Find out what your child will be learning this year in Year 4
Find out what your child will be learning this year in Year 4
Religious Education
The Come and See topic for RE this the first part of the autumn term is People. The children will be encouraged to reflect on their own roots and family trees. They will then explore Jesus’ human family tree as outlined in Matthew’s Gospel and characters from the Old Testament including Abraham, Jacob, Ruth and Joseph.
English
In Year 4 children will enjoy reading a wide variety of texts and will learn to write in a wide range of genres. We aim to instil in our pupils a love for reading and writing, so they have confidence, stamina and creative, independent thinking.
Key texts we will be reading this term include ‘Varjak Paw’ by S.F Said and ‘The Village that Vanished’ by Ann Grifalconi.
Reading skills are taught explicitly in daily lessons so the children have the necessary skills for reading and comprehending texts. Pupils also learn about each of the learning behaviours required for reading and will discuss texts with their partners, small groups and as a whole class.
Key skills: prediction, questioning, clarifying, summarising, inferring, evaluating and making connections.
Grammar
Grammar skills are taught throughout Year 4.
Key skills include using: conjunctions, adverbs, prepositions, fronted adverbials, punctuating direct speech and possessive and contractive apostrophes.
Spelling
Spellings are taught via a weekly list of words which are introduced to pupils in class, then set as activities on the Spelling Shed website.
Mathematics
In year 4, we will continue to use the White Rose scheme of learning, which aims to provide pupils with key mathematical skills and knowledge using the mastery approach. The autumn term focuses on fundamental skills for year 4 as well as recapping on the key learning that may have been missed in Year 3. Using the CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach ALL children are encouraged to use equipment and visual representations in maths lessons and to learn conceptual and procedural variation to tackle problem solving and reasoning questions.
November is Barvember! In this month there is a daily focus on using bar-model methods for solving problems.
Key skills include: Place value to 10,000, addition and subtraction, area and multiplication and division.
In Year 4, we will be doing lots of work on times tables as the children have the multiplication tables check in June.
The purpose of the check is to determine whether children can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help the school to identify if your child may need additional support.
The multiplication check is an on-screen test consisting of 25 times table questions. Children will be able to answer 3 practice questions before taking the actual check. They will then have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete
Science
We will be studying States of Matter. We will group materials based on their properties, learn about changes of state from heating and cooling and also learn about the water cycle.
The children will develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that will help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them. They will be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We will achieve this through practical investigations – working scientifically – as well as knowledge-based lessons.
Computing
Learners will apply their knowledge and understanding of networks, to appreciate the internet as a network of networks which need to be kept secure. They will learn that the World Wide Web is part of the internet, and will be given opportunities to explore the World Wide Web for themselves in order to learn about who owns content and what they can access, add, and create. Finally, they will evaluate online content to decide how honest, accurate, or reliable it is, and understand the consequences of false information. This unit requires devices with an internet connection. Chrome Music Lab is used in one lesson to demonstrate content which can be produced on the World Wide Web.
History
In year 4, we will be studying “The Roman Republic” through a scheme of learning developed by the Haringey Education Partnership. Discrete history lessons will allow pupils to regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They will learn to construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They will begin to understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
Geography
In Geography, we will learn about the Rhine and the Mediterranean. We will learn about Cologne and Rotterdam, cities along the Rhine, how the Rhine changes as it flows from the mountains to the sea. Then, we will learn about the Mediterranean and what the Suez Canal is and why it is so important.
P.E.
Year 4 take part in an LFA coach-led PE lesson every Friday as well as a teacher-led PE session on Tuesday. Sports coaches will focus on games and team sports such as: football, tennis, cricket and athletics. Year 4 teachers will take sessions of gymnastics and dance.
Art and Design
We will focus on Roman Art, including mosaics, using a variety of media including chalk, pastels and water-colours. In addition to weekly lessons, we try to incorporate art and creativity into as many other curriculum subjects as possible. For example, the Varjak Paw book allows us to explore abstract and illustration techniques.
Homework
English and Maths homework is given out on Friday and should be returned by the following Thursday. Spelling homework is given out each Friday and there is a test on those spellings the following Friday. Children are expected to read regularly and record what they have read in their reading journals. Parents are strongly encouraged to listen to their children read at least once per week and record this in the reading journal.