as doing group work! 

Mr Bulloch and Mrs Stepien 

We’ve come to the end of yet another half term and I’m pleased to share that 4P have made me proud yet again. With their hard work and dedication, the children have made some good progress across the curriculum and learnt some brilliant new things.

In English, the children have worked hard to create a non-chronological report all about the Amazon rainforest. We have learnt about the importance of including a catchy title, subordinate clauses, fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and rhetorical questions to keep the audience’s interest. 

In Maths, we have finished our Multiplication and Division topic. We practised the method of short multiplication and partitioned numbers to divide effectively. We have also completed a topic about Perimeter and Measurement, where we enjoyed identifying the properties of different shapes and learning new vocabulary such as ‘rectilinear’. We now know how to ‘walk around the shape’ to find the perimeter of it! We have also impressed Miss Perkins with our steady progression in our weekly times tables assessments.

In PE, we have completed our Dance topic, where we learnt two different dance routines. We worked in groups to perform the dances and provided positive criticism to our peers. We have also enjoyed finishing our swimming sessions, where we have progressed steadily since we started. 

In Geography, we learnt all about rainforests and just how much of an important ecosystem they are in our world. We wrote a letter to the president of Brazil which explained the benefits of the Amazon rainforest and the threats it faces in today’s world. We learnt about the indigenous peoples and the variety of animals that can be found within the rainforest.

In Art, we learnt all about sculptures and enjoyed sculpting our own soap, creating a sculpture with our bodies and creating a wire sculpture. 

Have a lovely half term, 4P! Please do practise your times tables if you get chance! See you in a weeks’ time.

Miss Perkins 

Hello everyone. We hope you had the most wonderful Christmas break and feel well rested, ready to start this Spring term! 😊  

English

In English, we will be starting off the Spring term by recapping our learning regarding features of a narrative we learnt in Autumn 2. We will retrieve and showcase what we know whilst writing an interesting Christmas narrative in our books. The moral of our story is that family is important, and it will be interesting to see if the children can incorporate this emotion into their descriptive writing, whilst ensuring they include speech. In the final four weeks of the half-term, we shall be writing a non-chronological report all about the Amazon Rainforest. We shall learn the features of a non-chronological report and learn new grammar, punctuation and vocabulary we can use appropriately within.  

Reading

Our class text this half term is ‘The Boy at the back of the class’. We will be using the text within English lessons to support our writing throughout the term. We will be working on the four reading skills continuously. However, we will be focusing more so on inference this term.  

Maths

In Maths, we will continue to focus on multiplication and division, in particular multiplying and dividing numbers by 10, 100 and 100. The children have been using place value charts to support their learning with this. We will then move on to length and perimeter. The children will be looking at equivalent lengths and move on to calculating the perimeter of different shapes. We will end the half term starting to look at fractions, this work will continue into Spring 2. We will begin by looking at mixed number fractions and how to interpret these. We will also continue to work on our quick recall of multiplication and division facts so please continue to practice times tables at home with your child. The improvement in the children’s knowledge so far has been fantastic, and we have you to thank for that for working so brilliantly alongside us. 

Science

In Science, we are learning about ‘States of matter’ in which we will be comparing and grouping materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases. Furthermore, we will be looking at the water cycle and understanding the processes of evaporation and condensation. Excitingly, we will be conducting several experiments exploring how materials change state when they are heated or cooled. 

Geography

In Geography, we will be learning about why the rainforests are important to us. Within this topic, we will look at how we use the rainforest to support us, what threats there are to the Amazon rainforest and how we can help save the Amazon rainforest. We are so excited to welcome Dave, ‘the Rainforest man’ into school to teach us about rainforests around the world and introduce us to some insects he has from that region! 

Art

In Art, our new topic will be ‘Sculpture and 3D: Mega materials’. Within this topic we will be using familiar shapes to create simple 3D drawings and simple designs that can be carved into soap. Throughout the topic we will be looking at artists such as Sokari Douglas Camp and El Anatsui. 

Computing

In Computing, we will be moving onto our new topic 2Code. The children will be using logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs. By the end of the topic, the children will be able to solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts as well as use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs.

RE/PHSE

In PSHE, we will be focusing on our health and wellbeing. The children will be learning about the importance of dental health and learn how to describe how they feel when they make a mistake and explain what can be learned from making mistakes. By the end of the topic, they will be able to understand what mental health is and that sometimes people might need help.

Music

Our music topic this term will be linked to our rainforest topic in Geography. We will be exploring the rainforest through music by using a mixture of body percussion and tuned percussion instruments to create our own rhythms of the rainforest. 

PE/Sports

Our P.E. topics this half term are: 

• 4P and 4A - Dance and swimming 

• 4G and 4MS - Dance and football

Our P.E. days are: 

• 4A: Wednesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4G: Monday and Friday 

• 4MS: Thursday and Friday 

• 4P: Thursday and Friday (swimming)

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

On the days of Forest School lessons, pupils should come to school in clothing that is appropriate for being outside instead of their school uniform. Please note that these clothes are likely to get dirty! 

Forest School Dates are as follows: 

4A - Tuesday 23rd January, 6th, 20th February, 5th, 19th March 

4G - Tuesday 23rd January, 6th, 20th February, 5th, 19th March 

4MS - Wednesday 17th, 31st January, 28th February, 13th March 

4P - Tuesday 16th, 30th January, 27th February, 12th March 

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

We also encourage the use of websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

All classes are on X (Twitter) so please follow us to keep up to date with all the wonderful things your children are up to - use the buttons below.

More news will follow regarding celebration assemblies.  

Thank you for your continued support. We are here if you have any questions or need support with anything.

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.

It’s been a long term, but it has been a fabulous one too! It has been wonderful to see all the children grow in confidence throughout the term. I am so proud of all the hard work they have put in.

In Maths we have been looking at Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. We have developed our methods in solving fluency and reasoning questions. In addition to this, we have been practicing our times tables every week and everybody has improved so much since the start of this school year. Keep on practicing! 

In English, we have been writing sets of instructions as well as learning how to include speech within in a narrative. The children have started writing some lovely pieces this term and I am so impressed with their use of vocabulary. We definitely have some future authors in 4A. I’m very excited to see how the children’s writing progresses over the next half term.

In Reading, we have read a broad range of texts, including poems and narratives. It has been lovely to see everybody enjoying our reading for pleasure sessions and growing a real love for reading. 

During this term we completed our Design and Technology topic, Shell Structures. Our task was to design, make and evaluate a biscuit box. We then moved onto our new Art topic, Power Prints. We used different materials to create beautiful collages and then combined our designs into a final group print collage.

In Science, we have been learning about Electricity. We have learnt about the different parts of a circuit and can now create complete simple circuits. Using our determination skills, we managed to solve any issues we found, and we combined all our skills to create a torch.

In Spanish, we have focused on masculine and feminine words and how words change due to their usage.

I am so proud of all the progress you have made this term. I have had such a lovely time getting to know you all even more and we’ve had a lot of laughs as well. Remember to keep on top of reading and times tables whilst you’re away. Don’t forget about the TTRS competition!

Happy holidays.

Miss Ashmore x

What a long term it has been but what a great one it has been too! It has been great getting to see the kids flourish. There has been great achievements and wonderful displays of work.

In English, we recapped on how to create exciting and grammatically correct sentences within our writing. The children have used adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs across a range of writing genres. I am looking forward to seeing how the children’s writing progresses over the next half term.

During Reading sessions, we have read a wide range of texts, including poems, narratives and extracts from a variety books to further our predicting, clarifying, summarising and questioning skills. We have enjoyed our reading for pleasure sessions, visiting the library and selecting books based upon our own choices. 

In Maths we have focused on Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication and Division. We have recapped on methods and broadened our learning by looking at a range of questions that challenge us to think in different ways. In preparation for next term we have begun looking at factors to extend our knowledge of timetables.

During Science, we learnt about 'Electricity'. We have planned investigated predicted and made conclusions based upon circuits. We have learnt about how circuits work, encountered problems and made attempts to solve them and even made a torch using the relevant equipment.

We started the half-term by completing our Design and Technology topic of ‘Shell Structures’ where we were able to design, make and evaluate a biscuit box. We then moved on to an art topic which developed the methods in which we create art and looked at using different mediums. 

In Spanish, we have focused on masculine and feminine words and how words change due to their usage.

We at Yardley are proud of the work that you have already done and the work completed outside of school to! Keep on top of reading and timetables while you’re away so we are all ready to hit the ground running in January.

Thanks parents/guardians for all your contributions so far too! Happy holidays,

Mr G

The children have really settled in this half term, they have had so much fun and they continue to set a great example across the school.

In Maths this term we have looked at multiplication. We have had a huge focus on times tables and have been able to count up in 6s, 7s and 9s. We have also been practising our times tables using Times Table Rock Stars.

In English we have been reading 'Aliens invaded our talent show'. We have written instructions for card tricks and have recently been working on speech within narratives.

In Art, we have looked at different types of sketching and drawing, including 'drawing using scissors' to create collages. 

In D&T, we created biscuit boxes and discussed key features of packaging. We looked at why it is important to package items correctly. 

In Science we have looked at the topic of Electricity, we have looked at conductors and insulators and also how to create our own circuits.

In PE this term we have worked on our tennis and gymnastics skills

It has been a pleasure to get to know the children in 4MS.

Miss Mac and Mrs Stepien

I will miss you all, you have been a delight. -Miss Mac x"

What a wonderful half-term 4P have had! The children have impressed me with their hard work and dedication and have had yet another fantastic half-term. I have a class of 30 brilliant children and it has been a joy to teach them during the Autumn term.

In English, we have worked hard to understand direct and indirect speech and have discussed in depth the features of speech within a narrative. Although we found this tricky at first, we can now write speech that includes the correct punctuation and interesting reported clauses. Our end result was writing a Christmas narrative, which we enjoyed thoroughly.

In Reading, we have worked hard to master the skill of retrieval and have looked at a variety of texts whilst doing so. We have studied narratives to information texts and have enjoyed lengthy discussions about each one of them.

In Maths, we have worked hard to improve our times table knowledge and have learnt about multiplication and division. We understand that we can use division to check whether a multiplication question we have completed is correct and have looked at fact families.

In PE, we have been doing tennis and have enjoyed working in groups to improve our skills. We have worked hard to enhance our ability to control the ball and hit it with a tennis bat to our partners. Lots of the children have improved their swimming ability, which has been lovely to see. 

In Art, we have just completed our ‘Power Prints’ topic and the children did so well throughout the course of the lessons. We explored different materials such as paint and wax crayons and created different effects. It was lovely to see how much the children enjoyed exploring their artistic sides.   

Have a wonderful break for the Christmas holidays, everyone! You deserve it. Have a well-deserved rest and I will see you all in January.  

Year 4 are thoroughly settled in now and are impressing us all with their hard work. We have lots of lovely lessons and topics coming up and can’t wait to get stuck in! 

English 

In English we will be moving on to our next text, ‘Aliens invaded my talent show’.  We will use this text across our reading and English sessions as a stimulus for our learning. During this term we will be focusing on instructional writing and the use of speech punctuation. We will unpick both and then apply the skills necessary to develop the complexity of our writing.  

Reading 

In Reading, we will be continuing to use our 4 main skills (predicting, questioning, summarising and clarifying) to look at a variety of different texts and develop our understanding of what we are reading. We will be continuing to practise our retrieval skills and answer questions about the texts. 

Maths 

We will be continuing with our weekly times tables lessons. The children will be assessed every Friday so that progress can be logged, and children can be assisted with their learning in the best way they can. Please continue to practice at home as well. The children are all making wonderful progress and we want to watch this continue! They should be very proud of themselves so far. 

In Maths, we will be finishing our Addition and Subtraction topic and then completing a small series of lessons about Area. Following on from that, the children will be completing a Multiplication and Division topic, which will allow them to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the four operations. 

Science 

Our new topic in Science this term is Electricity!  We will be constructing simple series electrical circuits and identifying the parts that make the circuits complete. We will also be identifying common appliances that run on electricity as well as recognising common conductors and insulators. Also, we will be looking at being safe around electricity.  

DT 

In our first DT topic we will be designing and making shell structures using sheet materials and additional strengthening. The children will learn about building 3D structures from 2D nets to make a box to carry their biscuit.  

Art 

Our art topic this term is called Power Prints. In this topic we will be developing our shading skill to create a 3D effect using different objects and images for inspiration. We will be using different tools to create marks and patterns when scratching into a painted surface. 

Computing 

We will be continuing with our unit on Spreadsheets. The children will be learning how to format tables, graphs, text and to create their own graphs. We will also move onto our next topic in which the children will be using computer programmes to create their own stop motion videos. 

P.E./Sports 

Our P.E. topics this half term are: 

• 4P and 4A - gymnastics and swimming.

• 4G and 4MS - gymnastics and tennis.

Our P.E. days are: 

• 4A: P.E. Wednesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4P: P.E. Tuesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4G: P.E. Monday and Friday 

• 4MS: P.E. Thursday and Friday 

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

On the days of Forest School sessions, pupils should come to school in suitable clothing for ‘all-weather’ sessions (old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather).  This includes:

• Warm clothing items (e.g. jogging bottoms, leggings, waterproof trousers and a warm jumper/sweatshirt).

• A warm coat (e.g. a winter coat or a waterproof jacket).

• A change of footwear (e.g. old trainers, boots, wellies). Send these in a separate bag so that they can be taken home at the end of the day.

*There is no need to buy new items for Forest School sessions.*

Details of dates for Forest School can be found here.

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. 

4A - Tuesday 7/11/23, 21/11/23,  5/12/23, 19/12/23 

4G - Tuesday 7/11/23, 21/11/23, 5/12/23, 19/12/23 

4MS - Wednesday 15/11/23, 29/11/23, 13/12/23 

4P - Tuesday 14/11/23,  28/11/23,  12/12/23 

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link corridor door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

We also encourage the use of websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support. We are here if you have any questions or need support with anything.  

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.

We have had a fabulous first half term in Year 4. It has been so lovely getting to know you all and start to see your personalities shine through. I’m looking forward to seeing all your wonderful characters grow throughout the year. 

During our Maths lessons, we have been learning about the place value of numbers up to 10,000! Towards the end of the term we have started looking at addition and subtraction which the children have been excelling through. We are able to successfully use the column method to support us adding and subtracting two 4-digit number. 

