Welcome to the Year 4 class page!

Autumn Term One - What will we be learning?

English- In English this half term we will be focussing on a range of fantastic books. We will be begin by looking at a wonderful book called 'Greek Myths' by Marcia Williams. Using this great text as stimulus, we will be writing a character description of the terrifying minotaur, fact files focussing on mythical beasts and even instructions about how to stop menacing Medusa. 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 begin their work on place value up to 10,000. The children will use a range of concrete manipulatives to aid their visual understanding of these concepts before progressing to more pictorial and abstract forms. As the Year 4 Times table check will be taking place later on in the school year, 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 focussing on Animals Including Humans. We will be conducting a range of wonderful and stimulating experiments encouraging the children to think scientifically and develop their scientific knowledge.

History- Our topic this half-term is Ancient Greece, children will learn about where this fits in to the wider timeline of historical periods before progressing to learn about how Ancient Greeks lived, their homes, democracy, the Olympics as well as their wonderful myths and legends creating fabulous pieces of work along the way. This topic will also be weaved through our English and Art lessons.

Geography- Our next topic will begin in Autumn Two.

R.E- Our topic this half term will focus on the 'Hinduism' where children will investigate key celebrations, important places such as and what it means to be a Hindu today.
Spanish – Our topic this half-term is 'Presenting Myself' where we will be looking at key words and phrases that children would use in everyday life.

PSHE- Our focus this half term is all about ‘Being Me in My World’. We will be focusing on the key adults in the children's lives, important rules we follow and how important we are and how to improve ourselves.

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

P.E - This term PE is every Tuesday and Thursday.
Don't forget to bring the correct kit, ready for the lessons. 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- Swimming will be every Monday. 4A will be going swimming first, date commencing Monday 8th August. Children will need a towel, swimming costume (for girls), swimming trunks (for boys) and a swimming cap. If you have any questions regarding this, please speak to a member of the Year 4 team.

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 :)