Welcome to the Year 4 class page!

Summer term 1- What will we be learning?

English – In English this half term we will be focussing on a range of fantastic books. We will be beginning by looking at Viking mythology creating a wonderful information text before moving on to  Marcia Williams' 'The Vikings'. Using this great text as stimulus, we will be writing news reports, explanatory texts and incorporating accurate dialogue into our final drafts. Within all pieces of writing, grammar, vocabulary and spelling are paramount, but most importantly of all we want the children to enjoy writing and create superb pieces of work.

Reading – Reading takes place every day in school, in a variety of ways: whole-class guided sessions, individual reading, and during the class text. Vocabulary, retrieval and improving inference are all of high priority, but ensuring your child enjoys reading is the main thing that matters! Please encourage your child to read as often as possible outside of school.  Remember, comprehension and an appreciation of what you have read is of equal importance to speed and fluency. It is so important that each and every child has an enjoyment of reading. There is a book for everyone! If you're not sure what your child should be reading next, please come and ask. If you need any recommendations, please ask. Lovereading4kids.co.uk is a wonderful website for recommendations but we have a vast selection in school.

Maths –  This half term children will continue to investigate fractions before moving on to decimals, money and time. As the Year 4 Times table check will be taking place this term, there will be an increased focus on times tables, children should be able to recite all the times tables within 5 seconds. To achieve this we will be practising them daily but any extra practise at home would be hugely beneficial. Times Tables Rock Stars will help with this, so ask for your child's login details if you are you do not already have them. In addition to this, children will complete a daily 5 a day recap of various areas of maths that will recap and embed previous learning.

Science – Our science topic for this half-term is 'Sound' where children will Identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating, recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear and understand that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases. To do this, children will plan and carry out their own investigations using a range of scientific equipment.

History – Our topic this half-term is The Vikings, children will learn about where the Vikings fit in to the wider timeline of British history, investigating key people, understanding what life was like during the Viking raids and the lasting impacts they left on Britain.

Geography – Our topic this half-term is All Around the World, children will learn about and locate the equator, northern and southern hemisphere, the different tropics, the arctic circle as well as understanding and identifying longitude and latitude lines on a map.

R.E – Our topic this half term will focus on the 'Judaism' where children will investigate key celebrations, people and what daily life is like.

Spanish – Our topic this half-term is 'My Family' where we will be looking at key words and phrases.

PSHE – Our focus this half term is all about ‘Relationships’. We will be looking at the different types of relationships we can have, what makes a healthy relationship and unhealthy relationship and how we can deal with this.

Art & Design – We will be taking inspiration from bodies and will develop our sketching skills.

P.E - This is every MONDAY for 4A and every THURSDAY for 4H.

Don't forget to bring the correct kit, ready for this day. This is a white T-Shirt, black shorts and a pair of black pumps, as well as plain black jogging bottoms and a jumper for the colder months. It would be ideal if this kit was clearly labelled and kept securely in a labelled P.E. bag, so that any misplaced items can be returned quickly. 

Swimming
This term Class 4H will be going swimming every Monday afternoon. They need to bring their swimming costume (either a one piece swimming costume or trunks), a towel and a swimming cap for these sessions.

Homework

Reading will be the children's main activity that is expected outside of the classroom. If the right book is found, this should not seem like hard work! Weekly spellings and maths practise will also be provided.  Of course, any additional research or work is richly encouraged and will only benefit your child's progress throughout the year.

If you have any questions or queries, please arrange a phone appointment via the school office. We thank you for your continued support as we head into this next half term.

Mr Holden, Mr. Allaway and the Year 4 Team :)