Summer 2 Week 6

 Although it has been the final week of term, we have still been working hard and have been busy as usual. In English, we worked in small groups to write the fight scene with Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet as a play script with all the correct features. Once we had written it, we worked together to rehearse it and then performed it for the rest of the class. You can watch the performances on the school website in the video resource centre.  In Maths, we were introduced to coordinates in the first quadrant. We learnt how to identify the coordinates of points and shapes on the grid and also how to plot our own points. We then looked at how you can draw polygons on a coordinate grid and how to work out where missing coordinates of a shape would be. In Geography, we used our research from last week to create our travel leaflet to persuade people to go along Route 66. In Art, because we had enjoyed doing the scratch art in a previous week, we got to have another go at it using the special tools and stencils. In Computing, we used pixel art to create our own designs and pictures. We enjoyed the Rock Steady Music concert on Monday afternoon, where we sang and clapped along with our school bands. For our behaviour treat we had some extra time playing outside as well as some time on the iPads and to draw and colour. We were super proud of all the children who won awards in our end of year achievers service on Wednesday, especially our Year 4 class mates. On Friday, our final day, we did some puzzles and took part in ‘The Big Year 4 quiz’ which was based on all of our learning in Year 4 this year. We finished the year with a relaxing afternoon of watching a film and doing some mindful colouring. Have a fabulous summer Year 4, we are looking forward to welcoming you back into school in September as Year 5 children. 

Year 4 Week 6

It has been another busy week in school for Year 4. In English, we focused on the scene where Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt fight and how their actions made the different characters feel. We used the thesaurus to help us find some higher level vocabulary to describe their feelings. We then wrote the scene from the point of view of some of the characters. In Maths, we have been looking at statistics and interpreting data. We have looked at pictograms, bar charts and also line graphs. We answered comparison, sum and difference questions about them. In Science, we looked at switches and how they work within a circuit. We then used paper clips and card to create our own switches to put into our circuits. In Geography, we looked at the famous Route 66 across the United States of America. We looked at some of the different places it runs through and what the landscape its like there. On Wednesday, we had our last swimming session and as a reward for all of our hard work this year, we got to have a play session with the giant floats. Our other PE session on Tuesday was very short thanks to the heavy rain, but we managed a quick game where we had to pass and run with the ball. In Art with Mrs Wardman, we had lots of fun creating self portraits in the style of Lego figures. For our Music lesson this week, we continued to learn the dance The Octopus Slide and put some dance moves to it. In R.E. we thought about how people from different religions Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism pray and identified similarities and differences. In Computing, we used Scratch to explore how you can programme games and the different things you can do.  In French, we continued to learn about the Tour De France and then had our own Tour De France competition between our tables. On Tuesday morning, we had a treat when we were able to watch the Y6 dress rehearsal of their performance, we all loved it. 

Year 4 Week 5

It has been a very different week in school this week. We have enjoyed two transition days with our teacher for next year Mr Edgar. We did some fun activities that would help us to get to know him and for him to get to know us. We had a great two days and we are all looking forward to moving into Year 5 next year. In our Year 4 learning we have continued our topic about time in Maths. We have learnt how to tell the time on a 12 and 24 hour clock and how to convert between the two of them. In English, we have focused on the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. We looked at some of the old language used in the original version alongside a modern translation. We thought about the characters of Romeo and Juliet and we wrote diaries in role as them to recount the events and to explore how they felt. In Science, we found out about electrical conductors and insulators and we investigated which materials would be an electrical conductor or insulator by putting them into a circuit. We found out that metals made the best electrical conductors. In P.E. We enjoyed playing piggy in the middle with our rugby balls, it was much harder than with a normal ball. We also looked at passing the ball between three people as we were running. In Geography, we looked at some of the varied landscapes that can be found in North and South America. We then created posters to encourage people to visit them. On Monday with Mrs Wardman, we used a special tool to scratch the top layer of special paper to create different designs. In Computing we continued to develop our understanding of writing codes in order to animate images using the programme Scratch. 

