Year 4
🌼 Welcome to Year 4 Summer One! 🌼
We hope you had a wonderful break and are ready for an exciting Summer One in Year 4. This half‑term brings brand‑new learning, hands‑on experiences and lots of opportunities for children to shine through curiosity, teamwork and leadership.
Our class continues to excel through the everyday acts of leadership that underpin our Leader in Me journey — from organising the classroom, to leading transitions, to supporting one another with initiative and care. Alongside this, our strong focus on oracy will continue, giving every child chances to discuss, explain and present ideas with clarity and confidence.
With fascinating topics, rich texts and engaging projects, Summer One is shaping up to be a brilliant half‑term.
📝 Weekly Reminders
- Homework: Set every Friday, due the following Friday via Purple Mash
- Spellings: Set Friday, tested the next Friday
- Reading: Please bring reading books to school every day — little and often makes a huge difference
- PE Days: Tuesday and Thursday — full PE kit needed
- Times Tables: A major focus this term ahead of the statutory check — regular practice on Purple Mash is essential
Helpful Links:
- Purple Mash by 2Simple
- Multiplication Tables Check – GOV.UK
If you have any questions about supporting your child with times tables, please speak to Mr Harrop.
🍃 Summer One: What We’re Learning 🍃
Science – Living in Environments
We’ll explore how plants and animals depend on one another, investigate how habitats change, and discuss how environments can be protected.
History – Windrush (Humanities Update)
This term, our humanities focus is History, with a unit exploring the Windrush generation. Children will learn about the people who travelled to Britain on the Empire Windrush, how their arrival shaped modern Britain, and why their stories are so significant today.
English – Newspaper Report & Explanation Text
Our writing units this half‑term:
- Newspaper Reports, inspired by Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit
- Explanation Texts, supported by DKfindout! Volcanoes by Maria Gill
These texts will help strengthen children’s use of formal language, technical vocabulary, and clear organisational structures.
Maths – Decimals, Money and Time
Children will:
- Deepen understanding of tenths and hundredths
- Apply decimal knowledge in the context of money
- Learn to tell the time accurately using analogue, digital and 24‑hour clocks
PE – Football & Hockey
Developing teamwork, control, strategy and movement skills.
Computing – Animation & Effective Searching
We’ll explore the basics of animation and learn how to search for information effectively and safely online.
R.E – L2.6 Why did Jesus leave, and what was the impact of Pentecost?
We’ll reflect on Christian beliefs and how Pentecost influences Christians today.
PSHE – Relationships
Exploring friendships, communication, conflict resolution and recognising how our actions affect others.
Spanish – La clase / En la cafetería
Learning classroom vocabulary and phrases used when ordering food.
Art – Drawing: Power Prints
Children will experiment with patterns, shape and printing techniques to create bold designs.
Music – Ukulele
Continuing to develop chords, rhythm and ensemble performance skills.
📚 Supporting Literature
- Escape from Pompeii — Christina Balit
- DKfindOut! Volcanoes — Maria Gill
📖 Our Class Book
We’ll continue reading A Mouse Called Miika by Matt Haig — a much‑loved story full of humour, courage and heart.
🌟 Highlights to Look Forward To 🌟
- Investigating living environments and how they change
- Exploring the stories and legacy of the Windrush generation
- Developing confident speaking and listening through our ongoing oracy focus
- Strengthening times tables ahead of the Multiplication Tables Check
- Writing news reports inspired by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
- Creating expressive artwork through printmaking
- Building leadership through our daily classroom roles
🌼 Welcome to Year 4 Spring Two! 🌼
We hope you had a restful break and are ready for another brilliant half‑term in Year 4. Spring One was packed with memorable moments — from our visit to the library, to meeting Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, and welcoming our school governors into the classroom. The children shone throughout, showing enthusiasm, maturity and a genuine love of learning.
A real highlight of Year 4 is the way pupils take on daily leadership roles. From welcoming classmates at the door each morning to organising the visual timetable, taking the register, leading transitions and managing the many small but essential jobs that keep our classroom running smoothly — the children demonstrate outstanding independence and teamwork. These everyday acts of leadership are central to our Leader in Me journey and create a classroom community we are incredibly proud of.
