Welcome to the spring 1 blog, our third for the year, from year 4. Again we have been so busy this half term and we cannot believe that we are almost halfway through the school year. Here are some of the things we have been getting up to.

English:

In our English lessons, we have been writing a “portal” story, where our main character ends up in a magical world and we are just getting ready to complete our recount article, where we are retelling what happened when we had to spend the night alone in the Amazon rainforest! The children have been introduced to the perfect past tense of verbs, such as had eaten or had left, whilst revisiting punctuating speech using inverted commas. We have also been looking again at starting sentences with fronted adverbials of time and place, along with using pronouns (he, they) to avoid repetition. The children have studied various examples of portal stories and recount articles to help them understand the audience and purpose for their writing. We have then been using these pieces as inspiration to plan our own work. We are looking forward to finding out what happened to the girl who fell out of the boat on an Amazon river trip, to the boy who got lost following the trail of a jaguar and the child who was left behind on a family holiday!

Below are some examples of the work produced.

Reading:

This term in our reading lessons we first read a fiction tale called ‘The Wolf’s Footprint’ where 2 children were abandoned in a forest and saved by the wolves who lived there. We won’t spoil the rest of the story, but ask your child what happens to Elka and Daw.

We are currently reading the book ‘Amazing Rivers’ which links to our Geography unit. This is a non fiction text and each double page gives information about different rivers around the world, The children have enjoyed looking at these texts. We have been share reading the text, creating freeze frames, predicting what could happen next and exploring the language the authors have chosen to use.

Below are some pictures of the work the children have produced.

A reminder – over the holidays to keep reading with your child as much as you can and have their reading record signed.

Maths:

The start of this half term saw the children continue to focus on learning different methods to multiply and divide. We have been exploring practical and effective methods to help your children grasp these essential concepts. We started with place value counters, which the children can physically move and interact with numbers, giving them a hands-on way to understand questions. From this we have used partitioning, which breaks numbers down into simpler parts, along with part-whole models which help children visualise how the numbers relate to each other. They have also been learning formal written methods, such as column multiplication, which are more efficient methods when tackling larger numbers, step by step. We have now just started our topic of fractions where we have been identifying fractions of shapes and mixed numbers.

Here are some good examples of the fantastic work produced.

Times table knowledge has been a key focus this term, as being quick and confident with these facts is vital for more complicated calculations. Please continue to support your child to learn their times tables.

Geography:

We have delved into the fascinating world of the Amazon Rainforest, which is located in South America. We looked at the difference between physical geography, which focuses on the natural world, and human geography, which examines our impact on it. Our lessons have shown how diverse South America is, with its many religions, languages, and currencies. The children explored the tropical rainforest ecosystem, and learned about its four distinct layers: the emergent layer, canopy layer, understory layer, and forest floor. Each layer possesses unique characteristics and varying access to sunlight and rainfall. We also looked at the incredible animals that inhabit these layers and how they adapt to their environment. It’s been a fun and engaging exploration, and we look forward to continuing our journey into the wonders of the amazon!

Here are some examples of the work produced.

Science:

In science we completed our learning about states of matter (solids, liquids and gases), by finding out how we are drinking the water of the dinosaurs! The children created their own mini worlds where they could see how all the water on earth is reused due to the water cycle.

We then started our next topic on living things and the environment. The children have been learning that all animals and plants are organisms and that they all display the seven characteristics of life. The children have learnt that using the pneumonic MRS NERG is an easy way of remembering these 7 characteristics. Why not ask your child to tell you what the letters stand for. We have just started to look in details at habitats which are the natural homes of a plant or animal. The children are looking forward to exploring the different habitats on the school field and on our trip to the Zoo.

Some examples of the work produced on  the water cycle.

An example of the work on MRS NERG

Empathy:

The school value this half term is empathy. The children have been encouraged to think about the feelings of others by putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and that kind words and hands should be used at all times. Each week the children look forward to finding out about amazing people from history that have shown the school value of the half term. Recently we have looked at Harriet Tubman, Confucius, Mahatma Gandhi and William Shakespeare. Why not ask which of these was your child’s favourite.