4A have also made a tremendous effort in learning their times tables. I am very happy with the progress being made by all of the children and their excitement to practice their times tables. Keep it up 4A!  

In English, we have been recapping our basic writing skills and making sure we have Perfect Punctuation in all of our sentences. The children have been writing lovely diary entries and character descriptions based off our class text – The Demon Headmaster. 

In our Reading Skills lessons, we have been learning how to retrieve and summarise information from a range of texts. The children have been super at being able to skim and scan the texts to retrieve the correct information as well as unpick some new vocabulary. 

In Science, we have been learning about the topic ‘Sound’. In our lessons we have been learning about different parts of the ear and how sound travels to our ears. We have conducted several experiments and investigations to test our knowledge and understanding of sound. 

At the start of the term, we investigated where our food comes from in our new Geography topic. We learnt about what the term ‘Food miles’ actually means as well as the pros and cons of sourcing food wither locally or by importing it from other countries. By the end of the topic, we were able to write a balanced argument clearly explaining our views.

We have recently finished our History topic in which we looked at The Romans. Our big question was ‘Why did the Romans settle in Britain?’ We have all thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Roman Empire and understanding how much of an impact they have had on our lives today. We loved our trip to the Lunt Roman fort as well as our visit from Professor McGinty. It made us all feel like real Romans!

In PE, we have been working on our team building skills which has been lovely to see. The children have been so supporting and encouraging of each other every lesson. I can also see these skills being used in all lessons as well as during break and lunchtime. The children have also been enjoying going swimming on a Friday morning. I have been able to see so many children grow in confidence and see a true improvement in their swimming skills. I’m excited to see this develop even more over the rest of the year. 

We have really enjoyed learning Spanish with Mrs Hodgkiss. Our dialogue is improving each week and we are learning more and more every session. Gracias Mrs Hodgkiss! 

Within our Computing lessons, we have been discussing online safety and how they can keep themselves safe when using the internet. Recently we have moved onto our spreadsheets topic and have started discussing the vocabulary that is used when working on a spreadsheet.  

I am truly proud of 4A for their wonderful efforts this term. I’m looking forward to seeing the children grow even more in Autumn 2 and cannot wait to see all their progress.

Please remember to follow us on twitter @MissAshmoreYPS to keep up to date on our adventures. 

Have a lovely break 4A! 

Miss Ashmore 

What a successful beginning we have had! It has been It has been a fantastic start and all of the children have put in so much effort.

In English, we have focused on building simple and effective sentences to ensure our writing is correct. We have focused on different word classes and then applied them in different contexts. I have been blown away by the maturity of 4G's writing and attention to the minor details. We are going to really work on our handwriting to make it as clear and as neat as it can be. 

We have started reading The Demon Headmaster!. We have spoke at length about the characters and the plot. This has helped us develop our reading techniques by clarifying, predicting summarising and answering a multitude of questions about the text.  There are some children who have completed their 50 night challenge already!

In Maths, we have focused on Place Value. We have consolidated previous learning from Year 3 and then progressed on to reasoning and problem solving questions. We have learnt about at Roman numerals, values of digits, rounding and estimating numbers on a number line. We then moved on to Addition and Subtraction where the children have been adding and subtracting up to 4-digit numbers. We have used various methods to solve these problems with amazing results. 4G have done really well this term with their timetables too!

In Science, we have looked at 'Sound'. We have learnt about what sound is and how the ear collects sound. We have also planned, investigated and evaluated a range of experiments to improve our knowledge of sound. We also were visited by the sound dome which made us think about sound in another way!

In History, we have focused on the Romans. I and 4G have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Romans. We have learnt about Roman life, their military and the technological advances that they came up with along the way. We were even lucky enough to go on a trip and  appearance by Professor McGinty has really extended our knowledge about the Romans.

This term we have further extended our Spanish knowledge Spanish knowledge. We have recapped some greetings, colours and numbers before learning the contents of a pencil case and masculine and feminine grammar. 

In PE, we have worked on our team building skills and completed our tri-golf topic too. Due to the short terms in Spring we also started gymnastics.

Enjoy the break guys and don't work too hard!"

Autumn 1 has happened so quickly! It has been a good one, with lots of laughs and enjoyment! It has been a pleasure getting to know the children.

In Maths this term we have looked at place value, addition and subtraction. We were able to identify and partition numbers up to 10,000. We have started using column methods for both addition and subtraction.

In English we have been reading 'The Demon Headmaster', we have also used this to explore a wide variety of writing styles, including character descriptions and diary entries. 4MS have worked hard on their GPS skills, especially when using punctuation such as capital letters, full stops and question marks.

In Geography, we were able to identify where our food comes from and the impact it has on the environment.

In History, we have been looking at the Romans. We went to the Roman Fort - Lunt, and we had a visit from Professor McGinty where we learnt all about how the Roman people lived.

In Science we have looked at the topic of Sound. We have identified how sounds are made and how our Ear can translate to brain signals for the brain.

In PE this term we have worked on our team building skills as well as our Gymnastics.

It has been a pleasure to get to know the children in 4MS. 

Miss Mac and Mrs Stepien x

It’s been a long eight weeks but it is safe to say that the children have all settled into Year 4 and have made an excellent start. Lots of learning has been had and the children are well deserving of a week’s break for half-term!

In English, we have been reading ‘The Demon Headmaster’ by Gillian Cross and have written a character description (about Dinah, Lloyd or the Headmaster) and a diary entry (from the perspective of Dinah). We used expanded noun phrases, similes and emotive language (amongst other things) to make our writing interesting and appeal to a specific audience. I was very impressed with the effort the children made!

In Reading, we have been having reciprocal reading discussions based upon several different texts such as: narratives, setting descriptions, non-chronological reports and a leaflet. The children are beginning to show a super understanding of the four key reading skills (summarising, clarifying, questioning and predicting) and have been spending lots of time skimming and scanning the texts in order to retrieve.

In PE, the children have enjoyed team-building activities and have come to the end of their gymnastics topic. The children have been supportive of each other and congratulated each other on their excellent contributions during lessons. The children have also began Swimming and have enjoyed furthering their swimming skills by doing anything from lengths of the pool to picking up equipment from the bottom of the pool!

In Science, we have enjoyed exploring sound and how it works. We’ve learnt about food and where it comes from in Geography and found out many interesting things about locally sourced and imported food. In History, we’ve learnt all about the Romans, what they did for us, and enjoyed dressing up as Roman soldiers in order to understand why and how the Roman army was so powerful.

Have a wonderful rest, 4P! Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all back in school on Tuesday 7th November.

Hello everyone! We hope that your summer was fabulous! Here’s what we’ll be up to this term.  

English

A focus on handwriting and presentation, sentence structure, word classes (verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs) and tense. We will be gradually building up the amount children write, ensuring there is a focus on quality and not quantity.  

Reading

Our class text this half term is The Demon Headmaster, a fantastic book which we’re sure the children will love. We will spend lots of time reading this during Yardley Loves Reading time. In our Reciprocal Reading lessons, we will be spending time exploring different kinds of texts such as persuasive leaflets, fiction and non-fiction texts. We will be focusing on the skill of retrieval and doing lots of skimming and scanning to secure our understanding of the text. 

A quick plea - please do read regularly with your children! 

Maths

• Place Value – Partitioning, rounding, representing numbers with 4 digits and Roman Numerals. 

• Formal methods for the four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with numbers up to 4 digits. 

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home.  

Science

In Science, we will be studying Sound. In this topic we will be identifying how sounds are made and recognise that vibrations from a sound travel through a medium to the ear. We will be conducting lots of experiments throughout the term to explore patterns between the pitch and volume of sound.  

History

In History this half term, we will be learning about the Romans and will look to answering the question - ‘Why did the Romans settle in Britain?’ We will explore how the Romans conquered the UK and the impact it had. 

Computing

We will be doing lots of work on Digital Safety and exploring how important it is to stay safe online all the while enjoying our time using it. We will then go onto spreadsheets and completing tasks using them. 

RE/PHSE

Expressing Joy, Being Thankful, Harvest. 

Music

Linking to our history ‘Roman’ topic, we will be Identifying motifs aurally and playing repeated pattern on a tuned instrument. We will also be able to combine motifs and perform. 

P.E./Sports

This half term, we will be taking part in team building activities and starting tri-golf. 

• 4A: P.E. Wednesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4P: P.E. Tuesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4G: P.E. Monday and Friday 

• 4MS: P.E. Thursday and Friday 

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

On the days of Forest School sessions, pupils should come to school in suitable clothing for ‘all-weather’ sessions.  This includes:

• Warm clothing items (e.g. jogging bottoms, leggings, waterproof trousers and a warm jumper/sweatshirt).

• A warm coat (e.g. a winter coat or a waterproof jacket).

• A change of footwear (e.g. old trainers, boots, wellies). Send these in a separate bag so that they can be taken home at the end of the day.

*There is no need to buy new items for Forest School sessions.*

Details of dates for Forest School can be found here.

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link corridor door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.

What a wonderful way to finish the year! Thank you.

In English, we have been writing our travel brochures and focusing on including persuasive features. We really enjoyed reading our class text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis and this supported us within our own writing. We have also explored debating and very much enjoyed being able to express our opinions on different matter while using supporting evidence. Also, you have had time to continue to develop your of grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting. 

In Reading, we were very engaged in our class text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis and completed many activities around the text. These activities included predicting, sequencing, retrieval and summarising – all of which have further developed our skills. As always, it has been lovely to have time to sit with each child and listen to them read. I can really see how much they have progressed in Year 4. 

During Maths, we started the half term with our Multiplication Tables Check, which the children did incredibly well on! Well done again! Keep up the great work. We have also spend time exploring money, time, and geometry. The children have enjoyed completing a range of different activities for each of these topics, including practical learning, fluency questions and some super tricky problem solving questions. 

For Science, we have spent some time looking back at all of the different topics we have explored since starting Year 4. We have carried out many investigations and experiments to recap our learning about Sound, Living things and their Habitats, Electricity and Animals including humans, all of which the children have enjoyed and been able to discuss confidently. 

Throughout our Foundation topics, we have been extremely busy! We started the term by designing and creating a sign to advertise a shop that offers something valuable and will benefit us in the current cost of living crisis. Within this, we were able to create a simple circuit (including LED lights) to light up the sign. Using these skills (alongside our knowledge from Computing), we explored inputting information onto a device. Following this, we learned a lot about the Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings and the impact they made upon the UK. Finally, we are completing our Art week where we are exploring the different tools used to create light and dark textures. 

This half term, the children have been able to enhance their netball skills and deepen their knowledge of the sport. It has also been wonderful to see the increased confidence that all children have had in their swimming lessons. Well done everyone! We also enjoyed taking part in a Design and Technology day in which the children were able to research, plan, design and make their own keyrings. And not forgetting the exciting tip we had to the Nature Centre! 

Well, 4M, it is time to say goodbye. What an incredibly wonderful year we have had together filled with memories. Thank you for all making it an enjoyable year, I am immensely proud to have been your teacher. Keep being you and always try your best!

Good luck,

Miss Murphy x 

Well, that’s a wrap! I cannot quite believe the year is over and 4P will be entering Year 5 in September! They have had a truly fantastic year and I know they will go on and prosper as they enter upper key stage 2.

In English, we have been working hard to create a persuasive brochure, convincing people to visit the wonderful world of Narnia. We spent lots of time being creative and explored different writing techniques such as: rhetorical questions, expanded noun phrases and relative clauses. 

In Maths, we spent some time learning how to tell the time on both digital and analogue clocks. We also looked at and learnt about different shapes, angles and direction. We perfected our times tables knowledge and completed our times tables assessments, making Miss Perkins very proud.

In Science, we enjoyed recapping all of our prior learning by doing experiments relating to sound, living things and their habitats etc. We had fun choosing an object from around the classroom to try and block out sound with, before explaining why we chose that object to our peers.

In our foundation lessons, we delved into History and learnt all about the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. We enjoyed learning about how these historical events link and were able to answer significant questions such as, ‘Why did the Vikings invade England?’

In PE, we have enjoyed learning about how to play netball and working as part of a team to win a match. We have also thoroughly enjoyed our swimming lessons and have progressed so much since we started back in March!

Have a lovely, well deserved summer break everyone – I am proud of everything you have achieved this year and you should be too. Good luck in Year 5, each and every one of you will be amazing!

Miss Perkins x

What a year! I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to get to know and teach each of the children in 4F this year. They have been wonderful and their new teacher is so lucky to get such a lovely, funny group of children next year. 

The children have worked incredibly hard during English to create some fantastic travel brochures for Narnia. They used their imaginations and incorporated persuasive techniques such as hyperboles into their writing. I am very proud of the interesting and exciting pieces they have created and hope they are to. 

After all the hard work the children put into their learning and retention of their times tables, I couldn’t be prouder of the improvements they made in Maths. The children were calm and collected when it came to their MTC. I truly hope they have reflected on all the hard work they have put into their learning and are proud of themselves for the improvements they have made. They made good progress with learning time and money. 

In Science the children have enjoyed our investigations and experiments this half term. It has been wonderful to see them developing their questioning, and understanding the importance of asking the right questions, to get the answers they need. 

I have been blown away by how quickly the children have understood coding and how easily they were able to use the microbits. They have created their own code using the microbit software and were able to download this onto the chip itself. Pretty amazing stuff. 

I hope the children have a wonderful summer, they will all be fantastic in year 5! 

Adios,

Miss O!

Dear 4A,

I cannot believe I am writing this in your final week of Year 4! I’ve been so unbelievably lucky to teach and get to know every single one of you over the year. You’ve all worked incredibly hard over the year and have continued to show your enthusiasm and determination throughout this final term. We have accomplished so many goals throughout the year and I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am of you.

Our skills in English, Maths, Reading and the rest of the curriculum have continued to improve and I am overly impressed with the extra work you have all put in to continue to progress in your learning. You all done an amazing job with your MTC and the progress you made over the year has proven how much you care about improving yourselves. 

I do not doubt you are all going to be amazing in Year 5 and I cannot wait to hear about all of the wonderful things you are getting up to. Have an amazing summer and I will see you all in September.

Fabulous work 4A!

Miss Ashmore x

We hope you had a fabulous break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this half term.

We will be going to Birmingham Nature Centre on Monday 19th June.

Year 4 will have Sports Day on Tuesday 27th June (9:30-10:45).

