W/E 14th November 2025

What a special week it has been. With a poignant and reflective start to the week with Remembrance day. We made poppies for a whole school window display, contributed to the school Penny Poppy and had a reflective collective worship. We have also enjoyed wearing odd socks to kick off Anti-bullying week, drawing on our "Power for Good" moto in all of our actions this week.

This week in English we have continued our learning in English linked to the text 'Romans on the Rampage'. we have planned and then written an informal letter from our character Scorcha, to his mother, recounting a story, and using our knowledge of different nouns to be able to help make our writing interesting. This was an independent task and we used our plans, dictionaries and thesaurus to help us. We tried to use contractions and abstract nouns, as well as remaining in past tense and using first person. Next week, in English we will start a new book called Rhythm of the Rain where we will be looking at different styles of poetry, and even having a chance to write our own poetry.

In Maths this week, we have moved on to our next unit of multiplication. We have focused on multiples of 3 and 6 and  have learnt the fact families. We have found out how we can use our knowledge of one times-table to work out another e.g. double our threes to help with sixes.  Next week, we will continue to focus on multiplication and division of multiples of 6 and 9.  

We finished our week with the end of our science project. The children worked in their teams to add sound to a silent movie clip, and perform it to the rest of the class. The afternoon culminated in some thorough team evaluations as well as some well-thought-out individual evaluations too. Well done Year 4; what an excellent immersive experience in helping us to cement our understanding of sound.

Our hockey skills are continuing to improve and this week we practised our open stick and reverse stick dribbling. Thursday afternoons are always spent as a year group for outdoor PE. There was a lot of positive teamwork and determination!  

W/E 7th November 2025

This week we have continued our learning in English linked to the text 'Romans on the Rampage'. We have all planned our own inventions and created a leaflet about them. We had to think about the different features and who the inventions would  be useful for.  The enthusiasm and level of imagination has been phenomenal and the inventions have included a 'Thinking box 5000', a 'Naturebot', a 'Skittle drinks machine', a 'cooler/heater jumper', a 'Sensibot' and the world's first 'teleporter'! Luckily, we are just drawing and writing about them and not making them! Next week in English, we will be learning about different types of nouns with a focus on abstract nouns. We will also be writing informal letters. 

In Maths this week, we have been learning how to measure area using squares, and we have also compared areas and found the difference between them.  Next week we will be  moving on to our next unit of multiplication with a focus on multiples of 3 and 6.

We finished our week with our stunning start to our new topic, 'Spectacular Systems'. We spent most of the day as engineers. We learnt what engineering is, what engineers do and all about the engineer design cycle. We scrutinised a keyboard and discussed the design features and why they were necessary. We were set our own problem and had to use the engineer design cycle to make a piece of paper travel across the classroom. Our limitation was one piece of paper and two minutes! The scrunched-up piece of paper won! We carried out different experiments to explore how to change the volume and pitch of a sound. We made our own sound generators and have also started planning to add sound to a silent movie clip. We really enjoyed our stunning start and will be able to use our new knowledge to perform and evaluate next week!

A reminder that homework is uploaded on the Year 4 homework page each week as well as sent home in books. Homework is always due back in on a Thursday and handed out on a Friday. 

W/E 31st October 2025

What a busy first week to Term 2. In Maths this week, we have cemented our understanding of column subtraction and addition, and have focused on how to check our answers using the inverse operation, helping us to identify mistakes and correct them.  Next week, we will start learning about area and how to measure area using squares.  We will identify the properties of rectilinear shapes and compare different areas. 

In English this week, we have identified which prefixes and suffixes are added to root words and how they change the meaning of words. We introduced our new English text 'Romans on the Rampage' which we are finding very funny! It is all written from the viewpoint of a raven. We have finished the week writing character descriptions about the rather boastful raven! Next week in English we will be focusing on non-fiction writing and will be planning and writing about our own imaginary inventions for the future.

