Year 4 – Summer Term

Literacy

We will be following the National Literacy Strategy and will cover:

Word Level

High frequency words, learning various new spelling patterns, handwriting, dictionary and thesaurus work, reading and spelling words using a variety of strategies, apostrophes for possession and contraction, identifying common punctuation marks, using connectives for persuasion, adding endings to root words.

Sentence Level

Identifying elements of poetry, e.g. verse, chorus, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, using paragraphs/chapters to order and group ideas, summarising sentences using note-form, investigating use of style and vocabulary in persuasive writing, ordering points to present an argument.

Text Level

Experimenting with different styles of poetry, identifying morals and considering dilemmas in stories, presenting a point of view in own writing, evaluating and designing advertisements.

Rhyme and Reason

Researching and presenting a project about a specific interest and learning and reciting a poem.

Numeracy

We will be following the National Numeracy Strategy and will cover:

  • fractions, including comparing/ordering and finding fractions of given amounts
  • addition, subtraction and division using informal / written methods
  • decimal notation for tenths
  • decimal notation for hundredths
  • properties of numbers
  • doubling and halving
  • handling data
  • understanding area
  • understanding the perimeter of shapes

We will be consolidating our recall of the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables in class.

The 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables will also be reinforced.

Science

Our Science topics are Habitats and Friction.

The children will be:

  • identifying different habitats
  • investigating which animals can be found in particular habitats
  • using a key to group living organisms
  • observing the behaviour of woodlice and their preferences!
  • learning about food chains
  • considering the importance of looking after the environment
  • using the ‘Newton’ as the unit of force
  • investigating factors that affect friction between surfaces
  • considering everyday situations where friction is helpful
  • learning about air and water resistance

History

We will be learning about the Tudor period in our History topic, including …

  • who the Tudors were and how they lived
  • the lives and reigns of the Tudor monarchs
  • key events during the Elizabethan period

Geography

We will be looking at The Rainforest in Geography this term.  The children will:

  • understand what a rainforest is and how it differs from our local area
  • appreciate who lives there and how their lives are different
  • understand that rainforests are being destroyed
  • consider how they can be protected
  • appreciate that rainforests are vital for all of us

ICT

This term, the children will:

  • use Information Workshop to gather data on the Tudors
  • continue to develop the use of programs studied this year
  • use a data base package to record and interpret results of a biscuit survey
  • research and record material for their ‘Rhyme and Reason’ project

Art

The children will cover a range of projects and apply different skills. These could include…

  • drawing a self-portrait
  • drawing a Tudor portrait
  • making a stuffed toy
  • creating Aboriginal dot paintings
  • creating a piece using paper by studying the work of Matisse
  • designing biscuit packaging

DT

The children will be considering the packaging that is used for everyday food.

They will then plan the main stages for making and packaging their own biscuits (which may involve a tasting session!).

PSHE

The PSHE topic for the term is “Building a Healthy Future”.  We will consider:

  • how we make everyday decisions at home and in the community
  • different forms of advertising and how it affects us as consumers
  • the choices we make about how we spend our time
  • the choices we make when faced with a moral dilemma
  • our hopes for the future and how we may achieve them

RE

In RE, the children will be considering ‘What is Faith?’.  They will look at:

  • how Abraham showed faith in his life and lessons we can learn
  • what people put their faith in today
  • the lives of people who have shown faith in action