Year 4 2023 - 2024

Welcome to Year 4

Year 4 is a key year in building the skills of independence, collaboration and perseverance which will drive the education of children throughout their academic career.

Reading

By the end of the year, children should be able to read with increasing fluency and intonation. This year pupils will conrinue focussing on Reciprocal Reading strategies which include predicting, clarifying, summarising, and questioning. This will help develop comprehension and inference skills as well as enhancing their vocabulary; they will  increase their depth and knowledge of a range of literature, both fiction and non-fiction.

English

Children’s writing will become increasingly interesting and imaginative, displaying a firm grasp of varied sentences, punctuation and grammar. We will work particularly on extending children’s skills as writers by developing imagination, encouraging the use of a wide range of vocabulary and applying genre appropriate structures. We expect all handwriting to be legible and joined with children able to write with increasing speed. Spelling of common words should be accurate. They should be able to use phonics knowledge and apply appropriate topic related words and spellings from the Year 3/4 spelling list.

Maths

In Maths, children will work to become fluent with concepts and apply skills to reasoning and problem-solving challenges. In Year 4, we expect children to be able to read, write and order numbers up to 10,000, with a firm understanding of place value.  They should know all their times tables up to 12 x 12, and the related division facts. Children should be able to use all four calculations to solve problems up to and beyond 4-digit numbers, using formal written methods. They will apply these skills throughout measures, shape, and space concepts.

Science

For this subject, pupils will cover a range of topic areas. When studying electricity, children will identify common appliances that run on electricity, before constructing a simple series electrical circuit. Furthermore, pupils will recognise some common conductors and insulators. For the states of matter unit, children will observe some materials changing state when they are heated or cooled. Pupils will also identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle. When looking at animals and human digestive systems, pupils will describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans. They will also identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions. Additionally, children will construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators, and prey. When studying sound, pupils will identify how sounds are made. They will recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear. Children will recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

Foundation subjects

In History, pupils will continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. They will be looking to note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.

In Geography, pupils will extend their knowledge and understanding beyond the local area to include the United Kingdom and Europe, North and South America. This will include the location and characteristics of a range of the world’s most significant human and physical features. They should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.

In Art & Design, pupils will be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. Pupils will be taught: to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas, to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials about great artists, architects and designers in history. Furthermore, in Design and Technology children will develop their skills through creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.

RE, MFL, Computing and Music

In RE, children will describe and make connections between different features of the religions and worldviews they study, discovering more about celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and rituals. In MFL children will be learning a balance of the spoken and written language of Arabic. This will enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, developing their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. In Computing pupils will be taught to design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller part. Pupils will use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs. They will understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration. Pupils will be taught to use technology safely, respectfully, and responsibly; recognising acceptable/unacceptable behaviour and identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact. In Music pupils will be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

Homework 

Spellings will be given every Friday in addition to learning timetables on Times Tables Rock Stars, as well as practising reading skills on Oxford Reading Buddy. Please encourage your child to engage with their homework as this will improve their skills and consolidate learning.

P.E 

Your child needs to come to school wearing their PE kit, which consists of black tracksuit bottoms or leggings and a white T-shirt. They need to wear their green school jumper and bring a spare jumper to change into for the lesson. Please ensure all clothing is labelled.

Times Table Check

Towards the end of Year 4, children will undertake the statutory Multiplication Check. Throughout the year, children will practise their timetables and we ask that parents support this at home, by encouraging children to use the online application, Times Table Rockstars.

School Trips and Special Events

As part of our experiences in Year 4, we will engage in a variety of memorable activities. In autumn the pupils will design and make a Roman shield as well as visit Greenhead Park and take part in a range of Roman themed activities. We will also be visited by the Marine Conservation Society whilst working on understanding ways to protect the planet. In addition to this, the children will be visited by a Viking later in the year, who will help them learn and explore Viking life.