Year 4/ Year 5 Class
Teacher: Mrs Holloway
Teaching assistant: Miss Lewis, Mr Crippin and Mrs Merrett
English
In English this term we will be working on persuasive writing based around the book ’The Paperbag Prince’ written by Colin Thompson. Later in the term we will work on information writing based on the book ’Radiant Child’ by Javaka Steptoe. Our main focus in English will continue to be on sentence structure where we will ensure we punctuate sentences correctly and we are confident at using a wide range of sentence types.
Maths
In maths we will continue working on fractions and decimals. After this we will cover statistics, time, shape, position and direction. In June the Year 4s will be taking the government times table checker test which requires them to know all of the times tables facts. This involves answering 25 random questions based on all of the times tables facts. They have 6 seconds per question with the target of getting all 25 questions correct. Therefore it is vital that your child learns and knows the times tables facts as soon as possible. As a result we have been and will continue to work very hard on the times tables facts through teaching and using the home school apps (Times Tables Rock Stars and Maths Shed) with the aim of improving speed and accuracy. The more your child practises their times tables at home the easier they will find the maths in class!
Topic
Our topics for this term are ‘What does the census tell us about our local area?’ where we will be using a range of historical sources to make inferences about the past. In geography we will look at ‘What are rivers and how are they used?. During this topic we will investigate the human and physical features linked to rivers. Part of this topic involves fieldwork where we will be going out on canoes with Arthog to actually look at the features we are learning about and investigate issues such as river pollution.
Science, DT, Art and Computing
Our first science topic is ‘Animals including humans’ which will involve learning about teeth and digestion. Plus we will learn how to construct and interpret food chains and look at a variety of different life cycles. We will follow this by looking at the changes that occur in humans as they develop into old age which will be closely linked to RSE (relationship and sex education). In design and technology we are going to design and create a model pavilion to enable us to learn about how to create strong structures which are stylish. In art we will be investigating various techniques, including media, to create a range of different portraits. Stiperstones will continue to look at e-safety and how to be safe online. Alongside this we will be looking at computer programming and video editing.
Reading
In class we are going to read a historical narrative called ’Queen of Darkness’ by Tony Bradman. Also we will look at a range of non-fiction texts linked to the our geography, history, PSHE and our science topics. Alongside these books there is a wide range of books for your child to choose from in class. In school, we provide daily reading opportunities, some of which are guided where we focus on the following skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarising. For those children who require further support with their reading they will take part in additional reading sessions as much as possible.
Other
In PSHE we will look at a range of topics linked to ‘Being my Best’ which covers making the right choices and community awareness. Plus we will cover some basic first aid. In French there will be a focus on verbs. Whereas PE this term we will be doing rounders, cricket, athletics and swimming. Within RE we will have a focus on world views – creation and science: conflicting or complementary? and ‘How and why do people mark significant events of life?’
