W/C 20th November

This week we have been working very hard in Year 4. In English we have planned and then written a formal persuasive letter. This was an independent task and we used our plans, dictionaries and thesaurus to help us. We used persuasive language and features of a formal letter. 

In Maths, we have been learning multiples of 3, 6 and 9. We have learnt the fact families and found out how we can use our knowledge of one times table to work out another e.g. double threes to help with sixes.

In outdoor PE this week we completed circuits and showed stamina and determination. We did several sets of (reps) repetitions and encouraged each other to keep going.

In music we are learning to play London's burning on the recorder and we are trying hard to play in unison.

Next week in Maths, we will continue learning the 3,6 and 9 times tables and we will also revise our learning so far this year. In English we will moving onto our new text 'Ice Palace' by Robert Swindells and we will be thinking about how to write a script.

W/C 13th November

This week we have continued our learning in English linked to the text 'Romans on the Rampage'. We have all planned our own invention and created a leaflet about them. We had to think about the different features and who the inventions would  would be useful for. At the end of the week the two year 4 classes swapped leaflets and voted on the best one. See below for some pictures of the very creative inventions. 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 identifying the area of objects and the properties of rectilinear shapes. We have compared areas and found the difference between them. We have also continued to develop our problem solving skills and have challenged our thinking with several reasoning questions linked to shape and area. Next week in Maths, we will be focusing on multiplication, starting with multiples of 3 and then 6. 

In computing this week, we learnt about plagiarism and the importance of acknowledging when something is not our own work. We discussed the meaning of 'copyright', 'watermark' and 'citation'. We then completed a plagiarism quiz on the Ipads to consolidate our learning. 

As we do each week, we have crammed in so much learning. We have learnt about Octavian who became the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. We have also learnt about oceans and continents in Geography, Incarnation in RE, anti-bullying in RHE, demonstrated the Haka in PE and we have learnt several verbs and their different forms in Latin. Do ask us about our learning at home and see what we can remember!

In music, we have continued to learn the recorder and have also been practising our class songs for the KS2 Christmas concert throughout the week. The words will be coming home soon so please encourage lots of practice!

W/C 6th November

We have had another busy week in year 4 but have also had a lot of opportunities to reflect and think of others. We have created remembrance day displays, discussed the importance of remembrance day and shared what the day means to us and to others. We arranged the coins children brought in to donate onto a large Poppy and Year 4 learnt about the very special service medals awarded to Jacob's Grandad, Captain Samuel DK de Ferrars.

On Thursday it was 'Bishop Chavasse' day and we learned about Bishop Christopher Chavasse and his dedication to his faith and helping others. Year 4 spent the morning in their house groups with year 2. We supported the year 2 children with their learning. We offered words of praise and encouragement as we all enjoyed completing some 'Tinkatinka' artwork. In the afternoon we wrote some letters to the Matongoro school in Tanzania and we were really excited to be raising money for them with the table top sale and our artwork.  This was a wonderful opportunity for us demonstrate the school value of compassion and this value really showed in the letters we wrote.

In Maths this week, we focused on how to check our answers using the inverse and on identifying mistakes and correcting them. We have started learning about area and how to measure area using squares. Next week we will continue to learn about area. 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 wrote our own poems on Monday using a variety of features and styles. We have now started our new 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. 

W/C 30th October

We have had a fantastic first week back and crammed a lot into just four days. 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.

In History we are learning about the Roman Empire and how it expanded. This week we learned how the Romans claimed new provinces and the number of soldiers ('miles') it took to make a century, cohort and legion.

In PE we learnt about the 'Haka' and had great fun learning to do the first few movements of the dance and it was also an energetic form of exercise!

In English we have read the book 'Rhythm of the rain' by Grahame Baker-Smith. We also analysed two river poems, one by Edgar Allan Poe and the other by Caroline Anne Bowles. We have written some wonderfully descriptive poems in the style of these poets.

On a musical note, we are learning how to play the recorder and have started learning finger positions for some of the notes.

