| Year 4 |
Welcome to Elm and Oak Class
| Elm Class Staff |
| Teacher: Miss Eynon |
| Teaching Assistants: Mrs Mayles, Mrs Hill, Mrs Horton |
| Teacher Planning, Preparation and Assessment time (PPA) is usually on a Thursday; Mrs Ashwell teaches the class during this time. |
|
PE Days Our PE days are Tuesday and Thursday Please ensure your child comes to school in their PE kit on these days |
| Oak Class Staff |
| Teacher: Mrs Catchpole (Monday - Wednesday) |
| Teacher: Mrs McCarthy (Thursday & Friday) |
| Teaching Assistants: Mrs Massie, Mrs Palmer, Mrs Spicer |
| Teacher Planning, Preparation and Assessment time (PPA) is usually half a day on a Tuesday; Mrs Ashwell teachers the class during this time. |
|
Homework Homework is set on a Friday and due back in on a Wednesday Spellings - Test on a Monday |
Maths
We will begin 2026 by continuing our learning on multiplication and division. We will be multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100 before moving on to multiplying and dividing both 2 digit and 3 digit numbers by a 1 digit number! We will be focusing on solving word problems to strengthen our skills in applying our knowledge and skills.
We will then move on to explore length and perimeter. This will involve measuring and calculating the length and area of different types of shapes (both regular and irregular).
We will finish the spring term with some exciting learning on fractions and decimals! We will be partitioning, ordering, adding, subtracting, converting, finding equivalents and more!
English
To begin our term, the children will be creating new inventions to practise writing an explanation text. They will look at many examples and explore the writing techniques and then write their own to create their own class Scientific magazine. The children will then move onto use their writing skills in writing a newspaper article based on real life mysteries. The children will practise writing quotes from eyewitnesses and ensuring they include all the facts. They will produce an article that we will publish and send around the school as a newspaper. The children will finish the term by writing a magical portal story to read to Year 2 based on the story of ‘Leon and the place between’ by Angela McCallister. Their stories will focus on adding description and using dialogue to reveal more about the characters.
Science
We will begin the term by learning about the three states of matter (solids, liquids and gases). The children will use previous knowledge to help them identify solids, liquids and gases and then learn to describe their properties. They will discover that some materials change state when they are heated and cooled and they will learn the stages in the water cycle. In the second half of the Spring Term, the children will be learning about teeth and digestion. In this unit, the children will identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions and they will go onto explore the parts of the digestive system and the functions they have.
Guided Reading
We will begin the half term with a visual text based on the legend ‘Thor and the Giants’. We will also focus on some non-fiction texts based on the Vikings and our Science topics in order to practise our retrieval, scanning and understanding of vocabulary in context. In the second half term, we will read the story of The Firemaker’s daughter by Phillip Pullman. This is the adventure story of Lila who wants to be a firemaker. But before she can do this, she must go on a perilous journey.
Geography/History
In Spring 1 we will continue our journey through British history and move on to the Vikings! We will learn about who they were, why they came to Britain, how they changed Britain and finally how the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period came to an end in 1066. The unit will finish with a whole day where the children will become Vikings!
In Spring 2 we will continue to develop our knowledge of maps and atlases by exploring the United Kingdom. We will learn to locate cities and counties, identify human and physical features and key topographical features like mountains and rivers.
Art and Design/DT
We will begin the term with our Art topic Light and dark using paint and mixed media. We will explore different painting techniques, compare paintings by artists according to elements such as texture or colour and practise creating tints and shades when colour mixing.
In Spring 2 we will move onto our DT topic in which we will explore moving books. We will work to create our own moving books using different mechanisms such as levers, flaps, springs, coils and wheels.
PSHE
In Spring 1 our PSHE learning will focus on Citizenship. We will explore how we can all play a part in protecting human rights and why these rights are important for everyone. We will also learn about the different ways everyday items can be reused, and why choosing to reuse things is helpful for our environment. As we continue our learning, we will identify the many positive contributions that different groups bring to our local community and discuss the value that diversity adds to the places we live.
In Spring 2 we will be learning about Economic wellbeing. We will explore what it means to recognise value for money and understand that people can have different opinions about spending. The children will learn how to track the money they spend and save, and begin to understand the reasons why people use banks. We will also look at ways to keep money safe and explore the many factors that can influence job choices. Finally, we will learn that careers can change over time and challenge common stereotypes about the workplace.