Summer 2 Week 4

In Maths this week, we started a new topic all about time, which can be a really tricky topic to understand, but everyone has worked hard and done really well. We have been thinking about different units of time and we have been converting between them.  We also practised telling the time on an analogue clock and then moved onto converting between digital and analogue times. At the start of the week in English, we did our performances of the poem Macavity, which you can watch on the website using this link https://stpaulshoddlesden.primarysite.media/media/macavity-the-mystery-cat-poem. We then moved onto a new text, Romeo and Juliet. We began by recapping what we already knew from when we looked at it in Year 2 and then we made sure that we all remembered the story. We spent a couple of days thinking about William Shakespeare, who wrote Romeo and Juliet. We did some research to find out about him and interesting facts about his life. We then used our research to create a fact file about him. In Science, we have been thinking about electrical circuits and we had the opportunity to explore how to create a circuit that would make a bulb light, with the batteries, bulbs and wires. We found out that in order to make the bulb light up, we would have to have a complete electrical circuit with no breaks in it. We also investigated what happened when we added a second bulb into the circuit and found out that it made both of the bulbs dimmer. In Geography, we worked with a partner to research and find out all about a city from somewhere in North or South America. We thought about which hemisphere it was in, what the landscape is like, how the land is used and what the main sources of income are. In Music, we enjoyed learning the song The Octopus Slide even though it got stuck in our heads for ages afterwards. In P.E. we continued to develop our passing skills with a rugby ball, this week we got used to the feel of the ball by playing mirror image and then we practised passing whilst moving. In P.S.H.E we thought about some of the physical changes that happen to male and females during puberty. On Thursday in Art, we used a range of different materials such as bubble wrap, egg boxes and cardboard to print designs with paint. In R.E. we thought about some of the words of traditional prayers such as the Lord's prayer and the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, what they meant and how they can help Christians to live their lives well.  We had a very exciting French lesson where we got to go to the toy shop and buy some of the toys we have been looking at in our topic. Madame Wardle brought he toys, Euros and even shopping bags from France for us to use. 

Summer 2 Week 3

This week in English, we looked at another one of T.S.Elliott’s poems called Skimbleshanks and compared it to Macavity, we found they were very different characters. We also started to think about ways we could perform the poem Macavity considering how we use our voices and our bodies. We have been learning and rehearsing a section of the poem to perform next week. In Maths, we have been using our knowledge of money to help us solve problems about money. We have had to complete some challenging calculations over the week. In Science, we thought about some of the hazards that come with electricity and things that we can do to prevent any dangerous situations. We created our own spot the electrical hazard pictures and then swapped with each other to see if we could spot all the dangers in each other’s pictures. In P.E. we started to pass the rugby ball, we looked at the grip that is needed and also the techniques for passing. We also had our outdoor learning this week. We used the map to navigate our way to the reservoir, where we looked at the landscape and identified some of the things that were there. We then created a sketch of the landscape. Next, we used the map to navigate our way to Millennium Green where we compare the landscape to where we were previously by the reservoir. We then had to create a hideout for Macavity somewhere on Millennium Green where he could hide from the Police when they were searching for him, we had to use our skills from previous sessions to help us create the hideaway. In Geography, we looked at the countries of South America and identified that the equator runs through some of them and how this affects the climate. We used an atlas to locate some South American cities on a map. In P.S.H.E we thought about how our emotions can change as we get older and begin to go through puberty. We discuss how we often want more independence and how this can lead to conflict with our parents and families. We talked about ways that we can compromise with each other and try to meet in the middle when we are involved in conflict. In R.E. we continued to think about prayer and what it means to us. We used passages from the Bible to see what Jesus has taught us about prayer. On Thursday with Mrs Wardman, we did some artwork that involved cutting out images carefully and making a collage with them in the style of the artist Henry Matisse, the results were fantastic. We also used the programme Scratch to write the code to animate the letters of our names in our Computing lesson. In French, we learnt the question Qu'est-ce que aimes? to ask what do you like? We then used our knowledge of toys and opinion phrases to answer the question. 

