Welcome to year 4 – Terms 5 and 6 2010

Mrs Turner Class Teacher and Mrs Reid Teaching Assistant

Dear Parents 

As we start a new year so we start much new learning and of course we will continue to reinforce the learning already done.

In literacy, we are continuing to spend a lot of time focusing on VCOP to guide and improve writing. We will be looking at a range of poetry, information and factual writing as well as exploring stories from different cultures around the world. We shall be doing Big Writing once a fortnight. Children will be given the writing task a couple of days before the writing session to allow them to think about it. Please use this time with your child to talk through ideas, think about Wow words together and how to include high quality connectives. This talking input really helps the children with this task and can assist with improving levels of work. Children are heard read during guided reading sessions and we use this time to talk about their reading and to set targets, however it is still vitally important for children to be heard read at home on a daily basis. 

In numeracy, we follow the National Strategy and will be learning some new methods for calculating number problems. We will also be investigating fractions, percentages, shape and space problems and data handling. All children need to continually practise their rapid recall of times tables and be able to use this information to work out division problems.

In science we will be studying the topic of forces: gravity, air resistance, friction etc: Much of our science work will be practical and supported by the use of ICT.

In term 3 we will be doing geography. We are looking at the topic of settlements and understanding why settlements develop where they are and how they have changed over time. In term 4 we will do history and we will be learning about life in Ancient Egypt. I was delighted with the amount of interest shown by the children in our WWII topic and the amount of resources they managed to locate and bring in, I hope Egypt inspires them just as much. I’m sure it will. I think it’s a fascinating topic!

We have already started our DT project this term and we are going to be making wallets or purses. We have talked about this with the children and many of them have already told me how good they are at sewing – we shall wait and see!! During art we will be looking at the topic of journeys and thinking about the children’s life journey so far.   In music we will continue with our weekly singing lessons as well as beginning to learn about musical notation and musical scales. I hope that we can continue learning to play the hand bells after such a promising start in the Christmas play.

The children in this class are brilliant at French and we will be continuing that this term, learning about places in towns, asking how to buy products and asking for simple directions.  In PSHE children will be thinking about the issues of bullying and setting themselves goals and targets. Much of this will be done using games, role-play and circle time.

Finally PE is twice a week and PE kits should be in school at all times. Indoor PE will be gymnastics and dance, whilst outside will be more invasion games, tag rugby and netball. Children would benefit from tracksuit bottoms for outside as even if it is cold, we shall be going out. They do, however, still need shorts for indoors.

A separate letter will be sent out detailing the work to be carried out in RE this term.

A learning homework is set on a Monday for a test on Friday and then a written or research task is set on Friday to be handed in on Monday. 
If you ever have any worries or concerns about your child's learning or if you have any other problems, please don't hesitate to make an appointment to see me and talk it through.                    

Mrs Turner - Year 4 Teacher 

 Year 4 in PE.

Working on electricity in science.

 Children making shelters in their WWII history topic