For Summer 2, here is what we have in store across the curriculum for our fabulous Year 4 children:

English

In English, we will be creating a range of writing pieces based including brochures and non-chronological reports. We will be continuing with our class text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis to support our writing in our English lessons. We will be using new skills such as relative clauses and hyperboles. Throughout this, we will continue to develop the children’s knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling with explicit teaching based on the topic.

Reading Skills

In Reading, we will be focusing on a range of different skills this half term. We are starting off the half term with dictionary skills, before moving onto sequencing and prediction. The children have worked hard this year on their retrieval skills, so to finish off our half term we will have a quick recap of those skills, as well as using inference skills in our reading lessons.

Maths

In Maths, we will continue to focus heavily on times tables to support the children during their Multiplication Tables Check. We will begin by recapping our work on decimals from last half term to support the children with our upcoming money topic. Within this topic, children will be learning to compare, convert, estimate and solve problems including money. After that, we will move on to our topic about time where children will be recapping what they already know and learning to convert to and from the 24 hour clock.

Science

In Science this half term, we are going to look back at all of the different topics we have explored since starting Year 4. We will conduct many investigations and experiments to recap our learning about Sound, Living things and their Habitats, Electricity and Animals including humans. 

Foundation subjects

To start off this half term, we will be taking part in a Design and Technology topic called ‘Simple circuits and switches’. Our aim is to design and create a sign that will advertise a shop that offers something valuable and will benefit us in the current cost of living crisis. Once we have made our sign, we will then create a simple circuit (including LED lights) that will allow us to light up our sign. To finish, we will evaluate the product.

Going on from this, we will be studying History. We will learn all about the Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings and the impact they made upon the UK.

To finish, we have an Art week. We will be learning how to use different tools to create light and dark textures.

Computing

In Computing, we will be furthering our knowledge of coding by using Scratch to successfully program sprites that will have conversations with one another. We will have to think carefully about the timings of our codes so that the conversation smooths nicely as soon as we press play. 

PE/Sports

• 4M and 4P will continue Swimming this term, on Fridays. Please refer to the separate email sent out for more details.

• 4M: Monday and Friday (swimming)

• 4P: Wednesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4A: Monday and Wednesday

• 4F: Wednesday and Thursday

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

• 4P: Thursday 8th June, Thursday 22nd June, Thursday 6th July

• 4F: Friday 16th June, Friday 30th June, Friday 14th July 

• 4M: Thursday 15th June, Thursday 29th June, Thursday 13th July

• 4A: Friday 9th June, Friday 23rd June and Friday 7th July

RE/PHSE

In RE, we will be ‘Appreciating Beauty’. We will be looking at different religions (such as Islam, Hinduism and Christianity) and understanding what is beautiful to people of that religion. We shall do this by studying nature, art, and writing and of course, will be having plenty of discussions!

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Learning at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Summer 2 Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

Wow, another fabulous half term 4A! I can’t believe we only have one more half term left of Year 4. 

I am so incredibly proud of everything we have achieved so far and everything we still have yet to achieve before you leave Year 4 and head to Year 5. 

In English, we have been focusing on our class text 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. It has been great to see the enjoyment from everyone when reading this text and we have been working on writing our own narratives based on entering our own magical world through a wardrobe. We can’t wait to continue reading on next term and explore more writing styles.

When reading our class text, we have also focused on a range of reading skills, in particular inference and sequencing. We have continued to clarify and develop our vocabulary, and this has shown in all of your writing pieces. It has also been a pleasure to see your enjoyment of reading flourish throughout the school year. 

We have focused on decimals this half term in Maths. We have looked at tenth and hundredths as well as ordering and comparing decimals. We have continued our work on times tables and improving our rapid recall. I’m so proud of all the progress we’ve made and I’m sure you will all do your best in the MTC check when we return after the week off. 

In Geography, we finished our Amazon Rainforest topic which we have loved learning about. I am so impressed with all the facts you have learnt during our lessons as well further researching the topic outside of school. To finish of the topic, we all wrote letters to President Lula da Silva about our passion to help save the Amazon rainforest. We have begun to start our new DT topic which is Simple Circuits and Switches. 

Our Science topic was ‘Living things and their habitats’, we continued to learn about classifying different living this and had wider environmental discussions such as ‘What changes have affected environments throughout the world?’. 

We have also spent time during our week learning Spanish in which we have learnt how to write and speak about different animals and practicing using Bilingual dictionaries. In music we have looked at Indian music and most recently we have started looking at Rock and Roll. Every other week, we have spent time in our Forest School area and furthered understanding of living things and their habitats. 

You should all be very proud of the progress you have made in Year 4 so far. Please enjoy your break and I look forward to our final half term together.

Love, Miss Ashmore x

What a wonderful half term 4F have had!

In English, the children have been understanding different sentence structures and learning how to make their writing exciting. Our class text this half term in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe which the children seem to have enjoyed. They have used their imaginations to create a fantastic alternative world when their characters walk through the wardrobe. I have been super impressed with their determination to make their stories the best they can be. 

After recapping our knowledge on the four operations the children have been focusing on decimals. Understanding the place value of a decimal number and how to compare and order them. We have also looked at making whole numbers using tenths and hundredths this half term, which the children have done well to understand. As always, we have been practising our times tables and I have been blown away with the progress that the children have made with these. I’m looking forward to seeing this continue into the next half term. 

In PE, the children have been improving their knowledge of cricket. Understanding the role of the wicket keeper and bowler, while also improving their fielding skills. We have started our new topic, Tennis, which we are excited to continue after the half term. 

In foundation subjects we have worked incredibly hard. Geography has been great at getting the children to think about the importance of rainforests and why we should save them. The children have shown their curiosity for the different species that live in the rainforest. We have enjoyed our topic in Science this half term, learning all about living things and their habitats. The children have learnt and understood how to classify both animals and plants. And we have just started out new DT topic, Small Circuits and Switches where the children have begun to design their own illuminated sign. 

Have a fantastic break. If you can, practice your times table to keep up that amazing progress you have made with them this half term. I look forward to seeing you for the final half term. 

Adios,

Miss O!

Well done, 4M! We have had another successful half-term filled with lots of exciting learning and activities. You have all continued to make great progress and this is evident within your learning. 

In English, we have been focusing on using learnt English skills within your writing. Our writing focus was based around The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, for which you created your own narrative for the other side of the wardrobe. It has been lovely to see you all be so creative with your writing and you have definitely found your individual writing styles. We have focused on including punctuated speech, fronted adverbials, subordinate clauses and adverbs.  

Throughout our Reading Skills sessions we have continued to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions and applied these reading skills to a wide range of texts. We have continued our work on inference and you are now beginning to develop this skill using evidence. Also, we have been able to maintaining a love of reading during our Reading for Pleasure sessions, choosing books from the class library and visiting the school library. 

Our Maths topic this half-term has focused primarily on decimals, including flexibly partitioning decimals, ordering and comparing decimals and finding them on a number line. Children have been able to identify the values of digits including tens, ones, tenths and hundredths. Also, the children are thoroughly enjoying their Times Tables sessions in school and are flourishing with their recall of multiplication facts up to the 12th multiple. Don’t forget that we will have our MTC on the first week back so please keep practising! 

During Science lessons, we have explored ‘Living things and their habitats’. We built upon our previous learning about this topic by looking at identifying the features of living things and their habitats and then using a classification key to classify them. 

We started this half term by continuing our Geography topic all about ‘Rainforests’ where we have learned about the layers of the rainforest, animals that can be found there, rivers flowing through and the indigenous people who live there. We moved on to looking at the importance of the rainforests, threats towards them and how we can save them. We even wrote a letter to the president of Brazil to share our knowledge. 

We have also been very lucky to have Mrs Hodgkiss come and visit us each week to improve on our Spanish knowledge by recapping our learning about gender and family members, while also introducing pets. The children are really enjoying their swimming lessons and participate well. 

We have had a wonderful half term in Year 4 and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing work after your break. Please make sure to check out our twitter @MissMurphyYPS to find out everything we have been getting up to!

It is the end of yet another half term and what a half term it’s been! The children have achieved so much and should be so immensely proud of themselves.

In English, we have been working hard learning about all of the skills needed to write a narrative. We began reading ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and chose an alternative setting at the other side of the wardrobe to Narnia. The children have come up with lots of imaginative ideas and have spent time learning about techniques such as ‘show, don’t tell’, fronted adverbials, punctuating speech and using the past tense correctly in order to include these in their writing.

In Maths, we have been doing lots of work on decimals. The children are confident in identifying the digits in different place value columns within the decimal number and are now able to compare them, order them and partition them etc. It is also worth mentioning about the children’s fantastic progress with their times tables – a lot of them are now achieving 25/25 now, which is a fantastic achievement! The dedication to becoming fluent in their times tables has been evident and each and every member of 4P should be very proud of themselves.

In our Foundation curriculum, we have recently finished a Geography topic called ‘Rainforests’. We enjoyed learning all about the Amazon Rainforest and why our rainforests are important. We now know that many indigenous tribes live in the rainforest, as well as a variety of exotic animals and plants. We all agree that this is a wonderful place that should be saved. Deforestation is a huge concern!

In Science, we have been learning about ‘Living things and their Habitats’. We have done lots of work on classifying. We started off by classifying liquorice and then went onto classifying plants and animals based on their features. We’ve really enjoyed all of the scientific discussions we have had.

In PE, we did cricket. We enjoyed working as part of a team to score as many runs as we possibly could for our teams. More recently, we have started tennis and Miss Perkins is most impressed with our balance and co-ordination skills when it comes to holding our racket and hitting the ball. 

I can’t quite believe there is only one half term left – let’s hope it’s going to be as good as the rest of the year has been! Have the most wonderful week off, 4P! You deserve it. See you on Monday 5th June.

Miss Perkins x 

Welcome back to school Year 4! Let’s have a great half term. 

English: 

In English, we will be writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. Using the book ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ the children will learn about how to write descriptively and use their imagination to create an alternative world to Narnia. Once we have read more of the book, the children will use persuasive techniques to create a leaflet encouraging people to visit the amazing world of Narnia. Throughout this, we will continue to develop the children’s knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling with explicit teaching based on the topic. 

In Reading Skills, we will be continuing to explore inference, via images, clips and texts, in more depth to ensure the children are confident in their understanding. Also, we will be recapping the four main reading skills we have focus on this year to develop them further, while incorporating other necessary skills to become a competent reader. As always, we will be promoting children to develop their independent reading during our Reading for Pleasure sessions where they can choose their own reading materials and read with peers and teachers. 

Maths:  

This half term we will be focusing on understanding decimals, using our knowledge of place value to help us add and subtract decimals to make a whole. We will also apply our knowledge of decimals to support our learning as we move on to understanding money. In addition to this, the children will be learning more about time. We will be able to convert time, from seconds to minutes, minutes to hours and be able to convert between 24 hour digital to analogue. As ever, we will continue to have a strong focus on our times tables. 

Science: 

In Science, we are continuing our topic of ‘Living things and their habitats’ in which the children will understand what classification is be learning about and creating classification keys for living things and their habitats. Following this, we will begin to recap all of the topics we have covered this year and encourage children to develop their understanding further.

Geography:

During this half term, we will be continuing with our ‘Rainforest’s’ topic. Our enquiry question for this topic is ‘Should we save the rainforests?’. We will be recapping what we already know about the location of rainforests and the layers within them. Following this, we will move on to locating rainforests within an atlas, exploring different aspects of the rainforests including animals, tribes and products. This will support us in our understanding of the need to save rainforests from climate change and deforestation.

Computing: 

Over this half-term, we will be developing our computer science skills by carrying on with our 2Logo topic where the children will be creating algorithms to direct an object. We will then move on to our ‘Digital Wellbeing’ topic in which the children will develop an understanding of how to keep themselves and other safe online. 

R.E./P.H.S.E.: 

In R.E. this half term we will be completing a topic called ‘Deepening Understanding’ in which the children will be discussing how they can become more confident and be able to take a leadership role. We will also explore different social constructs and focus some of our learning around a range of texts, including ‘Looks Up!’ and ‘Paper Dolls’. We will also be covering P.S.H.E. themes within our everyday learning. 

PE/Sports: Please note there have been some changes.

• 4A: Monday and Wednesday 

• 4F: Wednesday and Thursday 

• 4M: Monday and Friday (Swimming) 

• 4P: Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

Please note there have been some changes.

• 4A: Friday 21st April and Friday 5th May

• 4F: Friday 28th April and Tuesday 9th May

• 4M: Thursday 27th April and Thursday 11th May 

• 4P: Thursday 20th April and Monday 1st May 

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Work at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Summer 1 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

We’ve spent this term showing off all of the skills learnt since we entered Year 4 in September. I am looking forward to seeing even more progress as we enter our last term of Year 4.

In English, we have continued to develop our writing techniques. We have learnt about the different homophones, fronted adverbials and figurative language which we plan to use in our writing pieces next term. 

In Reading, we have continued to read our class text 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' as well as a range of different texts such as ‘The Worst Witch’. In our lessons, we have been developing our inference and sequencing skills based on a range of texts. 

For Maths, we have been looking at fractions. We’ve learnt how to identify equivalent fractions, compare fractions and convert improper fractions to mixed numbers. As always, we are continuing to improve our times table recall fluency and I am so proud of all the progress made by all the children this term. Keep practicing! 

We have been learning about Rainforests in our Geography topic which we will be continuing next term and coming to the conclusion of why we should save the rainforests. We were very lucky and had a visit from Dave and the Rainforest Roadshow this term which was very informative and interactive. 

Our Science topic has been closely linked to our Geography topic as we are looking at living things and their habitats. We are beginning to learn how we classify different animals and plants. 

In PSHE, we have been discussing different friendships and how to be a good friend. In RE, we’ve continued to look at Judaism and the different festivals that have such as Passover. We’ve also been continuing to develop our Spanish skills in which we have learnt how to talk about our different family members. 

I hope you all rest over the Easter holidays. I can’t wait to see you back for the summer term.

Miss Ashmore x 

It's been a short but busy half term in 4F. We practised and performed our class assembly all about the Stone Age- the Iron Age. The children did a fantastic job. Thank you to all the parents who managed to come along. We also had visits from the Rainforest Roadshow and our local fire brigade. 

