Year 4 - Spring Term

Literacy

We will be covering the following:

Word Level

High frequency words, Look, Say, Cover, Check, handwriting, dictionary and thesaurus work, prefixes and various new spelling patterns.  This will build on, and consolidate, what the children have learnt in the Autumn Term.

Sentence Level

Comparing adjectives on a scale of intensity and linking adjectives to work on expressive and figurative language in stories and poetry, using the apostrophe accurately to mark possession and contraction.  The children will also look at recognising layout features, identify common punctuation marks, using more conjunctions and connectives in their work.

Text Level

Patterns in verse in poetry, figurative language in poetry, paragraphs, organising and sequencing events in a story, redrafting, preparing for factual research, scanning texts, collecting information from a variety of sources, improving the cohesion of written explanations.  The children will also look at different types of non-fiction texts, collaborate with others to write stories in chapters with a particular audience in mind, review and edit writing.

Numeracy

We will cover:

  • fractions
  • decimals
  • addition
  • subtraction
  • properties of number
  • multiplication
  • division
  • relationship between × and ÷
  • handling data
  • time
  • area
  • angles
  • mass

We will also continue learning the times tables in class.

Science

Keeping Warm

The children will cover:

  • being able to accurately measure temperature
  • relating good/bad electrical conductors as good/bad thermal conductors
  • recognising that heat travels from a warmer material to a cooler material
  • understanding that good conductors of heat are not good insulators
  • understanding why clothes need to be made of different fabric

Solids and Liquids

The children will cover:

  • being able to correctly classify a solid or liquid or gas
  • appreciating that some materials can exist as a solid and a liquid
  • appreciating some solids can be separated by sieving
  • appreciating what happens if solids are mixed with water
  • understanding that some solids can be separated by filtering
  • understanding that although certain substances cannot be seen they are still present in water when dissolved

History

We will be learning about the Anglo Saxons.

  • recognising that people have been moving between areas for a long time
  • understanding and using the terms “invade” and “settle”
  • placing the Anglo Saxon period in a chronological framework
  • appreciating what daily life was like in Anglo Saxon times
  • recognising the importance of Sutton Hoo
  • understand why the variety of religious worship in Anglo Saxon times and the impact of Christianity
  • appreciating that story telling was a form of education and entertainment in Anglo Saxon times
  • recognising the importance of King Alfred
  • understanding the legacy left behind by the Anglo Saxons

Geography

We will be looking at Rivers this term.  The children will:

  • learn to recognise the sections of a river
  • appreciate how settlements and transport along the river change as the river changes on its course from source to mouth
  • appreciate how water from a river is used
  • appreciate how the water in a river is managed

ICT

The children will:

  • continue to practise  word processing
  • use Imagine Logo to develop the idea of one word commands
  • create a line graph to illustrate continuous changing information
  • use knowledge of Colour Magic to produce a river scene
  • write for a different audience
  • revisit and build on knowledge of creating a branching database

Art

The focus in Art this term is to develop skills of cutting, sticking, drawing, painting etc. and study the style of different artists.

DT

This term’s project is to design and constructing a money container.  The children will:

  • investigate and evaluate various money containers which hold items safely
  • design their own money container, plan the main stages of manufacture and produce the article
  • evaluate their finished container, comparing it with their original specifications

PSHE

The PSHE topic for the term is “Building Healthy Communities”.  The children will find out:

  • who makes things happen
  • why communities need rules
  • about different people’s jobs
  • about the importance of shops and services to the local community
  • who makes up the school community

RE

In RE, the children will be looking at the Bible.  They will look at:

  • the difference between a favourite book and the Bible to a Christian
  • how Christians use the Bible
  • what makes a book special
  • what the Bible is
  • the different books in the Bible
  • what the Old and New Testament are