Blue - Year 4
Autumn 2 Newsletter
Literacy and Maths
In Literacy we will be reading The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, subtitled ‘A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest’. Through vibrant illustrations and a patterned, poetic story, this book clearly expresses the importance of preserving the rainforests (and the ecosystems within it) for the sake of all who live on this planet. From this, we anticipate that the children will create fantastic pieces of writing, and it will spur us on to further explore ideas of how to look after our planet.
In Maths, we will continue to apply our number skills to solve a range of problems and will start the term by focussing on column subtraction and area. For the remainder of the term, we will be developing mental and written methods for multiplication and division. Please continue to help your child practise their times tables at home as it really does make a difference. If your child wishes to use online platforms to practise, the login details for Purple Mash and TT Rockstars can be found on the first page of their reading record.
Wider Curriculum
| Subject | Unit of Work |
|---|---|
|
RE |
How do people from Religious and Non-Religious communities celebrate key festivals? |
| Geography | Biomes and Climate Belts |
| PSHE | Celebrating difference |
| DT | Textiles (making Christmas stockings) |
| French | Portraits, describing in French |
| Science | Animals and Humans (Teeth and Digestion) |
| Computing | Coding |
Additional Information
This term we will be starting our School Linking work with Withington Girls School. The children will be learning about our partner school, and we will be creating pieces of work to help introduce ourselves. Throughout this work, we will be considering identity in the context of ‘Who am I?’.
Swimming lessons will continue this half term, so your child will still need a swimming kit every Wednesday. Blue class will also need their P.E kit each Thursday, ready for their weekly P.E lesson.
Each week, the children have nightly times tables and spellings homework to complete. This will be handed out on a Monday, ready for a spelling test each Friday.
We really encourage the children to read at home regularly, and this can be done independently or with an adult. Even if your child is reading independently, please ensure that you sign their reading record and return it to school each day. Each time that we see that a child has read at home, they are entered into the reading raffle.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Miss Maudsley
Dates for your Diary
30th October – 3rd November- Children producing artwork for The Big Draw.
Monday 13th November- Children’s Flu Vaccinations.
Monday 13th November- Interfaith Week.
Friday 17th November- Children in Need day (children need £1 for non-uniform day)
Tuesday 28th November- Class Trip to the Museum of Science and Industry.
Tuesday 12th December 2pm- Christmas Carol Service.
Thursday 14th December- Christmas dinner and jumper day.
Tuesday 19th December 9-10 am – Whole school Christmas craft morning (parents, carers welcomed into classes).
Thursday 21st December – end of the Autumn term.
Friday 22d December – Inset day (school closed to children).
Exploring Sound
This term, Year 4 have had an exciting time exploring sound in Science. This unit allowed the children to take part in a range of experiments.
We started by watching how different objects and instruments vibrated when they make a sound.
We investigated how sound waves pass through materials by creating our own ear protectors.
We explored how distance affects volume in an outdoor experiment.
We tested how the length, tightness and thickness of an elastic band affects its pitch when strummed.
Autumn 1 Newsletter
Literacy and Maths
This half term, Blue class will be exploring different aspects of Greek Mythology through the topic ‘Gods and Goddesses’. Building on the reading and writing skills already learnt, this topic will challenge the children to write from different perspectives and develop a variety of writing styles. In the final two weeks, we will be exploring Michael Rosen’s poetry and using the poems to inspire our own writing. Spelling, punctuation and grammar will remain a key focus as we move through these topics.
Maths:
In Maths, Blue class will be developing their understanding of place value. Your child will be learning to compare and order numbers up to 10,000, find these numbers on number lines, and round numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000. Your child will also be learning formal written methods for adding and subtracting 4-digit numbers.
As the children move through Key Stage 2, times tables fluency is increasingly important and supports the children as they tackle more challenging problems. We will therefore be placing particular emphasis on learning and practising times tables in class, so that the children can quickly recall key facts. Any opportunities for the children to practice at home will support quicker recall, so please make sure that your child is practising regularly.
Wider Curriculum
| Subject | Unit of Work |
|---|---|
| RE | Why is Jesus inspiring to some people? |
| Science | Sound |
| Computing | Effective researching |
| History | Industrial Revolution |
| Music | This little light of mine |
| Art | Jewellery making |
| PSHE | Being me in my world |
| P.E | Swimming |
| French | Conversation |
Additional Information
On Wednesday 13th September, the children will resume their swimming lessons at Grand Central. These lessons will continue on a weekly basis, so please ensure that your child has a swimming kit every Wednesday.
Your child will also need to arrive at school wearing their P.E. kit each Thursday, so that they are prepared for their weekly P.E lesson.
Each week, your child will have nightly spellings and times tables to complete. Once completed, please sign the homework log and return the book to school each day.
All children are encouraged to read at home regularly, and will be provided with a reading book to do so. Alongside their reading book, your child will also be provided with a reading record to document their progress. Whenever the reading record shows that a child has read at home, they will receive a ticket for the end of term reading raffle.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Best wishes,
Miss Maudsley
Dates for your diary
Monday 11th September- Freddy Fit
Wednesday 13th September- Swimming lessons start.
Tuesday 26th September - Meet the teacher 3:20pm-5:30pm.