Computing
In the Spring term, Year 4 pupils will be developing their computing skills through two exciting strands of learning. They will create engaging audio books using 2Cast, learning how to add narrative and sound effects by recording audio content, creating their own sound effects, and using post-production editing to refine their work. Alongside this, pupils will explore how to search the internet effectively and safely. They will learn how to use a search engine, understand search rankings and basic search algorithms, and develop skills for reliable and responsible searching, helping them to make informed choices about online information.
French
The children will explore and read the story Goldilocks and Three Bears in French. They will learn to decode a text in French and to know they only have to understand the gist of the words to understand and follow. They will then move onto learning family. The children will learn to say who is in their family as well as their names and ages. They will also extend their knowledge of numbers in French up to 70.
RE
-
This half term the children will be considering the question,
How is faith expressed in Hindu communities and traditions?
Key skills taught will include:
- identifying the terms ‘dharma’, ‘Sanatan Dharma’ and ‘Hinduism’ and say what they mean
- making links between Hindu practices and the idea that Hinduism / Sanatan Dharma is a whole ‘way of life’ (dharma)
- describing how Hindus show their faith within their families in Britain today (e.g. home puja)
- describing how Hindus show their faith within their faith communities in Britain today in varied ways (e.g. arti and bhajans at the mandir; in festivals such as Diwali, in worship at a home shrine)
- raising questions and suggesting answers about what is good about being a Hindu in Britain today, and whether taking part in family and community rituals is a good thing for individuals and society, giving good reasons for their ideas
Most importantly, encouraging the children to give good reasons for your own views about the importance of values such as equality, community, tradition and respect.
Key Questions to consider include:
- What do Hindus do to show their faith?
- Where in the world is the Hindu faith predominantly practised?
- Who is Ghandi and why is he an important person to Hindus?
- What do Hindus do to help others?
- What does monotheistic mean and which faiths are monotheistic?
PE
Our first units in PE are Dodgeball and Yoga. In Dodgeball, we will develop key skills such as throwing, dodging and catching and be able to apply simple tactics to outwit our opponents! In Yoga, we will develop our knowledge of mindfulness and body awareness through learning yoga poses and techniques. After half term, we will move on to Netball and Tennis. In Netball, we will develop attacking and defending skills starting with learning rules and principles such as the footwork rule, building up to playing a full game. In Tennis, we will develop racket and ball control and rallying techniques.
Music
This half term we are developing our compositional skills by:
- Understanding and explaining the difference between beat and rhythm.
- Combine rhythmic notation with letter names,
- Rehearsing and learning songs from memory and/or with notation.
- Composing some short rhythmical passages and adding notation to create a tune.
- Composing tracks digitally.
In addition to this we will also be listening to a range of music from different genres.
Reading in KS2
In KS2, children are encouraged to become confident, expressive and passionate readers. Most children will move fairly quickly onto the broader range of books available in the Brown, Grey and Blue book bands. Your child may spend quite a while on each book band. This isn't because they are not progressing, it is rather an opportunity for your child to be exposed to a wide range of authors, genres and styles of writing at a level in which they can comprehend what they are reading. They will be asked to answer comprehension questions to show their understanding of what they have read and encouraged to discuss the books they have enjoyed from the book band and the ones they have disliked.
We aspire to make every child a passionate reader and need your help to do this!
We will try to read with your child as often as we can in school. This will be either 1:1 with an adult, or in a guided reading activity where the children will read in a group and discuss the text together. We will hear your child read aloud a minimum of once a week but encourage you to supplement this by reading with your child as often as possible at home.
If your child would like access to more books at home, perhaps you could use Oxford Reading Owl to read different books. Oxford Owl has many different books and you can download and read them all online for free.
Oxford Owl
For a recommended reading list, please visit:
Recommended reading list for KS2 children
Ways you can help at home
- Read with your child for 10 minutes every day
- Support your child to complete the homework set each week
- Ask your child questions about stories that they are reading to you, or about stories you are reading to them.
- Ask your child to tell you the time to help them to practise the skill of telling the time. To challenge your child, you could ask them to tell you the time on both an analogue and digital clock.
- Ask children to help you to count out money and ask for change
- Encourage your child to write stories, recounts, shopping lists to help build their stamina for learning.
Websites to help...
Purple Mash
Top Marks Maths Games
Primary Maths Games
TT Rockstars
Spelling Shed
| Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any worries or concerns. You can contact us directly on the playground at the end of the school day or via the school office to request a call or a meeting if required. Thank-you for your continued support. |