We have started our PE this term with some new techniques in both Gymnastics and Hockey. This week we learnt essential warm-up routines for gymnastics as well as the importance of balance and patience when practising our basic gymnastics shapes.  There were a lot of wobbles and a lot of laughs.

We’re looking forward to our Science Engineering Day next Friday.  Don’t forget to send in your small plastic containers.  (margarine tub or small ice cream tub size would be great).

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

W/E 17^th October 2025

 We have had a fantastic last week of term  and crammed a lot of learning. In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting four-digit numbers with more than one exchange. We have also been developing our problem-solving skills. We have  been checking the strategies we use, spotting mistakes and making corrections. After half-term, we will consolidate our learning of addition and subtraction with some fluency lessons and then move on to  understanding and identifying area. 

In English, we have finished ‘Tiger, Tiger’ and the children have written some detailed sequels entailing what happens next to the characters. Our next reading adventure will start after half-term by exploring the book, 'Romans on the Rampage' by Jeremy Strong, and we will write  an extended character description. 

We have also finished learning about The Punic Wars in history and will move on next term to looking at the Romans in England.

We are also all very proud of our finished artwork. Year 4 have worked hard on their sweet-wrapper collages, as well as their detailed drawings of sweets. We used techniques to show tone and depth and evaluated our work, identifying areas we could improve.

Have a restful hal- term everyone, and we'll look forward to seeing you back in a weeks time. 

W/C 10th October 2025  

This week in English, we have enjoyed reading Tiger, Tiger and wrote characters descriptions. own sequels. We organised our writing into paragraphs and, as always, did our best to use ambitious vocabulary.

In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting 4-digit numbers using the column method. We have looked carefully at problems and used our reasoning skills to identify when we will need to exchange and when we won't. 

We have also continue to learn about sound in science and this week learnt how sound travels to our ears.

Next week in Maths, we will be adding and subtracting 4-digit numbers with more than one exchange used. In English we will be finishing Tiger, Tiger.  

W/E 3rd October 2025 

In Maths this week we have been learning Roman numerals to 100 and rounding up to the nearest 10. We have even been listening to a fun Roman Numerals song, which has been in everyone’s head!

We have continued reading 'Tiger Tiger' in our English lessons and in groups thought about having a wild animal as a pet. We then used these ideas to work in groups to plan, write and present a persuasive argument for owning a wild animal. Year 4 presented these arguments to year 5, who were very impressed with the persuasive language and compelling arguments.  It was definitely a  tough job for year 5 to decide on the best pet! 

Next week in Maths, we will continue rounding numbers to the nearest 1000. Then we will move on to subtracting 1s, 10s, 100s and 1000s. In English we will be writing a persuasive argument using imperative (bossy) verbs to persuade the Emperor in ‘Tiger Tiger’.

We are also looking forward to our trip to Tonbridge on Monday. Please remember snacks, drinks, packed lunch, carrier bags to sit on, uniform with comfortable trainers and waterproof coats and bags. Many thanks for your support.

 

W/E 26th September 2025 

We have started reading our new text ‘Tiger Tiger’ by Lynne Reid Banks and the children are very excited by it already and are wondering what will happen next with the tigers! We were inspired to write a setting description about the jungle and a character description about Princess Aurelia. Furthermore, we have used relevant adverbs and some ambitious vocabulary to capture the readers interest. 

In Maths, we have been comparing numbers to 10,000 and consolidating our knowledge of place value. We are becoming confident at finding 10, 100 and 1000 more and less than a given number. We have also been practising our times tables as part of early morning work. Please continue to do these at home. 

We are continuing to enjoy our science topic on sound and this week explored how sound makes its way to the ear and then up to send the message to the brain. Brilliant labelling of the diagrams year 4 and lovely scientific questioning! 

Next week, in Maths, we will be ordering and rounding numbers to 10,000 and learning Roman numerals up to 100. In English, we will be using persuasive language to present an argument. 

