Spring Term

English

Our fiction book this term is The Spiderwick Chronicles, Poetry by Joseph Coelho and Benjamin Zephaniah . As well as a non-fiction book on Creatures in Danger  supported by a biography of David Attenburgh. By the end of this term the children will have written poems, a conversation between characters, a set of instructions and a narrative and a biography. 

In grammar we will be working on securing some of the punctuation expectations for Year 4- this includes apostrophes  and Speech punctuation.  

Our whole class reading texts are Earth Shattering events, Fire Makers Daughter  and Ancient Greek Myths, Legends.

Maths

In maths this term we will be continuing to work hard on our multiplication and division facts linked to our times tables. The children will be able to multiply 3 digit numbers by one digit numbers, using a written strategy. They will also develop their understanding of division. We will also cover a unit on length and Perimeter and begin to refine our understanding of  Fractions and Decimals. 

Science

The two topics we will cover this term are electricity and living things and their environment. Our scientists are Garren Morgan, who is linked to the enquiry question - How do circuits work? and Tanesha Allen who will help us answer the enquiry question: what are the dangers to living things? As part of British Science week we will have a Science day on the 15th March where we will be investigating time in different ways. 

Computing

We will be continuing our work on coding. As part of our learning we will look at logo.  The children will learn how to create letters, shapes and follow directions using a code. 

History

We will be continuing our investigation into The Romans- we will continue to work on these five thought provoking questions- When did the Romans invade?Why did they invade? How long did they stay? Who were the significant figures? How did they keep the power? What did they leave behind? 

Geography

Year 4 will investigate what life is like in the Italian region called Campania. They will learn about the physical and human features of Italy. They will be able to discuss the features of the West Midlands, most children will be able to name and find key settlements and the River Severn. 

Art

We will be looking at artistic forms and investigating Roman sculptures. The children will be making a 3d Bust in the style of a fierce Roman Soldier. 

D&T

As part of our DT learning on mechanisms & structures the children will be making a mini Roman chariot. 

PSHE

Our focus for this term is looking at our place in the world. We will consider the access to resources and opportunities and think about the idea of fairness. We will be relooking at how teams work, so that we can think about ourselves, our responsibilities and how our words and actions may impact on others and the world around us. 

RE

Our learning focus will be on keeping the five pillars and thinking what difference they make to a Muslim’s life. 

French

In French we will be looking at how to express whether we like or dislike something. We will also look at how to use adjectives in French to describe someone's appearance, in particular how to describe someone's hair and eyes.  

Music

We will continue developing our musical skills with Mrs Crowson and Mr Stephens . In class we will be singing songs from Abba and look at an anti bullying song called  Stop, where we will have a go at composing our own song. 

Spelling

Week One  Recapping on Autumn term spellings

Admiration      grate       main       mane      fascinate 

Comprehension     foundation        forgotten         gardening        great 

Week Two-Words ending with the /g/ sound spelt – gue and the  /k/ sound spelt -que

league           tongue          antique                   unique                fatigue 

intrigue          rogue              vague                    opaque          plaque

Week three Endings which sound like  ʃɘn spelt – ssion- ssion is used if the root word  ends in ss or mit     

expression      possession    discussion       confession        permission 

admission           impression       omission      emission        Commission

Week Four Statutory spelling list

although   through     potatoes         enough            possess 

natural      believe      different     possible      Probably

Week five words with the /k/ sound  spelt ch

scheme              chorus         chemist               echo                character 

Ache              monarch         stomach             orchid             Orchestra

Week six- all of the above words as a spelling assessment

Week sevenEndings which sound like  ʃɘn spelt – tion-  tion is the  most common spelling for /ʃɘn/ sound. It is used if the root  word ends in t or te

invention        injection            hesitation         completion   question      continuation     opposition         pollution        affection      Attraction

Week 8-Suffix – ous

poisonous        dangerous      mountainous     famous   various         tremendous     enormous    jealous         continuous           Contentious

Week nine-suffix – ous

courageous   outrageous     serious      obvious   curious                hideous            spontaneous      courteous        disastrous  Glamourous

Week ten- Statutory spelling list  

Complete         opposite        experiment        naughty              grammar knowledge     favourite             caught               promise           Occasion

Week eleven- Homophones and near  homophones

weather                whether        whose            who’s           accept 

except                    reign             rein            dear             Deer

Week 12- all spellings from this term

PE

Our focus in PE this term is Fitness and Health - we have a Bootcamp to improve our understanding of how the body works, the benefits of exercise and how to develop and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. In this term we will also learn more about Tennis: focuses on positioning and movement, the return and introduces the forehand technique. 

Online Safety

The children will be looking at our online relationships, we will look at our self-image and how we can communicate effectively.