WELCOME TO YEAR 4 .........
Class Information
Adults in Year 4: Mr Arnold: Monday/Tuesday
Mrs Noble: Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
Due to Covid-19 there have been some changes to the way things happen in school. We will keep you updated of these changes via the usual channels (see communication section below).
Until further notice, there will no longer be a Friday Merit assembly in school for parents to attend. However, we intend to continue with this practice in class on a Friday instead.
Start and finish:
8.45am start
3.07pm finish
Homework: To be set when appropriate.
When set, Literacy homework - Monday (to be returned the following Monday)
When set, Maths homework - Friday, this will usually be MyMaths (occasionally a written activity) and should be completed by the following Friday.
Occasional topic homework may also be set.
Children are required to read 3 times a week. Please sign and date your child's Reading Record book each time they read. Reading Records will be checked every Friday.
Swimming and PE:
Swimming: is on Wednesday morning. If your child has long hair then they must use a swimming cap. Boys swim shorts must not be longer than knee length and girls must have a one piece swimming costume.
PE:
All children need an outdoor and indoor PE kit as detailed in the school prospectus. This must be in a reasonable sized bag to leave on their peg in the cloakroom.
Reading:
After completing their Star Reading test, children will be bringing home an Accelerated Reading book from the appropriate level as in previous years. A selection of books will be provided for them in the classroom from which to choose their books. We appreciate this will mean the children will have a reduced amount of choice but due to the current Covid-19 situation this will continue for the foreseeable future.
Communication:
Information for class and school events will be sent out via our class page, the school website and the School Jotter app. Please ensure school has your up to date email and telephone number.
Island Life
Geographers and explorers estimate that there are over one million islands on earth. They range hugely in size, location, habitat and climate, but all are surrounded by water. As one in six people live on an island, let’s explore what some islands are like across the globe!
In Geography, we’ll be finding out:
- About different islands we know about
- Learning about new islands and comparing with existing knowledge
- About where different islands are located in the world and finding them on maps
- About the geographical features on different islands
- About the features of a river
- How to use a compass and map
- How to use 4 figure grid references
- About how different islands are formed
- About an island in detail
In Art, we’ll be finding out:
- About fabrics from different islands
- How to create an island inspired stamp
- About artists and architects who have been inspired by islands
- How to create an island sunset artwork
In International, we’ll be finding out:
- About the unique cultural aspects of place
- How island culture is under threat
In Music, we’ll be finding out:
- About different musical genres from islands around the world
- How to create, perform and evaluate a piece of music
Working in groups, we thought about what we already think we know about Islands and the things we would like to find out. Here are some of our ideas.
The Nature of Life
From frogspawn to frogs, from caterpillars to butterflies and from seeds to plants, all living things grow and change, feed and reproduce. But how does life begin for living things and what effect does the environment have?
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
- About animal, plant and human life cycles
- About local food chains and webs
- How living things grow and change
- How living things are grouped
- About animal and plant adaptations
- About the differences between living and non-living things
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
- How to make a bird nesting box
In International Studies, we’ll be finding out:
- Which animals and plants need protection
- Why we need to look after all living species
Ledston Country Park Trip
We all had a fantastic time on our trip to Ledston Country Park as part of our topic. We all joined in enthusiastically with completing a minibeast hunt (so many different creatures to find), building dens and going on a scavenger hunt. Even the rain didn't stop us having fun!
Take a look at some of our work from our Nature of Life topic.
The Water Cycle
We looked at the water cycle, as part of a science investigation for Science Week.
Follow the link to BBC Bitesize and watch animations of the process involved, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/search?q=water+cycle.
The photographs, show the different stages of the water cycle in action.
The water cycle is how water travels from the Earth's surface up into the air and sky and then returns to the ground.
The water cycle has three different parts.
- Evaporation - evaporation is what happens when liquid water turns into an invisible gas called water vapour
- Condensation - condensation is what we call the process of water vapour cooling and turning back into liquid water.
- Precipitation - precipitation is the name we give to water when it falls as either rain, hail, sleet or snow.
- Now that the water has returned to the Earth's surface, the water cycle starts all over again.
- Can you match the photographs to the different stages?
We also made water cycle wheels to explain the different stages.
Did you know that the water we have on Earth today, is the same that the dinosaurs used!!!!!
SHAKE IT!
Explaining the theme:
Atoms and molecules:
Everything in our Universe is made up of tiny particles called atoms, including the Earth itself and everything that exists: the air we breathe, our bodies, plants, animals, materials, objects, etc. Atoms are much too small to see – an average atom is one millionth of a millimetre across. There are about 112 different types of atoms, known as the chemical elements. Atoms don’t usually exist on their own; they join up with atoms of other elements to make molecules. The way that molecules are arranged and interact with each other determines the properties of a material. Atoms are made up of even smaller particles known as sub-atomic particles.
States of matter:
Materials can generally exist in three states – solid, liquid, and gas.
