Curriculum OverviewAutumn Term 2018

Year 4

The Ancient Egyptians

As sportsmen we will be using running, jumping, catching and throwing in isolation and in combination. We will play competitive games, applying basic principles. We aim to develop flexibility & control in gym, dance and athletics. We will take part in outdoor and adventurous activities following maps and symbols that require the children to develop trust and communication skills.

In PSHE we will be focussing on our school’s chosen values for the half term. Our chosen values this term are positivity and honesty. We will discuss and explore the meaning of these values and their implications for everyone within our school environment.

In RE we will be learning about Judaism. We will start by understanding the importance of the Torah to Jewish people. Children will be reflecting on the similarities and differences between the synagogue and other places of worship as well as compare their own values with those of Jews. In addition, children will develop their understanding that Jews believe there is only one God and discuss the things that remind Jews of God and belonging to the Jewish community.

This term you can help your child at home by: Making sure that your child reads out loud to an adult at home every

day and at least three times a week. Aim to ask your child questions about the books that they read so that you can check and help them with their understanding

Regularly rehearsing times tables and division facts up to 12x12 (and further!) with them, making sure that they really do know them

Supporting and encouraging them to complete their homework on time, learn grammar and talk about their day

Ensuring that they are accessing Fronter regularly and when required to submit work

Reading the newspapers (broadsheets or online)and watching the news so that they gain an insight into world news and current affairs

In maths we will be revising our knowledge of place value, recognising the value of digits for numbers beyond 1000, as well as the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). We will also be focusing on word problems, learning to extract information and apply mathematical knowledge to find their solution. We will also be looking at reflections and symmetry with 2D shapes.

This term we will be learning about The Ancient Egyptians. Through this history based subject we will be exploring the major events in the ancient Egyptian era, the importance of the Pharaohs and looking at the geography of Egypt in an attempt to understand the importance of the Nile. We will also be looking at the religion of ancient Egypt as well as trying our hand at creating some artistic work. There will also be the opportunity to create some culinary delights in this topic.

As historians we will be looking in depth at the major events and culture of the ancient Egyptians. We will revisit the area of chronology as we try to develop our understanding of major events in human history. This will include burial rituals, temples, gods and the importance of the Nile. We will also be looking at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

As scientists we will be looking at living things and their habitats. Children will be looking at groups of living things and have the opportunity to classify a selection of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates. They will also be observing changes to the environment and dangers that occur.

In English we will be looking at creating adventure stories that have a link to our topic of ancient Egypt. This term will focus heavily on the development of our skills as writers and using literary features such as similes, metaphors and alliteration effectively. Creative writing will be a key feature of this half term. We will revisit key aspects of story writing such as conjunctions, extended noun and adverbial phrases and encourage and teach children the skills of incorporating these into their work. Towards the end of the half term we will write persuasively to encourage people to Egypt.

As musicians we will be undertaking our yearlong focus in learning to play the clarinet. These lessons have been a predominant feature of year 4 at Hadley Wood and provide children with the very rewarding experience of learning to play an instrument.

As artists and designers, we will be looking at how the ancient Egyptians created great works of art in their tombs as well as using Egyptian hieroglyphics to write their own name. Homework will also present a lot of opportunities for children to be creative in the form of board games and sarcophagus creation.

In computing we will be looking at copy right issues and understanding what images, videos and sounds are legal and safe to use. From doing so we will create online quizzes to test our peers’ knowledge on the matter. We will continue to strengthen our skills in coding and debugging by creating a scratch program that tells an interactive story with different scenes. We will also have the opportunity to explore and evaluate a simulation of a fantasy world. Throughout the rest of the year we will continue to secure our skills when using Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Publisher and continue to use search engines in order to research.

As linguists we will be learning the days of the week and some phrases relating to transport and weather. We will explore patterns of the Spanish language and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words. We will develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when we are reading aloud or using familiar words or phrases.

As geographers we will be looking at the importance of the river Nile to the ancient Egyptians. The flooding that occurred every year was a vital part of life for the Egyptians, helping the children to understand that not all floods are bad. We can then apply this knowledge to other rivers around the world and appreciate the importance of this cycle.