Welcome to Class 4 Autumn Term 2019
Welcome to Class 4! We hope you have had a lovely Summer holiday and are prepared for the busy and exciting term ahead of us.
Our topic for the first term is focused around Mining.
Literacy
In Literacy this half term, we are reading ‘Town is by the Sea’ by Joanne Schwartz, a powerful story told as a day in the life of a boy living in a 1950s coastal mining town, with striking illustrations, enriching the text and giving us a real sense of life in the town and in the pits. Our written work will be based around our class text, and we will be practicing key grammar skills and extending our vocabulary, as well as writing our own diary entries as a child in a mining family and writing our very own piece of historical fiction based around the dangers of being a miner!
We will then move on to ‘The Boy who Harnessed the Wind’ by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. This heart-warming story tells the tale of a boy in a drought-ravaged village in Africa with an overwhelming curiosity for the world around him. Teaching himself English from old science books, he builds a windmill for his village. You will be able to find out the facts of this incredible story by reading the newspaper reports we write!
Maths
In Maths, we are excited to be trying a mastery approach to our lessons, developing our reasoning and problem solving skills and gaining a deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts. We will be focusing mainly on place value and the four operations. We will constantly be revisiting our times tables we have already learnt, becoming more confident with recalling our times table facts and learning the 6,7 and 9 times tables.
Science
In Science, we will be exploring the phenomena of electricity and sound. Through a range of exciting experiments, we will explore how to create a circuit, recognise the factors that affect whether a bulb will light up and its brightness and consider which materials are conductors and insulators. In the second half term we will explore and identify the way sound is made through vibration in a range of different musical instruments and even household objects, exploring how the pitch and volume of sounds can be changed in a variety of ways.
History and Geography
In History this half term, we will be investigating the question “What role did the North East play in the Industrial Revolution?” In order to answer this question we will find out what the Industrial Revolution was and why coal mining in our region played such an important role. We are keen to become inquisitive historians, considering a range of primary and secondary sources to find out what coal mining was like, why mines were located in the North East and what life was like for miners and their families.
In Geography, we will be investigating the question “What natural sources of energy were and are now available in our local area?” We will start our investigation by considering what energy is and how natural resources can be used to provide energy. We will draw upon some of our historical knowledge, as well as geographical, to discover why coal mines are located in the North East and how we have progressed as a region with the types of natural resources we use to create energy.
We will be using our computing skills to help us in our research!
French
This half term, we will continue to develop our phonetical and cultural knowledge of French. We will be revisiting our French phonics using actions to help us recall key sounds and vocabulary. To extend our vocabulary we will be learning how to use a bilingual dictionary! In the second half of the term, we will be looking into some of the culture and traditions of countries around the world which speak French. We love having the opportunity to learn about the exciting world around us!
Art and DT
In Art, we will be focusing on our drawing and sculpture skills. Our drawings will be based upon the work of Norman Cornish and his mining artwork. We will be using charcoal to achieve a dramatic effect in our work. We hope to extend our knowledge of the artist and his work through visiting his exhibition when it comes to the Bowes Museum. Our sculpture skills will link to our RE work as we try to recreate a Jewish Menorah out of clay!
In DT, we will be combining our historical and scientific knowledge to considering how davy lamps were used by miners and why they were important. We will use this knowledge to build our own design criteria and have a go at making our very own modern davy lamp with working bulbs. Wish us luck!
RE
This term in RE we will be considering different religious festivals based around light. In the first half term we will be thinking about Hanukkah and why this is so important to Jews. We will then consider the role of light in Christianity, exploring the question “Why do Christians call Jesus the light of the world?”.
PE
We are very lucky in Year 4 to have the opportunity to go swimming every Thursday. Please ensure your child has their swimming kit in school every Thursday to make the most of this fantastic opportunity.
Across the term we will also have the opportunity to learn a dance to take part in our whole school dance festival and practice our teamwork skills. To ensure that everyone can take part in PE lessons, it is important that children have their PE kit in school, sports trainers and a water bottle.
Archived Class Work
You can also view our archived class work on our website.