Thank you for taking the time to read Year 4’s blog. We hope that you all have a restful break – we look forward to seeing all of the children back at school on Monday 24th February.

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“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”

Thank you for taking the time to read Year 4’s second blog of the year. We have been so busy this half term and it is truly hard to believe that we have almost finished the Autumn term. Read on to find out what we have been getting up to.

English:

In our writing lessons, we have been writing lots of different genres including writing a narrative (finding tales), playscripts and persuasive speeches. In order to do these, the children have been learning different grammar skills and thinking carefully about our audience and purpose. We’ve been busy learning about using inverted commas, fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases, subordinate clauses and determiners. We have had some fantastic pieces of work where the children explored their artistic side and planned their stories in this way. More recently we have been learning to write playscripts and have had fun performing the model text in groups. This has helped us to understand the different features, particularly the use of stage directions. Year 4 were particularly good at this considering they’ve had lots of practice from the play they took part in in year 3!

Reading:

In our reading lessons we have been reading a variety of different texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The children have had fun looking at these texts and exploring them in different ways. We have performed choral reading, echo reading and using drama and role play in groups. Important skills such as inference, retrieval and authorial intent have been practiced and the children are beginning to think more deeply about why an author has chosen to use certain language and why they have chosen to write in a particular way. A reminder for over the holidays to keep reading with your child as much as you can and have their reading record signed.

Maths:

There have been lots of skills taught this half term. Then children have leant abut different methods to multiply and divide, addition and subtraction and length and perimeter. The children also worked really hard during assessment week where they completed an arithmetic paper and a reasoning and problem solving paper. In the length and perimeter topic, the children have been looking at the perimeter of different rectilinear shapes and finding missing lengths. They have also been looking at quicker methods to find the perimeter of shapes with multiple sides. In our addition and subtraction topic, we looked at efficient ways to add and subtract including the use of a number line to find the difference and we focused a lot on key vocabulary. It may be worth asking your child if they can tell you any synonyms for the words ‘add’ and ‘subtract’!

History:

We have continued our topic on the Romans this half term, particularly focusing on Roman Britain. We learnt about the famous Boudicca and explored her life through timelines and fact files. We understood the importance of Roman roads, Roman towns who lived in Roman Britain and what we can discover about the Romans from archaeological sites. We are excited to start our new topic next term which is going to be a geography unit, so history will be continued in the summer term.

Science:

In science we have been learning about states of matter (solids, liquids and gases). We started the unit by exploring the states of matter and what they are. This included some retrieval activities as the children have briefly explored this in previous years. We have explored what happens when different liquids freeze and the process that happens when liquids turn into a solid. After the holidays we will be continuing this topic and then moving onto our new unit ‘Living things and their environments’. This will link in well with our trip to the zoo in February!

Take a look below at our ‘Wall of Fame’. Each class in Year 4 chooses a fantastic piece of work and this gets displayed in the photo frame! Take a look…

Thank you for taking the time to read Year 4’s blog. We hope that you all have a restful break – we look forward to seeing all of the children back at school on Monday 6th January!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

“I’ll Spread My Wings and I’ll Learn How To Fly

I’ll Do What It Takes, Till I Touch The Sky”

What a start it has been to year 4! We were so pleased to see the children at the beginning of September, and we can’t believe how quickly the first half term is flying by – to think we are almost at half term! We have been really busy in year 4, so please enjoy reading what we’ve been up to so far…

Reading

We kicked off our reading unit with Krindlekrax, an exciting children’s novel by Philip Ridley. The story follows Ruskin Splinter, a small and shy boy with big dreams of becoming a hero. Set on Lizard Street, Ruskin is often overlooked by his classmates and even his parents. But when a mysterious creature called Krindlekrax threatens the neighbourhood, Ruskin gets the chance to show his bravery. Despite his small size, Ruskin faces the monster with courage and cleverness. The class loved cheering him on! Through this book, we explored important themes like believing in yourself and finding inner strength.

