Year 4 - Miss Humble

Welcome to Year 4!

Some important reminders:

PE is on a Tuesday and the children can wear their PE kit all day.

Water bottles should be brought into school every day.

Reading books and diaries should be brought into school every day. Please encourage your children to read at least three times a week! Please sign your child’s diary when you have listened to them read. 

Spellings will be tested on a Friday and new spellings given out weekly. 

Dates:

Summer 2 

 

s.  

Summer 1

Spring 2 

English

In English this term, we will be reading Peter Brown's The Wild Robot. The children will be creating a narrative with a clear and atmospheric setting. We will be using  figurative language e.g. similes and metaphors,  experimenting with wider onomatopoeia and alliteration as well as using expanded noun phrases to make our writing more descriptive and exciting.

Maths

In Maths this term, Y4EH are focusing on fractions. The children created some fabulous fraction walls to help them recognise the concept that fractions are different parts of a whole.

⚡️ Electricity ⚡️

In Science this term we are learning all about electricity. We will learn about how to work safely with electricity and discuss potential hazards in our homes. We are going to identify and name parts of a circuit before designing one of our own in Design and Technology. This will be linked to this terms English book 'The Wild Robot' where the children will create their own light box resembling a crate from the story. We will then add a switch to turn a light on and off.

✨🌎 Geography 🌎✨ 

In Geography this term we are learning all about South America. The children will learn about the differences between the Northern and Southern hemisphere and where South America is located on a world map. We will also look at continents that sit within each hemisphere and identify differences in physical features, population and pollution. Finally, the children will be able to locate a number of South American countries and understand which countries border each other.

Light box and simple circuits 

In Science and DT we have learned and discussed how to work safely with electricity and discussed potential hazards in our homes, We identified and named parts of a circuit and then made our own simple circuits. We then added in a switch to turn the light on and off. We predicted and tested out whether a bulb would work in a variety of different circuits too. We then constructed a decorative light box out of card with a design based on 'The Wild Robot' and created a permanent circuit to fit inside.  

Spring 1

This half term we will be having fun learning all about life in Ancient Greece. The children will engage in interesting and exciting activities and reading our class book Leo and the Gorgon's curse. We will be studying Greek life, their achievements and their influence on the Western world. The children will even have the opportunity to take part in 'Groovy Greek Day' where we will have a taste of what life would be like living in Ancient Greece.

Computing 

In Computing this half term we are creating E books. We will be designing our very own E book all about Ancient Greece! We will be designing a eye catching front cover as well as pages on Greek Gods, food, clothing, number system and famous monuments. This will link in with our English and History lessons this half term.

Science

 In Science this term, Year 4 are learning about the different types of human teeth and the special functions they each have. We will also be looking at how to look after our teeth and what happens when we drink fizzy pop! As well as this, we will also be looking at different parts of our digestive system and the process of swallowing food. 

Groovy Greek Day

 To celebrate the end of our topic on Ancient Greece, Y4 had a special Groovy Greek Day. The children were invited to come into school dressed as Ancient Greeks and all outfits were fabulous. We started our day by researching the Greek alphabet and creating our own name plaques using letters and symbols. We then made beautiful green and gold olive wreath crowns to wear throughout the day. Throughout the afternoon, we looked at Greek pottery and designed and coloured our own vase. The children also enjoyed our Greek taster session trying out food that they would have had in Ancient Greek times. Overall, the children had a fantastic day.

Rap Battle

This term, the children have enjoyed learning about rap poetry in guided reading! We have identified the rhythm of different raps and gathered information on the syllables of words chosen and how this relates to the rhythm. The children have also worked brilliantly in groups to have a go at some performance poetry!

Guided Reading

In Guided Reading this term, the children have been exploring dilemmas faced by Leo in our class text Leo and the Gorgons curse. The children took part in a Conscience Alley activity where we considered right vs wrong, courage and responsibility as well as consequences of actions.

PE

This half term the children will be working on their tennis skills. They will be improving their hand-eye coordination and confidence in tennis.

Art - Robert Delauney

This term in art we are painting! We are looking at Orphism which is a style of art that uses bright colours and shapes to make pictures look like they are full of light and movement. Instead of painting things that look real, artists used circles, curves, and lots of colours to make the artwork feel happy, exciting or full of energy.

The children enjoyed printing on different materials to create three abstract Delauney-inspired prints using warm and cool colours and layered shapes using print tools and paintbrushes.

