Welcome to Year 4

Hello and welcome to Year 4,

Our class teacher is Miss Orton, who is supported by Mrs Decamps.

Year 4 is a special time for children to become more independent and have faith in their learning. We will be developing our skills as a team and apply our understanding of key concepts to the wider world.

Proverb 18:15 ‘The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.’

RE

Our Catholic faith is very important to us. Throughout Year 4, we build on our exciting knowledge of the sacraments and begin to make links between Christian beliefs, scriptures and actions.  We also continue to learn how we can live-out key Christian beliefs in our own lives.  Just like St John Paul, we are keen to learn about the beliefs of others and cover Judaism, Islam and Sikhism as part of our ‘Other Faiths’ topics.

Geography

In Geography, we continue to learn about the world around us, building on our knowledge from Year 3.  We learn about the physical and human geography of Poland, the home country of St John Paul.  We also learn about the rivers, the water cycle and natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes.

Science

During Year 4, we continue to learn about the biology of the human body, recapping our knowledge of the skeletal system before moving on to learning about teeth, the digestive system and food chains.  We also are introduced to the idea of classification (which we will build on in Year 6).   Physics and chemistry are also taught through our electricity, sound, and states of matters topics.

History

Year 4 is an exciting year for learning about significant individuals and periods of history.  We start off by learning about the Ancient Egyptians.  We then move onto focusing on Boudica, building on our knowledge of the Romans, but this time seeing the history from a different perspective.  We end the year by learning about the Tudors.

Art & Design

Our Art and Design curriculum themes run throughout the school, drawing, painting and sculpting. We will continue to build on the skills needed for these areas of the art curriculum, to become skilled artists.

Design Technology

In DT, we will be focusing on mechanical systems, structures, electrical systems, and Egyptian textiles.

Writing

At St John Fisher, we use the Pathway to Writing Programme to help us develop our writing. Throughout the Year 4, we will continue to explore different writing toolkits through the study of an exciting and engaging range of model texts about hidden treasure, wizards, monsters, precious gems and intriguing animals.  These texts serve as inspiration for both narrative and non-fiction writing.

Maths

Year 4 is a pivotal year in maths.  By the end of the Year 4, children are expected to be able to fluently recall all their multiplication facts to 12 x 12 – this means recall any multiplication fact within 3 seconds!  At the end of the year, children will take part in the Multiplication Table Check (MTC) to assess that they have reached the expected standard.  Therefore, during Year 4 we encourage children to practice their multiplication tables by playing games on Times Table Rock Stars regularly.  By the end of the year, children are also expected to be able to read the time to the nearest minute on an analogue clock, therefore, children are encouraged to wear an analogue wristwatch to school so that they can practise.

Curriculum Map

Year 4 Staff

Miss Orton

Mrs Decamps

Useful Links

TimeTable

General Information

Our PE day is Wednesday. Children must make sure to bring in the correct P.E. kit and ensure their name is written on all property. Try practicing getting dressed and undressed at home so we can get to our PE lesson as quickly as possible!

Homework

Pupils will receive spellings every week (on Monday) and will be tested the coming Friday. Children will have their reading book changed once per week during RWI sessions and their diaries will be checked on Friday morning. We expect children to read and have their diary signed at least 3 times a week. They will be rewarded, with pupil points, for their efforts.

On addition, pupils must…

  • Log in to TT Rockstars and complete 10 minutes of arithmetic practice per week
  • Practice spellings by filling in Spelling grid, ready for Friday’s test.

Spelling Group A               Spelling Group B

By completing homework, children will become more confident when completing activities, therefore we will be keeping track of how much children are reading/practising at home every Friday.

If you have any questions/concerns, please email me using the following address

Year4@djf.srscmat.co.uk

I may not be able to reply within the school day, but will do so within 72 hours with the exception of weekends/holidays. If it is an emergency, please contact Reception so they can help support your query.

Ways to support your child at home?

Practise makes perfect! Therefore, please find the below links to useful documents that can offer some guidance as to how you can support your child at home. They will also give you an understanding of what a year 4 child is expected to know by the end of the year.

You can also find websites that they can go on to, to support their learning and to support your understanding of the year 4 curriculum. Also, you can visit the curriculum pages on the website for more information.

Knowledge Organisers Advent 1

Maths- Revising Topics

Numbots

Reading- Practice Skills

Extra Reading

Spellings- Y3/Y4 Statutory