The highlight of our week was our stunning start to our new topic, 'Spectacular Systems'. We held this on Thursday and spent the whole day as engineers. We learnt what engineering is, what engineers do and all about the engineer design cycle. We engineered our own mathematical problems in pairs and then tried to solve them. We scrutinised a pen and discussed the design features and why they were necessary. We were set out 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 screwed up piece of paper won! In the afternoon we carried out different experiments to explore how to change the volume and pitch of a sound. We really enjoyed our stunning start and will be able to use our new knowledge to make our own sound generators later in the term.

Next week, in English, we will be writing our own poems about rivers and rain, and then we will start our next reading adventure by exploring the book 'Romans on the Rampage' by Jeremy Strong and writing a character description. In Maths, we will be checking the strategies we use, spotting mistakes and making corrections. We will then move on to understanding and identifying area.

W/C 16th October 

We have had a brilliant last week of term in year 4. In English we have finished reading Tiger Tiger and we wrote our own sequels. We thought about story structure when writing our stories and used an exciting opening sentence. We organised our writing into paragraphs and, as always, did our best to use ambitious vocabulary. 

In Maths this week, 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. 

In Geography we learnt about the Mediterranean sea and its features. We learnt that it was an enclosed sea and labelled a map identifying where the Gibraltar Strait and the surrounding continents of Europe and Africa were.

In History we learnt about Roman society. We learnt about the important 'Patricians' who were allowed many more roles and privileges than the 'Plebians' who weren't even allowed to wear togas. We then learnt how slaves were not allowed any privileges and had to do all the jobs.

In Science this week we consolidated our learning on sound and had a carousel of experiments to explore sound, how it travels, how it can be changed and how it can be absorbed. We listened and watched intently to a tuning fork both in and out of water and could then use scientific vocabulary to explain what we had observed.

After half term, in Maths, we will be adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers with more than one exchange used. In English we will be reading the Rhythm of the Rain book by Grahame Baker-Smith and using it to inspire us to write expanded noun phrases and poems. We will be comparing poems and then using the features and style of a poem to write our own poem about rain and rivers.

W/C 9th October

We have had another busy and enjoyable week of learning in Year 4. In English we started the week with a 'conscience alley' and the teachers were 'Boots' the tiger and the children were the voices telling Boots, the tiger, to turn back to the palace or to run free. For the rest of the week we have planned and written persuasive letters to Emperor Caesar to convince him to grant Boots his freedom. 

In Maths, we have been rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. We have also been adding and subtracting tens, hundreds and thousands. We have found it challenging to remember which numbers change and it has been helpful to use place value mats and counters to support our understanding. 

In Geography we reviewed our learning from our trip by writing facts that compared the river Rhine with the river Medway. We also explored manmade and natural changes that occur on the Rhine. 

In History we are still excited about learning more about the Romans. This week we learnt about Scipio and  compared Hannibal and Scipio. 

In science we are continuing to learn about sound and how soundwaves travel. We used a slinky to demonstrate a soundwave and learnt about compression and rarefaction.

In art we have been learning about shape and shading and the children are using this knowledge to draw a tiger. 

In music we have continued to practice our harvest samba and we are looking forward to the harvest festival on Monday. 

Next week in Maths, we will be adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers with and without exchange. In English we will planning and writing a sequel to Tiger Tiger. We will think about story structure and when to use paragraphs. 

W/C 2nd October

Wow what an exciting week we have had in year 4! 

In Maths, we have been learning Roman numerals to 100 and rounding up to the nearest 10. In English we have continued reading 'Tiger Tiger' and in groups thought about an imaginary pet that we thought we could persuade an audience was the best pet ever! The speeches used lots of persuasive language and were very compelling. They were presented to a group of willing year 5 children who had the tough job of deciding 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 and the persuasive language we have been using this week.

In history we learnt more about Hannibal from Carthage and how he was determined to defeat the Romans. The year 4 children were also very lucky to have the opportunity to hold a Roman sword and were surprised at how heavy it was. 

The highlight of our week has been our wonderful school trip to Tonbridge to continue our learning in geography about rivers. We were very fortunate to have lovely weather which definitely helped our walk there and back! When we arrived we learned some facts about the River Medway and some of the history of the river. This also linked to our learning about the Romans. The ‘Battle of the Medway’ was the first major recorded battle of the Roman invasion of Britain under the Emperor Claudius in 43AD. We learned about how the River Medway was the reason the castle was built there and how it was used for imports and exports. We thought about the positive and negative impacts of the river on the town of Tonbridge. We used wool to compare the length of the River Rhine and the River Medway and then, for a fun science fact, compared this to how long the veins are in the human body if all put together. An impressive 100,000 kilometres!