Active Sunderland

This term, the Year 4 children are taking part in a healthy eating programme with Active Sunderland, where they will explore how to make healthier food choices in a fun and engaging way. Through interactive learning, they will became familiar with the Eatwell Guide and learn about why it’s important to balance different food groups. The sessions will also help pupils understand the role of fats and sugars in the diet and how to enjoy them sensibly as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Autumn 2

Design and technology

In Design and Technology this term, the children have been researching the types of food Arctic explorers eat. We have discussed the nutritional value and how their diets may be different to ours. We have designed posters on some popular Arctic foods including Pemmican and Expedition cake, thinking about how and where the ingredients are grown as well as researching the food and nutritional elements. As well as this, we had a go at making our very own Sledging Biscuits which Arctic explorers still eat today, eaten by people who are working away from bases in the Arctic.

Dodgeball 🏐

The children had a brilliant time at Sunderland Tennis Centre competing in a Year 4 dodgeball festival. The children worked really hard as four seperate teams to score points against other schools.

     Science - 🧊 Ice cup experiment 🧊

The children have thoroughly enjoyed our science lessons this term! This week we carried out the 'Ice cup experiment'. The experiment taught the children about the process of evaporation and condensation using just a glass, some hot water and a couple of ice cubes. The children saw the warm water evaporate slowly and the water vapour rising to the top of the glass. The ice then cooled the water vapour and it condensed, turning back into a liquid and dripping down into the glass again. This experiment will contribute to our future lessons this term which will be focused on 'The Water Cycle'.

  Arctic Day ❄️

This half term the children have taken part in Arctic Day! The children had a brilliant time learning about what life would be like in the Arctic. The children had the chance to try on clothing which would protect them in the cold conditions as well as cooking and tasting some rationed food! The workshop provided the children with a strong understanding of life in the Arctic which will support them in Science, DT, English and Geography this half term!

Autumn 1

In Year 4 this term, the children will be learning all about the Mayan civilization. We will cover this topic in both English and History. The children will be reading the Rain Player book which will provide inspiration and ideas for their writing.

In Science, we will be learning about the different states of matter and the children will learn to group materials into solids, liquids and gases. In RE, we will learn all about baptism and the Holy Trinity and in Art, we will be introduced to the artists Quentin Blake and Petra Palmeri.

Quentin Blake                               Petra Palmeri

 This half term the children will be focusing on Dance during P.E. They will work with partners, in groups and as a class to create dances using movement patterns to structure the dance phrases. They will refine, repeat and remember dance phrases and dances.

 Science 🧪

Year 4 have thoroughly enjoyed our Science topic on States of Matter. This half term we are continuing to experiment with solids, liquids and gases and began by experimenting with making our own butter! We experimented with cream in a bottle and made observations based on what happened when we shook it. The children loved watching the cream gradually turn form.

Backhouse Park

A beautiful morning for Y4EH at Backhouse Park! The children enjoyed taking in the outdoors and seasonal scenery as well as collecting leaves for our change in seasons artwork

Ushaw college

A fantastic day for Y4EH at Ushaw College! The children enjoyed taking in the beautiful architecture of Ushaw's chapels and stained glass windows, before having a go at creating some windows of their own!

 RE

Year 4 had a lovely visit to St Aidan's Church where Father David taught us all about Baptism in the Christian Church, this linked in with our recent RE lessons on the topic of Baptism. The children learnt about the importance of the Holy Water and its purpose in the ceremony. The children also had the opportunity to hold the christening shell and candle, as well as witnessing a christening take place... of a minion that is. After watching the ceremony the children were able to take a look around the church and have the opportunity to speak to Father David about any questions they had.

Maths

In Maths, the children will be recognising the place value of each digit in four-digit numbers as well as composing and decomposing four-digit numbers using standard partitioning.

Science 

We had a fabulous time experimenting with slime in science! We discussed that slime is neither a solid or a liquid and is in fact a non-Newtonian fluid! ⭐️

 During our science lessons, we have discussed the three states of matter and asked 'is it a solid, liquid or gas?'. We have completed research and carried out experiments in order to know which materials are solids, liquids or gases. We have been able to describe the properties of each state and can show the difference between the particles. We recently completed an experiment to see whether or not the size of an ice cube impacts how fast it melts and recorded our findings in our workbooks.

Ice experiment                                Butter experiment 

Art

The children had a lovely craft afternoon creating some Maya masks linked to our topic on the Maya civilisation this term! 🎭🎨 During the lesson, we discussed that Maya Masks played a central role in Maya culture. They were made for a variety of occasions and purposes and were even used to decorate temples. Masks were often inspired by animals and they were vibrant and colourful. The animal masks represented the spirits e.g. they often associated strong kings with jaguars.