Next, we started reading Fly, Eagle, Fly, retold by Christopher Gregorowski. It’s a powerful story about a farmer who raises an eagle as if it were a chicken. When a friend notices the bird’s true potential, he helps the eagle realise that it was born to soar. This beautiful tale teaches us about self-discovery, transformation, and recognising our true nature. As we read, we’ve been practicing important reading skills like predicting, summarising, making inferences, and sequencing. The children have really enjoyed this story and are excited to see how it ends!

Writing

This half term, our Year 4 classes have been working hard on developing our writing skills through three exciting topics: Narrative, Poetry, and Explanation Texts.

We began with Narrative Writing, where the children learned how to craft engaging stories with interesting characters and vivid settings. We focused on using expanded noun phrases, descriptive language, and subordinate clauses while also taking pride in presenting our work beautifully. The classes loved letting their imaginations run wild while creating their own unique stories!

Next, we explored Poetry, diving into rhythm, rhyme, rhyming couplets, and imagery. The children learned how to use creative language tools like superlatives, alliteration, and similes to bring their poems to life. We had fun experimenting with the poem What Do the Fairies Ride? and the children amazed us with their own creative poems titled What Do the Goblins Ride?

Currently, we’re working on Explanation Texts. The children are learning how to clearly explain how something works, using facts, structure, and diagrams. Our major focus has been on the Roman Army, and the classes are doing a brilliant job explaining this fascinating topic!

It’s been a fantastic term of writing, and we can’t wait to see even more progress as we continue to build our skills!

Maths

Year 4 have been working hard on two key topics in maths: Place Value and Addition and Subtraction.

We started with Place Value, where the children learned how to understand and work with numbers up to 10,000. We focused on recognising the value of each digit, comparing and ordering numbers, and rounding to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000. The class did a fantastic job building their confidence with larger numbers and deepening their understanding of how our number system works.

Next, we moved on to Addition and Subtraction. The children practiced both mental and written methods, working on adding and subtracting four-digit numbers with and without exchanging. They also applied these skills to solve word problems, using estimation and checking their answers with the inverse operation. It was great to see the children building their problem-solving skills.

It’s been a productive term in maths, and we’re excited to keep challenging ourselves as we move forward!

Science

This half term in Science, our Year 4 classes have been learning all about The Human Teeth. We explored the different types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars and also discovered their functions. The children have also learned about the structure of a tooth, including layers like enamel, dentin, and the pulp, and how important teeth are for both eating and speaking.

One of the highlights of our learning was conducting our very first experiment! We used eggshells to investigate the effects different drinks have on our teeth. The eggshells represented tooth enamel, and we observed what happened when we placed them in drinks like water, juice, and other drinks. This hands-on activity helped the children understand how certain drinks can affect our teeth, emphasising the importance of brushing and choosing healthy foods.

It’s been a fascinating topic, and the classes have loved learning about how to care for their teeth and keep them strong and healthy!

History

This autumn term, Year 4 has been exploring the fascinating world of The Romans and Roman Britain. We’ve learned about who the Romans were, where they came from, and how their empire expanded across Europe. The children have particularly enjoyed discovering why the Roman Army was so successful, with its discipline, weapons, and clever strategies that helped the Romans spread their empire far and wide.

To bring our learning to life, we are excited to announce that we will be having our Roman Day on Thursday 24th October, with a special visit from an external guest! This will give the children the opportunity to experience Roman life firsthand through fun activities and demonstrations.

Outdoor learning opportunities

This half term, Year 4 has enjoyed some exciting Outdoor Learning Opportunities! To kick off our reading lesson, we explored the school grounds, searching for possible signs of a monster on the loose. This creative hook sparked the children’s imaginations and made our reading lessons even more appealing.

