Welcome to Red-Fox Class

Year 4 – 2015

Welcome to the new academic year and to Red Fox. Today I will outline some of our learning for this term to give you a flavour of what we are doing this year. 

EnglishChildren will be reading The Iron Man which is a short children’s novel by the poet Ted Hughes. Written forty years ago this modern fairy tale has become a children’s classic. Hughes instantly engages the reader with a dramatic opening and memorable language. The novel tells the story of a mysterious iron giant whose destructive quest for food alarms the local farming community. During the novel The Iron Man turns from villain to hero in the eyes of the public as the world faces a bigger threat, the arrival of a colossal space monster. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young boy, Hogarth, who forms a friendship with the Iron Man. The teaching sequence aims to engage the children through exploration of this powerfully written story. Children learn to empathise with the feelings of the characters through drama approaches and writing in role. They develop their abilities to form and give opinions through taking part in discussions about the central dilemma; what to do with The Iron Man. Children will develop their own ability to use language creatively through listening to the strongly patterned and descriptive language read aloud, re reading, shared poetry writing and performance.  Key teaching approaches Reading aloud and re readingDrawing and annotatingRole play Hot seating Freeze frameWriting in roleShared writingVisualisationDiscussion and debate

  

Grammar focus:WordConsolidating Year 3:Formation of nouns using a range of prefixes (for example super–, anti–, auto–)Use of the forms a or an according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or a vowel (for example, a rock, an open box)Word families based on common words, showing how words are related in form and meaning (for example, solve, solution, solver, dissolve, insoluble)Word Year 4The grammatical difference between plural and possessive –s Standard English forms for verb inflections instead of local spoken forms (for example, we were instead of we was, or I did instead of I done)   

 Maths

By the end of Year 4, children will be expected to know all of their times tables up to 12 x 12 by heart. This means not only recalling them in order but also being able to answer any times table question at random, and also knowing the related division facts. For example, in knowing that 6 x 8 = 48, children can also know the related facts that 8 x 6 = 48 and that 48 ÷ 6 = 8 and 48 ÷ 8 = 6. This expertise will be particularly useful when solving larger problems and working with fractions.

Week 1 

 Number, place value and money 

Week 2 

 Mental addition or subtraction

Week 3 

 Written addition and subtraction 

Week 4 

 Shape 

Week 5 

 Mental multiplication and division  

Week 6 & 7 

 Number, place value and money 

Week 8 Mental addition and subtraction 

Science Forces and MagnetsChildren will learn that some forces need contact to act, but that magnetic forces can act at a distance. Children will have opportunities to observe how magnets attract or repel each other, describing magnets as having two poles. Children will compare and group objects according to whether or not they are magnetic.  

 Homework English HomeworkThe homework will be issued Friday 11th September. There will be a list of 5 activities to be completed over term 1. These can be done in any order but one piece needs to be handed in every Wednesday.MathsThis will be issued on a Friday and will need to be handed in by the following Wednesday. There will be a mixture of online My Maths activities and worksheets. The activities will, where possible, relate to what the children have been learning that week. Times Tables should be learned every week, and are tested on Tuesday.

Reading Children will be responsible for changing their own books and are able to do this every day if they wish. Children should be encouraged to write comments in their record reading book everyday. We would appreciate your co-operation in ensuring that the book is signed at least three times a week, along with the date and any comments you may wish to make with regard to your child’s reading. It is extremely important that your child reads daily. We expect children to read for at least 10 minutes every day. Even the most independent of readers will need to discuss the content of the book with an adult. Please ensure that they understand the vocabulary and that they are reading with expression and above all enjoyment! It is important for you to note that we have re-introduced banded books. The children have been allocated a book according to the level achieved in the SAT tests taken in the last academic year. We will encourage your child to choose a book that challenges them as the range of texts included within each band is quite broad. We would expect that most children in Year 4 will progress quickly through the bands. The band colour used bares no relation to those used by the Infants.

Music Recorder lessons will be on Monday afternoons. Signing will be on Wednesday.

P.E.Our PE sessions are on Monday and Wednesday. Please ensure your child has their outdoor/indoor kit in school on these days. Please make sure that all your child’s belongings are clearly labeled with forename and surname. All the objectives and activities will be adapted to the children’s previous knowledge and abilities; therefore these plans might be altered.

We appreciate all your help and co-operation. Please feel free to come and have a chat should you wish to discuss anything in greater detail. Please use your child’s contact book to reach us if you cannot speak to us directly.