Welcome to Class 4's page!

Please check back here to see regular updates!

Our PE days are Wednesday and Thursday. Please ensure that your child has a PE kit in school (white t-shirt and dark shorts/leggings with names in please). This can stay on their peg in school and we will send it home each half term for washing. 

Please ensure that earrings are removed and long hair is tied back.

Thank you.

Numeracy

In numeracy this half term we began by learning about place value. We looked at how numbers are made by tens and ones. We learnt about numbers bonds up to 20 and how we could apply our understand of the to help us bonds up to 100. We have also been learning about addition and subtraction. We began by using physical objects to help us with our number sentences before moving on to pictorial representations to help us complete our learning. 
 

We have also continued to learn how to count up in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s to help us build our number fluency as well as beginning to practise how we count up in 3’s. Number fluency is very important so we have been using a mastering number approach to help us improve our speed and understanding of number. 

Literacy

We began the term by learning about the Anthony Browne book ‘Into The Forest’. We discussed the characters in the story and looked in detail at the fascinating illustrations. We then read about the characters from the book in their own traditional tales such as ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. We created character descriptions and used the texts as a starting point for our own stories. 

Design and Technology 

This term we have learnt all about mechanisms that can allow us to create our very own moving pictures. We looked at examples and tested how each mechanism can create a moving pitch. We have used techniques such as pivots and sliders to create our own moving pictures. 

Art
 

In art we have been practising our skills with clay. We moulded the clay in to a range of shapes and investigated how we could make different patterns using a range of clay tools. We worked with a partner setting each other tasks and supporting each other to achieve each attempt. 

P.E

In P.E we have been learning to play matball. We began by learning how we can use different types of passes. We practised how to complete chest passes, shoulder passes and bounce passes with our partner. As we became more confident with our passing techniques we moved on to learning about the importance of moving into space in a team game. We eventually combined all our skills in full games of matball. 

Science

In science we have been learning about the life cycles of animals. We talked about how they changed and grew during their lifetime. We have also looked at what counts as a living thing and how things that are living, dead or have never lived differ. Our classes favourite science learning has been the experiment that allowed us to monitor changes over time. We began by touching bread with dirty hand and then a separate slice with clean hand. We then monitored how the sliced of bread changed over time. We continued to look back at the bread and discovered that the bread began to change. The bread touched by the dirty hand began to grow mould. We continued to monitor the bread and then we came to the conclusion that the dirty hands had more germs on them and that was why the bread touch by the germs became more mouldier.

Welcome to Class 4!

It's been great to hear about the fantastic Summer holidays that the children have enjoyed. 

This week we are going to be learning about the Anthony Browne book 'Into the Forest' so be sure to ask your children all about it to see if they can remember the story. 

In numeracy we are going to be looking at place value and our number bonds. If you want to practise numberbonds with your child at home you can play a numberbond game on this website - https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Class 4 - 2022/23

Numeracy

This term in numeracy we have been learning about multiplication, division and fractions.

With multiplication we began by focusing on repeated addition and then moved on to using arrays to show how many groups we have and how much is in each groups. All the children have been working hard to learn our 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables.

For division, we started by learning how to share equally into groups. As well as learning how to share out the amounts equally we also worked on how we can use a grouping method to help us find the correct answer to division problems. We have also developed a number line method for solving division problems that require us to divide large numbers efficiently. 
 

Once we knew how to divide we used this to help us with fractions. We learnt that a fraction is part of a whole and practised finding fractions of objects and numbers. 

Parent’s Workshop 

This term we have had a special Roald Dahl themed parents workshop where we were able to invite parents and carers into school to enjoy helping us with some of our Roald Dahl learning. It was fantastic to see such an amazing response from our parents and carers and the children had a wonderful time sharing their fun tasks with the adults. 

Science 

In Science we completed lots of learning on how to keep ourselves healthy. We have looked at why it is important for us to exercise, keep clean and eat healthy.
 

We have taken a deeper look at germs. We performed an experiment which allowed us to see a change over time. As part of our experiment we watched what happened to one slice of bread when we touched them with dirty hands and then touch a second slice of bread with washed hands. 

The results were amazing although the mould was disgusting. 

ICT

In ICT we have been learning about digital images. We talked about asking for permission to use the photographs of other people and why that is important when sharing the photographs with others and online. 
 

We also explored how a range to take a range of photographs. We enjoyed exploring how photographs change when the subject of the photograph is moving compared to when they are still. Check out some of the children’s wonderful photos below. 

Art

In art we used clay to create our very own ‘enormous crocodiles’. We practiced how to mould the clay to get the shape we needed and then focused on how we could use clay tools to add detail to our sculptures. 

P. E

In P.E during the Spring term we have been practicing our gymnastic skills. We have worked on point balances, rolls and controlled movements. The children really enjoyed challenging themselves to improve the control of their bodies. 