Additionally, Elm class has started their swimming lessons, diving into the water to learn important skills and build their confidence. It’s been a fantastic half term filled with adventure and learning!

How have we shown our value of resilience?

Year 4 has focused on showcasing our school’s value of resilience. During the first three weeks, we explored how to build resilience in every aspect of our lives, discussing challenges and strategies to overcome them. The children engaged in meaningful activities and discussions that highlighted the importance of determination and a positive mindset.

Throughout this time, the students created some amazing work in their PSHE books, illustrating their understanding of resilience and sharing personal experiences. It has been inspiring to see how the children are applying these lessons, demonstrating resilience not only in their schoolwork but also in their everyday lives!

I hope you have enjoyed reading our year group blog, and we do hope that you all have a wonderful half term break!

Mrs Clarke, Mrs Owen & Mr Owusu

“In the summertime, when the weather is high
You can stretch right up and touch the sky”

The summer term is upon us and we can hardly believe there is only one more half term left! The children have had a busy start to their final term in year 4, covering lots of interesting topics including the Amazon River and rainforest as well as ‘living things are their environments’. During this half term we have had a healthy food road show where children enjoyed interacting and watching a cooking demonstration and a visit from the author Vashti Hardy. We hope you enjoy reading about some of our learning from this half term. Watch out for our next blog, it will be the final one of the year!

From the Year 4 team: Mrs Clarke, Miss Connolly and Miss Shah. 

Maths

This half term we have been exploring decimals and money. During our decimals unit, children learnt how to partition decimals, compare and order them and understood how to make a whole with tenths and hundredths. Throughout all of our maths lessons, we encourage the use of concrete resources to support the children, which are always readily available on their tables. For this unit, children were using place value charts and place value counters.  We then moved onto money. The children particularly enjoyed this topic and were eager to put their learning into day-to-day practise. We explored converting pounds into pennies, comparing amounts of money and working out worded money problems.

Reading

We started off our reading unit with a book called ‘Belonging’ This was slightly different to our usual books as it was a picture book. The book was about a little girl who was looking out of a window. With each picture, the environment outside her home was changing. The children really enjoyed seeing the changes that were happening and started to think about the changes that happen outside their own windows. It explored popular environmental issues we currently face and it got the children thinking about what we can do to help our environment and make it a greener space. It was really interesting how observant the children were with the pictures, and were spotting things even the teachers hadn’t seen! We then moved onto the novel ‘Varjak Paw’. Throughout this book, the children were given the opportunity to practise their retrieval skills as well as inferencing. We will be continuing this book into the first half of summer 2.

Writing

We covered two topics during this half term. An informative piece of writing and a narrative. Our informative piece of writing was related to our Geography topic – The Amazon rainforest. Children really enjoyed this unit as they were able to pull knowledge they had learnt from previous lessons and included this in their final piece of writing. Lots of their writing involved them discussing deforestation – something we have been learning a lot about this half term. See below for some excellent pieces of work and the beautiful handwriting that some of our children are producing. Our narrative was based on a short clip called ‘The night fairy’. During this unit children explored the use of fronted adverbials, noun phrases and propositional phrases. We covered more grammatical features and revised others that we have covered before.

School Food Showdown!

In the final week of the half term, we were lucky enough to have a visit from a company called ‘School Food Showdown’. This is a roadshow designed to inform children about health eating and living. We got to be involved with and watch a ‘cook off’ between the teachers and children, and then some of us got to do the tasting to see which team were the winners! It was a fantastic afternoon and lots of fun was had by everyone. What a great way to finish the half term!

Another super term has come to an end!

Welcome to the last blog post from year 4 for the Spring term. It has been a whirlwind term with the year 3 and 4 performance taking centre stage. We have been working really hard to put the performance together which has consisted of learning lines, following stage directions, practising songs and getting costumes put together. We are all incredibly proud of the final product and we do hope that all the parents enjoyed the show if they were able to come and watch! Let’s take a look and see what fabulous things the children have been learning about…

From the Year 4 team: Mrs Clarke, Miss Connolly and Miss Shah

School Trip to the Science Museum!

