Year 4
Welcome to the Y4 Blog - A post will be uploaded every two weeks. For more detailed information about the current learning that is being covered in class, please see the Curriculum Learning Webs below.
Friday 4th October 2024
We hope to see as many of you as possible at our Times Tables Parent Information session on Monday 7th October in the Studio (3:20pm to 3:45pm) . This will provide you with essential information about how to help your child at home and ensure success in the Y4 Statutory Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). If you are unable to make it, a link to the infromation that will be shared can be foud below and on the maths page of our website.
Y3 & Y4 Parent Information Meeting Slides
As we step into October, we’re delighted to share the wonderful learning experiences the Year 4 children have been enjoying. It’s been a busy and productive time, with the children diving into new and exciting topics across all areas of the curriculum. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to!
English
In English, we have been working on writing our own versions of A River by Marc Martin. The children really embraced this challenge, focusing on using prepositions, adverbial phrases, and coordinating conjunctions to create vivid and imaginative scenes. This was their first extended piece of writing in Year 4, and we’re incredibly proud of the effort and creativity they put into it. Their writing was rich in detail, and it was wonderful to see how each child made the story their own! We are now moving on to look at a text called Ask Dr K Fisher about Animals by Claire Llewellyn. This focus of this text is letter writing.
Maths
In Maths, we’ve started learning about rounding numbers, with a focus on rounding to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. We’ve also been exploring Roman numerals up to 100, which has been a fun and put a historical twist on our number learning! Additionally, we’ve continued developing our understanding of place value, a key foundation for many mathematical concepts we’ll encounter throughout the year.
Curriculum
In our Geography lessons, we introduced the term “peninsula” and learned what it means. The children had a lot of fun identifying different peninsulas, including Florida, on world maps and discussing their unique features. In Science, we’ve been learning more about our teeth. To bring our learning to life, we did a hands-on activity by eating a piece of apple to help the children understand the different jobs our teeth do. It was a great way to show how our incisors, canines, and molars all work together! In Religious Education, we’ve been learning about the Trinity and exploring what the concept of the Trinity means for Christians.
We want to thank you for your continued support. The children have worked so hard, and it’s been amazing to see their progress in just a few weeks.
Friday 20th September 2024
The children have made an excellent start to their time in Year 4 and we have been impressed with how they are already working hard. The school office have now provided information to parents/carers about our upcoming trip to Dartmoor Zoo. Thank you to those who have been able to offer their support on this trip. Please do let you child’s teacher know if you are to help.
A reminder that PE days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Please ensure that your child is meeting the expectation of playing 21 minutes a week on Times Tables Rock Starts in the Garage section of the program.
We will be holding a parent information evening on Monday 7th October 3:20pm-3:45pm about the teaching of times tables and how you can support your child to succeed in the statutory Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check. The school office will send a letter about this soon. Detailed information will be provided at the meeting and uploaded to our website for those unable to make it.
English – In English, we have been enjoying our unit of learning about the text A River by Marc Martin. We have explored preposition words and how these describe locations or directions. We have recapped the use of a wide range of co-ordinating conjunctions and how these can be used to join main clauses. Finally, we have neem looking at adverbial phrases that tell us when something happened. The children have planned their own version of a journey narrative and are ready to write this next week.
Maths - In maths, we have been working through a unit of Place Value with numbers up to 10,000 being introduced for the first time. The children have looked at how to partition these numbers into standard form (4123 = 4000+100+20+3) and non-standard form (4123=3000+1100+10+13). They have also worked with placing these numbers on number lines counting in various multiples. We will soon be moving on to rounding these 4-digit numbers to the nearest multiples of 10,100 and 1000.
Curriculum – In science, we have started to learn about the key parts of the digestive system and what they do. We watched a practical demonstration of food moving through the digestive system with everyday objects (such as tights for the small intestines) representing each part. In Geography we have started a unit of learning that compares an area of the USA with where we live. We have focused on the state of Florida and how many people visit the Disney parks while also considering what the sunshine state is like beyond this. In RE, we are learning about what Christians believe the Trinity is and how it is a key part of being a Christian. In art, we have started to take inspiration from the work of Giorgio Morandi and have completed some still life sketching with the focus being on shape and size.
Friday 6th September
Welcome back to a new year. The children have made a great start and thank you for your support in helping them to settle back into school.
Please see some key start of year information about Year 4 by clicking on the link below.
Current Curriculum Learning Web
Autumn 1 Curriculum Learning Web - 2024
Learning Webs 2023/2024 - Previous Academic Year
Autumn 1 Learning Web - 2023
Autumn 2 Learning Web -2023
Spring 1 Learning Web - 2024
Spring 2 Learning Web - 2024
Summer 1 Learning Web - 2024
Summer 2 Learning Web - 2024
Y4 Home Learning
We will soon be posting spellings to practice at home. If you are looking for spellings to practice in the meantime, then please refer to the Y1/Y2 and the Y3/Y4 common exception spelling lists.
Maths home learning throughout the year will be to play Times Tables Rockstars. This is essential for success in the Y4 Multiplication Tables Check. Teachers will monitor each child's TTRS time and full details will be given on how often the children need to play for. To begin with, children need to play for at least 21 minutes a week (3 mins per day) in the garage section of the program.
Reading home learning is to read at least 5 times a week for 15 minutes. The children will need to record their reading in their reading diary which will be checked regularly by school staff. Some suggested reading books for Year 4 can be found below.
Year 1 and 2 Common Exception Spelling Words
The standard PE days for Year 4 children are Tuesdays & Wednesdays.
On PE days, children are now permitted to come to school in their PE kit and wear this all day. There is no longer a requirement for them to get changed in school.