Welcome to Year 4

Come and see what we have been learning about!

Welcome to Year 4

Come and see what we have been learning about!

Welcome to an action-packed Spring term! This term, our learning is deeply rooted in understanding our planet – from the icy habitats of polar bears to the fiery depths of volcanoes – while preparing our students for their national multiplication checks. Over the half-term, the children completed fabulous projects and researched 'Volcanoes'. 

Guided Reading

​​​​​​Our key text is One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. This inspiring true story shows how one person’s creativity can tackle plastic pollution and transform a community.  This true story highlights how Isatou used creativity to tackle plastic pollution, teaching children about resilience, upcycling and environmental activism. They have been continuing to develop skills such as inference, vocabulary building with complex words, fact retrieval and summarisation, analysing the author's intent, practising reading fluency with prosody and making predictions based on textual evidence.

English

In English this half-term, our writing is centred on the environment. We are currently crafting non-chronological reports about Polar Bears, linking our literacy skills to climate change. Later this term, we will move onto biographies of Greta Thunberg and persuasive writing to save the planet.

Students are exploring the impact of climate change through a non-chronological report on penguins and polar bears, which are considered a "global symbol" of the warming planet. This project combines science and geography with English skills, teaching children how to use formal language and technical vocabulary – such as carnivore, insulation, and blubber – to explain how these animals are uniquely adapted to the freezing Arctic environment. They have been practising the use of fronted adverbials, third-person perspective, and present tense to write like an expert. During their experience week, pupils conducted a hands-on experiment to understand a penguin's survival. By comparing the sensation of a bare hand in ice water to a hand insulated by cotton wool—simulating a penguin's blubber—children observed first hand how vital insulation protects these creatures in their freezing habitats. This practical investigation provided a foundation for their non-chronological reports, helping them describe the physical adaptations with greater scientific accuracy.

Maths

Our Year 4 mathematicians are focusing on the core pillars of multiplication, division, area, fractions and decimals, learning to apply these concepts to complex, real-life word problems. A significant priority this term is ensuring every child is fully prepared for the statutory Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) this June. To support this, we have implemented daily "rapid recall" practice to build fluency in all facts up to 12x12. Beyond calculation, pupils are developing their mathematical reasoning skills, learning how to articulate their methods clearly and justify their answers. In Computing, these skills are enhanced through the use of Purple Mash, where students use spreadsheets to organise data and explore "Writing for Different Audiences" to present their findings digitally.

Science

This half-term in Science, Year 4 have been studying Electricity. Children are building a series of circuits to generate light and sound. They are testing materials to identify conductors and insulators while learning about electrical safety.

Geography

Our Geography curriculum dives into the powerful world of volcanoes, where pupils explore the tectonic forces that shape our planet. Students are investigating the structure of the Earth – including the core, mantle and crust – to understand how magma rises and erupts as lava. Using atlases, the children have been locating and plotting major volcanoes across the globe, specifically analysing regions like the Pacific Ring of Fire. To bring their learning to life, pupils have undertaken independent research projects and used their creative skills to build detailed volcanic models. This unit encourages children to think like geographers as they evaluate the human impact of volcanic activity, weighing the significant risks of eruptions against the benefits that influence where people choose to settle.

Art

In Art, Year 4 pupils are exploring the beauty of the natural world through landscape painting. They are developing their skills in perspective, colour mixing and brushwork to capture different environments. Come back to visit the website and check what they have produced at the end of term!

PSHE

A major highlight this term is our participation in the UNICEF Outright Campaign. This year’s theme is focused on climate change, allowing children to explore their rights and the importance of 'Creating a Better Future.' In Spring 1, the children are specifically looking at 'Celebrating Differences,' fostering an environment of empathy and inclusion as they learn how to be global citizens.

Religious Education 

Our RE curriculum encourages pupils to reflect on the core values of different faiths. In our study of Judaism, the children are learning about the history, traditions, and significance of Passover.