Year 4

Welcome to 

Year 4 

Miss Hart (Nottingham)

Miss Smith (Marian)

Miss Sian (Robin)

Summer Term in Year 4!

Welcome back! We hope you have had a relaxing break! Here is what we will be covering this term:

English: 'Non-fiction texts', 'Time slip stories', 'Quest stories', 'Poetry'

This term we are covering a range of skills within our English lessons. We will be linking our writing tasks to our Topic learning on Dinosaurs. We will also be learning about different forms of poetry and writing some of our own. To further extend the children's knowledge on Non-Fiction texts, we ask that should you  come across any at home, please share these with your children and discuss the features and subject matter you can see. 

Key Media that we will be focusing on: 

• 'One River, Many Creeks' Poems chosen by Valerie Bloom
• Newspaper Articles
• CBBC Newsround
• Encyclopedias 
• Non-fiction texts about dinosaurs

Maths: Measures, Statistics, Fractions, Operations, Problem Solving, Arithmetic

We will be covering a range of areas with the children within our maths lessons this term. The children will complete an Arithmetic test on a weekly basis to consolidate their learning. 

We have also decided to allocate some maths lesson time to practicing our times tables, and we would really appreciate it if you could also practice these at home with your children. 

Topic: 'Dinosaurs'

We will be studying dinosaurs this term. We have decided to allow the children some control of the content of this topic, and our lessons will be guided by their questions and interests surrounding the topic. The children will be learning about the names and characteristics of different dinosaurs, researching and fact finding to answer their own questions, and even designing their own dinosaurs! Our topic will come to an end with a visit from a dinosaur workshop in June, which we all (teachers included!) are really looking forward to! 

Science: 'Electricity', 'Sound'

Within our science lessons this term, we will be carrying out a number of investigations into how electricity flows; focussing on constructing circuits, identifying conductors and insulators, deciding whether the circuit is complete and adding switches to working circuits.

After half term, we will move on to learning about sound. Children will learn about how vibrations cause sounds and how sounds travel, as well as how sounds can change pitch and loudness. They will even have the opportunity to create a string telephone to investigate how sounds change over distance and work scientifically to identify the best material for soundproofing. 

Art & DT:

We will be extending our knowledge and understanding of different art techniques and practical skills in order to create the desired outcomes. 

Techniques we will be focussing on:

• Sculpture
• Exploded diagrams
• Cookery (with links to our English lessons)
• Tie-dye / Batik*

*We are hoping to create tie-dye t-shirts that the children can wear during the dinosaur workshop. We therefore ask for donations of plain white t-shirts to use for this activity. Please send any t-shirts to school with your child over the coming weeks; a letter will be sent home nearer the time as a reminder. 

Thank you for your continued support, 

Year 4 Teachers :) 

Active Movement

Ryvers School is now an Active Movement school! You may have heard about this from your children, but if not, we are encouraging the children to be more active around school; even within the classroom!

We had a wonderful assembly teaching us all about 'Active Movement' and now, we are applying it to as many aspects of our school day as possible. Children are beginning to stand up to answers questions, move around to show their opinions and much more!

Please feel free to encourage them to continue being active at home :)

To find out more information, please visit: https://activemovementschools.co.uk

Important Reminders...

*Homework will be set on a Wednesday and is due to be returned Monday. 

*Children should also bring in their reading books and home-school communication books in with them daily. These will be signed by adults during guided and independent reading activities. 

*Our PE lessons take place on a Monday morning. We strongly recommend children bringing their PE kit in on a Monday and take it home on a Friday.   Jewellery MUST be removed for PE for Health and Safety. This includes earrings (if your child struggles to remove them, please take them out on PE days if possible.)

*As a school, we are trying to ensure that uniform is of the highest standard. As a result, we will be issuing letters should your child be wearing incorrect uniform. If you have any queries, please see your child's class teacher. 

*All money for school dinners and school trips should now be paid through Parent Pay.

Key Dates:

First day of term: Tuesday 23rd April 2019

Last day of half term: Friday 24th May 2019

Half Term: Monday 27th to Friday 31st May 2019

First day of half term: Monday 3rd June 2019

Last day of term: Friday 19th July 2019

May Day Bank Holiday: Monday 6th May 2019

Dinosaur Workshop Day: Wednesday 12th June 2019

Year 4/5 Residential: Wednesday 10th - Friday 12th July 2019

Below are some website links that you may find useful in supporting and enriching your child's learning at home.