Year 4J 2022 - 2023

Summer 2

Oh my goodness it’s our final half term of Year 4 and there’s lots to do!  Of course we will continue swimming and theere will be the some of the usual end of Year activities such as St Peter’s Feast Day and Sports Day.

In Maths, we will be completing some of the final units in measurement: area, perimeter, and converting between units of measurements. For the final few weeks will we revisit some topics and concepts that were taught earlier and needed some polishing.

In English, we begin by looking Tudors information texts which link to our new History topic. The aim is to write a non-chronological report.  After this, we move on to reading and exploring ‘How to train you dragon’. We close the year off by reading and writing some nonsense poetry.

                     

Science learning explores Sound and is the second physics topic of the year.  Here, we explore how sounds are made and what can affect the pitch and the volume of a sound. In R.E., we continue the Health and Relationships unit that we started in Summer 1 and follow that by exploring connections between artwork and religion.

       

Finally, we truly hope that you have all enjoyed your year with us and we look forward to a hard but rewarding final term.

Thank you for your continued support this year.

Summer 1

Wow – A new term already! We are very excited about this term and have many things we need to achieve before we are ready for Year 5.

In English, we will be having a debate about zoos: Are they good or bad?  We usually think they are fantastic until we begin to consider alternative points of view whilst reading Anthony Browne’s book “Zoo.” We are looking at all points of view and will be writing a balanced argument at the end of the Unit. Later on, in the term we will look at the very funny books of David Walliams. 

                                                                         

In Maths, we continue to challenge and stretch ourselves using problem solving techniques. We are learning about co-ordinates and translation. Whilst continuing to learn improve our times table knowledge.

In Science, we are looking at Trees. This is a topic specifically used for St Peter’s as we have a wide variety of trees within our grounds to appreciate and explore. Towards the end of the topic, we will be find out which is the oldest and youngest trees in our school.

This term we will going on a walk of the local area for our Geography field work to explore which rocks can be found in Rochdale. This links to our topic on earthquakes and volcanoes.

In R.E., we are learning about what makes up a church. At the beginning the children thought that a church was just a building. We are currently building up a bigger picture about how a church is shaped by the people.

This term’s Art focuses on, Journeys and how we can record them through drawing and collage.

Our French unit is all about the body.

Thank you for your continued support.

Spring 2

Wow! We are now in the fourth half term of Year 4! 

To kick start our History topic, “Anglo Saxons and Vikings”, we will be having a visitor into school in our first week. While Erik the Viking is here, we will be experiencing what life was like as Anglo-axons in “Briton” after the invasion of the Vikings. This experience will help us with future learning for our History lessons.

             

In English, we will be starting off looking at narrative poetry and discovering how the Weeping Willow tree got its name. After that, we will move on to exploring mystical stories including a stories about, Mermaids, Selkies and Beowulf, the monster. We will finish off by writing non-chorological reports about the Anglo – Saxons and the Vikings which links with our History topic. Our World Book Day book, we will be doing lots of speaking, listening and drama.

                                                       

In Maths, we will be exploring fractions and decimals in greater detail: what they are; how they are used in everyday life; and adding and subtracting fractions. 

In Science, Year 4 moves onto living things and their habitats where we will be looking at what all living things have in common. We will then move look at what makes living things different and thing how we can compare them

In R.E, this term we will focus on Trust and Betrayal. We will explore who we can trust and if we can trust all of these individuals for all things we need help with. The themes of Trust and Betrayal link to the Easter story.

In DT, we will be making Pop Up Story Books for younger children.

                                                 

Please remember that all children are still required to bring their swimming kit on Monday morning including a bathing suit and towel.

At the end of the term, Year 4 will be performing their cornet concert showing off all their new skills, notes and songs they have learnt.                                                                                                                                                               

Spring 1

Welcome back in 2023! We are looking forward to some exciting topics and learning g opportunities. The first term went by in a flash and this Spring term will go by very quickly too and hopefully by the end we will be back to some more familiar routines.

