Year 4 News 04.03.22

In our English lessons this week, we have started to learn about our model text: a non chronological report. Our focus for this report is Pandas. We have learnt the first three paragraphs of our report. We have also learnt about how facts and information are structured and how subheadings are used within a report. In our lessons, we also learnt about how generalisers can be used to generalise information about a subject. Lastly, we have spent time this week learning about the use of subject specific vocabulary within our writing.

In our Maths lessons this week, we have been learning about perimeter. The children have learnt how to calculate perimeter of shapes by counting squares, calculating perimeter of squares and rectangles when knowing the length and width and calculating the length of rectilinear shapes. We have learnt about using patterns and changing rectilinear shapes into smaller shapes.

In our handwriting lessons this week, we have continued to learn how to form our letters correctly. After recapping this, we applied our skills to our Year 3 and 4 common exception words.

Within our reading lessons this week, we have been learning from our animal theme texts. We started the week by learning more from our habitats books. We have focused on how words gave the reader the impression that global warming was bad. For this, we created our own radio show and recorded our ideas. We have compared two styles of texts – thinking what was positive about each one. We have then started to look at poetry. We explored how writers used language to give us different impressions of different habitats. In particular, a jungle canopy and the deep sea.

This week we celebrated world book day. Everyone dressed up amazingly. On the day, we took part in a book treasure hunt task, watched an inspirational live session on improvisation and listened to Michael Morpurgo read an extract from the book 'Kensuke's Kingdom'.

Our Geography lesson enabled us to learn more about how to use OS maps. We recapped our knowledge of the key features of maps and, with Steve Backshall's help, we learnt more about the scale of the map and why maps have symbols. With this information, we were able to read the key and learn more about the way symbols are used. We then set off on a treasure hunt with five clues and a mystery OS map. We followed compass directions, grid references, and a range of different symbols to discover the password and locate where the treasure is found.

Wow! Our music lesson was a busy one this week! We began by playing middle C to a count of 4 (both trumpets and baritones). The focus was to hold the instrument against our lips so we could play the note at the correct time. Next we copied Kevin's rhythms as groups. First middle C, note D and then E. The focus this time was to be in time with one another. We then played middle C, note D and E followed by E, D and middle C to play Hot Cross Buns. If we felt confident enough, we volunteered to play Hot Cross Buns in small groups. Well done year 4 for doing this. In groups we then played Hot Cross Buns twice through. As we progressed through the lesson, our notes definitely became clearer. Note F was next. We needed to blow a little bit harder to produce the correct sound. Each group played either middle C, note D, E or F. To end our lesson, we learnt how to play We Will Rock You! This involved us playing both long and short notes. We were really good at playing this!

This week we learnt about castle defences. The children recapped how castles have changed over time. We then explored an image of a castle being besieged. The children explored how they thought it was being attacked and learnt about them. We then went on to learn more about our castle of choice from last lesson. The children used their QR codes for recommended websites to continue researching and write their findings.

This week in RE, we started our new unit. We began to explore how we seen things in many different ways. We started our lesson with a game of guess who. This involved describing people in different ways. We then watched a video of the story 'The blind men and the elephant'. This story focused on understanding that we see everyone differently. This will relate to our next unit on Hinduism.

We started to learn about what makes a living thing in our science lesson this week. Starting a new unit, we also completed our new cold write. In our lesson, we explored what we thought a living thing must have for it to be classed as living. Using the Mrs Gren acronym to help us to remember the qualities of a living thing. We recorded this information in our own way in our books.

Have a lovely week.
Miss Welch