Birkby Junior School

Welcome back Year 4 and a Happy New Year! We have an exciting Spring Term coming up, with a range of topics and learning to be covered.

What will we be learning?

In our English lessons we will also be enjoying developing our reading and writing skills through two exciting and imaginative texts: Edward Tulane and You wouldn’t want to be an Egyptian Mummy. Throughout all their English work; your child will become more familiar with a range of text types and will be given the opportunity to write some of these e.g. narratives, diaries and non-chronological reports In Maths we will continue to work on calculations, especially those to support multiplication and division. This will ensure that we become more confident at using written methods and mental strategies in year 4. We will then move onto exploring fractions and decimals and expanding and improving our knowledge and understanding of digital and analogue time as well as measurement of area. Through all these units, your child will develop a deeper knowledge and also understand how to explain their understanding and become expert problem solvers. As in the Autumn term, we will continue to be a big push on ensuring that the children are secure in their times tables knowledge. We are hoping to see lots of children feeling like times tables rock-stars! During Spring 1, we are learning about the culture and geography of Russia. Children will use their geographical skills to investigate places by using a range of resources to identify the key physical and human features of Russia and compare this to places that they have previously studied. In Spring 2, we move onto learning about the Ancient Egyptians and where and when earliest civilization began. Pupils will learn about some significant achievements for the Ancient Egyptians and what did it help them to achieve. These will be compared to significant achievements made by the Romans.

Throughout our Science learning, we will develop and use a variety of scientific vocabulary. During Autumn 1, the children will be taught a unit called ‘Electricity’. They will understand the basic parts that make up a simple circuit as well as understanding the function of a switch. There will be opportunities to create their own circuits using conductors and insulators. After that we will be learning about ‘States of Matter’ They will identify the 3 states of matter: solids, liquids and gases and compare the particles of all three. We will then move on to learning about the water cycle. Our PE sessions will be taught each week, allowing children to develop skills and team building. On their allocated PE days, children should come to school in their PE kit bottoms and their normal school polo shirt and sweatshirt (e.g. black tracksuit bottoms rather than trousers or skirts). Class teachers will let you know which days your child will have PE. Please see the curriculum newsletter for more detail about other aspects of our learning.

What will I need to bring to school?

You need to remember to bring your homework diary into school every day. Your teacher will check your diary regularly and an adult at home will need to as well.

What work will I need to do at home?

English and Maths homework will be set every Wednesday and will need to be handed in on the following Monday. Please remember to encourage your child to read their home reading books regularly and return their pack to school each week. Weekly spellings will be shared with the children and sent home on Wednesday. Children will be tested on these the following week before your receive your next spellings Bringing your homework diary to school every day will help you to remember what work you need to do. This is a good habit and will help you to become an independent learner. Remember to complete Mathletics activities and practise your Times Table using TTRS. In addition to this, it is important that you continue to read and discuss texts with someone at home on a regular basis. You will be able to visit the school library once a week, in order to select a new reading book as well as have a home reading book that will require changing every week. Please return your home reading pack every Monday. Try and read every day, even if it’s just for 10 mins. It doesn’t have to be the school library book – it could be a magazine you have read, game instructions, a recipe or any other texts you have been reading. We know that your child will continue to have a fantastic time in Year 4!