TERM 1 and TERM 2

It has been an absolute pleasure welcoming Sea Turtle class back to school after the summer holidays which already feel like a lifetime ago! The children have settled into their new room quickly and are taking great steps in caring for their environment. Before I go on to the overview for Term 1 and 2 I would just like to mention two things regarding reading and times tables. Please ensure your child’s reading book and reading record comes into school every day even if they haven’t read; this is so that they can access this if needed to. I mentioned at our meet the teacher session the multiplication check that every child in Year 4 will sit in the summer term. We are doing something times tables based every day but, if you wanted some ideas to support learning at home, then going through their times tables up to their twelves would be super helpful. We will, of course, continue to do this in school too.

In Maths this term we are mainly focussed on place value. We will dive into the understanding of what makes a whole number and the value of digits in a number. We will look at number lines and use a simple formula to work out the value of each interval on a number line. All of this will then support our follow-on learning with addition and subtraction where we will be using four-digit numbers and exchanging where necessary. We will also spend a week learning about the area of shapes before finishing the term with multiplication and division.

In English, our class text is The Wilderness War by Julia Green. Using this text, we will be producing a beautiful setting description.  We will focus on really developing and extending our descriptive sentences.  We will also be putting our persuasive skills to the test and will be creating a persuasive poster and letter.

Our Topic this term is a local area study of Grain and map work. We will begin by looking at the world, its continents, oceans and where we fit in the big wide world. We will locate places on a map, create a map of a route and place the key features correctly. We will also be learning how to draw features to scale, create a sketch map and understand how to use a key. In addition to this, we will be exploring our local area to ask and answer a range of questions and study a specific aspect of time past as well as placing events on a timeline.

In Art this term we are looking at nature and the world around us as inspiration. We will be practising our sketching skills and looking at transient art using non-permanent, non-fixed objects as a form of artistic expression using natural or found objects to create our art.

Our RE this term is focussing on the question ‘What kind of world did Jesus want?’ and exploring the stories of Jesus as told in the Gospels. We will build on our previous learning in KS1 about the concept of ‘Gospel’ which focuses on the ‘Good News’ which Christians believe Jesus brings and tells the story of the life and teaching of Jesus. We will start with the calling of the first disciples and how many Christians today try to follow Jesus.

Next term, our RE focus question is ‘For Christians when Jesus left, what was the impact of the Pentecost?’. We will build on our understanding of the Easter story and find out about the events of Pentecost found in the Bible, considering what it might have meant for the first Christians. We will then reflect what that means for many Christians today.

This term’s Science we will be focussing on living things and their habitats. We will learn to recognise the seven life processes common to all living things and sort living things using a variety of criteria. We will also look at local habitats and learn to identify unknown living things using a classification key.

Finally in PE this term we will be using the Royal Opera House Alice in Wonderland to look at different movements and techniques to perform a dance sequence. We will also be focussing on the team games of basketball and netball and learn the rules of each game. It will be fun to see how they are similar and how they are different!

We are looking forward to a busy but exciting term and thank you in advance for your continued support at home.