D & T

In D & T we have been making a vehicle for Willy Wonka to help him transport his chocolate to the shops. We have worked hard to use secure joining techniques that allow us to make secure vehicles that meet our design brief. 

Music

In music we have been listening to a range of music. We have been learning how to follow the pulse of the music. We have also been learning to move our bodies, sing and play an instrument in time with a song. 

Roald Dahl

Throughout the Spring term and our topic “Incredible Authors” we have been learning about the different stories and characters that Roald Dahl created. 
 

We have also been learning about Roald Dahl himself​​​​​ from being a childhood chocolate taster to his time as a pilot for the RAF. 
 

The amazing stories were inspiration for the children to write their own creative stories. We have been working hard to improve our descriptive writing and to develop our adventurous vocabulary. 

Science
 

This week in science we have been investigating how absorbent different materials can be. We discussed using a fair test. We did this by making sure that each material had 20ml applied to it. We made our predictions about each material and then recorded the correct answer after we had completed our tests. 
 

We used our scientific tests this term to help us choose the best material for our boats. Once we had built our walls we tested the boats them to see if our tests had helped us find a good material for our purpose. As we predicted all our boats managed to float because they all used plastic hulls which had the correct features to allow the boats to float. 

Design Technology 

This week we have been designing and building our own boats. We used our research from science to decide which materials would be the most effective for us to use. We wanted to use materials that would float, be rigid and be water resistant. We decided the most effective material for the hull of our boat would be plastic. 
 

Once we had decided on our boat designs we used our teamwork skills to build our boats using secure joining techniques. 

Rockpool Visitors

We have enjoyed having sea life experts from Aqualease come in to school to show the children a range of animals that live in UK rock pools. We had lots of questions about the different animals and were very excited to get chance to hold the crabs. 

Literacy

In Literacy we have continued with our non-fiction writing about sea creatures. We have had a brilliant time learning amazing facts about stingrays and turtles. 

We have been working hard to turn key words into full sentence that include all of our non-negotiable writing skills. We have also been trying to choose the correct conjunctions to allow us to join two facts together. 
 

These were a selection of our favourite facts! 
 

Stingrays

• Stingrays are pretty unique as they have no bones in their body – their skeleton is made up of flexible cartilage (the bendy stuff that your ears and nose are made from!).
• Rays protect themselves with venomous spines or barbs in their tail.
• Some of the largest rays such as manta rays and cow nose rays never stop swimming.

Turtles

• The gender of sea turtles is determined by the temperature in the nest. Cooler temperatures produce boys and warmer temperatures produce girls.
• Sea turtles can’t retract their head and flippers into their shells.
• They can live for up to 70 years!

Numeracy

In numeracy we have been completing subtraction number sentences using a number line to help us. We have been subtracting one digit numbers from two digit numbers. We used our knowledge of partitioning to help us jump back to the ten and then subtract the amount that we have left. 

Looking at this example we can see that Tom made one jump back to get to the previous 10 and was then able to use his numberbond knowledge to help him work out that 10 - 4 = 6.

Can you use the method above to solve these number sentences?

P.E

In PE we have been improving our skills in hockey. We have begun by focusing on the how to hold the hockey stick with two hands so that we can dribble and pass the ball accurately. 

Literacy

In literacy before half term we we learning about sea animals. We learnt about sharks and whales. We watched a video about each animals and discuss our favourite facts with our partner and shared our favourites with the whole class.

We recorded our favourite facts about each animal on to our recording sheets. We tried hard to include conjunctions in our writing. This allowed us to extend our sentences so we could include more information in our writing.

We loved learning about these fascinating sea creatures and learnt lots of amazing facts. These were some of our favourite facts!

Sharks

• The smallest shark is the size of a human hand but the biggest can grow up to 12 metres long!
• Different species of shark have lived for millions of years. There were types of sharks that existed before dinosaurs!
• Sharks have many of rows of teeth. If they lose a tooth it doesn't matter because new teeth replace it. In their lifetime they might lose as many as 20,000 teeth!

Whales

• Whales need to breath air. They come up to the surface to breath and can then hold their breath for hours as they dive deep in the water.
• The blue whale is the biggest creature that has ever lived! Bigger than all the dinosaurs!

After half term we’re going to be learning about stingrays and turtles, we can’t wait!!

Numeracy 

In the last week before half term We began looking at adding. we enjoyed apply the skills we have learnt so far this year to help us with our work.
 

We used our numberbond skills to help us work out numberbonds to 100. For example we know that 4 + 6 =10 so we also know that 40 + 60 =100. We showed that we could apply our numberbonds under 10 knowledge to help us answer other questions as well. We know that 3 + 3 = 6 so we also know that 30 + 30 = 60. Using our previous knowledge helps us to work out these questions more easily!

