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Belton Lane Primary School

Belton LanePrimary School

Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

 

We are really looking forward to working with you this year. 

The staff working in year 4 are:

4B - Miss Bremner

4S - Mrs Shaw and Mrs Smith 

The children will be supported by Mrs Cummings, Mrs Wojciak and Miss Evans. We are very lucky to have such experienced teaching assistants working with us. 

In Year 4, we encourage children to be independent. We ask them to take responsibility for themselves and their learning. This will include asking them to complete and bring in their homework on time and also making sure they have their PE kit on the right days. They will also take responsibility for their stationery in school and ensure they are prepared for every lesson. 

The year 4 curriculum is challenging, but we will also have fun! Throughout the year, we will ensure the children have plenty of hands-on experience in lessons and through school visits. 

Home Learning:

Homework this year will consist of the following:

Spellings - The children will bring home their spelling list for each half-term at the beginning of the term. They will be tested every Monday. 

TTRS - the children must be practising their times tables at least 4 times per week

Active Learn and Reading - we ask that the children read to a grown up at least 4 times per week for approximately 20 mins. 

Guided Reading Homework - this will be sent home on a Wednesday and needs to be returned by the following Monday. 

The Year 4 Curriculum

Autumn Term - Rivers and Mountains 

In the Autumn Term, we will have a Geography focus.  We will be learning all about rivers and mountains considering the physical and human features of our world. We will be thinking about questions such as: How do rivers and mountains form? Why were settlements built along the banks of a river? 

Across our Literacy lessons, the children will be introduced to fables, exploring the different stories and their morals. Following that our attention will turn to Mr Toad and The Wind in the Willows. We will be exploring the vocabulary, using dictionaries and thesauruses to extend and understand new words, writing setting descriptions about Mole's journey through the meadow and to the river. We will also then be linking our learning to our Geography lessons to write an explanation text all about Rivers and Mountains. 

In Maths, we learn about: place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, measure, geometry, statistics and fractions. Additionally, we encourage children to be able to speedily recall their multiplication facts.

Children will be working scientifically in their Science lessons and learning all about Living Things and Their Habitats and States of Matter. They will carry out several practical experiments and investigations.

Year 4's PE days are Tuesday and Thursday. Children should bring their PE Kit to school to get changed into on these days. If your child wears earrings, please ensure these are removed for these days. This term the children will be developing balance, control and coordination in Dance, Gymnastics and Yoga.

Finally, children will be continuing to develop their French, by learning to describe people. In Art, they will be exploring 3D drawings and how to create them using tone and shade. As part of our DT lessons, children work in groups to adapt a simple recipe.  In our Computing lessons, children will be discussing and thinking about E-Safety including how they can be safe online and what they can do to protect themselves and others.

Spring Term - The Rotten Romans

Our topic lessons for the Spring term see us adopt a historical focus, where children will investigate the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain at the time and the legacy it left us. Children will be introduced to the Romans and learn about the history of Rome, where in Europe Rome is and how the Empire began to grow. We will also look at life in Britain before the Romans arrived and how their arrival affected Celtic Tribes. We will then learn about the power an organisation of the Roman Army and explain why they were so successful. The children will consider life as a Celt under Roman Rule and learn what went wrong that led to Boudicca’s rebellion. We will also study Roman roads, building and aqueducts before learning about their legacy and how many aspects of modern life can be traced back to the Romans.

In our literacy lessons, children will delve into a new text, 'Escape From Pompeii'. Children will continue to develop their writing by using descriptive language to describe the setting of Pompeii during the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They will go on to write their own newspaper report, detailing the events of the disaster. Using the final page of 'Escape from Pompeii', children will retell the story of Tranio and Livia. Children will also document a character's actions, surroundings and how they feel in simple refrain poems. Finally, children will write their own instructions based on how to construct a Roman Chariot.

In Maths, children will continue to improve their recall of multiplication facts, while revisiting addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Children will then focus on statistics, geometry, measure and fractions.

In Science, children will learn how sound is made from a variety of sources and how they can be changed in volume, pitch and over a distance. We then investigate teeth and eating, where children learn about digestion and different types of teeth, before moving on to explore deadly predators and their prey, in their exploration of food chains.

Children continue with their twice weekly P.E. lessons. This time we focus on: Basketball, Netball, Tag Rugby and Handball.

In our French lessons, children will look at numbers and dates and will learn words and phrases around celebrating. Children will adapt and transpose motifs in music, drawing upon their understanding of repeating patterns. They will study and make a Roman mosaic in art, then make their own mechanical system in DT - a Roman chariot. In Computing, children learn about the mark-up language behind a webpage; becoming familiar with HTML.

Summer Term - Invaders and Settlers

In this unit, children will learn about the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings and how they fit into the chronology of Britain. First, they will look at the terms ‘invaders’ and ‘settlers’. Pupils will then focus on the Anglo-Saxons and learn all about their settlements and their invasion. They will research pagan beliefs during the Anglo-Saxons times and learn about important Kings along with Anglo-Saxon law and order. Children will then develop their knowledge and learn about the Viking invasion. They will understand who the Vikings are and where they came from. They will learn about the beliefs of Viking warriors and their way of life including Viking farm settlements and they will investigate Viking traders and Gods.

Our literacy lessons see us focus on a new text, 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'. Children will write their own character description of the main character, Arthur and will then write their own adventure story based a next adventure for Arthur. Children will recap the structure and features of a newspaper report and write a report based on the wolf destroying the town’s fire. Children will recap the features of a refrain poem and document a character's actions, surroundings and how they feel. 

In our Maths lessons, we revisit previous topics with a heavy focus on reasoning and problem-solving. Children will secure methods of number and place value, addition and subtraction, division and multiplication, fractions, geometry and statistics.

In Science, children will investigate uses of electricity and the importance of safety before learning about and constructing simple circuits. Children will apply their knowledge when they design and make their own alarm system. Children then learn about building towers and bridges, starting with constructing tall towers, then exploring bridges. 

In the build up to Sports Day, children practise different athletic events in P.E. sessions. They also learn the rules and techniques of racquet and ball games including tennis and will practice the skills involved with rugby.

In French lessons, children will learn vocabulary around food, including how to order from a menu. In our exciting music unit, children will get a feel for the music and culture of South America as they are introduced to Samba. Children will enhance their art and design skills by looking at formal elements of art, then will apply their scientific understanding of electrical circuits to create a torch made from different materials and objects in DT. In Computing, children develop their research, word processing, and collaborative working skills whilst learning how web pages are created.

Useful Websites: 

Here are some recommended websites which provide opportunities for revision and further  learning:

 

  1. Rivers and mountains
    DOCX File
  2. SpellingWordList_Y3-4
    PDF File
  3. Times Tables 1 - 12
    PDF File