Summer 2 Week 2

It has been a very hot week in school where we have enjoyed lots of sunshine. In English, we became detectives for the week. We started off looking at a crime scene where there had been a theft and some mysterious paw prints. We then read the poem Macavity the Mystery Cat which is about a well known master criminal cat. It is an old poem so we spent some time looking at the language in it and also finding as much information about Macavity as we could. In Maths, we continued to build our knowledge about money. We looked at converting pounds to pence and vice versa. We then compared and ordered amounts of money before using rounding to help us estimate with money. In Science, we started our new topic about electricity by thinking about different electrical appliances and if they ran off mains or battery power. We realised that some appliances run off both. In Geography, we looked at The Americas; the continents of North and South America. This week we focused on North America looking at the different countries that make up North America and making sure we knew it isn't just the USA. We then used an atlas to find and locate some major cities that are found in the countries of North America. In PSHE we thought about different changes that we can go through in our lives and how they make us feel. We thought about good changes and bad changes and ways that we can respond to them. We did an extra PSHE lesson this week about water safety, this is something we have been doing with the swimming instructors on Wednesdays throughout the year, but due to the warm weather we looked at it again. We thought about the reasons why we shouldn't swim in open water no matter how tempting it might be and also what to do if you fell in open water.  In our PE lesson, we looked at how to hold a rugby ball and started moving around whilst carrying it to get a feel for it. We also played some games where we had to pass it to each other without dropping it. In French, we recapped the toys and phrases that we learnt previously and created sentences using them. Madame Wardle showed us a sentence and then we had to copy it form memory, it was quite challenging. In R.E. We began to think about prayer and what it means to us. We thought about where people might pray, why they might pray and how often they do it. In Art, we used charcoals to make our pages black and then used rubbers to create images from the charcoal, it was lots of fun and very messy. 

Summer 2 Week 1

It has been lovely to be back in school for 3 days this week. It might have been a short week, but we packed lots of learning into it. In Maths, we have been practising our multiplication tables ready for our multiplication check which we will be doing next week. We have been using a website that has the same format and time limit as the actual one to help us with the speed and layout. We have also started our new topic about money and have been linking it to our previous learning about decimals. In English, we finished off our unit about newspaper reports and wrote our own report about Howard Carter discovering Tutankhamun's tomb. On Wednesday, we had an exciting swimming lesson, where as part of our water safety learning, we went in the pool in our pyjamas. We were all shocked at how much harder it was to swim with our pyjamas on and discussed how it felt and how it would be even harder if we were fully clothed. We also practised our star floats in our pyjamas. In Art, we explored different pencil tones to make lighter and darker shades and then looked at how we could use the different tones to create 3D effects. We had a piece of ribbon that we made into a shape and then practised using the different tones to draw it so it was 3D. In Computing, we used Scratch to programme the sprite to draw different shapes. We had to make sure we gave clear commands in the right order and that we used the correct language. On Friday afternoon, we finally finished our slingshot chariots for our DT! We ensured all the bodies were attached and that the slingshot mechanisms were in place. We were then able to have a go at using the slingshot to make them go. It was trickier than we thought and we had some problems with the paper clips coming off, but we enjoyed making them and trying them out. 

