Welcome to Year 4

Welcome to Autumn 2 and Year 4! 

I do hope you have had a restful week with your families.  As we approach winter, Year 4 continue to explore and learn new ideas. 

As always we will continue to adhere to our school values of Respect, Good Manners, Patience, Perseverance and Honesty. We will understand the school rules of 'Be Safe, Be Kind and Be the best you can be!'  We will continue with our 'Brookhouse Dojo' rewards scheme to acknowledge positive attitudes and behaviours that are consistent with our values.  Homework will be collected in on a Wednesday to be marked and returned by Friday.  There will also be online tasks to complete on Purple Mash, SPAG.com, Reading Plus and Times Tables Rockstars. 

Our topic for this half term is 'The Great Plague.'

English

The first unit for this half term our focus is fairy tales. Pupils will read and discuss various fairy tales from different parts of the world. We will discuss the characteristics and features of fairytales plus plot and structure. We will be focusing on fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases to add depth to our writing; using verbs phrases to create action and pace to our stories. By the end of the unit, children will write a fairy tale  of their own, using the conventions of the genre. 

Reading is a priority of ours at Brookhouse therefore Whole Class Reading sessions take place everyday, where children are expected to read a range of texts and answer questions by summerising, retrieving, making inference and explaining.  We also have a specific focus on vocabulary, which will be sent home to learn before the lesson.  In school, we will continue to use the online reading resource called 'Reading Plus' and encourage children to complete lessons at home.  It is imperative for you to support your child with reading, please use the question stems to ask your children questions to check for understanding.  Also, ensure your child is learning their spellings for ten minutes daily. 

Oracy - Voice 21

As a school we are developing our Oracy, learning through talk and learning to talk.  In class, we provide opportunities for discussion in all areas of the curriculum.  We encourage children to fully participate by taking on a range of roles and utilising the discussion guidelines created at the start of the academic year.

Mathematics

In Maths, our aim is to improve Maths Fluency, Reasoning and Problem Solving.  We do this through concrete, pictorial and abstract models. In Autumn 2 we will continue focusing on multiplication and division facts. We will learn how to multiply and divide by 6,7,9,11 and 12. We will begin to understand mathematical vocabulary such as 'quotient' in relation to division.  We will calculate multiplication equations using the multiplication facts that we know. We will understand the difference between sharing and grouping. We will be using NCTEM Math Mastery sessions each day to support our mental math strategies to deepen our understanding. 

In Year 4 we will be focusing on our multiplication tables with a view to the MTC Test in the summer term. Please do support your child at home to learn the multiplication tables. 

Science

In Science we will learn about 'Sound'. We will identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating. We will recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear. Then we will find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it, plus find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it. We will explore how sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases. Pupils will name sound sources and state that sounds are produced by the vibration of sound waves. We will understand that sounds travel in waves through different mediums such as air, water, metal to the ear. Pupils will be expected to work scientifically by setting up simple practical enquiries including comparative and fair tests, making careful observations, identifying similarities and differences, gathering, classifying and presenting data, recording findings using scientific language, drawing and labelling diagrams. They will use scientific evidence to answer questions or support their findings. Please encourage your child to learn their knowledge organiser which will assist them with their weekly quizzes.

Art

In art we will be focusing on the work of Jean Basquiat. To begin with, we will explore the artist's life and his motivations and visions. We will explore the cultural and historical developments which effected his work, plus the links to mental health and how Jean Basquiat demonstrated this in his skull paintings. We will comparing Jean Basquiat's work with that of classical artists such as Leonardo De Vinci and how he subverts the stereotypical expectations of art forms. 

Physical Education

P.E sessions will take place on a Monday afternoon, our unit this half term is Invasion Games - Basket Ball. We will focus on running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination. We will practice dribbling a ball with some control, plus throwing and catching a bounce pass with consistency and accuracy. We will catch a chest pass with consistency and accuracy, using tactics i.e. feints to disguise the pass, dribbling with the ball to beat a defender. We will use simple tactics without the ball, applying basic principles suitable for attacking and defending. Then we will  play competitive games using the tactics learnt.  Please ensure your child comes into school wearing their full P.E kit.  The kit should include a yellow P.E top with the school's logo matched with black shorts, joggers or leggings and black pumps or trainers.  Over the top, children will wear their school jumper or cardigan. All jewellery must be removed, ensure earrings are taken out before the session or covered with plasters.

Swimming - Year 4 will be going swimming this half term on Wednesday mornings - returning to school for lunch. Pupils need to bring a swimming costume, swimming cap, and a towel. All swimming kit should be brought in a waterproof bag. 

History

In History we will exploring 'The Great Plague'. How did the plague arrive in Europe and the effects on towns and cities. We will focus on London; researching the history of the plague through hundreds of years. Developing our understanding  lives of people at the time of The Great Plague and how lives were effected in different ways due to social and economical differences. We will explore beliefs and superstitions around the plague at that time, plus symptoms, and remedies; how have these changed in modern times? We will research primary and secondary resources , then create enquiring questions to explore further the topic. 
 

PSHE

Sessions will take place on Thursday afternoon, our unit for this term is Healthy Lifestyles. We will develop our understanding of what makes a balanced lifestyle, for example, positive mental wellbeing, healthy eating and diet.  We understand that an image in the media might be changed and why this happens. To recognise that a habit can be hard to change and identify the risks associated with drugs common in everyday life. Children will learn about the importance of expressing and managing our feelings and emotions - being mindful of the feelings of others. We will think about showing Kindness and what that means to others in our community and school. 

If you have any queries, do not hesitate to discuss these with us at the end of the school day or arrange an appointment through the school office.

Thank you for your support.

All the best from the Year 4 team!

Miss Woodhouse (Class Teacher)

Mrs Khonat (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

Mrs Matador (SSA)

Mrs Sadia (Teacher Assistant) 

Mrs Saleem (Teacher Assistant)