In Maths, we have recapped previous work on fractions, and have moved onto new challenges including finding equivalents of fractions and turning mixed numbers into improper fractions. The children have continued to develop their reasoning and problem solving skills, as well as practising times tables. Please do practise these at home as often as you can as it does make a difference. 

In English, we have focused on GPS skills such as speech punctuation, sentence structure and apostrophes. We have read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts and developed vocabulary ready to use in writing. Children also completed assessments so we know what to work on next half term.

In Art, we learnt about techniques used in the Stone Age to create cave paintings. Children had their own ideas about why pre-historic people used art to pass on messages or warnings, and enjoyed using natural materials such as seeds and chalk to create their own.

In Geography, we began studying rainforests of the world, including temperate and tropical. 4F have enjoyed learning about the different animals and plants found in rainforests, and will continue to try and answer the question ""Should we save the rainforests?"" next term.

In Science, we have learnt about animals and their habitats. We went on a habitat hunt around school, and considered whether there might be more to see when it is warmer weather. We know about the different types of vertebrates and the habitats they need.

In Computing, children used the Logo activity on Purple Mash to create an algorithm which draws shapes and letters. Finally, in P.E. we focused on athletics skills. I was really impressed with their throwing and running techniques.

I have now begun my Maternity Leave so will not be with the children next term. Thank you parents for your support this year and well done to all the children for their excellent progress and positive attitudes. They are in safe hands with Miss O'Driscoll for the rest of the year.

Well done, 4M! We have had a very busy half-term filled with lots of exciting learning and activities. You have all progress really well and this is evident within your learning. 

In English, we have continued to work on developing your own individual writing styles while including the correct grammar and punctuation. You have shown the ability to write for a variety of different purposes and include an exciting range of vocabulary. We have focused on including writing skills within our writing pieces, including homophones, apostrophes for contractions and possessions, punctuated speech and fronted adverbials. 

Throughout our Reading Skills sessions we have applied our reading skills to a wide range of texts. We have continued to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions. We have also begun to explore using inference in more detail by inferring images, texts, extracts, videos etc. Children have had opportunities to apply these skills during Reading Skills lessons whilst also maintaining a love of reading during our Reading for Pleasure sessions. 

Our Maths topic this half-term has focused primarily on fractions, including improper fractions, mixed numbers, equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. Children have been able to identify the types of fractions and used their secure understanding of these to apply their knowledge and reasoning to more tricky problems. As always, the children are thoroughly enjoying their Times Tables sessions in school and are thriving with their recall of multiplication facts up to the 12th multiple. 

During Science lessons, we have explored both ‘Animals including humans’ and ‘Living things and their habitats’. We built upon our previous learning about these topics and began to explore new ideas. We were able to go and explore our local habitat in school and observe the living things surrounding us. The children have enjoyed exploring various habitats and have been able to classify living things depending on this. 

We started this half term by continuing our Art topic of ‘Cave Paintings’ where we explored how cave paintings were created. We focused on the shape, tone and line skills used by the cave painters and tried to replicate this within our own work. Also, we were able to reflect on the pieces we had created and make annotations within out sketch book. Since then, we began our new Geography topic all about ‘Rainforests’ where we have learned about the layers of the rainforest, animals that can be found there, rivers flowing through and the indigenous people who live there. It was also great fun having a visit from the Rainforest Man where we got to learn much more and some of us even held rainforest animals!

We have also been very lucky to have Mrs Hodgkiss come and visit us each week to improve on our Spanish knowledge by teaching us about gender, colours and family members. Miss Baksh has been working with us to support our learning. The children have also really enjoyed started their swimming lessons and have taken to them extremely well. 

We have had a wonderful half term in Year 4 and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing work after your break. Please make sure to check out our twitter @MissMurphyYPS to find out everything we have been getting up to!

Wow – I can’t quite believe we are now saying goodbye to the Spring term! It has gone by so quickly and have so many wonderful things have happened during Spring 2.

In English, we have been focusing on perfecting our grammar, punctuation and spelling knowledge. We have done this by applying these skills into sentences and paragraphs and have enjoyed looking at different texts to inform our learning. During the last week of term, we enjoyed writing a poem all about Easter; ensuring we included all of the features we know are typically included in a poem.

In Maths, we have done lots more work on fractions. We have looked at a variety of fractions such as mixed numbers and improper fractions and have enjoyed learning about how to add and subtract. In addition, we have further perfected our times tables knowledge – a majority of the class are now achieving 25/25 in their weekly assessments – I am so proud of them!

In Science, we have thoroughly loved learning about different animals and their habitats. We have looked at a variety of scientific vocabulary in keeping with the topic such as: vertebrates, invertebrates, habitat and classification. We’ve discussed different animals you may find in different environments and why. Be sure to ask us all about it!

In our Foundation curriculum, we have been studying Geography, more specifically the wonderful rainforests we can find around the world. We’ve asked the key question: ‘should we save the rainforests?’ and are working hard to establish all the reasons why we should. It was great fun having our rainforest workshop and we enjoyed learning about different animals and tribes you may find there.

What a wonderful half term it has been! I can not wait to see what the Summer term has to bring. 

Have a fabulous Easter break!

Miss Perkins x

Welcome back to school Year 4! Let’s have a great half term. 

English

In English this half term, we are further developing our understanding of writing for a variety of audiences. We will be recapping sentence structure and previously taught grammar, punctuation and spelling skills. We are going to be spending lots of time working on our targets to ensure our writing is the very best it can be.

In Reading, we will continue to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions. We will also be exploring inference in more depth to ensure the children have a clear understanding. This will be done through inferring images, texts, extracts, videos etc. We will also be exposing the children to a variety of texts this half-term during our Reading Skills lessons and allowing children to develop their independent reading during our Reading for Pleasure sessions. 

Maths

In Maths this half term, we will be continuing our focus on fractions, including improper fractions, equivalent fractions; adding and subtracting fractions. We’ll then be moving on to decimals, including decimal equivalents for tenths and hundreds, as well as dividing and multiplying whole numbers by 10 and 100. In addition, we’ll continue to practice times tables regularly in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check in June. It is really important that children are fluent in their times tables before Year 5, so please do keep practising these at home.

Science

Living things and their habitats – In this half term we will be recognising that living things can be grouped in a variety of different ways, we will be using classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things. We will also be investigating how environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

Geography

During this half term, we will be starting our first Geography topic which is Rainforests. Our enquiry question for this topic is ‘Should we save the rainforests?’. Throughout the topic, we will be investigating different aspects of the worlds rainforest (layers, animals, tribes, products).  By the end of the topic, we will have a deeper understanding of the need to save rainforests from climate change and deforestation. 

Computing

In this half term, we will be developing our computer science skills by using 2code to improve our coding skills. This can be found as a tool on Purple Mash so please feel free to have a go at home.

RE/PHSE

We will be continuing to look at Judaism and the comparing the differences within a faith. Towards the end of the term, we will start to look at Christianity and Easter.  

PE/Sports

Please note there have been some changes.

4A: Mondays and Wednesdays

4F: Wednesdays and Thursdays

4M: Tuesday and Friday (Swimming) 

4P: Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Forest School

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

Please note there have been some changes.

• 4A: Friday 3rd March, Friday 17th March, 31st March

• 4F: Friday 10th March, Friday 24th March

• 4M: Monday 6th March, Monday 20th March

• 4P: Monday 27th February, 13th March, 27th March

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Work at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Spring 2 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Parents Evening

If you haven't booked an appointment already, we would like to invite you to attend our Parents Evenings, taking place on the following dates:

• Wednesday 8th March 3.40pm - 6.50pm

• Thursday 9th March 3.40pm - 5.30pm

Click here for further information and to book.

Thank you for your continued support.

What an incredible half term we have had in 4A! It’s been a fabulous start for 2023.

 In Maths, we started the term by continuing our multiplication and division skills. The children were able to use the bus stop method confidently solve their division problems as well as a range of multiplication methods. We have also learnt how to calculate the perimeter of squares, rectangles, rectilinear shapes and polygons. I am so pleased with the progress all the pupils have made with their times tables this term. Keep up the hard work 4A!

 In English, we have been continuing to build our writing techniques as well as developing our vocabulary, punctuation and spellings. In this term we have been writing longer pieces of work for a specific audience using inspiration from our new class text ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’. The children have been using their emotive language skills to write a formal letter to King Charles, trying to persuade him to not close the gates so that a refugee child can be reunited with his family. I am so proud of all the children growing in confidence with their writing abilities.

 In Reading Skills, we have been starting to develop our inference skills. We have looked at a range of pictures and text extracts to make inferences whilst using evidence in from the source to justify our answers. This has helped us to really expand our vocabulary which is transferring across all subjects. 

In P.E, we started the term by learning a dance routine and I am proud to see the development of the pupils with both their confidence and performing skills. This term has been our final term for swimming. It has been so lovely to see all the children improve their swimming skills and enjoy themselves every Friday. They have all made incredible progress since we started in September. 

In History, we have learnt about the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Our big question this term has been – ‘Why was the better Age to live in and why?’ Over the topic we have been comparing against many different areas such as shelters, animals and food. The children have all loved going back in time, especially when they got to make their own shelters during Forest School.

In Science, we have been learning about ‘solids, liquids and gases’. Over the topic, we have completed a range of different subjects to see how different objects can change their state by heating and cooling.  We have also recently completed our topic of ‘animals including humans’ in which we have learnt about teeth, the digestive system and food chains. We really enjoyed completing our experiment for seeing how teeth react to different liquids.

In Computing, we have been developing our skills with stop motion. The children have been working very hard all term to make their own stop motion video using Lego characters.

As always, I am so proud of all the progress the children have made this term, you are all fabulous and it is lovely to see you all working hard and enjoying your time in Year 4. 

Have a lovely break 4A, it is well deserved. 

Miss Ashmore x

It's been a busy half term in Year 4. I have been impressed with the progress 4F have made, their resilience and enthusiasm.

In English, we have been writing based on The Boy at the Back of the Class, including narratives and persuasive letters. The children have really improved their vocabulary, sentence structure and handwriting. 

In Reading, we have continued practising skills, including clarifying new vocabulary, ordering events and retrieval. We have continued to focus on different ways of inferring a character's feelings and emotions.

In Maths, we have focused on perimeter of shape and have begun a unit on fractions. Children continued to practice their reasoning and problem solving skills. We have re-capped the four operations and place value, and will continue to do so throughout the year. We continue to practice times tables regularly, in preparation for the Multiplication Tables Check.

In History, we learnt about changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, by using secondary sources. We compared the different periods by studying different aspects of life, including housing, food and religion.

In Art, we have looked at Cave Paintings, considered how and why people painted them and begun creating our own.

In Science, we have studied States of Matter, looking at solids, liquids and gases and investigated with how states change. 

In PE, the children have enjoyed going swimming each week, and have made great progress. The children also learnt a dance and performed it to the class.

Well done for a super term 4F! Enjoy your half term break.

Well done, 4M! You have made so much wonderful progress this half-term and it has been great to see. We have had a jam-packed half-term with lots of exciting activities. You have learned lots of new skills and knowledge and spent time recapping your previous learning. 

In English, we have continued to develop our basic skills, including punctuation, tenses, word classes and sentence structures, while also building up our individual writing styles. We have been able to apply these skills to a number of writing genres, including persuasive letters, newspaper reports and narratives. Also within these writing pieces, we have been able to show off our wonderful vocabulary choices that we have acquired form our reading. 

During our Reading sessions we have applied our Reading Skills to a wide range of texts. To support us in our use of predicting, clarifying, summarising and questioning we have explored comic strips, informal and formal letters, newspaper reports and our class text; The Boy at the back of the class. Children have also had opportunities to skim and scan, order and infer during these sessions and have continued to develop a positive attitude towards reading in our Reading for Pleasure sessions. 

Our Maths topics this term have been Multiplication and Division and Length and Perimeter. During Multiplication and Division we recapped our learning about making a number 10 or 100 times bigger or smaller, learned how to multiply and divide 2-digit and 3-digit numbers, including remainders. For Length and Perimeter we were able to measure in kilometres and metres, calculate perimeters on a grid, rectangles and rectilinear shapes, find missing lengths and measure the perimeters of regular polygons. Also, the progress that the children have made in their times tables this half-term is truly phenomenal!

During Science lessons, we have looked at ‘States of Matter’. Throughout our investigations we were able to identify, classify and group materials according to their features and we carried out various experiments to explore how materials can chance state and what causes this. Following this, we moved on to ‘Animals including humans’ where we looked at types of teeth, the digestive system and food chains. 

We started the half-term be exploring the time periods of the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age in detail to compare them and eventually formed an opinion to answer the our enquiry question - Which was a better time to live - Stone Age, Bronze Age or Iron Age? Throughout the topic we explored their  lifestyles, animals, tools and many other aspects of life. More recently, we have started our new Art topic of ‘Cave Paintings’ where we have explored how cave paintings were created and tried to replicate this whilst incorporating a range of art skills. 

We have also been very lucky to have the wonderful Mrs Hodgkiss come and visit us each week to improve on our Spanish knowledge and Miss Baksh has been working with us to support our learning within the classroom. 

We have had a wonderful half term in Year 4 and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing work after the New Year. Please make sure to check out our twitter @MissMurphyYPS to find out everything we have been getting up to!

I hope you have a lovely break!

We have reached the end of another half term; and what a half term it’s been! It has been wonderful to watch the children develop even more across the curriculum and it’s safe to say each one of their unique characters have blossomed beautifully. 

In English, we have enjoyed showcasing our grammar, punctuation and spelling skills whilst writing longer pieces for a specific audience. We wrote a newspaper reporting detailing a fight we’d read about in our class text ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ and wrote a formal letter to King Charles, asking him to reconsider closing the gates for a refugee boy to meet his family again. We have overwhelmed Miss Perkins with our extraordinary use of vocabulary and continue to develop our writing skills with confidence. 

In Reading Skills, we have been focusing mainly on inference. We have been looking at pictures and extracts, using evidence within them to make a good prediction of what might be happening/will happen next. As well as this, we have spent time going over our four main Reading Skills – questioning, summarising, clarifying and predicting.  Our reading fluency is improving and the way in which we answer comprehension questions is most impressive.  