Summer 1 Week 6

This week in Maths, we have completed our unit on decimals. We looked at how to order decimal numbers that include ones, tenths and hundredths. We also used our previous understanding of rounding whole numbers to round decimals to the nearest whole one. Finally, we learnt how to write one half, one quarter and three quarters as a decimal. In English, we continued to look at recounts, but this time focused on newspaper reports. We looked at a newspaper report about Howard Carter discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun and identified the features. We then looked at the difference between a newspaper report and a story and sorted some extracts into the two different types. In Science, we planned and carried out an investigation to prove the idea that the further away from a sound you get, the quieter it is. We used an ipad to make an alarm sound and took a sound reading using the data logger. Then we measured 2m away and took another sound reading, we continued to do this until the data logger showed a value of less than 50dB. On Wednesday morning, we had our outdoor adventure session. We began by playing the floor is lava, which was lots of fun. Then Mrs Bullen gave us our instructions in hieroglyphics and we had to decipher them to find out what we needed to do. Our first task, was to work in groups and using the natural materials around us to make an Egyptian death mask. After that, still in our groups we had to make a free standing pyramid that could fit a 'mummy' lying down in it. This was a trickier task to complete and it was fantastic to see the children working together so well in their groups and also sharing materials and ideas with other groups. Later than afternoon, in our History lesson, we looked at the process of mummification. We thought about why the Ancient Egyptians mummified people and what the different steps of the process were. In PSHE we discussed what a community was and what it means to be part of a community. We identified different communities that we belonged to and what qualities people needed to show in a community. In French, we recapped numbers up to 20, we are getting really good at recalling them now. We also looked at the toy vocabulary again so that we knew what they were. Madame Wardle then introduced us to the question C'est combien to ask how much something costs. We took it in turns to ask Madame Wardle how much different toys cost and she told us the prices in French for us to write down. In R.E. we thought about the type of people that got to church and discussed how there are no rules as to who goes to church, what they wear and what day they go on. In DT we looked at the slingshot mechanism to power our chariots and used saws to cut lolly sticks in half to make the different parts. We finished our P.E. unit on jumping, by practising some of the different types of jump that we have looked at including a standing jump, hurdles and standing high jump.

Summer 1 Week 5

We have had a super busy week in Year 4 this week! On Monday, we went to Bolton Museum for a trip to see the Ancient Egypt exhibition. We had a workshop with the Wendy from the museum, which was very interesting and informative. We made a timeline together to see how long ago the Ancient Egyptian civilisation existed in comparison to some other periods of time we know about. We then got to look at the artefacts that they have in the museum that show us what daily life was like at that time. We really enjoyed dressing up in the Ancient Egyptian clothes. We then went into the afterlife room, where we learnt about the mummification process and the Ancient Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife. In this room there was a mummy of a young girl and also some beautiful sarcophagus'. Next we went into the replica tomb. There walls were covered in hieroglyphics just like they would have been in a real tomb and it felt like being inside a tomb. We had some fun mummifying Florene, we took her organs out and put them into canopic jars. we then got to weigh Mrs Bullen's heart against a feather to see if she would be granted access to the afterlife or not, just like the ancient Egyptians believed happened after you had died. We had some time to look at the other parts of the museum, which included a small aquarium, an art gallery and a section about the history of Bolton. Everyone had a great time and learnt lots of new things. Then on Tuesday, we had a special cricket session with the Lancashire cricket team. We had some time to practice our batting, bowling and throwing skills on some different activities before having some time to play a game. In English, we have been looking at extracts from Howard Carter's journal that he made whilst he was discovering Tutankhamun's tomb. We have thought about the different features a journal or diary has and looked for evidence of them in the text. We also really enjoyed going through the timeline of them opening up the different parts of the tomb and what they found in the different rooms. We then write a journal entry as Howard Carter for the day he opened up the burial chamber and found Tutankhamun's sarcophagus. In Maths, we looked at partitioning decimals to show the values of the different digits in the number and then looked at how we also partition them into lots of different ways to help us calculate. On Friday we used the < and > signs to compare different decimal numbers. On Thursday, we had sports day. we went around a carousel of different events that needed lots of different skills including throwing, running and balancing. Everyone gave lots of effort into al of the events and demonstrated the sporting values of our school. It was wonderful to hear the children cheering each other on and supporting each other. We even managed to keep the rain at bay for the day. In DT we looked at aerodynamics and what it means. We then created a design for our chariots that was aerodynamic and reflected the Ancient Egyptian style. In French, we thought about the different currency that they have in France; the Euro. We talked about how long it has been in place for, the different countries that use it and the different notes and coins you can get. In RE we looked at some of the things you might find in a church such as the pulpit, font and alter and what they are used for and why.

