Year 4

As you are aware, the government has asked parents and carers to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked school to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend. The government’s guidance states, ‘We encourage parents to consider the spirit of the lockdown when making their decision … and Key Worker parents and carers should keep their children at home if they can.”

As a result, Walford Nursery & Primary School remains open for all those children who have had their attendance confirmed by Ms George.

The times of the school day have changed to 8.30am – 3.00pm.

All children must use the double gates on to the playground to be dropped off and picked up each day.

For those children attending school, Breakfast Club (7.45am – 8.30am) and After School Activity Club (3.00pm – 5.30pm) are still available but you must book at least 24 hours in advance.

For those children at home, there is a comprehensive Remote Learning plan in place.

We will continue to utilise Showbie to share work and provide feedback. Alongside this, there will be daily live lessons on Zoom and we will deliver the Year 4 curriculum. Miss Higgins will send an email each evening with a detailed plan for the day ahead, including timings for live lessons and all activities on offer.

The Government has stated that children in KS2 should be provided with at least 4 hours remote education each day, including live lessons, recorded lessons and time to complete tasks. The timetable below ensures that Walford have met this expectation, however, we are more than aware of the demands of remote learning at home so please continue to do as much or as little as you wish – there is no pressure to complete everything! We would, however, really appreciate all children joining the live lessons where possible, as this provides the daily teaching and the opportunity for the children to stay connected as a class.

The timetable for Remote Learning in Class 4 looks like this (but can change if appropriate):

9.15am - 10.15am: Lesson 1: Zoom

Morning Brainteasers – a bit of fun!

Morning Register

Time to complete independent activities

10.30am - 10.45am: Independent Reading

11.00am – 12.10pm: Lesson 2: Zoom

Class Story

Time to complete independent activities

1.00 pm – 1.20pm: PE / Physical Activity

1.20pm - 1.30pm: Times Table Rock Stars

Spelling Shed

1.30pm - 2.45pm: Lesson 3: Zoom

Afternoon Register

Time to complete independent activities

Welcome to Year 4!

Welcome back Year 4!

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas break and that you are ready for an exciting and busy Spring term in Class 4. This term we will be carrying on with our topic ‘The Romans’. Below is a little bit of information about all the fantastic things we will be learning throughout the Spring Term.

Please download and view the topic web at the bottom of the page for more information.

Empowering English

In English this term, we will be exploring a variety of exciting fiction and non-fiction texts! To begin, we will be using the narrative 'The Princess and the Pea', by Lauren Child, to develop our narrative writing skills. We will then be focussing on the features of a play script and work on creating our own. After half term, we will continue to develop our narrative writing skills and focus on the books ‘The Iron Man', by Ted Hughes and ‘Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp’, by Phillip Pullman.

We will also practice our punctuation, grammar, spelling and handwriting.

There will be a focus on improving our reading comprehension skills using Book Talk sessions and our ‘Reading Rainbow’.

Our English targets this term will be:

I can carefully choose nouns and pronouns to avoid repetition
I can use conjunctions e.g. and, but, or, so
I can use adverbs e.g. gently, mysteriously, yesterday, above
I can use prepositions e.g. behind, on, over, between
I can use inverted commas for direct speech
I can use the possessive apostrophe with plural nouns

Marvellous Maths

In Maths, we will continue to develop our knowledge of the written methods we can use for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will also look at converting between different units of measure and measuring and calculating the perimeter of rectilinear shapes. Then we will move onto to exploring fractions and decimals.

We will also be completing daily times tables practice in class and having a weekly test.

Our maths targets this term will be:

I can add and subtract numbers with up to 4-digits using formal written methods
I can recall times tables facts for multiplication tables up to 12 x 12
I can use written methods of multiplication and division
I can convert between different units of measure
I can calculate the perimeter of a rectilinear shape
I can recognise and show families of common equivalent fractions.
I can count up and down in hundredths
I can add and subtract fractions with the same denominator
I can recognise and write decimal equivalents of any number in the tenths or hundredths
I can round decimals with one decimal place to the nearest whole number

Sensational Science

In Science, we will be learning about ‘States of Matter’. We will learn to group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases. We will explore how some materials state can change when they are heated or cooled. We will investigate, measure and record the temperature, at which the change happens in degrees Celsius. We will also look at the role evaporation and condensation has in the water cycle.