This term the children were lucky enough to visit the science museum in London to deepen their learning of living things and their habitats, which is our topic in science. The children explored the museum and really enjoyed the 3D interactive film about habitats in Antarctica. The children were so engaged and the adults were also really blown away by the effects!

Maths

This term, we learnt about fractions. Within this unit, the children understood the meaning of a whole. They are now able to count beyond 1 using fractions, partition mixed numbers, and use a number line to support ordering fractions. We then moved onto learning about mixed fractions, and the children are now able to convert between mixed numbers and improper fractions. Every lesson, we explore and understand new vocabulary to support children with their learning of mathematical terminology. We encourage the use of these through class discussions, partnerships, and while they work in their books. While learning about fractions, we used a variety of concrete resources as well as models to support children’s learning and help them progress to attempting more complex abstract questions. Check out some of our awesome learning below!

Writing and reading

This half term we concentrated on exploring the features of and writing our own discussion text. We started off our unit by having a class debate about ‘One day will robots replace teachers?’ This helped engaged the children as they were able to explore different points for and against. In this unit, the children really delved deep into what makes a good discussion. We spent time carefully exploring the different features and annotating our model text. We discussed features such as fronted adverbials for cohesion to make our paragraphs flow, determiners and quantifiers as well as subordinate clauses. Our final piece of writing was a discussion about ‘Should trees be cut down in the rainforest?’ The children wrote an introduction, a paragraph for and against and a concluding paragraph independently.

In our reading lessons, we have been looking at a variety of different texts and genres. This term, we explored a non-fiction text called ‘Amazing Rivers: 100+ Waterways That Will Boggle Your Mind (Our Amazing World)’. This book linked brilliantly with our topic lessons about the Amazon River. The children have been able to explore the features of a non-fiction text and compare them to fiction texts. We then moved onto exploring poetry and the features of poetry. The children had a go at writing their own poetry based on the poem ‘First Day’ by Matt Goodfellow.

World Book Day

World book day was a fantastic day. We got to share our love for reading with the Year 2 students with our buddy reading activity. We also read by torch light and even created some art work based on the book ‘Moon’s Ramadan’. The children also had the opportunity to show off their costumes during the fashion show which was enjoyed by all!

We really hope you enjoyed reading about our learning and looking at some of the photos taken. We hope you all have a fantastic break, however you are spending it, and we look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday 15th April. Happy Easter and Ramadan Mubarak to everyone who is celebrating!

Welcome to Year 4’s blog!

Happy New Year to all families – even though the new year seems like a distant memory now! Our second blog of the year, and since our last one, we have been very busy! We had some fantastic fun at the end of the autumn term in the run up to Christmas. This seems like a distant memory now that we are almost in February! There have been lots of learning opportunities for the children this term, and we are very much counting down the days until our trip to the Science Museum! Have a read below to see what we have all been up to, and immerse yourself in your child’s learning by seeing the work they have produced.

From the Year 4 team: Mrs Clarke, Miss Connolly & Miss Shah

Maths

We started the term learning about multiplication and division. We were learning different methods of multiplying and dividing such as using the part-whole model, using place value charts, place value counters and the column method. These methods have helped support their understanding in working out 2×1 digit calculations, 3×1 digit calculations and looking at dividing using remainders. This has really tested the children’s times table knowledge! It would be great if they continued to practise these at home as it will help them in almost every area of the maths curriculum, not to mention the times table test they will have in June. Our next unit that we will be learning about is length and perimeter. The children will be introduced to new concepts such as rectilinear shapes, and understanding how to find the perimeter of these. We explore key vocabulary in every lesson, and often we introduce the children to key words that they may not have heard of before. We encourage the use of these through our class discussions, their use of talk partners and when doing work in their books. There is a variety of different practical resources that are used within the lesson that support the children, which are readily available in class.

