Year 4
Mrs Forward - 4AF Class teacher and Year Leader
Mr Orbell - 4TO Class teacher
Miss Matthews - 4SM Class teacher
Mrs Brisband - Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Welcome to our Year 4 page for all our News and information
 

Year 4 is an exciting year for your child with a range of interesting topics and workshops to look forward to. The Autumn term is always a busy time for children in Year 4 with lots of new learning taking place.

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English and Mathematics will continue to be taught daily and focus on key writing skills and mathematical calculations. Times tables are a very important focus this year and we would ask you to support your child with this regularly. Please encourage your child to learn and revisit the times tables they are struggling with, as this knowledge aids so much of their learning in maths. There will be a strong emphasis on recalling times tables up to 12 x 12 as children in Year 4 will be taking take part in the National Multiplication Test later on in the year. TT Rockstars is a perfect App to practise these skills and available to all children in school.

 
In our Foundation Subjects follow a topic-based approach and make cross curricular links where possible, allowing children to make connections between areas of learning. For example, during the Autumn Term we focus on the Pharaohs. The children travel back 5000 years, to the dusty realms of ancient Egypt. They learn what it was like to cruise along the Nile, entering a world of mysteries and curses, mummies and kings. The children find out about life on the river’s fertile banks, discover Egypt and its fascinating culture. Finally, they unravel the secrets of ancient tombs, using historical sources and ancient artefacts and find out about powerful pharaohs and grandiose gods.

​As part of our Science lessons, children are taken on a voyage of discovery to investigate the busy world inside our bodies. The children look at their own teeth and complete an experiment on how different liquids can affect them. We then follow a tasty morsel as it makes its way through our digestive system, helped by some mouth-watering saliva.

We also have a range of curriculum days throughout the year which link  to

different  areas of the curriculum: making Islamic clay art; mummification role

play; creating a canopic jar; making a Sumer style figurine and  developing our

skills as landscape  artists. In Music, all children learn the Steel Pans and perform

to parents at the end of the year.

The James Bond theme always gets a round of applause!

In Spring term, we have an exciting topic called ‘Gods and Mortals’. As part of this, the children have the opportunity to take part in an Ancient Greek Workshop. During the workshop the children experience Ancient Greek writing and can play Greek games. Our workshop also acts as a ‘hook’ to encourage a love of learning.

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Towards the end of the Spring term, the children being preparing for their production. Each child takes part and this is one of the highlights of their year where children’s talents are encouraged.
 
Another highlight of the year is our residential experience: this takes place in May at Whitemoor Lakes. We take the entire year group at the same time, which allows the children to share the experience with their peers, making some fantastic memories.  With over 20 different indoor and outdoor activities there’s plenty of opportunity to learn new skills, conquer fears and most importantly, have plenty of fun!

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Homework in Year 4 consolidates previously taught learning to ensure this embeds into children’s long-term memory. Each week, children are set the following: 
 

• A Maths activity linked to times tables or based on a theme taught through the week. This is usually a piece of homework on TT Rockstars, Purple Mash or Education City.

• 10 spellings to learn. These can be found on the Year 4 Class site. The spelling rules will have been explored within classroom teaching. 

• An English piece of homework. This is usually a piece of homework linked to reading or writing on Boom Reader, Purple Mash or Education City.

Reading books will need to be brought to school each day please and taken home each night. We will continue to ask for at least one journal to be completed each week on Boom Reader. Times table homework may also be given, as needed. 

Writing and Maths homework is set on a Friday and due back on the following Friday.  
Spellings are issued on a Thursday and due back on the following Tuesday. 

Children are expected to read at home regularly and log this on Boom Reader. 
They should also complete times tables practice on TT Rock Stars.. 
 
Our P.E. (Physical Education) sessions are as follows: 

Indoor P.E. - Thursday afternoon 
Swimming – Monday afternoon 
Outdoor P.E. - Friday afternoon (weather permitting) 

We kindly remind parents that no jewellery should be worn in school except for stud earrings, and in line with Health and Safety guidelines, these should not be worn on PE/Swimming days. 

We look forward to working with you over the next year to ensure your children have a pleasurable and enjoyable time. Year 4 is a particularly important year, and we look forward to excellent progress being made. If you have any concerns or worries, please arrange a time to speak to one of us as you play a vital role in your child’s education. 

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Mrs Forward  - 4AF    Mr Orbell - 4TO   Miss Matthews – 4SM      Mrs Brisband – Y4 Teaching Assistant