In Maths, we started off by looking at multiplication and division. We learnt how to use the bus-stop method in division and divided by 10 and 100. In multiplication, we used the long multiplication column method to multiply three digit and two digit numbers by one digit. We then moved onto perimeter and have learnt how to work out the perimeter of squares, rectangles, rectilinear shapes and polygons. We are looking forward to starting our fractions topic and continuing with it after half-term. 

In PE, we started off with dance. We were very proud of ourselves because we were able to learn two different dances and perform it as a class. We moved onto football and have mastered the point of teamwork within the game and can pass and shoot the ball with ease. 

In RE, we have learnt about Judaism. We have enjoyed discovering lots of fun facts about this religion and have compared it to Islam and Christianity. We have learnt about how the religion began and where Jewish people go to pray. 

In History, we have learnt about the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. We asked and answered a key question – ‘Which was the better Age to live in and why?’ We learnt all about how they lived across the three ages, what animals existed then and how they used resources to hunt and make a living for themselves. 

In Computing, we created animations on Zu3D. We enjoyed manipulating Lego characters and taking stop-motions of them in different positions to create a short story. We did this with confidence! 

In Science, we have learnt all about ‘solids, liquids and gases’ and conducted fun experiments. We have recently moved onto ‘animals including humans’, where we are enjoying learning about our digestive system and food chains. We really enjoyed putting eggs in different liquids to see how they decayed their shells! 

What a wonderful half-term it’s been! I can’t wait to see you all again in Spring 2. Keep practising those times tables whilst you are away from school – your improvements are magnificent! Have a good week off. 

Miss Perkins.

We hope you had a wonderful break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this term.

English

We will continue our focus on basic skills, including punctuation, tense, word classes and description, while starting to add in more detail. The children will increase the amount they are able to write during a lesson and continue to perfect their use of paragraphs. We will also be trying out more genres of writing, including formal letters, narrative and persuasive texts. Furthermore, the children will continue editing and redrafting their own work. 

In Reading, we will continue to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions, though we will begin answering inference questions too. We’ll have a new book to study: The Boy at the Back of the Class, which should be a really thought-provoking read.

Maths

We will continue to work on multiplication and division. We will learn about factors, multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100, formal methods for multiplication and division and how to multiply efficiently. In addition, we will learn about length and perimeter and underline our previous understanding. Just before half term, we will be introduced to fractions and will begin to understand that one whole can be split up into several different types of fractions. 

As always, we will be having short lessons focused on times tables learning. We will play games and look at times tables in different formats, ahead of our assessment later on in the year. 

Science

States of matter – Through our investigations we will be able to identify, classify and group materials according to their features. We will explore how a variety of materials can change state through various experiments and the causes of these changes. Following this, we will begin to explore the water cycle. 

History

Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age – Our enquiry question for this topic is ‘Which was a better time to live - Stone Age, Bronze Age or Iron Age?’ therefore we will be exploring each time period in detail to compare them and eventually form an opinion to answer the question. We are going to be exploring the lifestyles, animals, tools and many other aspects of life during the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. 

Art

Cave Paintings- Throughout this topic we will be exploring how cave paintings and the roles and purposes of artists, craftspeople and designers working in different times and cultures.

Computing

Zu3D (Animation) – This term we will be exploring how to use software to create a short animation for a given purpose and then evaluate it in comparison to a success criteria. 

RE/PHSE

Cultivating inclusion, identity and belonging, Dreams and Goals, Online Safety Day, Chinese New Year

PE/Sports

4A: Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

4F: Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

4M: Monday and Tuesday 

4P: Wednesday and Thursday

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

4A: 9th January, 23rd January and 6th February

4F: 16th January, 30th January and 13th February

4M: 13th January, 27th January and 10th February

4P: 20th January, 3rd February and 17th February

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Work at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Spring 1 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Autumn term has flown by, I can’t believe it’s the Christmas holidays already. We’ve had a fabulous time this term and I am so proud of the progress you have all made this term. 

In Maths, we have been learning about area as well as further developing our multiplication and division skills. We’ve also looked at the links between different times tables and how they can help us to solve more complex calculations. In addition to this, we have been having specific times table lessons to build on our fluency and recall of times table facts. Each week we look forward to our Times Table Rockstar sessions to improve on our soundcheck scores. Remember to keep practicing over Christmas! 

In English, we started our new class text, ‘Aliens Invaded my Talent Show’ by Matt Brown. We have all thoroughly enjoyed reading our new book this term and using it to support our writing as well as helping us to build on our summarising and predicting skills. We wrote wonderful character descriptions based on the aliens from the text. We also created a set of instructions for a magic trick based on a card trick performed by the main character, Eric. 

We have been very busy in Science this term, exploring our new topic Electricity. We have looked at how to create a complete circuit as well as make our own switches to control our circuits. We’ve discussed different types on conductors and insulators and why we may need to use them. 

For our topic subjects, we completed our DT project of shell structures in which we created our own biscuit boxes. In History, we compared Baghdad 900AD to London 900AD. We have looked at the differences in leaders, trading, important buildings, and general development of both areas. 

Alongside swimming, we have been developing our gymnastic skills in our P.E. lessons. During our lessons, we have been developing and refining our jumping, balancing and traveling skills so that we could create and preform our own sequences. I have been very impressed by the creativity and determination skills showed in these lessons. 

Again, I am so proud of all the hard work you have put in this term 4A and you should all feel proud of yourselves too. I hope you enjoy your Christmas break, see you all in the new year!

Miss Ashmore x 

It's been another busy half term for 4F.

In English, we read Aliens Invaded My Talent Show! This was a really funny book and we loved reading it. Children completed some super pieces of writing, including an instruction text and a guide to planet Earth. We've also focused on presentation, sentence structure and tense. In our Reading sessions, we continued our focus on vocabulary and sequencing events.

In Maths, we learnt about finding the area of a shape by counting squares. We also found different ways of multiplying numbers, using pictures and practical equipment to help. Please continue to support your child with times tables at home, as they need to be able to recall up to 12x12 by the end of the year.

Our Design Technology topic was all about food packaging. 4F explored different types of packaging and designed and made their own box for a biscuit. I was impressed by their sturdy designs. Moving onto History, we have learnt all about Baghdad during the Golden Age of Islam and compared it with London at the time. 4F became historians to study different sources and consider how they help us learn about the past.

In Science, we learnt about electricity. Children enjoyed creating circuits and switches. In Computing, the class loved using Kodu to program a game. Finally, in PE, we've continued learning to swim, and have worked hard in Gymnastics.

What another great half-term, 4M! It has been wonderful watching you develop as learners as well as individuals. We have been very busy this half-term building on our previous knowledge and learning lots of new skills. 

In English, we have been recapping how to create exciting and grammatically correct sentences within our writing. It has been wonderful to see the use of different adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs within your writing alongside all of the powerful new vocabulary we have been learning. I can see that lots of children are really developing their own writing style and I can’t wait to see more of it in the Spring term!

During lots of our Reading sessions we have been reading a wide variety of texts, including poems, narratives and extracts from fiction books to help us to develop our predicting, clarifying, summarising and questioning skills. We have then built on this by incorporating skimming and scanning, sequencing and vocabulary alongside other skills. The children have also really enjoyed being able to read books of their choice during our Reading for Pleasure sessions. 

Our Maths topics this term have been Measure, Addition and Subtraction and Multiplication and Divisions. During Measure we explored finding and creating the area of a shape. In Addition and Subtraction we recapped lots of basic skills and began to build on this by solving more reasoning and problem solving questions. For Multiplication and Division we have been learning a variety of different methods and using these to help us solve problems. Also throughout this half-term we have had a big push on our times tables, which have improved significantly. Well done!

During Science lesson, we have looked at 'Electricity'. We have explored creating our own circuits, while being able to recognise that they need to be complete in order to have a working circuit. We have also planned, investigated and evaluated a range of experiments to improve our knowledge of electricity. During our investigation we looked at insulators and conductors. 

We started the half-term by completing our Design and Technology topic of ‘Shell Structures’ where we were able to design, make and evaluate a biscuit box. We then moved on to our History topic of Baghdad 900AD where we were able to compare Baghdad and London in 900AD. We explored the House of Wisdom, The Silk Road and trading in Baghdad. 

We have also been very lucky to have the wonderful Mrs Hodgkiss and Mrs Grange come and visit us each week to improve on our Spanish and Music knowledge. 

We have had a wonderful half term in Year 4 and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing work after the New Year. Please make sure to check out our twitter @MissMurphyYPS to find out everything we have been getting up to!

I hope you have a lovely break!

I can’t believe another half term is over. The children have had a marvellous half term; filled with lots of learning and lots of fun!

In English, we have been doing lots of work based around our class text – ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show’ by Matt Brown. The children have written character descriptions, non-chronological reports and instruction texts. They have been able to showcase new learning through these and have confidently used subordinate clauses, enhanced vocabulary, imperative verbs and apostrophes for possession their work.

In Maths, we have practised our addition and subtraction skills in great detail. We have also looked at area and perimeter and have worked hard on our times tables knowledge. The children’s place value knowledge has impressed me and this has assisted them in completing their work and learning new concepts confidently.

In Science, we have been learning about electricity. The children have enjoyed creating circuits and using them in different ways. We have created our own switches and experimented with different equipment. The children were overwhelmed when they saw what happened when two batteries were added to their circuit to light one bulb!

In PE, we have been playing tennis. The children have used pace and control in order to gain points against a partner. The teamwork the children have shown this half term has been magnificent – particularly when they have been giving positive praise.

There has been a focus on History during this half term and the children have learnt all about Baghdad. We have discussed what Baghdad was like in 900AD and what it was known for. We’ve learnt all about what life was like back then, what Baghdad is famous for, what clothes people were expected to wear and that the caliph was their ruler (to name but a few elements).

In Computing, we have enjoyed exploring Kodu. We have created our own world and introduced objects and a character. We are proud of our progress and loved playing with this software.

I am so proud of 4P’s progress this half term. They have remained dedicated and focused and have really done themselves proud. Their contributions to class discussions have been marvellous and the progression I am already seeing across the curriculum is really lovely to see.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas break and enjoy celebrating Christmas with your loved ones, if you are celebrating. I hope your New Year celebrations are great, too. I hope that everyone has a well-earned rest and I will see you in the New Year!

Year 4 are thoroughly settled in now and are impressing us all with their hard work. We have lots of lovely lessons and topics coming up and can’t wait to get stuck in!

English

We will continue our focus on basic skills, including punctuation, tense, word classes and description, while starting to add in more detail. Children will be encouraged to develop their own style of writing through varied writing opportunities where they can show off the skills they have developed thus far. They will also continue editing and redrafting their own work. In Reading, we will continue to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions, though we will begin answering inference questions too. We’ll have a new book to study: Aliens Invaded My Talent Show, which should be a really fun and engaging read.

Maths

We will continue to build on our addition and subtraction skills with numbers up to 4-digits. The children will also be looking at how to find the area of a shape. We will then move onto multiplication and division towards the end of the term. 

We will also be practising our times tables regularly. Please continue to do this at home. 

Science

Electricity – we will be focusing on how circuits are made and good insulators of electricity. Also, we will be looking at being safe around electricity. 

History

Baghdad – we will be looking at Baghdad in 900AD and identifying features of the golden age.

Stone Age- Iron Age- In this topic, we will be studying the earliest settlements of the UK and how they changed over time. We will be comparing the different eras to see what was the same, and what was different

Computing

We will be continuing with our unit on Spreadsheets. Children learn how to format tables, graphs and text and to create their own graphs.

PE/Sports

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too.

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

• 4A: P.E Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

• 4F: P.E Wednesday and Friday (Swimming)

• 4M: P.E Monday and Tuesday

• 4P: P.E Wednesday and Thursday 

P.E. Kit reminder

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils in Years 1-6 should come to school in their P.E. kit.

Indoor and outdoor P.E. lessons (during warm weather):

• Plain white t-shirt.

• Plain black/grey shorts (or leggings if required).

• Black pumps/plimsoles (slip-on or velcro) or appropriate trainers (suitable for sport, not fashion trainers).

Outdoor P.E. lessons (during cold weather):

• Plain white t-shirt.

• Plain black/grey tracksuit bottoms (normal fit, not 'flared') or leggings.

• School sweatshirts/cardigans to be worn over P.E. t-shirt.

The following items are not appropriate:

• Football (or other sports) kits or tops.

• Hoodies or non-school sweatshirts.

• Coloured t-shirts or t-shirts with slogans or pictures on.

• Coloured shorts or shorts with patterns or pictures on.

ALL P.E. KIT MUST BE LABELLED WITH YOUR CHILD'S NAME AND CLASS

Forest School

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

• 4A: 7th November, 21st November, 5th December, 

• 4F: 31st October, 14th November, 28th November, 12th December

• 4M: 4th November, 18th November, 2nd December, 16th December 

• 4P: 11th November, 25th November, 9th December 

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and must be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

Work at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Autumn 2 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Christmas Fayre

Yardley Fundraisers (our PTFA) are pleased to announce that our Christmas Fayre will return this year!  It will take place on Friday 2nd December 2022, 4.30pm-7.00pm.

Please visit our Christmas Fayre page here for full details of the event, including:

• Details of what to expect at our fayre

• Details of our ‘Bring a Donation’ non-uniform day

• Raffle and tombola donations

• Information for people interested in having a stall

Year 4 will be there with a stall, we hope to see you there too!

Thank you for your continued support.

We have had a fabulous first half term in Year 4. It has been so lovely getting to know you all and start to see your personalities shine through. I’m looking forward to seeing all your wonderful characters grow throughout the year. 

In English, our main focus has been recapping our basic skills and making sure we have Perfect Punctuation in all of our sentences. We have been learning how to correctly use expanded noun phrases, fronted adverbials and apostrophes for possession. The children have been able to use these skills when writing their diary entries, instruction texts and character descriptions based on our class text – ‘The Demon Headmaster’. 

During our Maths lessons, we have been learning about place value of numbers up to 10,000! We covered place value columns, identifying the value of each digit within a number and comparing numbers. Towards the end of the term we have started looking at addition and subtraction which the children have been excelling through. We are able to successfully use the column method to add and subtract 4-digit number. There are definitely a lot of mathematicians in 4A. 

4A have also made a tremendous effort in learning their times tables. I am very happy with the progress being made by all of the children and their excitement to practice their times tables. Keep it up 4A!  

In Science, we have been learning about the topic ‘Sound’. In our lessons we have been learning about different parts of the ear and how sound travels to our ears. We have conducted several experiments and investigations to test our knowledge and understanding of sound. 