We also started to use our numberbond knowledge to answer other addition questions as well. Here a question that we answered using our number bond knowledge. 
 

Music
 

In music we have continued using instruments to help us perform the song we have been learning. We have also started to record and play our own tunes. We had a lot of fun creating our music together!

ICT

We have been learning about the importance of keeping ourselves safe on the internet. We talked about how strangers on the internet are the same as strangers in real life. Even if they seem kind and helpful we shouldn’t be letting anyone know our personal information. We learnt that it’s important to tell an adult if we have any concerns or worries about how someone online is acting or talking to us. 

Science 

In science we have been learning about materials. We looked at a range of different materials and talked about how we could sort them into different groups. We discussed the features that each material had and how it compared with different materials.

Here are some of the ways that we sorted the materials that we talked about on our table. Do you agree with how we sorted them?

Literacy

We began writing about real pirates. We learnt a range of facts about pirates clothes, food and different types of pirates. The most popular fact was that pirates ate bread called hardtack that would often get very old, hard and sometimes had worms crawling around inside. Eurgh disgusting! 

After we had learnt our facts we wrote down the key words so we could remember the facts the following day when we began our writing. We turned our facts into interesting sentences. We tried to use our non negotiable writing skills and to use exciting adjectives to help us describe what life as a pirate was like.

Numeracy

In numeracy last week we looked at the place value of two digit numbers. We used dienes to create a range of two digit numbers and then moved on to making the numbers using jottings on our wipe off boards. To help us create the correct answers we have been using a stem sentence to help us understand how many tens and ones create the number. 

We use the sentences “The number has            tens and            ones. The number is            .”

For example if we look at the amount shown above I could say that “The number has 3 tens and 6 ones. The number is 36.” 

Art
 

We have been practicing our sketching skills in art this month. Using some of the shading, hatching and cross hatching skills that we were taught last year.
 

Last week we researched the artists Pablo Picasso and Gustav Klimt with a particular focus on the different sketching styles that they exhibited. We discussed how different their sketches were despite them drawing using the same material to create the pieces of art. 

Design & Technology

We have been learning to create moving pictures containing sliding mechanisms, pivots and levers. We explored using them to move pictures in different ways. 
Last week we began to create designs  for our own moving pictures.

We had to follow the design brief to create a moving picture that includes at least one mechanism and uses secure joining techniques.
We had to discussed which mechanisms we wanted to use in our pictures and what materials we will need to create our work. 
 

Literacy

In literacy this week (week beginning 12/9/22) we have been writing about the character Pirate Captain from the film ‘The Pirates! In An Adventures With Scientists!’. We have written a character profile for him. We have looked at his physical features such as his “big bushy beard” and his “ ruby red jacket” and also described his personal features such as his kindness to others and his bravery when rescuing friends. When writing about his personal features we tried to include the conjunction ‘because’ to help us explain why we felt he was friendly, funny or kind.  

Numeracy

In numeracy this week (week beginning 12/9/22) we began by looking at place value. We discussed how we know which of two numbers is the largest. We revisited the use of the symbols to show greater than (>), less than (<) and equal to (=). We then looked at how we can use these symbols correctly when we have more complex number sentences. Can you solve the questions below?

17 ___ 19

6 + 7 ___ 12   

   7 + 5 ___ 9 + 3  

12 + 6 ___ 19 - 3

Later in the week we completed some numeracy learning about shape. We looked at 2d shapes first and used them to create a picture. For every shape we used we had to tell our partners the properties of the shape. For example “This is a square. I know a square has 4 sides and 4 vertices.” The following day we played a game using 3D shapes. We had to choose a shape and then hide it from our partner. We described the properties of the shape to our partner and they had to try guessing the shape. We had lots of fun playing this!

In P.E this term we are learning the skills we will need to play matball. This week we focused on chest passes, bounce passes and shoulder passes. When introducing a chest pass the children focused on making a ‘W’ with the hands on the back of the ball to make sure that they had good control of the ball as they threw it he ball to their partner. 

In D&T we have been making moving pictures. We began by looking at a book that uses sliders and pivots to create moving pictures. We discussed how the pictures were being made to move. We decided that we could use the same mechanisms to create our own moving pirate pictures. The children have been experimenting with how they can use sliding mechanisms to creating their own moving pictures. 

Book Bags

From tomorrow (Monday 12th September) children will need a small bag in school every day for their reading diary and books. This can be one of the more traditional book bags or a small rucksack but nothing too large please.

Children will be bringing home a reading book linked to their phonics level which they will be able to read independently as well as a book from our reading corner that can be read to them. 

The children will be able to start earning stickers in their reading diary if they read x3 in a week from tomorrow too. Once they earn 10 stickers they will receive a reading prize! They just need to hand their diary in to Mrs Kelly every Monday morning so that she can update their diaries!

Let's get earning stickers Class 4!!