Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

Welcome to the Year 4 class page!

The Year 4 team is made up of:

4HE - Mrs Hilton (class teacher Mon-Wed) and Mrs Ellis (class teacher Thurs-Fri)

4R - Mrs Richmond (class teacher & School SENCo)

4Sp - Mrs Spencer (Year Group Leader & class teacher)

Useful homework links:

Resources you may find useful

Please find below a list of websites/apps that we would like to recommend.

Doorway online - Touch typing

This is a great skill to learn and the activities here are all free. The activities take around 5 minutes each and will benefit everybody. Touch typing is a big help to those with dyslexia as well as making the process of typing quicker and more accurate.  It will not work on a touch screen, it has to be done on a conventional keyboard.

Google Sketchup

This is a free 3D modelling program that can produce stunning results, given time and patience.  It is an online application and can be found here.  There are tutorials and of course hundreds of videos on YouTube.

Using sketchup, try to draw objects from around the house/garden first.  Once mastered, try more difficult things like a house or other type of building (items with lines at angles are difficult, as are curves).

Audible

Good news - audible is making hundreds of titles available for free during the school closures. This service will remain free for as long as schools are shut - this means books are available to stream at no cost at all.  Simply visit stories.audible.com from any browser to get started.  No logins, credit card or passwords needed!

I hope this helps,

Mr B.

Activities to do at home

We know you will all be reading regularly!

Below, you can see the topic web for each term.  These activities can help you find out more about each topic.  There are Maths and English pages too:

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/

The BBC Bitesize Website and the BBC Newsround pages are a great place to visit too:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround

Finally, don't forget TTRockstars and Hit the Button for practising your times tables and number facts:

https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://mathsframe.co.uk

This website has lots of maths games and activities covering the whole maths curriculum which you can search for by topic and year group.

The school username and password should be in your child's diary.

Year 4 Topics

Autumn 1 - Potions

Autumn 2 - Pharaohs

Spring 1 - Blue Abyss

Spring 2 - Traders and Raiders

Summer 1 - Burps, Bottoms and Bile

Summer 2 - The Civil War - Local History

P.E. Days

4HE - Monday and Thursday

4R - Monday and Wednesday

4Sp - Monday and Thursday

TOPIC SYNOPSIS

POTIONS

Welcome to the amazing world of potions and their properties.  Now scientists, beware! Use what you know about materials and their properties (including states of matter) to create incredible potions. You will create potions - both real and imaginary - that have some very interesting side-effects! 

PHARAOHS

Let's travel back 5000 years to the dusty realms of ancient Egypt.  Cruise along the Nile, entering a world of mysteries and curses, mummies and kings.  Unravel the secrets of ancient tombs, using historical sources and age-old artefacts.  Find out about powerful pharaohs and grandiose gods. 

Look at the work of Howard Carter and what he discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun.  Was he right to explore this ancient burial site? Now open the door to ancient Egypt - who knows what we will find?

BLUE ABYSS

Grab your wetsuit - we're going deep into an underwater world of incredible coral and amazing sea creatures.  What do real divers get up to under the surface?  Discover the different layers of the ocean and the creatures that inhabit them. 

What are those lights in the distance?  It's a group of bioluminescent creatures.  Look closely at their adaptations and create a colourful, 3D art exhibition.  Flippers on?  Snorkel ready?  Let's head into the Blue Abyss...

BURPS, BOTTOMS & BILE

Open wide - let's take a look inside! We're on a voyage of discovery to investigate the world inside your body!  Do you have a toothy grin or a winning smile?  Let's find out all about teeth and investigate the effects of sugary drinks on your pearly whites!

Follow a bit of tasty food as it makes it's way through your digestive system, helped by some mouth-watering saliva! Mmm! And don't forget the importance of hygiene.  Make a life-size model of the digestive system and use it to persuade other to eat healthily.  Learn how to look after this marvellous belching, squelching, mixture making machine we call our body. 

TRADERS & RAIDERS

Sail back to the Dark Ages where battles were rife and fear reigned.  Find out about the life of Saxons, including how they lived and where they came from.  Meet the blood-thirsty Vikings from Scandinavia - never before had such terror swept the land.  What was it like for the people already living here?

Visit Perlthorpe and delve deeper into the life of a Viking.  Are you ready to shine a light on the dangerous and deadly Dark Ages? 

THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

Travel back to the 17th Century to the reign of King Charles I.  Discover the causes of the Civil War and choose your side!  Are to going to become a Royalist or a Parliamentarian? 

Investigate what life of a Civil War soldier was like and what weapons they used in battle.  Which soliders were more skilled?  Who was more likely to survive the deadly battles?

Discover the importance of Southwell and Newark in the Civil War and the role they played.  Travel the Newark Civil War trail, using interactive resources to ensure the Civil War really does come back to life!  Immerse yourself in the life of a soldier, including training and re-enacting a real battle. 

Don your amour and bring your locality alive in the name of the King!

P.E. Timetable.

Check with your child's class teacher.   

Homework

Homework usually concentrates on Maths and English and it alternates between the subjects each week.  Children are always given a full week to complete the homework.  

In Year 4 we concentrate on Times Tables for Maths homework as this is a vital skill for future success in the subject, plus Year 4 children are now required to take an online Multiplication Table Check in the Summer Term.  TTRockstars is particularly helpful as the 'Sound Check' area replicates the format of this check.

We ask that children read at least three times a week at home and that an adult signs their diary.  We have found that children really benefit from reading with an adult and discussing what they have read, as well as learning to become more independent readers.