In our Reading Skills lessons, we have been learning how to retrieve and summarise information from a range of texts. The children have been super at being able to skim and scan the texts to retrieve the correct information as well as unpick some new vocabulary. 

For Art, we have been learning about the famous Artist Rene Magritte who has been inspiring us with his surrealist paintings. In our lessons, the children have been using their artistic skills to create their own versions of surrealism which I have been very impressed by. I can see a lot of futures artists in 4A and I’m excited to see where their creativity skills develop over the year. 

We have just started our DT topic which is looking at Shell Structures. After half term the children will be creating a biscuit box to protect their beautifully decorated biscuits which the children are very excited about. 

In PE, we have been working on our team building skills which has been lovely to see. The children have been so supporting and encouraging of each other every lesson. I can also see these skills being used in all lessons as well as during break and lunchtime. The children have also been enjoying going swimming on a Friday morning. I have been able to see so many children grow in confidence and see a true improvement in their swimming skills. I’m excited to see this develop even more over the rest of the year. 

We have really enjoyed learning Spanish with Mrs Hodgkiss. Our dialogue is improving each week and we are learning more and more every session. Gracias Mrs Hodgkiss! 

Within our Computing lessons, we have been discussing online safety and how they can keep themselves safe when using the internet. Recently we have moved onto out spreadsheets topic and have started discussing the vocabulary that is used when working on a spreadsheet.  

I am truly proud of 4A for their wonderful efforts this term. I’m looking forward to seeing the children grow even more in Autumn 2 and cannot wait to see all their progress.

Please remember to follow us on twitter @MissAshmoreYPS to keep up to date on our adventures. 

Have a lovely break 4A!  Miss Ashmore :) 

It's the end of our first half term in 4F. The class have worked really hard and made lots of progress already. We have particularly enjoyed our swimming lessons on a Friday afternoon.

In English, we read the book The Demon Headmaster and really enjoyed the story. Children were able to answer questions about the book, make predictions and summarise what had happened so far. We also used the book as a stimulus for writing, focusing on description, sentence structure and paragraphs. I am really impressed with the improvement children have made in these areas.

In Maths, we have focused on Place Value and Addition. The class have discovered lots of different ways of representing and partitioning numbers and are beginning to solve problems involving number. We have also had a big focus on times tables, by playing games, reciting and lots of practice. Again, I am really impressed with the progress so far.

In Science, our topic has been Sound. We have learnt about how sound travels to the ear and have completed investigations such as whether sound gets quieter the further away it is.

In Art, we learnt about Rene Magritte, a surrealist artist who created unusual scenes from everyday items. We shared our opinions about his work, tried to emulate it and then were inspired to create our own.

Wishing you all a lovely half term holiday. See you on 31st October!

What a fantastic start to the year, 4M! It has been lovely to get to know all of you and I have really enjoyed this half-term. We have been very busy consolidating lots of basic skills throughout all of our subjects.

In English, we have been focusing on how to build accurate and effective sentences to develop a good flow in our writing. We thought about different adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs and used these to create sentences with accurate punctuation. I can see that there has been a fantastic improvement in our understanding and I can’t wait to see how you will be applying these skills to your writing next term. 

During lots of our Reading sessions we have been reading The Demon Headmaster which we have all enjoyed. We have had many a wonderful discussion about the characters and the plot. It has been really beneficial in helping us to develop our reading skills such as predicting, clarifying, summarising and questioning. These skills have then been applied to other texts such as TV guides, short stories and fictional texts. Also, we have loved our Reading for Pleasure sessions where the children can read a book of their choice. 

Our main Maths focus this term was Place Value. We have consolidated lots of previous learning and build on this to tackle more reasoning and problem solving questions. We have looked at Roman numerals, values of digits, comparing and ordering numbers and estimating on a number line. Follow this, we moved on to Addition and Subtraction where the children have been adding and subtracting up to 4-digit numbers, sometimes using more than one exchange!

During Science lessons, we have looked at 'Sound'. We have learnt the different parts of the ear and how sounds work. We have also planned, investigated and evaluated a range of experiments to improve our knowledge of sound. During our investigation we looked to see how the volume of a drum would alter as we moved further away from it. 

We started the year with an Art topic where we focused on Rene Magritte and other similar artists. We spent time building our skills in our sketch books and have created a number of pieces that use the same media and art skills that the artists we have studied used. We discussed ‘surrealism’ and what it meant. We have also recently started our Design and Technology topic of ‘Shell Structures’ where we were able to design, make and evaluate a biscuit box. 

We have also been very lucky to have the wonderful Mrs Hodgkiss come and visit us each week to improve on our Spanish knowledge. We have recapped some greetings, colours and numbers before learning the contents of a pencil case and masculine and feminine grammar. 

We have had a brilliant first half term in Year 4 and I am looking forward to continuing the amazing work during Autumn 2. Please make sure to check out our twitter @MissMurphyYPS to find out everything we have been getting up to!

I hope you have a lovely break!

Hello everyone! Thank you in advance for reading Class 4P’s blog. It has been a wonderful Autumn 1 and the children have settled in beautifully - I can already see dedicated attitudes, wonderful characters, and an overall eagerness to learn amongst the class. I have no doubt that this will continue throughout the rest of the year.

In English, we have been focusing on basic skills. The children have had a reminder of how to structure brilliant sentences, using grammar and punctuation efficiently. We’ve been learning about expanded noun phrases, fronted adverbials and how to use apostrophes for possession. The children have written some wonderful pieces of writing, too. They showcased their knowledge whilst writing a diary entry, an instruction text, and a structured, paragraphed piece of writing all about our class text – ‘The Demon Headmaster’. 

In Reading Skills, we have been focusing on retrieval, vocabulary, and summarising. The children are wonderful at skimming and scanning the text to retrieve information, regularly unpick vocabulary and have begun to summarise texts with great confidence.

In Maths, we have learnt all about place value. We’ve gone over place value columns, partitioned numbers, compared numbers, identified the value of each digit within a number (to name but a few concepts) and more recently, have moved onto addition and subtraction. 4P have made an excellent start in Maths and I can’t wait to see their knowledge progress further throughout the year. In addition to this, 4P have had many times tables lessons, where times tables have been presented to the children in many ways to underline their knowledge. 

In PE, we have worked on our team building skills and have started our Gymnastics topic. It has been wonderful to see the children working as a team and supporting one another throughout lessons. I have been mind-blown by their knowledge of gymnastics and have enjoyed watching them do leaps, rolls, and sequences.

We have been learning all about the famous artist Rene Magritte in Art and Design this half term. We been inspired by his surrealistic paintings and have enjoyed recreating our own versions of these. More recently, we have started our Design and Technology topic – ‘Shell Structures’. The children are thinking hard about how they will best protect a decorated digestive biscuit during Autumn 2. They’re very excited about this!

In Science, we have been learning all about sound. We have conducted many experiments and talked all about air particles, sound vibrations and why exactly we can hear. We have talked about pitch and volume and why we hear things differently according to our environment. There are some budding scientists in 4P!

In Computing, we have discussed how to stay safe online in detail. The children have a super knowledge about how to protect themselves whilst using the internet, which is brilliant. We have also recently started our spreadsheets topic and the children have made a fabulous start. They have enjoyed getting their heads around technological vocabulary such as ‘cells’ and ‘formulae’.

I am so proud of 4P and their wonderful efforts thus far and I cannot wait to see what Autumn 2 has to bring! Have a lovely half term and I will see you on Monday 31st October.

Miss Perkins x 

We hope you’ve had a wonderful summer. Here’s what we’ll be up to this term.

English 

A focus on handwriting and presentation, sentence structure, word classes (verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs) and tense. We will be gradually building up the amount children write. Our book this half term is The Demon Headmaster, a fantastic book we’re sure the children will love. We’re also answering questions about a variety of texts such as non-fiction, poems and short stories. Please do read regularly with your children. 

Maths 

Place Value – Partitioning, rounding, representing numbers with 4 digits and Roman Numerals.

Formal methods for the four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with numbers up to 4 digits.

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home. 

Science 

Sound – Exploring how sounds are made, how the ear picks up sound and how to change volume and pitch. 

Art 

Art topic focusing on the surrealist artist Rene Magritte. Children will use their sketch books to practise different art skills, finally creating their own surrealist painting. 

History 

Stone Age to the Iron Age- Next, we’ll move on to looking at the distant past, understanding how historical sources are used and how the lives of people changed over time. 

Computing 

Staying safe online and reporting concerns, Word Processing.

R.E./P.H.S.E.  

Expressing Joy, Being Thankful, Harvest.

PE/Sports  

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

•  4A: P.E. Wednesday. Swimming Friday

• 4F: P.E. Wednesday. Swimming- Friday

• 4P: P.E. Wednesday and Thursday 

• 4M: P.E. Monday and Tuesday 

Forest School Dates

• 4A - Monday 3rd, 17th October, 7th, 21st November, 5th December

• 4F - Monday 26th September, 10th , 31st October, 14th, 28th November, 12th December

• 4M - Friday 30th September 14th October, 4th, 18th November, 2nd, 16th December

• 4P - Friday 23rd September, 7th, 21st October, 11th, 25th November, 9th December

Important information 

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:45 and 8:55 and can be collected at 3:25

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

• More news will follow regarding celebration assemblies. 

Work at home

Children should be undertaking regular reading practise at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Autumn 1 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

What a fabulous half term we’ve had!

In Maths, we’ve looked at co-ordinates and translation, as well as statistics and recapping what we’ve done this year. We have continued to work on our times tables, and I am extremely proud of how hard the children have worked in preparing for the Multiplication Tables Check. 

In English, we have finished reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and we used this book to write setting descriptions and play scripts. We have really enjoyed reading it and we’re curious to know what happens next.

In Science, we have recapped all the topics we have looked at this year, and included an investigation every week. 

We have focussed on Art and Design Technology this half term, looking at graphic design and 2D to 3D fashion respectively. They were both so fun! We got to learn typography skills, and use sewing and stitching to create a book bag.

In Computing, we created a piece of stop-motion animation on ZU3D, and then we had a go at creating some play scripts using Scratch. We have some amazing skills in this class!

In Music, we have been looking at different types of music and evaluating them. In Spanish, we have been finishing off learning the colours, and we are now able to write sentences in Spanish about the colours. 

In PSHE, we have looked at how to be healthy, both physically and mentally. In RE, we have looked at how the world came to be, as well as the different creation stories for each religion. 

We have had such a wonderful year, and I am so unbelievably proud of each and every child in 4D! You have all been superstars, and I feel very lucky to have been your teacher for a year. I can’t wait to see you in Year 5, and hear about how amazing you continue to be!

What an exciting final term in 4F. We had our first residential, read an exciting book and continued to work hard on times tables.

In English, we read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and did some lovely writing inspired by the book, including a script, a travel brochure and a setting description. Children have continued to work on using appropriate vocabulary, as well as writing in full, detailed sentences.

In Reading, we recapped skills from the year, including ordering, summarising and inference. The children enjoyed reading the class text, as well as The Person Controller, which we read at the end of the day.

In Maths, we focused on shape, space and measure. 4F enjoyed a day focused on money, when we learnt about saving accounts, credit cards and how to avoid debt. They also worked hard in the year 4 times table check, and have made great progress throughout the year.

Our Art topic focused on using graphic design elements to create a poster for a landmark building. Children used sketch books to practice and evaluate their ideas. We then moved on to Design Technology, where children designed and made a book bag.

In Science we recapped topics already studied this year and enjoyed a Science Day about electricity.

It has been a super year for 4F. Have a great holiday and a wonderful time in Year 5.

4M have had an incredible end to the year and have persevered through many challenges.

In English, we have read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The children have worked really hard to remember the rules for each skill taught and have been able to apply it to their English work. There has been a big focus on presentation within the class and the children have worked hard to implement this.

In Maths, we have worked on completing the year 4 curriculum by completing statistics and recapping some of the skills we have learnt this year. The children have also completed the MTC and I am very proud of the progress that has been seen throughout the year.

In Science, we focussed on recapping all our science topics from Year4, as well as delving into the depths scientific enquiry.

In YPC. we have completed a design and technology topic based on fashion and sewing. The children have also worked very hard on their graphic design topic.

The children have been working hard in P.E., with both athletics and cricket.

It has been a pleasure to teach this class and I wish them all the best next year in Year 5.

Have a lovely summer!"

Dear 4O,

I cannot believe I am writing this in your final week of Year 4! I have been so lucky to teach and get to know every single one of you. There was a lot of uncertainty at the beginning of the year, but the perseverance and determination shown by all of you has meant this year has been incredible for all of us.

We have been faced with many challenges this year but all of you have continued to impress me with your positivity, creativity, enthusiasm and consideration of others. We have accomplished so many goals throughout the year and I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am of you.

Our skills in English, Maths, Reading, Art and the rest of the curriculum have continued to improve and I am overly impressed with the extra work you have all put in to continue to progress in your learning. Your love of reading has continued to flourish and I am so overwhelmed by the range of texts you are exploring and the discussions you are having, not only with me, but with your peers in the classroom.

I do not doubt you are all going to be amazing in Year 5 and I cannot wait to hear about all of the wonderful things you are getting up to and the achievements that I know each and every one of you will make.

Have an amazing summer and I will see you all in September.

Well done 4O!

Miss Orford x

We hope you had a fabulous break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this half term.

Some of us will be going on a residential trip to Alfrey Centre week beginning 20th June. Please check your emails regarding specific dates for each class. 

English: 

We will be completing our class text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis in our English lessons.

After this, we will be exploring a wide range of genres, including poetry, non-fiction and song lyrics.

We will be focusing on consolidating grammar, punctuation and spelling skills that we have already learnt this year to further our understanding and use within our writing.

We will also be creating writing pieces with a range of genres including incident reports, narratives and sequels. 

We will be using our class text to continue developing our reading skills, particularly in inference and summarising.

Maths: 

Fractions and decimals – We will be exploring equivalent fractions, and be learning how to change those fractions into decimals. We will also be learning how to use decimals for division and rounding. 

As well as fractions, we will have a focus on reasoning and problem solving, using the skills children have already learnt this year. 

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home, especially the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables.

Science: 

We will be recapping what we have learnt from every topic covered in Year 4, and we will be diving deeper and exploring topics with experiments. 

