with

Miss Lillis (4 Craufurd)  Mrs Davis & Mrs McVeigh (4 Field)

supported by Mrs Walta, Mrs Graham, Mrs Hicks and Miss Elliott 

PE in the Spring Term will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays.  The units this half term cover hockey and dance.

If your child is wearing the new uniform, including trainers, there is no need for a separate PE kit.  

We strongly encourage children to complete set homework. This can really help them to embed and extend the learning that takes place in school.

Reading for fifteen minutes every day at home can make an impact on all areas of the curriculum. In Year 4, we have a "STARBOOKS"  reading incentive. Children are rewarded for reading five times a week and having their reading diaries signed. They will have their Starbooks loyalty card signed each week and after eight weeks, will get a reward! Each week, everyone who reaches cup five enters our prize draw and two lucky winners get to a enjoy a hot chocolate treat at the Starbooks bar. We have even invested in a pod machine to make it an extra special treat!  

Tips for reading at home: 

1. Try to hear your child read aloud as much as possible. If this is not possible every day, then ask them to summarise for you, what they have read independently.

2. If your child comes across a tricky word which they can't read, try not to tell them the word straight away. Encourage them to sound it out or re-read the sentence to see if they can work out the meaning. 

3. Always check that your child understands what they have read by asking them questions about the book.

4. Check Rising Stars online to see if there is a comprehension to complete for home reading books. (Not every book has one linked online, but many of them do, so please check each one)

5. Aim to change home reading books every 1-2 weeks. Book change day is Friday in Year 4.

6. Read as widely as possible- not just your school book- read your library book, books from your shelf at home, swap books with friends, read on a kindle device, read magazines, newspapers- whatever you enjoy! 

7. Read to your children as much as possible. Hearing stories really helps them to develop attention and listening skills, imagination and vocabulary. It even impacts on writing skills. Plus, it's a lovely way to spend quality time together. 

8. Look out for the books we are reading in school and treat your child to their own copy at home. We often refer to them on Dojo. 

Children now have their Doodle Learning Username and Passwords.  They can access Doodle Learning from the internet or as downloaded apps on phones, i-pads/tablets or PC's.  

https://doodlelearning.com/

There are 4 areas/apps:

Spellings, Maths, Times Tables and English. 

Evidence shows that practising little and often enables learning to be transferred from the short term to the long term memory.  Therefore, we suggest 5 minutes a day on each area.  Children can receive up to 20 Dojo Points a week  if they stay in the 'Green Zone'.

Our BIG QUESTION is:

What would the world be like if there were no rainforests?

Building on our geographical knowledge we will review the globe and the climatic zones of the world, focussing more on the different features of biomes. We will also be studying the physical and geographical features of South America. 

We will look at the water cycle and compare the Amazon River to the River Stour- you might be surprised with how much they have in common!

Our science will also have links to the rainforests as we will be looking at animal habitats and food chains .

National Curriculum Learning Targets:

• recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways
• explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment
• recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things
• construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey

ART

This term we will continue to improve our drawing and sketching skills, focussing on shape, colour and form when we draw an array of rainforest animals. We will transfer these skills to fabric as we design and create some stunning rainforest-themed batiks, using hot wax and dye.

In English we will continue to practise fluent, joined handwriting with our pens. Our focus on basic skills of spelling and punctuation will continue to be a priority.

There are so many rainforest books and stories available. Our first writing unit will be based on The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. We will explore the power of persuasive voices and speech punctuation as we try and save the rainforest animals' homes.

We will also be writing letters to persuade some important and influential leaders to take action in support of our environment.

As courageous advocates for the natural world, we will take on responsibility as global neighbours to see what difference we can make to the environment.

Our first class reader is an exciting and sometimes hair-raising adventure into the Amazon with Dylan, who sets off on a mission to save his beloved home form developers in South America. 

In June, children will sit the statutory Year 4 Multiplication Check.  Please continue to practise at home, particularly for speed.  This can be done through Doodle Learning or the following sites:

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/

This half term in Maths, the units will cover multiplication and division.  We will continue to develop our skills and knowledge through concrete (practical resources), pictorial and abstract methods.  Once confident through fluency, the children will be stretched through reasoning and problem solving.

Multiplication and Division

• Factor Pairs
• Multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100
• Multiplying 2 and 3-digit numbers by a 1-digit number.  We will introduce the formal written method.
• Dividing using pictorial methods such as whole-part models and place value charts.

  Examples:

The second half term will focus on the units of are fractions and decimals.

• Equivalent fractions
• Adding and subtracting two fractions
• Mixed number fractions
• Converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa
• Tenths as fractions
• Dividing a 1-digit number by 10
• Hundredths as fractions
• Dividing a 1 or 2-digit number by 100

Our question this half term is 'What kind of world would Jesus want?' We will be building on this prior knowledge

• Christians believe Jesus challenges everyone about how to live — he sets the example for loving God and your neighbour, putting others first. 

• Christians believe Jesus challenges people who pretend to be good (hypocrisy) and shows love and forgiveness to unlikely people. 

• Christians try to be like Jesus —they want to know him better and better. 

• Christians try to put his teaching and example into practice in lots of ways, from church worship to social justice. 

Do you want to enrich your learning this term, earn extra dojos and see your work celebrated on Class Dojo? Then why not try one of these activities below:

*Visit the library to explore how many amazing rainforest books there are;

*Visit the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. The tropical house there is humid, just like the Amazon. Why not create a slideshow of your visit to share with the class? 

*Research your favourite rainforest animal. Create a poster or project about it. 

*Look out for Rainforest Alliance and FSC products. Learn about the work they do and encourage your family and friends to make ethical buying choices whenever possible. 

Please note- any links above will take you away from the Oldswinford CE Primary website- we urge you to check ahead for unsuitable adverts on YouTube