W/E 19th September 2025 

This week, we continued developing our understanding of place value, and partitioning numbers up to 10,000. We have also been practising using mathematical language to explain the differences between numbers and their values, particularly by identifying changes in the tens, hundreds, and thousands.

Our work in English has been linked to the book The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton. We enjoyed writing descriptive poems about the sea and the city, making effective use of adverbs and adverbial phrases. We also explored the character Nyla by writing diary entries from her perspective, focusing on expressing feelings and using the past tense with informal language. Next week, we’re excited to begin our new text, Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks. We’ll be writing setting and character descriptions and making predictions using evidence and inference.

In Geography, we have been learning about the River Rhine and exploring the features of rivers. In particular, we discussed how the Rhine influences life in the city of Cologne. Our planned trip to Tonrbidge on 6th October will reinforce our learning about rivers and their uses.  We would greatly appreciate any parent volunteers who are able to join us!

We have also continued our Roman learning in History this week, discovering how Rome came to be a republic after the seven kings of Rome.

We have had great fun developing our dance skills in PE, and in identifying the skills needed for ball control as a whole year group. Activities included challenging tasks like moving tennis balls around cones  and practising our agility when catching the balls after a certain number of bounces. These exercises really helped improve coordination! It was fantastic to see such brilliant teamwork and sportsmanship on display.

 

W/E 12th September 2025 

This week in Maths we have continued our learning on place value and have been partitioning numbers to 10,000. We have been developing our use of mathematical language to be able to explain the difference between numbers, using 10’s, 100’s and 1,000’s. Next week in Maths, we will be using a number line to estimate numbers up to 10,000 and comparing and ordering numbers up to 10,000. 

In English this week, our learning has continued to link to the text 'The Comet' by Joe Todd-Stanton, and we have enjoyed writing our own newspaper articles about a comet landing in Tonbridge! Next week we will explore the character, ‘Nyla’, from the book, and write a diary entry, making sure we included feelings and use the past tense and informal language.  

In Geography, we have been learning about the river Rhine and features of rivers. We will next week be learning about how the Rhine affects the city of Cologne.

This week in Science, we explored how sound travels. We observed how sugar moves when placed on cling film over a bowl, just by making a noise near it. The vibrations caused by the soundwaves moved the sugar. We learnt lots of amazing facts about sound, so feel free to ask some questions about sound at home! 

Thursday also marked the start of our history topic, The Romans. We spent the day learning about Romulus and Remus and how Rome came to power. This also included arts and crafts in preparation to re-enact the battle of the Romans and the Sabine tribe. What a brilliant start to our topic!

 

W/E 5th September 2025

Year 4 have had a wonderful first week back. The children have enjoyed catching up with old friends and have made some new friends as we have welcomed several new students. 

We have written and signed Class charters and reminded everyone of the high expectations we have for them at Bishop Chavasse. All the children have settled into school life quickly and have been working hard already. 

We have had a lot of RHSE based learning to support children in their return to school. They have been thinking about the skills and qualities that make them special and what strategies help them to learn well and stay on the green zone of regulation. We have developed our teamwork skills by working together to build towers out of foam building blocks, to represent the wise man and the foolish man, before using this to think about strong foundations like in the story of the wise and foolish man from the Bible. We also competed in our House Teams in some team challenges Friday afternoon, building friendship and communication skills. Great work everyone!

In English, the children have all written a recount of a favourite memory from their holidays. They used first person and past tense as well as some rich vocabulary for description. We have also reflected on how everyone has felt after the first week in year 4.

We are looking forward to a full timetable of learning next week. In Maths we will be concentrating on place value and partitioning numbers to 1000. In English we will read the book ‘The Comet’ by Joe Todd Stanton and write a newspaper report about a comet landing! We will also develop our interview skills and use direct speech and non-direct speech.