YPC: 

Graphic Design – we will be designing a poster for a famous landmark, using skills such as typography, shading and sketching. 

Computing:

Our Computing topic is very exciting this term, as we’ll be learning to create a stop-motion video using Zu-3D.

PE/Sports: 

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

4F and 4D will continue Swimming this term, on Fridays. Please refer to the separate email sent out for more details.

• 4D: Monday and Friday (swimming)

• 4F: Tuesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4M: Wednesday and Friday

• 4O: Wednesday and Thursday 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

• 4D: 6th June, 4th July, 18th July

• 4F: 13th June, 27th June, 11th July

• 4M: 14th June, 28th June, 12th July

• 4O: 7th June, 21st June, 5th July, 19th July

RE/PHSE: 

During our RE lessons, we will be looking at uniqueness and acceptance.

Within PSHE, we will be focussing on how we change as we grow older.

Our UNICEF article for this half term is:  UNICEF Article 22 - you have the right to special protection and help if you are a refugee (if you have been forced to leave your home and live in another country) as well as all the rights in the convention.

Important information: 

- Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

- Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and can be collected at 3:20

- Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

- We celebrate achievements in class and on Twitter so do follow your child’s teacher.

- Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

Work at home

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Summer 2 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

What a half term we've had 4D!

I am so proud of how far you have all come, and I am enjoying teaching you so much!

We have written some amazing pieces in English, like letters and a brochure, which have gone into our Published Writing Books. We've also read more of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, focussing on retrieval and summarising. 

In Maths, we looked at co-ordinates, which linked to our YPC topic of Britain from the Air. We also started our Fractions topic, where we have added and subtracted fractions, as well as finding fractions of amounts and identifying equivalent fractions.

In YPC, we have studied Britain from the Air, where we looked at what we can learn from a map. This included things like 4 and 6 figure grid references, the points of a compass, different map symbols and how to follow and draw a map on our trip to the Local area. 

In Science, we studied animals including humans, and we looked at the digestive system and teeth, as well as the functions of those. We also had a go at creating a variety of food chains, looking at what happens when something is eaten.

In PE, we have had some lessons in Archery, and improved our aim towards the targets. We have also been going swimming, which will continue after half term.

Thank you for working hard and being your wonderful selves! Have a lovely break and I will see you after the half term. 

Although it's been a short half term, we've packed plenty in and the children have made great progress. 

In English, we began reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The children are really enjoying reading about the magical land of Narnia. Through this text, we have practised the skills of summarising, inference and explaining the author's intent.

We have also produced some fantastic pieces of writing, including a letter and a travel brochure. Children continue to work on writing in full, correct sentences, using appropriate vocabulary.

In Maths, we have continued to prepare for the Multiplication Tables Check in June, through games and regular practice. We have also completed a long block on fractions- identifying them in shapes, fractions of amounts, adding and subtracting as well as problem solving.

In Science, our topic has been Animals including Humans. Children learnt about the digestive system and teeth.

In YPC, our topic has been Britain From The Air, focused on map skills. Children followed a map, looked at different types of map and compared Birmingham to Tenby.

In P.E. we continued with swimming. Children are making fantastic progress and many of them are able to swim without arm bands now. In our other lesson, we had fun trying out archery. 

In English, we have started reading 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. We have written texts including first person narrative, a diary and a persuasive brochure. Children continued to improve and up-level their sentences using a wide range of vocabulary. They are now more confident editing and improving their work. In Reading, we've continued to work on different skills, particularly inference and summarising.

In Maths, we have focused on fractions. We have looked at fractions of amounts, equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. Children also regularly practised times tables and have made great progress.

In YPC, our topic has been Britain from the Air. Children have learnt how to read maps and how to use 4 and 8 point compasses to find positions on a map. The children have been able to identify symbols on an ordnance survey map.

In Science, we learnt how to group and classify different animals and plants. We have looked at the human body and the digestive system, discussing how it works and why eating the right foods are important. In PE, we finished archery and started working on our bowling skills.

Have a wonderful half term, only one more to go :D

Only one more half term left of Year 4 :(

I am so incredibly proud of everything we have achieved so far and everything we still have yet to achieve before you leave Year 4 and head to Year 5. 

In English, we have been focusing on our class text 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. It has been great to see the enjoyment from everyone when reading this text and we have created some detailed and impressive writing pieces including a persuasive brochure and a letter from a character's point of view. I am looking forward to delving further into this classic and seeing your writing styles progress during Summer 2.

When reading our class text, we have also focused on a range of reading skills, in particular inference and authorial intent. We have continued to clarify and develop our vocabulary and this has shown in all of your writing pieces. It has also been a pleasure to see your enjoyment of reading flourish, we have continued to enjoy 'The Demon Headmaster' during Yardley Loves Reading.

We have focused on fractions this half term in Maths. We have looked at equivalent fractions, fractions of a shape and an amount and also adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. We have continued our work on times tables and improving our rapid recall. All of the class have worked incredibly hard, at home and at school, to continuously improve. Well done all!

In YPC, our topic has been Britain from the Air. We have had a strong emphasis on map work and used these skills on our local area walk. We compared Tenby, Wales and Birmingham to each other and looked at the attractions, weather, man-made and natural features, building on our enquiry question throughout.

Our Science topic was 'Animals Including Humans' and we have learnt all about teeth, the digestive system and how food chains work. We conducted and observed lots of experiments to further our understanding and build on our prior knowledge.

We have also spent time during our week learning Spanish, music, RE and PSHE. Every other week, we have spent time in our Forest School area and furthered our mapping skills from YPC.

You should all be very proud of the progress you have made in Year 4 so far. Please enjoy your break and I look forward to our final half term together.

Enjoy, Miss Orford x

We hope you had a wonderful break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this half term.

We will be visiting Brighouse for a trip the week beginning 23rd May. Please check your emails for the date for your class.

English

We will be starting a new class text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis in our English lessons.

We will be focusing on practising a range of grammar, punctuation and spelling skills that we have already learnt this year to further our understanding and use within our writing.

We will also be creating writing pieces with a range of genres including letters, narratives and persuasive non-fiction texts.

We will also be using our class text to continue developing our reading skills, particularly in inference and summarising.

Maths

Fractions and decimals – we will be learning how to identify, add and subtract fractions, as well as show equivalent fractions, and change those fractions into decimals. We will also be learning how to use decimals for division and rounding. 

As well as fractions, we will have a focus on reasoning and problem solving, using the skills children have already learnt this year. 

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home, especially the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables.

Science

Living things and their habitats – we will be exploring living things and recognising that they can be grouped in a number of ways. We will also study environments and look at changes that can also affect the way living things survive around the world. 

YPC

Britain from the air – we will be exploring the local area through maps, and learning how to read maps. We will also be looking at using co-ordinates and comparing Birmingham to a coastal area, looking at how and why they might be different. 

Computing

Our Computing topic is very exciting this term, as we’ll be learning to create a stop-motion video using Zu-3D.

PE/Sports

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

• 4F and 4D will continue Swimming this term, on Fridays. Please refer to the separate email sent out for more details.

• 4D: Monday and Friday (swimming)

• 4F: Tuesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4M: Wednesday and Friday

• 4O: Wednesday and Thursday 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

• 4D: 16th May

• 4F: 25th April, 9th May, 23rd May

• 4M: 26th April, 10th May, 24th May

• 4O: 3rd May, 17th May

RE/PHSE

During our RE lessons, we will cover topics such as: living by rules, being temperate, exercising self-discipline and cultivating serene contentment.

Within PSHE, we will be focussing on understanding and appreciating positive relationships.

Our Unicef article for this half term is Article 38 – you have the right to protection and freedom from war. Children under the age of 15 cannot be forced to go into the army or take part in war.

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and can be collected at 3:20

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

• Unfortunately there will be no assemblies until further notice. However we will be celebrating achievements in class and on Twitter so do follow your child’s teacher.

• Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

Work at home

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Summer 1 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

In English, we have enjoyed reading 'The Boy at the Back of the Class'. We have written texts including first person narrative, a diary and a persuasive letter. Children continued to improve their vocabulary and sentence structure. They are now more confident editing and improving their work. In Reading, we've continued to work on different skills, particularly inference.

In Maths, we have focused on shape and space, including perimeter, area, conversions and measurements. We continued to practise the four operations. Children also regularly practised times tables and have made great progress.

In YPC, our topic has been Rainforests. The children loved having a visit from the Rainforest man and a trip to the Botanical Gardens. We learnt about where rainforests are found, the layers and the animals and plants within the rainforest. Finally, children produced some beautiful paintings inspired by Henri Rousseau.

In Science, we learnt how to group and classify different animals and plants. Branching keys were a challenge but children tried hard. In PE, we started swimming and I've been really impressed with the children's progress.

Have a wonderful Easter holiday and I will see you soon.

What a busy half term we've had!

During Maths this half term, we’ve looked at shape, space and measure. Within this, we’ve focussed on naming the properties of 2D and 3D shapes, lines of symmetry and calculating area and perimeter. We’ve also practised our times tables ready for our Multiplication Check. 

In English this half term, we’ve read more of our book, ‘The Boy At The Back Of The Class’ and started to write extended pieces of writing, such as a diary entry, a narrative and a persuasive letter. We’ve also looked at inference and retrieval for reading, linking to both fiction and non-fiction texts. 

In YPC, we’ve completed our topic of Rainforests. We answered the question of whether we should save the rainforest, and learnt lots of interesting facts about the tribes, plants and animals that live there. We were also very lucky to have a Rainforest Roadshow come in, as well as a trip to the Botanical Gardens. 

During Science, we’ve looked at Living Things and their habitats. This has allowed us to classify living things into different categories using classification keys, and understand how animals adapt to living in their environment.

In Computing this half term, we have been looking at 2Code, and have had a go at programming different games. 

Our PE topics this half term have been Hockey and Swimming. We will continue with Swimming after half term, and it has been wonderful to see all of you improve so much already!

Thank you for a wonderful half term 4D, I have really enjoyed all the fun activities we have been doing. Have a lovely Easter break with your family and I am looking forward to seeing you for more fun in the Summer term!

4M has had a fantastic term!

In English, we have started writing narratives and diary entries. We have also looked at asking and answering questions. 4M have worked hard to develop their writing and have created some beautiful pieces and put them into their published writing books.

In reading, we have started to work on different styles of questioning, we have linked this to ‘The Boy At The Back Of The Class’, which is our current text.

In Maths, we have done a lot of work on shape, space and measure. Focusing on area and perimeter as well as converting units of measure.

We have been learning about living things and their habitats in Science. We have looked at classification keys and how to use them to identify animals.

In YPC, we have spent a lot of time working on the rainforest. We have looked at various climates and identified where rainforests are on a map. 4M have also been to the botanical gardens where we learnt a lot about tribes and animals in the rainforests. 

In Computing, we have looked coding and programming using a programme called ‘2cod’. 4M have worked hard on fixing bugs and creating their own lines of coding.

Our PE topics for this half term have been Hockey and Handball, 4M have worked on their team work skills and have been able to develop their sports skills.

I hope you all rest over the Easter holidays. I can’t wait to see you back for the summer term.

Can you believe we have finished our second term in Year 4? 

We have spent a lot of time showing off all of the skills learnt since we entered Year 4 in September 2021. I am looking forward to seeing even more progress as we enter our last term of Year 4.

During English, we have been focusing on our class text 'The Boy at the Back of the Class'. It has been an extremely poignant text as there has been so much going on in the world surrounding refugees and the crisis in Ukraine. All pupils have asked important questions to further their understanding of the ongoing war and it has been excellent to see their maturity when discussing such serious issues. 

Through reading our class text, we have focused on a range of reading skills to improve and further our understanding of vocabulary and authorial intent. We have created some fantastic writing pieces including, diary entries from the point of view of a refugee, setting descriptions and a narrative from a refugee's point of view.

Our focus in Maths has been shape, space and measure. We have revisited and furthered our skills in perimeter, area, angles and 2D and 3D shapes. We have looked at a range of different measurements and how to convert between them. We have also continued to focus on mastering our times tables. We are very close to the multiplication tables check and are continuing to practise as much as possible. These times tables are also helping us with other aspects in Maths. 

Our Rainforest topic in YPC has now come to an end. We have visited Botanical Gardens and had a visit in school from Dave and the Rainforest Roadshow. It has been great to find out all of the interesting facts about the rainforests and also be able to think about how we can help save the rainforest by simple things in our everyday life.

Our Science topic has been closely linked with our YPC topic. We have looked at living things and their habitats and looked at adaptations and how we can classify animals and plants. 

We have also been completing Spanish, music and much more throughout the week. We have learnt how to count from 0-20 in Spanish, play and interpret a range of musical styles and thought about how to keep ourselves healthy and kind.

I hope you all have a lovely break over the next 2 weeks and enjoy a well-deserved rest. I am very proud of you all!

I look forward to seeing you all after the holidays 🙂

Miss Orford x

We hope you had a wonderful break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this half term.

We will be visiting the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on 22nd March. You should have received an email with more details.

English

Now the children are gaining confidence in completing longer pieces of writing, we will continue by trying out more genres of writing, including formal letters, narrative and persuasive texts.  We will continue with our new Phonics scheme, to help children read and write new vocabulary.

In Reading, we will be trying different question types, including a focus on Inference.  We have started a new book: The Boy at the Back of the Class.  The children are really enjoying this story and are learning about refugees and how it would feel to be in a strange country.

Maths

Shape – we will recap properties of 2D and 3D shapes, as well as symmetry and angles.

Measure – we will be learning how to calculate the perimeter and area of different shapes.  We will also look at converting between different units of measure and money.

Fractions and decimals – we will be learning how to identify, add and subtract fractions, as well as show equivalent fractions, and change those fractions into decimals. We will also be learning how to use decimals for division and rounding. 

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly.  Please do the same at home. 

Science

Living things and their habitats – we will be exploring living things and recognising that they can be grouped in a number of ways.  We will also study environments and look at changes that can also affect the way living things survive around the world. 

YPC

Rainforests – we will be focusing on all aspects of the world’s rainforests (layers, animals, tribes, products) and ensuring our learning produces a deeper understanding of the need to save rainforests from climate change and deforestation. 

Computing

We will be using 2Code to improve our coding skills.  This can be found as a tool on Purple Mash so please feel free to have a go at home. 

