During the first half-term, the children will study The Tin Forest. This text will provide opportunities to explore characters, settings, dreams and hopes, while developing vocabulary choices. The children will write poems, diary entries and narratives. They will then move on to Leon and the Place Between, using this text as inspiration for their writing. Pupils will focus on writing persuasive texts, stories and a playscript.

During the second half-term, the children will enter the magical world of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They will study the characters and events within the story, developing their writing skills through a variety of creative and purposeful genres. Grammar, spelling and punctuation will also be embedded in these lessons. Pupils will practise their handwriting regularly and will be expected to present their work as neatly as possible, using a cursive, joined-up style.

In Guided Reading, the children will read Roald Dahl's Danny, Champion of the World. They will explore Dahl's rich use of language and focus on developing their vocabulary, retrieving information, making inferences and discussing their ideas about what they have read.

Pupils will also read independently each day and complete Accelerated Reader quizzes. It is vital that the children read at home daily. Parents are encouraged to spend time reading with their child and to sign their home reading log.

Maths

The children will begin by developing their understanding of number and place value, including ordering and comparing numbers. They will then move on to addition and subtraction, before building their knowledge of multiplication and division and applying these skills to a range of problems.

After that, the children will continue to strengthen their multiplication and division skills, using formal written methods and solving problems. They will also start exploring fractions and decimals, building their understanding through practical activities, reasoning and problem-solving.

This year, there is a strong focus on times tables, as the children will take the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check later in the year. They need to know their multiplication facts up to 12 × 12, and these are practised daily at school. Regular practice at home will help the children build confidence and recall their facts quickly. This term we will be focusing on 3, 6, 9 and 12 times tables. 

Science

Our Science topics this year are Sound and Electricity. When studying Sound, the children will explore how sounds are made and how they travel. Through practical investigations, pupils will develop their scientific enquiry skills by making observations, predictions and drawing conclusions. The children will then learn about Electricity. They will investigate electrical circuits and explore how different components work together. This will include testing simple circuits and using scientific vocabulary to explain their observations.

History

Our History topic this term is How have children's lives changed? The children will discover how children's lives have changed over time, with a particular focus on the Tudor and Victorian periods. They will learn about what life was like for children during these times, including their homes, education, work, family life and leisure activities. Pupils will use a range of historical sources to compare the experiences of children in the Tudor and Victorian periods with children's lives today. They will also develop important historical skills, such as sequencing events, asking questions, interpreting sources and identifying changes over time.

Geography

In Geography, the children will learn about volcanoes and consider the question “Why do people live near volcanoes?” They will learn how volcanoes are formed, where they are found around the world and the advantages and disadvantages of living near them.

Art & DT

This term in DT, the children will study cooking and nutrition. They will learn how ingredients can be changed to create different flavours and textures, before designing and baking their own cookies. In our Art lessons, the children will focus on drawing and painting, developing their skills through the exploration of tone, texture and proportion. They will experiment with different drawing and painting techniques and materials, building their confidence in creating detailed and expressive artwork.

RE

This term in RE, we will consider the questions “Why does it matter how we treat the world?”, “How did the world begin?” and “Why should we care for the world?” We will learn about different religious beliefs and perspectives on the creation of the world and consider our responsibilities towards caring for the environment and the world around us.

PE

During this term, PE will focus on swimming, giving the children an opportunity to learn and develop their swimming skills. They will work at their own level to build confidence in the water, learning basic swimming techniques and important water safety skills.

PSHE

In PSHE, the children will explore the topic My Healthy Self: How can I make healthy choices? They will learn about the different ways they can look after their physical and mental health and consider how their everyday choices can affect their wellbeing. Pupils will think about healthy eating, exercise, sleep and hygiene, as well as the importance of making positive choices and developing healthy habits.

French

The children will start the term by writing conversations using greetings. They will create their own superheroes, using je suis, j'ai and je peux and learn to place colours after the objects they describe.  They will practise asking about other families, and describe their own, learning how to say "my", what family members are called and how old they are, including revision of numbers up to 100! 

Music

In Music, the children will continue learning to play the cornet, building on the skills they developed in Year 3. They will strengthen their confidence, listening and musical skills while learning to play a range of notes and rhythms.

Computing

In Computing, the children will explore the topic Computing Systems and Networks: Collaborative Learning. They will learn how digital tools and networks can support communication and collaboration, developing their understanding of how people can work together using technology.