Welcome to Year 4

Autumn Term 2023

Areas of study for Year 4*

Literacy

This term, the children will be writing narratives based on the Egyptian Cinderella story.  We will also be creating our own non-fiction, information texts about Ancient Egypt. This is linked to our history and geography topic on Ancient Egypt. Further cross curricular links to our history topic will be made when the children write about the process of mummification in preparation for our Egyptian day visitor. We will learn about Howard Carter and write a diary entry from his point of view. The children will also study the poem,
‘The Mewlips’ by JRR Tolkien, and create their own mythical poem.

Numeracy

To begin with, children will be working on number and place value, focusing on numbers up to four digits. They will compare and order numbers, round to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand. Children will partition numbers in various ways and will estimate numbers on a number line. Children will move on to learning formal written methods alongside concrete manipulatives to support understanding of adding and subtracting numbers up to 4-digit numbers.  When learning about measures, children will learn that area is the amount of space taken up by a two-dimensional shape or surface. They will explore different ways of working out the area of rectilinear shapes. Children will learn the multiplication and division facts for the 3, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12 times tables using various methods. 

Reading

During our guided reading lessons, children will read and explore a range of genres,including; fiction, modern and classic poetry and non-fiction. 
Children will answer VIPERS questions where they need to retrieve and interpret information from the text and explain the authors’ choice of words and phrases. Each class will have a book that is read together and enjoyed by the children. There will be many opportunities for the children to read aloud.

MFL

In our French lessons, we will be revising the basics, such as days of the week, months of the year and practicing our French pronunciation. During the second half term, we will move on to talking about our pets and other animals. They will practise speaking in full sentences to give information about any pets they may have. They will also learn how to say that they don’t have a pet.

 

PSHE/RSHE

We will be discussing how to have a growth mindset and how having one helps us learn and improve. Through class discussion, we will be exploring how we can contribute to healthy friendships and what we can do if we see a friend who is feeling lonely or left out.
Later in the term, we will discuss how we can stay safe when using digital devices and how anything we see online which makes us feel uncomfortable must be shared with a trusted adult. We will also talk about the importance of respecting the differences and similarities between people to ensure we are always respectful of others.

RE

During RE lessons, the children will be considering the key question, ‘How might a religious person’s beliefs help shape their identity?’ Children will begin by looking at what beliefs are and what makes a person’s identity. They will then look at three religions; Christianity, Sikhism and Hinduism. They will recap the beliefs of these religions and look at how their beliefs impact upon their identity. Then they will compare these religions and decide whether a belief in a God is needed to shape someone’s identity.

PE

This term children will have a fantastic opportunity to have daily swimming lessons for a fortnight in November. They will have the chance to learn how to swim or improve their technique in order to become confident swimmers. They will also learn how stay safe in and near water. During outdoor PE lessons, children will be working on sport specific skills from the Invasion Games category of sports including basketball, rugby and hockey. They will be developing their knowledge and understanding of when, where and how to travel with the ball, passing and receiving, shooting, teamwork, and the principles of attacking and defending. 

Geography

During the first half term, we will be studying the geography of Egypt. Children will locate the places of importance on a map of Egypt, look at famous landmarks, and compare them to landmarks in the UK. Children will understand the importance of the River Nile and why it was important to the survival of the Ancient Egyptians and why it is still important today. Throughout our Geography lessons, children will be revising key information such as the names of oceans and continents and practise finding these on a map. Children will have the opportunity to use Atlases to further their knowledge.

History

Our History topic is Ancient Egypt. Through looking at artefacts, children will find out what life was like in Ancient Egyptian times. They will speculate what the artefacts were used for and explain how they are important for telling us more about the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Through research, children will find out about the Egyptian Gods and
Goddesses. Linked to literacy, children will learn about the process of mummification and the importance of Canopic jars and discuss their uses. Children will learn about Tutankhamun. Also making further links to literacy, we will be looking at the life of Howard Carter. Finally, children will learn about Hieroglyphics and practise writing their names and messages.

Science

The science topic for this term is ‘Teeth and Digestion’, where the children will identify different types of teeth and learn about their functions as well as comparing similarities and differences between animal and human teeth. Children will plan and carry out a practical scientific investigation to learn about the causes of tooth decay and how to avoid it. In the second half term, we will move on to learning about the human digestive system.
Children will recreate the digestive system and explore how food is digested. Next, we will compare the diets of different animals, construct, and interpret a variety of food chains.
We will discuss how plastic pollution is affecting our food chain and what we can do to help.

Music

This term the children will listen to a variety of songs and learn to appraise the and understand durations written as notation. They will ultimately create rhythm sequences and use percussion instruments to produce an accompaniment.  

Computing

In computing lessons, children will learn how to create engaging PowerPoint presentations, exploring slide design, inserting and editing media taken from the internet and other sources and using transitions in presentations. They will then create a PowerPoint on a given subjects and have the opportunity to present their presentation to the class. Throughout the term, children will have the opportunity to develop their touch typing skills. Later on in the term, children will learn about websites and how to fact-check information for reliability. They will practise using a search engine effectively and the children will aim to create a website of their own.

Art, Design and Technology

In the first half of the term, during art lessons, the children will study the work of Maurice de Vlaminck. Children will use prime colours to make a wider range of colours and will develop their understanding of how warm and cold colours can create different effects in artwork. Children will analyse and critique the work of Maurice de Vlaminck. Children will create a painting in the style of Maurice de Vlaminck. During our 
DT lessons, children will explore how bread is made today compared with how it was made during ancient Egyptian times. They will evaluate existing bread products, experiment with shaping dough, then design and plan their own bread. Finally, children will make, taste and evaluate their bread.

*If you require additional information relating to our school curriculum, please ask at the school office or the class teacher.