This half‑term, we’re excited to build on that momentum with even more fantastic learning. With engaging new topics, hands‑on projects and lots of opportunities for children to explain, discuss and present their ideas, our oracy focus will continue to help every child speak with confidence and clarity.
We can’t wait to see the creativity, curiosity and leadership the children will bring to Spring Two — it’s shaping up to be a truly inspiring half‑term.
📝 Weekly Reminders
- Homework is set every Friday and due the following Friday via Purple Mash.
- Spellings are also set on Friday and tested the following Friday.
- Reading every night makes a huge difference — please ensure your child brings their book to school daily.
- PE Days are Tuesday and Thursday — full kit needed!
- Times Tables are a big focus this year, with a statutory test in the summer term. Regular practice on Purple Mash is essential.
Helpful links:
If you have any questions about the multiplication check or how to support your child, please speak to Mr Harrop.
🍃 Spring One Term: What We’re Learning🍃
Here’s an overview of our exciting learning journey in Year 4 this half‑term:
Science – Circuits and Conductors
We’ll be exploring how electrical circuits work, investigating switches, components and conductors, and carrying out practical activities to test how electricity flows.
Geography – Place Knowledge & Human and Physical Geography: The USA
Our geography unit focuses on the United States, comparing regions, climates and significant landmarks while building map‑reading and fieldwork skills.
RE – Why do Christians call the day Jesus died ‘Good Friday’?
We’ll learn about the events of Holy Week and reflect on why Good Friday holds such importance for Christians today.
PE – Handball & Indoor Athletics
Pupils will develop coordination, teamwork and strategic play in handball, alongside practising jumping, throwing and sprinting skills in indoor athletics.
Maths – Fractions & Decimals
We’ll deepen our understanding of fractions — including tenths, hundredths and equivalence — before exploring how fractions link to decimals.
English – Biography & Poetry (Ballad)
This half‑term includes two rich text studies:
- Biography: We’ll explore inspirational lives through Emmeline Pankhurst: Little People, Big Dreams by Lisbeth Kaiser, using it as a model for writing our own biographies.
- Poetry – Ballad: We’ll dive into narrative poetry with The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, building performance skills, imagery and storytelling through verse.
PSHE – Healthy Me
Focusing on physical and emotional wellbeing, we’ll explore how to make positive choices that keep our minds and bodies healthy.
Spanish – Mi Familia (My Family)
Children will learn vocabulary to describe family members and build simple spoken and written sentences.
Computing – Writing for Different Audiences & Logo
We’ll compare how writing changes depending on purpose, and develop programming skills using Logo to create patterns and shapes.
Music – Ukulele
Pupils will continue developing rhythm, chords and performance skills as they grow in musical confidence.
DT – Mechanical Systems: Making a Slingshot Car
A practical DT project where pupils investigate levers and linkages before designing, building and testing their own slingshot-powered vehicle.
📚 Supporting Literature
- Emmeline Pankhurst: Little People, Big Dreams — Lisbeth Kaiser
- The Highwayman — Alfred Noyes
📖 Our Class Book
We will be continuing with A Mouse Called Miika by Matt Haig — a heartwarming and humorous tale about courage, friendship and finding your place in the world. The children have loved following Miika’s journey, and the story continues to spark thoughtful discussions in class.
🌟 Highlights to Look Forward To 🌟
- Hands-on science investigations as we explore electrical circuits and test conductors and switches
- Creative geographic exploration of the USA through maps, regions and physical features
- Building leadership skills through our daily classroom roles and the Leader in Me habits
- Developing confident voices through discussions, presentations and poetry performances
- Diving deeper into biographies and discovering inspiring individuals
- Bringing ballad poetry to life through expression, rhythm and storytelling
- Designing and launching our own slingshot cars in DT
- Growing independence and teamwork as pupils lead transitions, routines and classroom organisation
- Continuing our journey with A Mouse Called Miika, sharing predictions and reflections as the story unfolds
- Moments of pride, creativity and curiosity as pupils stretch themselves across every subject