Autumn Term

English

We have three exciting writing projects for the Autumn term one fiction unit based on the book Book of Bok written by Neal Armstrong. The  non fiction unit is based on the Romans - My life as a Roman Slave. We will be working hard on developing our sentence construction and grammatical features  for a range of text.  We will investigate Kennings- a traditional Viking form of poetry. 

In whole class reading we will read: Real life Mysteries,  Bill’s Pink Frock by Anne Fine,  Malala Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai and Dragon Poems by Pie Corbett . Please continue to support your child with their reading. Books and reading diaries  should  come into school daily. 

Our class poet in Joshua Seigal who is an award winning children’s poet.

Maths

 This term we will be working on our times table recall- Get ready to become a Times Table Rock Star. We will be working on our understanding of place value with numbers up to ten thousand. We will also work on Year Four written methods for addition , subtraction, multiplication and division. By the end of this term we will understand how to calculate the area of polygons. 

Science

Listen up Year Four I know you are one of the rock stars of the Watling Street TT Rock Stars , but I need your help! How are all your sounds made? I know Rock Stars want  children to come to their concerts and rock-out, but it’s  important to protect their precious ears! Find out all you can about sound; how it travels, pitch and volume. Then investigate materials to see which will provide the best insulation against sound. Be ready to present your ideas to a famous panel of scientific rock star judges.

In the second part of the autumn term we will become experts in States of Matter. By the end of this term we will develop and showcase an understanding of all areas of states of matter, including how materials can change from one state to another, through a large range of simple practical enquiries. 

Computing

We will be working on Coding-  the children will be able to debug prewritten code and write their own codes to solve given scenarios.  In the second half term we will be looking at spreadsheets. We will look at how to create formulas to add and multiply. By the end of this unit children will be able to use a spreadsheet to meet a budget. 

History

Our Topic for the Autumn term is -The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.  Our first focus is on the Roman Invasion- Year Four will find out about why the Roman invaded Britain and how Boudicca revolted against their rule.  We will also find out how the Romans kept control over their vast empire.  What role did  Watling Street  play in  this? How did their army’s training ensure they stayed in power? We will have the opportunity to train like a soldier! Get your Roman costumes ready. 

Compasses, maps and atlas at the ready! Year Four will be answering questions about where do we live? We will be looking at Europe and making comparisons to the West Midlands. We will investigate physical and human features.  

Art

During this half term we will meet Frida Kahlo, L. S. Lowry and Joan Miró, three world-class painters whose techniques and subject-matter will inspire . The children will create their own stunning artworks. Having learned about the lives and techniques of three very different artists, we will paint self-portraits, urban landscapes and abstract works under their influence. We will also learn about the stages of making a painting, including developing  ideas, sketching compositions and figures, deciding what symbolism to include, and applying paint in a variety of ways (and not just with brushes!) to achieve different visual effects.

D&T

Who is ready for the Great Watling Street Bake off? Who will create the most flavoursome bread? Year Four will investigate types of bread  and flavours . We will investigate yeast, they’re  helpful microbes which play a role in making bread rise. The children will also find out to be hygienic in the kitchen. 

PSHE

During the first half of the autumn term  our topic is entitled VIPs (Very Important Persons), it will focus on relationships we have with our VIPs. We will look at friendships, how friendships are formed and maintained, and the qualities of a good friend. We will also move on to disputes and bullying. The children will develop strategies for coping with each of these.

 In the second half of the autumn we will begin a new topic based on health and wellbeing. The children will consider what it means to take responsibility for their own safety. This will include the decisions they make and how they can stand up to peer pressure in a range of situations. We will learn about everyday risks, hazards and dangers and what to do in risky or dangerous situations. We will consider road, water and rail safety and dangerous substances: including medicines, cigarettes and alcohol. Children will look at first aid, exploring how to deal with common injuries and what to do to respond to emergency situations

RE

In our lessons we will be investigating the question- Whats it like to be a Hindu? This investigation will enable us to learn about key aspects of Hindu belief and worship. We will find out about Hindus' diverse way of life, spiritual practices and beliefs. By the end of this unit we will have a better understanding about what it's like to be  a Hindu in Britain today. We will also think about the question: How do stories in the Bible show people care? We will think about how the Christmas Story shows this.  

French

During the first half term we will learn how to count to twenty. During the second half term we will find out about different types of food. 

Music

This term Year Four will get to grips with playing our instruments. Everyone will choose to play, either a flute, clarinet, trumpet or a trombone. We will also be preparing for harvest as well as singing a range of songs as part of Black History Month. 

Spelling

Week One: Week 1 Homophones and near Homophones : groan grown affect effect fair fare great grate through threw 

Week Two: Homophones and near homophones: heel heal main mane medal meddle key quay check cheque 

Week Three: Words with the /s/ sound spelt sc 

science scene discipline fascinate crescent scissors scenery descent ascend descend 

Week Four: Statutory word list: actual address calendar disappear experience particular thought separate difficult weight 

Week Five: Endings which sound like ʃɘn spelt – sion. Sion meaning = ‘the action of’/ ‘the state of’/ ‘the result of’ : expansion extension comprehension tension suspension occasion dimension diversion permission discussion 

Week Six revision of the words from the last five weeks

PE

This term we have some new challenges for inside and outside PE lessons. We will be working on our swimming skills to ensure we can keep ourselves safe in water. Our  units of learning are: Imove where we will be developing our coordination, agility & fitness. Invasion games: we will learn the skills and develop an understanding of the rules of Tag Rugby. During the second part of the half term we will complete the unit: ipractise where we  will be developing our coordination/manipulation, strength & balance. As well as completing a gymnastics & dance unit. 

Online Safety

We have two topics this term the first is to understand our acceptable use policy and logging on to a range of useful sights. We will continue to develop our understanding of how to ensure our Private and personal information remains secure.