Year 4
Hello and welcome to Year 4.
This year, we have some interesting topics about The Vikings, Brazil and rivers. In science, we will be learning about Solids, liquids and gases, states of matter, electricity, living things and how our bodies digest food. Children will also be continuing to learn French, along with continuing to develop skills in all subject areas.
In Year 4, weekly spelling homework is set on Friday for the following week. The children should ideally practice their list over the week in order to retain the spelling knowledge as effectively as possible. Spellings are tested the following Friday.
At this stage, times tables become a major focus of children's learning. The school subscribes to Times Table Rockstars which is available on most devices as a website or an app. Children are encouraged to play at least 5 minutes of times table games at least 3 times a week at home, as well as working on times tables in class, and there are always various competitions and incentives throughout the year.
In Year 4, children are encouraged to choose their own reading books to take home. We have a range of books in the class and the school library, including ones from reading schemes for those who would still benefit from them, these books are colour banded to allow children to choose effectively. We would encourage children to read with an adult daily or as often as possible at home.
If you have any questions, feel free to catch me at the end of the school day, or send a message on the class email.
Year 4 teachers; Mrs Werren, Mrs Cousins (formally Miss Pratt) and Miss Mannell.
Pleasure for Reading
At Leesland, we are passionate about developing a pleasure for reading. We use rich and exciting texts to inspire and promote a love of reading during Guided Reading and English, alongside daily opportunities for children to engage in a book of their choice. The children also have weekly sessions on reading eggs, which they can also access at home. Take a look at the recommended reads for Year 4 children, could there be a book to inspire your child? We can’t wait to hear about the books the children are reading this year, so be sure to encourage them to write it in their reading records so we can celebrate their efforts put into reading at home.
SPRING 2 Just a reminder of our PE and Outdoor Learning days:
PE:
Every Tuesday - Rugby
Alternate Mondays - 11th March and 25th March
Alternate Wednesdays - 20th March.
Outdoor Learning:
Alternate Wednesdays - 20th March
Recommended Reads
Spring 2:Our final rugby session with Mr Woods was amazing. All our taught skills came to fruition and everyone had a fantastic time. We would like to thank Mr Woods for all his hard work and time with us, we have loved it!
Spring 2 - The children have excelled themselves in DT by making Lego models and then programming them to complete different functions.
Spring 2 - Science Week - The children had the opportunity to attend a talk/demonstration on bio medicine from an employee at Chlchester Hospital. During the week they have looked at inspiration scientists as well as conducting their own experiment in class based around reaction times.
World Book Day - the children all looked amazing and every child went home with a new book, We hope they enjoy them.
Learning in Action
Year 4 would like to thank all the adults that came and joined us for 'Learning in Action'. It was lovely to see so many of you.
The children thoroughly enjoyed sharing this experience and were willing to show their knowledge and skills to all. We are incredibly proud of them.
Some of the comments received included:
- "Was brilliant seeing what they're learning and how they're doing it. It is good to see them all engaging in their learning."
- "I enjoyed watching my daughter learning, I was surprised with how much knowledge she has with grammar and writing. Very impressed, thanks Leesland."
- "Great to see the kids in their learning environment. Great session."
Spring 2 - fantastic mandolin recital, our children are so talented.
Spring 2 - Year 4 have been showing their 'Foundations of Learning' by demonstrating 'resilience' when making working Lego models through 'coding' in computing and 'collaboration and relationships' when working in groups to dissect a flower to identify the reproduction parts. They then had to match the part to their function.
Spring 2 - More Mary Rose Sporting Superstars. It is fantastic to see what skills the children possess out of school.
January 2024 Mary Rose's Sporting Superstars - Medals awarded for football and tap dancing. We are always so proud of our children's achievements out of school.
Spring Term - We became reading detectives this week and went on a treasure hunt to find our information. We found facts about the Amazon Rainforest which links to our geography topic of Brazil.
Spring Term - PE this week was 'interesting'. We had to make shapes with string by moving our position. Sounds easy? Well we had to ensure we could not see what we were doing but had to manipulate the string by communicating with one another and using directional instructions.
Spring Term - we are learning the ukulele this term with Hampshire Music Service. We learn about the instrument and it's origin (Hawaii), how to read music as well as playing the instrument itself. We are looking forward to showing our skills at the end of unit concert.
Year 4 had great fun measuring string, checking their accuracy and then finding various totals. Some even managed to covert units of measure.
Children in Need - there were some fantastic 'spotty' outfits in Year4!
Fantastic 'blackout poetry' showing key words relating to Remembrance Day.
Autumn 1 Highlights
In Geography this term, year 4 have been learning where Europe is located and more specifically about France. We have been comparing Gosport to a ski and tourism destination in France called La Plagne. The children were taught the differences between human and physical features and identified these in La Plagne and compared them to Gosport. We were also able to compare the difference in climates and explore the impact it has on day to day life. A highlight of the learning journey has been learning about the economy in La Plagne and how they make money in summer and winter as a ski resort. In order to compare this to Gosport, we took a field trip down stokes road to explore where and how people living in Gosport spend their money.
In science this term, we have been learning about mixtures and the processes used to separate them. The children were able to using their knowledge of properties of different solids and liquids to suggest which process would be best for separating different mixtures. A highlight of the learning journey was when we use filtering, sieving and magnetism to separate a mixture of water, sand, stones and paper clips.
This term in art, we have been looking at how Monet creates different moods within his Art work. After exploring the different ways moods can be created with colour, texture and patterns, the children had a go at sketching and water colouring the landscape of Gosport in two different moods.
Autumn 2 Highlights
To start our new History unit based on the Mary Rose, we hooked the children with a fantastic visit to the Portsmouth dockyard to take a look at the ship itself. We spent time in the museum exploring the different job roles on board the ship as well as participating in a wonderful workshop teaching us all about the differences between the poor and the rich. A highlight of the trip was dressing up in Tudor costumes and identifying what made someone poor or rich.
Year 4 Statutory Spellings
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