Welcome to Year 4.
We are Lilac Class!
The adults in Lilac Class are Mrs Williams, Miss Harrison and Mrs Cowen.
What will we be learning about in Summer 2?
In English, we are learning about the text The Journey. The story is about a family of refugees who are forced to move home due to war and conflict. We will be considering how the characters feel throughout their journey using an axis of emotions, a decision wheel and role on the wall. Our endpoint will be a newspaper report recounting the arrival of refugees in their new, safe home.
In Maths, we will be applying our knowledge of decimals to money. We will also be learning about 2D and 3D shapes; exploring angles in the shapes, lines of symmetry and different types of polygons.
In Science, we will be exploring Living Things and Habitats. We will be making comparisons, identifying similarities and differences.
In Art, we will be developing our understanding of perspective through creating mixed media collages using photographs of Bradford. We will also be considering how we incorporate elements of Lowry's style into our own artwork.
In PSHE, we will be considering what risks we may encounter in unfamiliar environments and the questions we need to ask when assessing our own safety. We will also be learning about the British Values and how we can demonstrate these in our everyday interactions.
We are looking forward to our Linking School Visit this half term. We can't wait to meet our buddies again at Oxenhope Primary School!
Take a look at our Curriculum Year Group Plan below to find out what else we will be learning about in Year 4 this year. Remember, you can find the Knowledge Organisers for each unit on Class Dojo – please share these with your children and discuss the key vocabulary!
What have we been learning about in Summer 1?
In English, we explored the text The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We thought carefully about characters and the setting - Narnia. At the end of our unit, we wrote a letter in the role of Lucy to Mr Tumnus following her adventures in Narnia.
In Maths, we continued our work on fractions. We also explored decimals and different representations (pictorial and concrete). We have thought about tenths and hundredths and how these can be represented.
In PSHE, we considered the impact humans have on the environment and the ways in which we can ensure the choices we make at home, at school and in the wider community positively impact the environment. We investigated the term 'sustainability' and 'fair trade'. We mapped out the journey of a cocoa bean to chocolate bar including all of the people involved in this process and the importance of each person receiving a fair deal for their work.
In RE, we found out about what life is like for people in the Sikh community. We visited a Gurdwara and found out about the key beliefs held.
In Science, we continued our learning on electricity and carried out a number of investigations linked to circuit building.
In DT, we researched different kite designs. We used a range of materials to design and make a prototype. We evaluated our kites and trialed them on a windy day!
In Music, we continued to develop our knowledge of chords on the ukulele. We are hoping to perform for the whole school at the end of the year.
What did we learn about in Spring 2?
In English, we explored the text Oliver Twist to understand what life was like for people during the Victorian times. We enhanced our understanding of life in the Victorian era through reading a number of Victorian related texts in our reciprocal reading lessons. This included Victoria recipes, scenes from an Oliver Twist playscript and a diary entry in the role of a boy living in a workhouse.
In Maths, we developed our knowledge of fractions. We thought about a whole and numbers greater than a whole and how we can convert mixed numbers to improper fractions.
In Art, we explored the work of Andy Burgess who created abstract and geometric landscapes. We developed our painting skills using water colours and water colour pencils and showcased our work in our whole school art exhibition.
In PSHE, we explored the changes we will experience as we grow. We were very excited to welcome Juliet from SCARF into school to explore these physical and emotional changes.
In History, we explored what life was like during the Victorian era, how technology improved and the changes to Bradford. We visitied Bradford Industrial Museum to participate in an exciting Victorian classroom workshop. We also explored mill machinery.
In Science, we answered the question 'Could you survive without electricity?". We explored the components needed to make working circuits.
In Music, we continued to develop our ukulele skills and had a fantastic visit from the plumber drummer!
What did we learn about in Spring 1?
In Maths, we applied our timestables knowledge to the formal methods of multiplication and division. We also completed a measure unit, learning about the different ways we can calculate the area and perimeter of rectangles, rectilinear shapes and regular polygons.
In English, we focused on the core grammar content within the Year 4 curriculum. We read the novel, Street Child, which will link to our learning next half term (The Victorians).
In Geography, we built upon our knowledge of the Vikings and discussed the essential and desirable qualities individuals and groups of people consider when finding a place to settle. We have used atlases and digimaps in most lessons to identify settlements.
In Science, we found out about the digestive system and the parts of the body that are involved in the processes of digestion. We carried out some interesting experiments to look at the effect sugar has on teeth and to see what the digestive system looks like (replicating this with a pair of tights!).
In PSHE, we understood our emotions and developed strategies to help regulate our emotions. We reflected upon our EEWP workshop in which we learnt about various breathing strategies to help with worry and anxiety.
In Music, we continued to learn new songs on the ukulele with Mr Gouldin. We also participated in a special music celebration at the end of the half term with the rest of Key Stage 2 and performed 'The Power of Me' which we have been learning as part of our Linking Project work.
In RE, we reflected upon the story of the Good Samaritan and found examples of love and kindness today.
In our DT Days, we planned, designed, created and evaluated healthy cereal bars. Our parents and carers came to visit at the end of the week for a tasting session!
What did we learn about in Autumn 2?
In Maths, we learnt about addition and subtraction. We used the formal written methods of column addition and column subtraction. We have also had a huge focus on timestables and have been using Timestables Rockstars to increase our speed and fluency when recalling key facts.
In English, we explored the Viking story 'Beowulf'. Our reciprocal reading lessons linked with our text and we found out about Viking soda bread, myths and long ships. We began our English unit by creating magical mythical monsters like Grendel. We wrote our own historical narrative based on a Viking warrior and a mythical creature.
In Explorers, we developed our historical skills by learning all about the Vikings. We found out who the Vikings were and used our history box to find out about their daily lives.
In PSHE, we reflected upon how we can treat others with respect making links back to the learning we did as part of our safeguarding curriculum this half term.
In Science, we explored sound. We thought about sound sources, how sound travels and how sound can be absorbed. We created our own musical instruments in which we could change pitch and volume.
In Music, we continued to familiarise ourselves with the ukulele and how to play a range of chords. We even learnt some Christmas tunes!
In RE, we reflected upon religious festivals. We made connections between them and thought about how people celebrate different festivals.
What did we learn about in Autumn 1?
In Maths, we learnt about place value and how to represent and partition numbers in different ways. We used different apparatus including base 10, place value counters and numicon.
In English, we explored the story 'The Lost Happy Endings'. Our reciprocal reading lessons linked with this exciting new text.
In Explorers, we developed our geographical skills through investigating the features of a river and the water cycle. We found out about how water is used by humans and its importance in everyday life.
In PSHE, we reflected upon the qualities, skills and interests that we have and those around us have. We discussed the importance of self esteem and confidence and different types of thinking which can contribute positively to our self image.
In Science, we explored the different states of matter and their properties; solids, liquids and gases. We carried out a number of investigations and made links to our geography topic on the water cycle considering the processes of evaporation and condensation.
In Music, we familiarised ourselves with the ukulele and how to play a range of chords.
In RE, we reflected upon what it is like for people who believe in God and how choices in their lives may reflect these beliefs.
Important Information:
PE: Tuesday
Library: Wednesday
Spellings: Monday
Reading Books: Friday