Welcome to Year 4!

Meet The Team

4J - Miss Jan is the class teacher, Miss Petch and Mrs Akhtar are the teaching assistants.  

4AS - Mrs Akhter and Mrs Symes are the class teachers, Mrs Ashby and Mrs Newton are the teaching assistants.

Mrs Rio is the Year 3 and 4 phase leader.

Autumn Term

English

This term, we will be studying the following books: 'The Tin Forest' by Helen Ward; T'he Pebble in my Pocket' by Meredith Hooper; 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S.Lewis and 'Leon and the Place Between' by Angela McAllister. We will be practising various writing skills based around these books, such as character descriptions, diary entries, informal letter and poems, as well as engaging in drama. 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 they can, following cursive, joined up font.

Pupils will read independently on a daily basis and complete Accelerated Reader quizzes. Guided Reading sessions will involve whole-class and group reading and will be linked to these books: 'The Adventures of Odysseus' and 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.

It is vital that pupils read at home each day, and we ask parents to spend time reading with their child before signing their home reading diary.

Maths

This term, we will be focusing on place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, perimeter and area. We will be using a variety of resources, such as base 10 and counters, to consolidate children's understanding. We will also be practising our Times Tables on a daily basis; this term we will be focusing on 3, 6, 9 and 12 times tables.

Science

This term, we will be studying Sound and Electricity. The children will explore how our ears work, learn about different pitch and volume, and carry out many investigations to understand the medium of sound. During the second half term, the children will be studying Electricity. They will be learning about famous scientists, how to stay safe when using electricity, as well as using equipment to complete a circuit with a lightbulb. 

History

In History lessons, we will be discussing the topic 'How have children's lives changed?'. The children will learn how children’s spare time, health and work have changed. They will explore work in more detail, learning about a day in the life of a working child in Tudor and Victorian times and the significance of Lord Shaftesbury in changing the lives of children. 

Geography

In Geography lessons, we will explore volcanoes. We will focus on why volcanoes happen, when they occur and why people live near volcanoes. We will also study the layers of the Earth and learn about how mountains are formed.

Art & DT

In the Autumn Term, we will be focusing on drawing skills. We will think about how prints form an important part of the creative process, how to make art using scissors and finally how to make and print designs.       

RE

This term, we will be learning about the world and its existence. The children will study the creation from the point of view of Christians, Hindus and Muslims, and will also explore the scientific explanations about the world.

PE

Our focus in Year 4 during the Autumn term is to develop our skills in a range of different ball-based games such as mini netball and tag rugby. The children will also be starting swimming lessons at the Leisure Centre. 

PSHE

During the Autumn term, the children will explore the topic 'Families and relationships' focusing on healthy friendships, rspect and stereotypes. 

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 the Autumn term, the children will continue learning to play cornets. 

Reading and phonics

When pupils start at Brushwood, their phonics ability will be tested. If they have some gaps in their knowledge, they will continue reading colour banded books and will have phonics interventions to close the gaps. If their knowledge is secure, they will begin on Accelerated Reader which begins testing and progressing comprehension skills. On this scheme, the children choose their own books, read in school and at home and then take an online quiz to test their understanding of the book. For both the colour banded books and then Accelerated Reader books, teachers regularly monitor the progress each child is making and move them up levels appropriately. We ask that pupils read at home each evening with an adult who can record and sign their reading logs. It is important that the children have their books and their reading logs in their bags every day too.

Times tables

It is important for the children to learn and practise their times tables. In school, we regularly practise the times tables introduced in Year 3 (2x tables, 5x tables, 10x tables,4x tables, 8x tables, 3x tables and 6x tables). In Year 4, we begin by recapping the 3 and 6 times tables before moving on to learn new times tables (12x tables, 9x tables, 7x tables and 11x tables). It is important that children can count quickly (for example 2, 4, 6, 8) and answer questions (for example 4 x 2 = 8). To show a clear understanding of times tables, we teach the inverse too, using division (for example, 8 ÷ 2 = 4). Practising these at home is essential for children to become fluent with their times tables.