Welcome to Year 4!
BRAEBURN CLASS
Class Teacher: Mrs Mia Stockwell-Thompson
Teaching Assistant: Miss M Hadrill (am)
GALA CLASS
Class Teacher: Mr A Jibb BA(hons)
Teaching Assistant: Mrs D Greenwood (am)
Term 2
2020/2021
TOPIC TITLE: The Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty:
The children will learn who the ancient Shang people were, where and when they lived, using maps and atlases to locate Shang cities. They will also learn about the role of the king, the religious beliefs and rituals of the Shang people and how oracle bones were used in divination ceremonies. The children will also examine a range of Shang artefacts and draw conclusions about what they can teach us. The unit ends with a close look at the remarkable discovery of the first intact Shang tomb which belonged to the Military General and High Priestess, Fu Hao.
Science:
Sound: We will learn about how vibrations cause sounds and how sounds travel, as well as how sounds can change pitch and loudness. The children will learn about how sounds are made, carrying out demonstrations of vibrations, and completing a sound survey of their school. They will work in groups to create a human model of the way particles pass sound vibrations on, and write and star in their own documentary explaining how sound travels. The children will work in a hands-on way to explore pitch, and will use their understanding of how high and low sounds are made to create their own set of pan pipes. They will have the opportunity to make a string telephone, and will use this to investigate how sounds change over distance and through different materials. The children will work scientifically and collaboratively to investigate the best material for soundproofing, in the context of making a music studio quieter.
English:
This term we will be studying “How To Train Your Dragon” by Cressida Cowell. We will be looking at how Cressida Cowell uses language and in particular how she creates humour. We will be writing in her style and learning about the different uses of commas in writing, fronted adverbials and embedded clauses.
Maths:
In Maths, we are starting the term by looking at multiplication and division. This will include: Multplication facts and related division facts Focus on the 6,7,8,9 and 12 times tables Formal methods of multiplication (grid method and short multiplication) Formal methods of division including the ‘Bus Stop Method’.
RE:
This term we will be looking at Christmas and all of the symbols that surround it. We will look at the story of Christmas and examine Christian symbols and characters in the story such as: the star, shepherds, wise men etc
PE:
Monday: We still hope to do PE on a Monday however now that the field is closed we cannot guarantee an outdoor space, so it may not happen every week but please still come in dressed for PE. Friday - Outdoor: Hockey We will be learning how to dribble, shoot and pass the ball. We will also take part in a small game of Hockey.
Art/DT:
Sewing and Printing: We will be making fabric bags for the end of term and these will have a Chinese inspired print design. Children will learn simple stitches and some printing techniques. There may also be the possibility that children get to have a go on a sewing machine.
Maths:
At the end of Year 4 ( June), all children will have to take a times table test. It is extremely important that the children continue to learn their multiplications and divisions throughout the year in order to develop their speed and accuracy.
Check your Times Tables knowledge...
Spellings:
Please continue to learn spellings from the Year 3 and 4 word list. You could play games such as scrabble and boggle where the children have to make up their own words. Continue to identify tricky spellings in reading and discuss the meaning of different words. Sometimes spellings can be learnt in different ways using rhymes and saying words slightly differently, emphasising all the sounds in order to help remember them.