Welcome to Year 4

Staffing

The teacher for 4J is Mrs Jones and the teacher for 4S is Mrs Stacey. Teaching and learning is supported by the following teaching and support assistants; Mrs Fannon, Miss Read  and Mrs Cross.

Reading

  • Children are expected to read at least three times a week and reading diaries are expected to be in school every day.
  • Library sessions will be on Fridays when your child will be able to change their school library book.

PE kits and days

  • P.E. is on a  Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon. Both sessions will involve Sam Venness, our sports coach.
  • P.E. kits include a plain white t-shirt, black shorts or skort and black pumps; kits are to be in school at all times.
  • Swimming lessons are on Tuesday – you will be informed when your child’s group will be going. If you are not sure if your child is swimming this half term please ask us.
Homework
Maths homework is handed out on a Friday and expected in by the following Wednesday. 
Curriculum overview
Our topic for next half-term is I am Warrior which will has a focus on Science, Geography and History within topic work. Learning will include:
  • In Science, our topic is Sound so we will be learning about how we hear and investigating how to alter the pitch and volume of a sound. Music lessons will reinforce science learning for this half term too
  • In History, learning will include the Roman Army and their tactics including some of the weapons they used, entertainment in Roman times including gladiators and chariot racing, life in Roman Britain for children and the technology the Romans brought to Britain including Hadrian’s Wall. We will also be learning about Boudicca who led her Celtic tribe with their uprising against the Romans.
  • In DT, we will be designing, making and evaluating Roman chariots which need to move when pulled.

Maths

To support your child with their maths here are some helpful hints:

Every child has a login for our exciting new Times Tables Rockstars software. This allows your child to rehearse their times tables, play against other children and have fun with their Avatar. Please encourage your child to use the software and let us know if you have any problems accessing it.

To support your child further with their maths in Year 4 here are some more helpful pointers:
  • Our focus this half term will be working with the place value of numbers up to 10,000 and formal standard methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
  • We are also focusing on the times tables with the children with the expectation that all the children will know their times tables, and related division facts by the time they leave Year 4. Our initial focus is 4, 8, 3, and 6 times tables before moving into the 9s. Ask your child to show you the 9 times table trick. Children in the current Year 4 will be sitting their Times Tables Check this academic year and we will let you have more information on this shortly.
  • Look out for our times tables sheet with the formal methods laid out on that back for your guidance.
  • We will be sending out weekly homework to consolidate learning; if you have any queries regarding this then please come and see your child’s class teacher. Usually the homework is related to that week’s learning but may recap previously taught topics.
English
How can you help your child in English? Here are some great ideas:
  • We are supporting a love of reading in the classroom by starting a ten minute period of quiet reading every afternoon. We are also encouraging the children to review the books they are reading and sharing this with their class
  • Our big writing focus for this half term is using prepositions, adverbs and a variety of openers to start our sentences. You can support your child by encouraging them to look for examples of these features in their reading books 
  • We are encouraging the children to write for pleasure at home so please send them in with any writing they complete at home as we love them to share it with their peers
  • For this topic, it would be valuable for them to read information texts about the Roman Empire to support their topic knowledge.

Home Learning

The children in Year 4 will be taking part in ‘Creative Homework Projects’ that we would like them to complete over the coming weeks. The project for this half term is ‘I am Warrior’, a study of the Romans.

We share these in class and always look forward to seeing the results of the children’s hard work. We would like the children to bring their completed projects into school by the week ending Friday, 18th October, for our Home Learning Assembly on Monday, 21st October, so that they can share and celebrate each other’s talents. We would ask that this project reflects six weeks’ worth of work, and demonstrates the children’s own work with your support in helping them complete their homework.

  • Learn Roman numerals and write some calculations using Roman numerals for your friends to solve.
  • Look at the history behind the eruption in 37AD and make a volcano at home to recreate this. Have a go at using Science vocabulary to explain what happens when a volcano erupts
  • Look at Roman artefacts in detail at a local museum. Create a PowerPoint presentation showing the ones which interested you the most and information about them.
  • Research Roman life using books from your local library. Which were the most useful? Recommend the best one to your classmates.
  • Try to find a map of Roman Britain. Find out some of the names of towns and cities. What are their modern names?
  • Write a diary entry as if you are a Roman soldier, a slave in a Roman Villa or a Celtic child. What is your typical day like?
  • Use an online translation tool to write well-known phrases in Latin, the language of the Romans. Perhaps you could write a birthday (or seasonal) greeting.
  • Create a Roman Villa out of junk materials such as cereal boxes. Use online images and pictures in non-fiction books to inspire the layout of your villa.
  • Make a drawing of a Roman God or Goddess. Write a factfile or information about them.