Writing & Reading

We kicked off the term in our writing by showing the children a clip from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, where Harry and Hagrid discover Diagon Alley together. This hooked the children into the topic nicely, and they were able to use their knowledge of expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials to write some excellent setting descriptions. We also used dictionaries, thesauruses and synonyms display boards to help us extend our vocabulary choices. In this unit, the children were preparing to write their own portal story. They had to imagine they had discovered a world behind something mysterious and were able to use their imagination to come up with what their new setting would be like and how they would be transported there. We had some excellent ideas and the children showed off their creative writing skills well. The teachers also loved being taken back in time to when they used to watch Harry Potter! In our reading lessons, we have been looking at a variety of different genres. We started off the term by reading ‘The Wolf’s Footprint’ and we are now reading ‘The Wild Robot’. The children have been using their skills of predicting, summarising, commentating, making inferences and sequencing through role play. They have very much enjoyed this and are looking forward to reading the rest of our current book!

We have had many children receiving certificates for achieving their reading milestones which is fantastic! We encourage reading every evening and for the children to bring in their reading records each day to help them on their way to their next milestone! Badges and certificates are handed out each Friday in the classrooms to celebrate the efforts made.

Science

This term we have been learning about living things and their environments. We have learnt about the acronym MRS GREN which allows us to work out the characteristics of a living thing. Each of these letters represents something a living thing can do. Our second lesson saw us being more practical, going out into the school environment to look at different living things out there and what their habitats are like. To support the learning in this topic, we are very excited about our upcoming trip to the science museum after the half term. We will be watching a 3D interactive film about habitats in the Antarctica and how they are so different to habitats of living things around us. Look out for some photos in our next blog of the children having fun on their visit! Below are some great resources we use to support the children’s learning such as visually displaying vocabulary, reflecting on previous learning and ensuring children are referring to their knowledge organisers each lesson.

 

Welcome to Year 4’s first blog of the year!

We have been very busy these past 2 months and there are lots of exciting things that we want to show you. We all had a great start to the year and have been working really hard since. Have a look below at some great pieces of work and fun activities we have all been involved in!

Maths

We started the year learning about place value, which included understanding the value of numbers up to 10,000. We have been working hard using practical resources to support our learning which has been really useful. Times tables are a huge focus this year due to the times table tests that will take place in June next year, so we have been practising our recall of times tables by taking part in ‘Daily 10’ activities which are timed to improve our arithmetic. This half term we moved onto multiplication and division. We have been focusing on each specific times table up to 12×12 and looking at the relationship between multiplying and dividing in each one. Lots of different activities have helped us embed the learning such as dienes, counters, multiplication squares and 100 squares. Take a loom below at some of the work we’ve been doing:

Our second book was a book called ‘Fly, Eagle, Fly’. It was an African tale telling the story of a farmer and his eagle.

Check out some of the work in our books below!

Our third book was a non-fiction book called So You Think You’ve Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life in Ancient Rome. This book linked with our topic of romans. This book helped us to learn more about how kids lived in Ancient Rome. We learnt new and interesting facts as well as some really gross ones!

Check out some of the work in our books below!

We will now be exploring a variety of poems from a book called Cherry Moon by Zaro Weil

Topic

In year 4 we have been spending the autumn term learning about the romans and roman Britain

We were lucky enough to spend the day as romans. We spent the day as archaeologists, trying interesting roman food and roman soldiers as well as practicing our orienteering skills.

In our topic lessons we have learnt about who the romans were and where they came from, why the roman army was so successful in spreading the roman empire as well as who Boudicca was and how she challenged roman rule

Finally, we were very busy during anti-bullying week with creating our own raps! Have a look below at some examples of these!

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We hope you enjoyed reading our first blog of the year. We look forward to sharing some more of our fantastic work as we go into the new year!

Mrs Clarke, Miss Shah, Miss Connolly and Miss Akhtar.