Hair-Raising History

Our topic this term is 'The Romans'. During this topic, we will learn about both the History and the Geography of the Roman Empire. We will learn about the Roman army and the Roman way of life. We will also explore the history of key people including Julius Caesar, Claudius and Boudica. In addition, we will look into the 'Romanisation' of Britain and local sites such as Caerleon.

Many of our other subjects will link to our topic this term. In Art, we will have the opportunity to create more incredible masterpieces when exploring and creating Roman mosaics in the style of Helen Miles, a modern mosaic artist. We will then be designing and producing our very own roman shields. In DT, we will be designing and creating our own Roman chariots and creating our own Roman food menu, which we will have the opportunity to cook and taste!

For more information, please see the Topic Web below.

Globe-Trotting Geography

In Geography, our topic is ‘Marvellous Maps. We will look at using maps and globes to locate the equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and the Greenwich Meridian. We will then look at the different symbols which represent different physical features on a map. Using map and atlases, we will also learn to locate different cities and mountain regions in the UK. We will then learn about the town Caerleon and use a road map to plan a journey there.

Pacey PE

There will be plenty of opportunities for sport during the Spring Term. Year 4 will have PE on a Wednesday and we ask that children wear their PE kit to school for the day.

Showbie

Showbie is a program which allows children to upload, save and share their work in class and at home whilst also receiving interactive feedback from their teacher. Everyone will be given a Showbie username and password and it is available on iPads, tablets and computers. We will be using this regularly within lessons and for homework each week.

Showbie has proven to be a valuable communication tool during the enforced school closure in order for children, parents/carers and teachers to keep in touch. The Showbie App includes a range of features which have been utilisied by all:

Messaging communication
Sharing / Uploading work
Instant feedback
Voice Notes
Video Uploads
Class Discussions (Key Stage 2)

From September, Walford will continue to use Showbie as a clear channel of communication between home and school.

I will continue to set and mark homework via the Showbie App on a weekly basis. Extra (optional) learning activities will be provided where appropriate in order to consolidate learning in school. Showbie will be used as the new home-school link for reading. Every child will have a reading folder in their assignments where all reading and comments can be recorded on a nightly basis.

There will also be a general communication folder where any important messages can be shared with class teachers. Class teachers will endeavour to respond to these messages as soon as possible. It is important to remember that children will also be able to see this, so anything of a sensitive nature should be dealt with via telephone or email.

As a result of these changes, your child will no longer bring home a Home-School Diary (KS2).

Helpful Homework

Homework is set on a Thursday and should be returned every Monday. Homework will be linked to the work that we are covering in class. Remember homework will be set and uploaded to Showbie. Paper copies can be provided if required.

Showbie will be used for you to record any learning that you complete at home, including:

reading
times table practise
spelling practise
Education City
Times Tables Rock Stars
MyOn

As you move through KS2, you should be encouraged to become more and more independent at recording the work completed on Showbie each evening. I will check Showbie every day to see what you have been doing.

Talk Homework will help you to prepare for your Big Write each week. This can be found on Showbie too. Please spend 5-10 minutes chatting with a family member at home in order to feel more confident about your written task the following day.

Other information

Remember to keep checking Twitter @WalfordPrimary for regular updates about what Class 4 have been up to.

IMPORTANT DATES

Tuesday, 5th January - Return to School

Tuesday, 9th February - Safer Internet Day

Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February - Half term

Wednesday 31st March - End of Term

My door is always open so please feel free to arrange an appointment to come and see me if you wish to discuss anything about your child and their learning.

Miss Higgins!