PE/Sports

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform.  Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended.  Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

4F and 4D will begin Swimming this term, on Fridays.  Please refer to the separate email sent out for more details.

• 4D: Monday and Friday (swimming)

• 4F: Tuesday and Friday (swimming)

• 4M: Wednesday and Friday

• 4O: Wednesday and Thursday 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Please come to school in appropriate sportswear on your PE days. 

Forest School

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks.  Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

• 4D: 7th March, 21st March, 4th April

• 4F: 28th February, 14th March, 28th March

• 4M: 1st March, 15th March, 29th March

• 4O: 8th March, 22nd March, 5th April

RE/PHSE

Being merciful and forgiving, being regardful of suffering, Pancake Day, Lent, St David’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter and being healthy.

Important information

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and can be collected at 3:20

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

• Unfortunately there will be no assemblies until further notice.  However we will be celebrating achievements in class and on Twitter so do follow your child’s teacher.

• Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning.  Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

Work at home

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Spring 2 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Video Parents Evening

If you haven't booked an appointment already, we would like to invite you to attend our Video Parents Evenings, taking place on the following dates:

• Tuesday 15th March 3.40pm - 5.40pm

• Wednesday 16th March 3.40pm - 6.20pm

Visit our Video Parents Evening page here to find out more and to book. 

If you have already booked an appointment, please test that your device will work for your appointment.  Click here to see how to test your appointment.

Thank you for your continued support.

English- We have begun to write longer pieces of work, including narratives, dialogue and news reports. I have been impressed with the improvement in grammar and sentence structure. Children are starting to expand their vocabulary and use some super words in their writing. We are now using a new phonics scheme regularly to help with spelling and reading new vocabulary.

Reading- We have finished reading Aliens Invaded My Talent Show and have moved onto The Boy at the Back of the Class. We've used these texts to work on our vocabulary, summarising and inference skills.

Maths- In Maths, we have continued our focus on times tables. 4F have made wonderful progress and are confident with their times tables. Well done for all your hard work! We have also practised the four operations and have completed a block on the important and tricky skill of time.

YPC- We enjoyed learning about Baghdad in 900AD and how it differed to England at the same time. We have now moved onto Rainforests and are learning about why they are in danger from human habits.

In PE, we have been playing team building games, where children learn to communicate and co-operate. Next half term, we will begin swimming. You should have received an email about this.

In Science, we have learnt about solids liquids and gases and have tried different types of investigation. We also learnt about the water cycle.

Well done for working so hard this half term, 4F. We're half way through the year but still have lots more exciting things coming up.

What a great half term 4M have had!

In English, we have went over our basic skills and started using our imagination to create different pieces of writing, like information posters and news reports. 

In Reading, We have finished reading our book ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show’. We have moved onto reading ‘The Boy At The Back Of The Class’, we have also practised answering both retrieval and inference questions.

In Maths we have recapped the written methods of the four operations, as well as looking at time. We have practising our times tables using Times Table Rock stars and other times table games.

In science we have looked at states of matter, we have participated in lots of different investigations, like ‘which liquids freeze?’

In YPC, we have completed the topic of Baghdad 900AD, which was really fun! We looked at the different aspects of life in Baghdad 900AD, we also compared this to life in London. We have started looking at our new topic of Rainforests, which we will continue after half term. 

In Computing, we have looked at creating and editing spreadsheets in Excel, as well as talking about staying safe online during every lesson. 

Our PE topics for this half term have been Football and Team Building, this has definitely helped improve the children’s abilities to trust and work with children they may not always choose for themselves. 

Have a great rest during the February half term!

What a fabulous and very busy half term we’ve had! 

In English, we have recapped our basic skills ready for creating different pieces of writing, like information posters and news reports. We have also looked at asking and answering questions making notes and how to write speech.

In reading, we have practised answering both retrieval and inference questions, and we have finished reading our book ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show’. We have moved onto reading ‘The Boy At The Back Of The Class’.

In Maths we have recapped the written methods of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), as well as looking at time. We have practising our times tables a lot, which has helped us when we have been looking at shape, area and perimeter. 

We have been learning about States of Matter in Science, which has been really fun, as we have participated in lots of different investigations, like which liquids freeze.

In YPC, we have completed the topic of Baghdad 900AD, which was really fun! we learnt about lots of different aspects of life in Baghdad 900AD, and we compared this to life in London. We have also started looking at our new topic of Rainforests, which we will continue after half term. 

In Computing, we have looked at creating and editing spreadsheets in Excel, as well as talking about staying safe online during every lesson. 

Our PE topics for this half term have been Football and Team Building, which has been lovely to teach, as the children are super at working together in teams and as a class. 

It has been so lovely to get to know everyone much more, and I can’t wait for all the fun we will have next half term. Have a great rest during the February half term!

What an incredible half term we have had in 4O!

All of the effort and determination show by every single pupil has been evident across all subjects and I am already looking forward to our next half term together.

We finished our previous class text 'Aliens Invaded my Talent Show' by Matt Brown and everyone really enjoyed it. In particular, we enjoyed the comedy surrounding the text and the author's style of writing. In the last few weeks, we have been reading and focusing our English lessons on 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q Rauf. It is the story of a young boy who is a refugee and comes to live in London. We have spent lots of time looking at vocabulary and clarifying lots of new words to add to our 'brain dictionaries'. We will be continuing to explore this text during the next half term.

During Maths, we have started to practise telling the time. It is such a key skill for us to learn, so we have spent time studying and learning both digital and analogue times. We are continuing to visit all four operations and make sure our understanding of each method is being practised to help us further our understanding of word problems and problem solving. After Times Tables Rockstar Day, we have continued to use our times tables games and even made our own. Keep logging on as much as possible, I will continue to set up competitions to see if you can beat my speed!!!

We began our Rainforest topic in YPC and have started by exploring the question 'Should we save the rainforests?'. We spent time understanding the layers of the rainforest and the different climate zones. We will continue to explore this question further and research different rainforests around the world so that we able to answer our enquiry question with lots of evidence to support our reasoning.

Science has been very interesting indeed, we have conducted a range of different experiments to explore states of matter. These included condensation, evaporation, melting, freezing and boiling. 

As always, I am so proud of the progress each and every one of you is making during Year 4. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves and I cannot wait to see what the next half term brings.

Have a well-deserved break 4O.

Miss O x

We hope you had a wonderful break. There are lots of exciting events and topics coming up this term.

English: 

We will continue our focus on basic skills, including punctuation, tense, word classes and description, while starting to add in more detail. Children will increase the amount they are able to write during a lesson and continue to perfect their use of paragraphs. They will also continue editing and redrafting their own work.

In Reading, we will continue to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions, though we will begin answering inference questions too. We’ll have a new book to study: Aliens Invaded My Talent Show, which should be a really fun and engaging read.

Maths: 

Place Value revision – Partitioning, rounding, representing numbers with 4 digits and Roman Numerals.

Formal methods for the four operations –multiplication and division with numbers up to 4 digits.

Review of the four operations with a focus on addition and subtraction.

Shape – area, properties of 2D and 3D shapes. 

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home. 

Science: 

States of matter – we identify and classify different materials and discuss how the states can change.

YPC: 

Baghdad 900AD - we will be looking at Baghdad in 900AD and identifying features of the golden age, we will then compare this to England in 900AD.

Computing: 

Staying safe online and reporting concerns, spreadsheets

PE/Sports: 

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

Each class has Forest School on alternate weeks. Children should wear warm, old clothes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy as we go out whatever the weather.

4D: 17th January, 31st January, 14th February

4F: 10th January, 24th January, 7th February

4M: 11th January, 25th January, 8th February

4O: 18th January, 1st February, 15th February

RE/PHSE: Cultivating inclusion, identity and belonging, Dreams and Goals, Online Safety Day, Chinese New Year

Important information: 

• Year 4 children enter school and leave for dismissal at the link bridge door (near the theatre hall/ lunch hall.)

• Year 4 enter the school between 8:40 and 8:55 and can be collected at 3:20

• Children should bring a water bottle to school each day and take it home to be washed.

• Unfortunately there will be no assemblies until further notice. However we will be celebrating achievements in class and on Twitter so do follow your child’s teacher.

• Children should be undertaking regular reading practice at home; even as little as a regular five minutes a day can make a huge impact on their learning. Also, multiplication grids and spellings can be found in the planners for children to practise.

Work at home:

All classes are on Twitter so please do follow us for updates. 

The ‘Spring 1 Work At Home’ pack will be available to download here soon.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.

We also encourage the use of our Learning Hub as well as websites such as MyMaths and Times Table Rockstars.

Thank you for your continued support.

What amazing half term we have had in 4M!

In Maths, we have been learning about the four operations and how to use column method to solve problems. We have also been working hard on our times tables, making amazing progress.

In English, we have worked hard on our sentence structure this term and have also been looking at how we can expand our sentences adding better vocabulary and more detail.

In Reading, we have started reading a book called Aliens Invaded My Talent Show! We have been focusing on the skill of retrieval and summarising. 4M have worked very hard on this.

In YPC, we have been learning about Pre-historic Britain (The Stone Age to the Iron Age). We have also worked hard to create artistic masterpieces based on cave paintings. Then we finally created our own shell structures as part of our D&T topic.

In Science, we have learnt about electricity and the children are confident with their knowledge of electrical safety.

Have a wonderful Christmas break!

Wow 4D, what an amazing term we have had! I am so proud of the progress that every one of you has made, and it has been lovely to see you all become so much more confident in learning and as a person. 

In Maths, we have looked at multiplying and dividing by certain numbers, and we have also spent a lot of time focusing on our times tables, with a specific lesson every week just for practicing.

In English, we have started to produce bigger pieces of writing now, such as character descriptions and non-chronological reports. I was so impressed by the reports that we put them into our Published Writing Books! We have also read more of our 'Aliens Invaded our Talent Show' book, and we are really excited to continue it after Christmas. 

In Science, we have been looking at electricity, and we have created lots of different circuits using different components. We also understand the difference between a working circuit and one that wouldn't work, and we have as great understanding of electrical safety. 

In YPC, we finished off our Stone Age to Iron Age topic, and we started a new topic where we created our own Cave Paintings. For the past few weeks, we have been learning about Shell Structures, where we created a box to protect a biscuit. 

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a have a Happy New Year! Enjoy the break Year 4, you have worked amazingly this past term!

We've had a very busy half term in 4F. The children have worked really hard and made great progress.

In English, we have continued our work on sentence structure, and have begun adding more detail using expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials. There has also been a focus on full stops, capital letters and editing spellings. 

In Reading, we've begun a book called Aliens Invaded My Talent Show! We've been focusing on retrieval, summarising and ordering events. Children are starting to clarify words they are unsure of, using a dictionary.

In Maths, we have been concentrating on addition and subtraction, using base ten and place value counters, as well as using the written methods in our books. We've continued with our work on times tables, including weekly focus lessons. Please do keep practising at home as all the children are making great progress.

In YPC, we enjoyed our topic learning about prehistoric life in Britain until AD43. We also had a linked Art topic, where we learnt about cave paintings, the materials they used and how they were created. Recently, children created a 3D shell structure to transport a biscuit home.

In Science, we had an exciting topic learning about electricity. Children were able to put together circuits, predict if they would work and add switches.

I hope you enjoy your Christmas break, see you in the new year!

Another half term has flown by! We have been so busy in the lead up to Christmas.

In English, we started a new class text ‘Aliens Invaded my Talent Show’ by Matt Brown. We had already read an extract during the first half term of Year 4 and loved the characters and style of the author. We have used the text to focus on retrieval and vocabulary in our reading skills and then created a range of writing using the text as a focus. We created an amazing set of instructions for how to complete a magic card trick just like the main character, Eric. We are also reading the sequel to The Demon Headmaster during our Yardley Loves Reading session every day before the end of school. 

We have continued to build on our basic skills during Maths. Our focus has been using our knowledge of place value to explore the four operations. We have spent time using manipulatives to have a full understanding of how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. We have also been spending a lot of time improving our rapid recall of times tables. We have spent at least one lesson per week exploring each times tables and using different strategies to help us remember them. Times Tables Rockstars has been a firm favourite to improve our speed, the leader board is changing all the time so keep practising!!!

We have also been very busy in other subjects. Mrs Hodgkiss teaches us every Wednesday morning in Spanish and we are becoming more fluent every week. We can now count to 20 in Spanish and are able to have a short conversation to greet a partner. We also have been learning to play glockenspiels in Music which has been very enjoyable, we learnt the instrumental part from Mamma Mia.

Our Science topic, Electricity, has been very interesting. We have created circuits and our own switches to turn a bulb on. We spent a lot of time focusing on electrical safety and using our knowledge of circuits to create more complex ones. 

We completed our Stone Age topic in YPC and have moved on to creating shell structures to protect biscuits that we have decorated in class. We have spent time exploring nets and different materials to use to ensure that our biscuits are kept safe from breaking.

I am so proud of all the hard work that 4O have completed this Autumn term. You have all worked so well and you should also be very proud of yourselves. Have a lovely break and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Miss O x

Year 4 are thoroughly settled in now and are impressing us all with their hard work. We have lots of lovely lessons and topics coming up and can’t wait to get stuck in!

English: 

We will continue our focus on basic skills, including punctuation, tense, word classes and description, while starting to add in more detail. Children will increase the amount they are able to write during a lesson and continue to perfect their use of paragraphs. They will also continue editing and redrafting their own work.

In Reading, we will continue to focus on summarising, vocabulary and retrieval questions, though we will begin answering inference questions too. We’ll have a new book to study: Aliens Invaded My Talent Show, which should be a really fun and engaging read.

Maths: 

Place Value – Partitioning, rounding, representing numbers with 4 digits and Roman Numerals.

Formal methods for the four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with numbers up to 4 digits.

We’ll also be practising times tables regularly. Please do the same at home. 

Science: 

Electricity – we will be focusing on how circuits are made and good insulators of electricity. Also, we will be looking at being safe around electricity. 

YPC: 

Stone Age to the Iron Age- We will be continuing with the Stone Age and looking at cave paintings. 

Early Islamic Civilisation – we will be looking at Baghdad in 900AD and identifying features of the golden age.

Computing: 

Staying safe online and reporting concerns, computer programming.

PE/Sports:  

On the days of P.E. lessons or Sports Clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit or clothing appropriate for P.E instead of their school uniform. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so a hoodie/jacket and joggers are recommended. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.