The first half of the term reverts back to Geography where Year 4 are studying ‘How does Water go round and round?’ which links back to the first Science unit of ‘States of Matter’. In Science, we have the first of three biology units: Animals including Humans. This is a very hand on topic where children study the human digestion system and human teeth and follows on from their work in Year 3 on human nutrition, skeleton system and muscle groups. In R.E., we will be exploring Jesus as the Son of God. In Art, Year 4 are looking a topic called 'Let's Sit Down' with a focus on Vincent Van Gogh.        

In English, we will be starting with instructions and explanations before moving onto stories that including mythical and legendary creatures.                           

                     

Multiplication and division will be a big focus for the start of this half term.  This knowledge helps us to work with other concepts later on with more ease due to the speed at which we can recall these facts. Later on this half term, we will begin to explore fractions.

Swimming continues right on through the Spring and Summer terms and looks to consolidate the progress made in the Autumn lesson. P.E. in school is continuing with Games on a Thursday afternoon.

Finally, Year 4 will be learning to play the cornet on a Tuesday afternoon.

Thank you for your continued support.

Year 4 team!

Autumn 2

 After a busy first half term, we are glad to be back and we are working harder than ever! This half term we will be looking at the successes of the Ancient Egyptians in History. In Science, we have the electrifying topic of Electricity. The children will be getting stuck into practical work, building their own circuits and lighting up mini-light bulbs, as well as understanding the importance of being safe and thinking about conserving resources.  

We are pleased to announce that this year we will be taking part in Rochdale’s Linking Network Programme. We will be linking with a new school in Rochdale: Hopwood Community. We have already sent them welcome postcards and created a class poem - I am who I am - which can be seen on the gallery section. Early into this half term, we will be meeting our linking class face to face at M6 Theatre. 

In English, we have been looking at advertisements and will be making a brouchure for our fictional hotel. Afterwards, we will be moving onto a book about Tutankhamun and another one about a very clever black cat.

Place value will continue to be a big focus for the start of this half term.  This knowledge underpins everything else we learn about in maths. important! Further to this, we are starting to develop our skills in multiplication and look at challenging problems within all of our topics in maths. Later on this half term, we will explore the four operations in depth.

Swimming contiues on a Monday. After a tentative start, the children are starting to make steady progress and you can see how much they are enjoying it with the smiles on their faces. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Year 4 team!

Autumn 1

Hello to all children, parents and carers and welcome to Year 4! We are all refreshed and raring to start the new school year.  In class, we have already been hearing about the interesting things the children have been doing during the school holidays. We hope you all enjoyed the time with your children.

The Year 4 team is similar to that of last year. Mr Jolly, Mrs Cavill, Mrs Palmer and Miss Reilly remain and one Miss Helm replaces another Miss Helm.

In English, work on fables has started; the children will be able to tell you some of the morals of these animal based tales. After this, we will move onto explanation texts linked to our Geography work and then instructions and explanations. In Maths, we will begin with work on place value before moving onto addition and subtraction later on in the half term. We will be trying to stretch and challenge the children, encouraging them to be able to explain HOW they have found an answer not just to write it.

R.E. starts with the beginning of the big frieze, learning about the idea of creation and fall.

In Science, the whole school are starting by studying their chemistry unit. Year 4’s is States of Matter where we will look at what the three states are and how they can change at different temperatures. The children will need to use some of the knowledge they gained during their materials work in KS1. To support and enhance the learning in this topic we have organised an exciting trip to the CATALYST museum in Widnes, where we will take part in TWO science workshops!

The first half of a full term begins with a geography unit. Year 4’s first topic is A Great American Road Trip, which begins with exploring the difference between a continent, country, state and city and what makes up North America and South America.

Also on the timetable is Music with Poetry (performance) and Environment (composition) topics; Computing – We are Software Developers; French - Playtime; and DT – Money Containers.

In P.E, swimming will take place on Mondays all year. The other P.E. slot is scheduled to be on a Tuesday or a Thursday. Please ensure that you have your kit in on these days, although things can change so it would be beneficial if kits could be on your child’s peg all week.