Year 4 - Beech Class
Who are the staff in Year 4?
Welcome to Year 4 - Beech Class!
Term 1
Welcome back, I hope you have had a lovely summer everyone. Our first topic is called 'Urban Pioneers'. Below is a little bit of information and some clues about what we will be thinking about this term. I understand that exploring towns and cities is more difficult in the current climate but we will do our best!
Hop on the bus and take a trip downtown where the lights are bright, and every street has a story to tell.
Explore with fresh eyes the art of the city, then capture a moment in time-perhaps a reflection on a building or a shadow passing by, Make a map of your home town and find out how things have changed, Has time changed town life for the better?
How could you improve the urban environment? Maybe add more colour? More light? More things to do or perhaps a plaza with a comfortable bench or two?
Now light up the city with creations of your own... a statue, a light show, a monument or street art. The possibilities are endless so what will you choose?
You're an urban pioneer... so get ready to go!
In Science, we will be learning about 'Light and Dark', we'll be sorting light sources and light reflectors and learning about shadows. We will also be learning about ways to keep ourselves safe in the sun. During some of our Science lessons we will be carrying out investigations and will be practicing our skills of working scientifically by setting up fair tests and finding ways to record our work.
Our English Power of Reading book is called Belonging, this is a picture book that will hopefully inspire lots of great conversations in lessons. It is best if you do not read this book at home and keep it as a surprise as we work through the Power of Reading lessons together as a group.
In Maths, we will be starting the year focusing on Place Value and ensuring pupils are secure with what each digit in a number represents.
Yearly Overview and Weekly timetable
Self-Isolation Home Learning
Transition from Year 3 to Year 4
Sadly, due to the current circumstances, we have been unable to have our usual transition day in school. I have therefore provided a power point which I am hoping is useful and will help provide you with answers to questions you may have.
I am very much looking forward to welcoming the children in September. I'm aware that some of the children will find this new beginning a little daunting after such strange circumstances so I want to reassure you that the pupils well being and mental health will be an absolute priority for me. I understand that the children need to feel happy and secure in order to learn.
Our first topic is called 'Urban Pioneers' and under normal circumstances we would begin with a trip to Canterbury to compare a busy city with the countryside and a village such as St Nicholas at Wade. In the current climate I can not see this being realistic or safe. It would be great, if you feel comfortable doing so, if your child accompanies you on a trip into a town so that they can think some of the contrasts. Get them to consider what sights, smells and sounds they notice when they are there. If possible note these down somewhere, this will help them with discussions when we initially start our topic.
We will also be welcoming our new Learning Support Assistant, Mrs Gilbert-Morgan, who will be joining the Year 4 team. She is very experienced and is very much looking forward to supporting the pupils in Year 4 with their learning.
I'd like to wish you all a lovely summer break, I certainly hope we get lots of sunshine! I'm looking forward to working alongside you in September.
Miss Patterson
Pupils in Year 4 should be reading at home for a minimum or 20/30 mins a day. Quizes can be found using their accelerated reader accounts on https://ukhosted55.renlearn.co.uk/2240591 .It is vital that they practice their times tables using Times Tables Rockstars (https://ttrockstars.com/).
PE days - Mondays and Thursdays. Please ensure pupils wear their kit to school on those days. P.E. will start the first full week back.
Homework
In Year 4 pupils are expected to read their accelerated reader book for 30 mins a night. I understand that pupils are involved in clubs and life can get very busy so there may be times when this is not possible. However, reading is very important so please aim to encourage your child to read as much as possible.
MyMaths will be set every Thursday and this will coincide with what pupils are learning in class.
Homework projects are to be completed for each new topic. A variety of different approaches should be covered throughout the year. For example, if your child has made something creative for their first project then the next one should have either an English or I.C.T. focus. This means that pupils can practice different skills throughout the year. Written feedback on the homework projects will be given on a form which will be passed from teacher to parents/carers each half term.
Pupils have their times tables rock star login details so they should be playing these times table games regularly. This will help them prepare for the times table assessment in the summer term.
What spellings will my child be learning in Year 4?
Week 1- Homophones
Words that sound the same but are spelled differently such as:
accept/except
knot/ not
peace/piece
plain/plane
weather/whether
Other examples of homophones can be found online.
Pupils will also be learning High Frequency Words and Common Exception words that are appropriate for their level.
Week 2 - Prefix in and how this changes the meaning to the opposite
eg incorrect
insecure
inactive
invisible
inadequate
Week 3 - Prefixes il, ir and im
Pupils will learn the rules about whether to use il, ir or im in order to change the meaning of the word to the opposite eg.
legal changes to illegal
regular changes to irregular
mature changes to immature
patient/impatient
perfect/imperfect
responsible/ irresponsible
How do we reward children in Beech Class?
In Beech Tree class we follow the 5 B’s.
Be Respectful
Be Kind and gentle
Be careful
Be responsible
Be the best you can
In PSHE we have been thinking about feelings and emotions and how these impact on our behaviour. We have been using The Zones of Regulation to describe and discuss our emotions. Please follow the links for more information.
Suggested webpages
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/estimation-game.php– a fantastic collection of games to help improve estimation skills
http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/index.html– some of these games promote reasoning and strategy. Make sure you practice ‘4 in a row’ lots, Mr Spiers has never been beaten at this game!
http://www.mathplayground.com/logicgames.html– further logic games. ‘Trap the mouse’ is particularly recommended.
https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/