Solid – a material that has a fixed shape and volume, e.g. if you put a solid into a container it will not change shape
Liquid – a material that has a fixed volume but can change shape, e.g. if you pour liquid into a container it
will take the shape of the container
Gas – a material that can change in shape and volume, e.g. if you put gas into a container it will take the shape of the container and fill it.
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
- About solids, liquids and gases
- How we can change milk into a solid
- How some materials change when heated or cooled
- What happens when butter is heated
- About the behaviour of gases in liquids
- Which solids will dissolve in a liquid
- About the science of making milkshakes
Entry Point: States of Matter
Turn It Up!
Unit Summary:
Sound and light is all around us – from the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning in a storm, to a mobile phone ringing and flashing when someone calls us, to the billions of different sounds and lights leaping into life on the TV when we switch it on. In this unit, we are going to explore the many sounds and lights that are part of our everyday lives.
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
- How sounds are made
- How to change sounds
- How sounds travel to the ear
- About the volume of sounds
- About sound and noise
- Where light comes from
- How shadows are formed
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
- How to make panpipes
In International, we’ll be finding out:
- About music in different cultures and countries
- About the harmful effects of light pollution
Wishing You All A Very Happy Christmas And An Amazing New Year.
Enjoy Your Holidays.
They Made A Difference
Unit Summary
Some people have made such a big difference in the world that their influence on our lives can still be felt today. From scientists to sports people, from politicians to musicians, from all backgrounds, countries, races and religions there are people whose ideas or achievements have singled them out from others.
In History, we’ll be finding out:
- About world leaders from the past
- How to make a timeline
- How leaders in the past compare to leaders today
- About significant scientists from the past
- About primary and secondary sources of information
In Society, we’ll be finding out:
- About people who fought for the rights of others
In Art, we’ll be finding out:
- How artists can influence the way we look at the world
- About the work of an important sculptor
- How to paint a portrait of someone significant to us
In Music, we’ll be finding out:
- About well-known musicians from the host and home countries
- How we can compose our own music in a similar style
- Why some music/musicians are significant
In International, we’ll be finding out:
- How the World Wide Web has connected countries
- About people who are significant on a global level
Do you recognise any of these influential people?
Bright Sparks is here!
Unit Summary
Electricity is an energy that flows along wires in our homes, schools, offices, towns and cities to power lights, televisions, computers, cars and trains, and hundreds of other things that we use every day. Let's find out what we can do with electricity.
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
- Which common appliances run on electricity
- How to make an electrical circuit
- Which materials allow electricity to pass through them
- What happens when we change a circuit
- How to build bigger circuits
- About magnetism and electricity
- About using electricity as heat
- How to keep safe around electricity
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
- How to make a house with lighting and a door buzzer
In History, we’ll be finding out:
- About the history of the electric light bulb
In International, we’ll be finding out:
- How we produce electricity in our country
- Why saving electricity is good for the planet
Entry Point and Knowledge Harvest
Scavengers and Settlers Display
Scavengers and Settlers
Explaining the theme: Humans are special. Unlike other animals, we can adapt and learn new skills in order to survive, which is exactly what our ancestors did in the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages.
In History, we’ll be finding out:
- How fossils are made and what we can learn from them
- What our earliest ancestors might have looked like
- How our ancestors were able to survive
- How to use archaeological evidence to find out about a prehistoric hunter
- Where our ancestors settled and how they lived
- How we can learn about the past by investigating a Stone Age village
- What life was like during the Bronze Age and Iron Ages
In Art, we’ll be finding out:
- How to create our own prehistoric cave paintings
- How to make and decorate pottery, based on one of the periods we have explored
In Technology we’ll be finding out:
- About the types of foods that the first farmers would have grown
- How we can update the dishes that the early settlers may have eaten
In International, we’ll be finding out:
- How we can work together to learn new skills and achieve our goals
Entry Point
During our entry point we had to look for wood to make a Stone Age shelter.
During our knowledge harvest, we had to draw what we thought, our Stone age ancestors might have looked like!
This is Lucy, our real ancestor. She lived about 3 million years ago.
The Bronze Age
Iron Age is here!
We designed our own Stone Age art based on Stonehenge.
BRAINWAVE ........
Explaining the theme: Our brain is special because we can use it to learn lots of new and different things every day, enabling us to gain the knowledge, skills and understanding that we will need to become successful adults. By finding out more about how we learn, and how we can improve the way that we learn, we will be better equipped for meeting the many challenges ahead of us.
In this unit, we’ll be finding out:
- How different people learn
- About the importance of practice when learning a skill
- How the brain works
- How to make connections between our learning
- How we can share our learning with others
- Why it is important to learn from other children and cultures around the world
- How positive thinking can help us to succeed
- How to look after our brain
- When they learn children will be:
- Investigating
- Thinking
- Reflecting
- Researching
- Teaching
- Observing
- Assessing
- Presenting
Black History Month
October is Black History Month. We talked about why we celebrate this particular topic. In class we talked about influential Black musicians and produced a poster about their lives.