We spent time sitting by the river comparing the town of Tonbridge to the city of Cologne in Germany. We used maps and pictures to help us as well as good observational skills. We sketched the River Medway and labelled the key features. We enjoyed our lunch in the historic castle grounds and then had some much needed ‘running around’ games. After lunch we learned about the flooding that Tonbridge has suffered throughout history and observed the modern day defences to prevent damage. We learned about the flood barrier and flood storage area and talked about how we might feel if our home was at risk from flooding and what action we would take. It was a day crammed full of cross curricular learning, we were lucky enough to see a Heron and we even managed to fit in a fleeting visit to the play area!

The children built on friendships across the two classes and it was also a valuable opportunity to form relationships between school staff and parents. Thank you so much to the parents who accompanied us on our trip as, being able to discuss and work in small groups, really enriched the children’s experience and learning. It was lovely to hear comments from the children such as "This is the best day ever", a parent helper who commented, "I have learnt so much", and also a member of the public in the castle grounds who commented "How wonderful it is to see children playing so happily together".

W/C 25th September 2023

This week in year 4 we have started reading our new text ‘Tiger Tiger’ by Lynne Reid Banks and the children are very excited by it already. We have been inspired to write a setting description about the jungle and a character description about Princess Aurelia. 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 then a given number.

We are continuing to enjoy our science topic on sound and played ‘keeper of the keys’ this week to explore how we hear sound. We learnt how sound travels through our ears to send a message to our brain and we labelled a diagram of an ear.

In PE on Tuesday we continued with gymnastics. We have been practising cat leaps, straight half turns and full half turns. This week we also attempted pike and straddle jumps. We focused on our landings and pointing our feet.

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/C 18th September 2023

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. 

In English this week our learning has been based on the text 'The Comet' by Joe Todd-Stanton.  We have written a newspaper report about a comet and have been using adverbs, adverbial phrases and fronted adverbials. Today we used these to write some beautiful poems either about being by the sea or in the city. 

In Geography we started our topic on rivers and a letter has been sent out about our upcoming trip. We would be very grateful for parent volunteers. 

There is also a letter coming home with log ins for 'Times Tables Rock Stars' which the children were very excited to learn about today. They are looking forward to using this and there is a parental guidance sheet uploaded on the Year 4 letters. Do please ask if you have any questions. 

We finished the afternoon with music today and the children may come home singing the 'Harvest Samba'! This is the song year 4 will be singing at our harvest festival so we would love them to practice at home. The words will be coming home next week!

W/C 11th September 2023

Wow! What a busy week we have had! We have worked really hard to complete Maths and English assessments in the mornings. For our writing assessment we wrote a descriptive diary entry about entering a magical land. We had to remember to use informal language and share our thoughts and feelings with the reader.

In PE this week we started gymnastics and learnt how to do straight jump half turns, straight jump full turns and cat leaps. In science we started our topic on sound. We learnt how sound is created and how it travels.

We finished our week by introducing our Topic 'The Romans'. 4R were the Sabines and 4CP were the Romans led by Romulus. We made shields and laurel wreaths for our tribes and then reenacted the battle between the Sabines and Romans. We learnt how eventually the Sabine women intervened to stop the fighting and the Sabines and Romans united. We then enjoyed a Roman feast together to celebrate the new union.

We finished the afternoon by creating mosaics that reflected our new and old identities.

W/E 8th September 2023

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 RHE 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. 

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.

In Maths, we have focused on place value and partitioning numbers. The children have been able to identify how many hundreds, tens and ones in a 3 digit number and are developing their use of mathematical language and reasoning skills.

We have also had an RE focus this week based around the parable of the Wise man who built his house upon the rock. The children have drawn their own comic strips to retell the story. We also had fun using sugar cubes to represent the sand the foolish man built his house with and watching his house fall as the 'sand' was washed away!