Highlights from Year 4

All the children had a restful holiday and returned keen to learn. We read the book How to be a Pirate by the author of How to Train Your Dragon. It was fun pretending to be pirates and learning about sword fighting and buried treasure! This was the longest book Year 4 studied, and they really got into the characters and predicted what they thought would happen next to Hiccup. There were quite a few twists and turns, plus surprises.

In Maths the topics have varied, but fractions (we started it last term!) seem to go on forever! But they all grasped this complex unit and loved the practical nature of this topic. The development of arithmetic in preparation for Year 5 has really improved and their understanding of the basic calculations is secured. We will finish on shape and looking at tessellation and creating patterns with 2D and 3D shapes which the children will love as some are very creative.

In writing, the continuation of skills has shown that the children have a greater understanding for the writing of sentences and the vocabulary choices have really improved especially through using Karate punctuation, thesaurus and actions to help retain the learning.

In the wider curriculum, a range of topics and themes has been covered and particularly looking at Global Warming, Rainforest Deforestation and how we can save the world has been key learning. The children have enjoyed creating posters and labelling diagrams to assist this learning. In DT, we are making an electronic game with wire and a circuit the children have been quite inventive with their designs. In Art, we have studied Monet and how he used paint brushes to create different effects and then copied a Monet painting of Water Lilles.

Finally, we had an amazing day at Englefield House where we learnt about nature and how to protect it. The children got to identify water creatures, hold moths and spot caterpillars, measure trees and go fishing! Although it was a rather hot day, the children loved it, and the history of the house was amazing!

Overall, this term has been filled with exciting topics, reading and adventures with the weather playing its part, that the Year 4 children have really enjoyed this final term before transferring to Year 5. They should be proud of all their success and I have enjoyed teaching them.