Summer 1 Week 4

Following on from another bank holiday on Monday, we have managed to pack a lot of learning into 4 days this week! In Maths, we have been looking at addition facts to make a whole one using tenths and hundredths and linking it back to our understanding of fractions that make a whole one. We quickly noticed that it linked to our number bonds to 10 and 100 and then used these facts to help us. In English, we planned and then wrote what we thought would happen in the next chapter in the novel Secrets of a Sun King, where the characters have to find Tutankhamun's tomb and put the jar back. We didn't want to make it too easy for them so added some mini problems along the way. We have also been trying to include expanded noun phrases into our writing. In Science, we planned an investigation into where is the noisiest place in school using the data logger to record sound levels. We had to think about which places we were going to test and at what times of day we would test them. We also had to think about how we would keep the investigation fair. In P.E. we continued to build on our jumping skills. We thought about different ways to take off; one footed, two footed, with a run up or without a run up. We investigated which methods worked best for us in order to be able to jump the furthest we could.  On Wednesday, in R.E. we looked at the exterior of a range of different church buildings. We thought about what things were similar about them and what things were different about them. In PSHE we were thinking about what makes a healthy lifestyle. We discussed different things we can do to ensure we have a healthy lifestyle such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, regular sleep and avoiding too much screen time. In French, we recapped our numbers to 59 ready for when we go shopping and have to talk about prices. We then looked at some specific vocabulary for different toys that we might find in a toy shop. We were able to work out what lots of them were using cognates, as there were lots of words similar to the English words and also some words we have learnt before. In History, we focused on the River Nile. We looked at which countries it flows through and thought about how it was important to the Ancient Egyptians and their daily life. 

Summer 1 Week 3

This week has been a bit different in school as we have been doing some special learning about King Charles III and his coronation. We thought about the role of a King or Queen. We all thought about what things we would like to do if we could be the King or Queen for a day. We then looked at what the monarch actually does and the different roles they have, which are far less exciting that what we wanted to do. One of the roles is the head of the commonwealth, we explored what the commonwealth is, what countries are part of it and the values they follow. We then focused on one of the commonwealth countries; Australia. We thought about the landscape of Australia and what it was like. We had pictures of different landscapes including beaches, rainforests, deserts, cities and mountains to decide if we thought they were Australia or not. It was a surprise to find out they were all from Australia and what a varied landscape it has. On Thursday, we did some research about some of the wildlife that lives in Australia. We worked together to create some PowerPoint slideshows that we then presented them to the class. We also created a portrait of King Charles III in the style of Andy Warhol using oil pastels. We thought about the different colours that we could use to create a pop art effect. We also enjoyed a coronation picnic with our families on Friday. Although the weather was not very good, it did not dampen our British spirit, we had our picnics inside in the corridors, classrooms and hall. Even Madame Wardle was in the coronation spirit as in our French lesson, we learnt about how the coronation affects France and also some of the vocabulary for the coronation such as la couonne (the crown), le trun (the throne) and le Roi (the King). We have also been working hard on our Maths learning, we have finished our unit on decimals, by looking at hundredths as both fractions and decimals and showing them in a place value grid. We also looked at dividing numbers by 100 and how it affects them. In English, we read some more of our novel, Secrets of a Sun King where our characters have arrived in Egypt to put the jar back in the tomb. We looked at telegrams and wrote our own from the different characters. We then planned to write what happens next in the story. 

Summer 1 Week 2

What an exciting week we have had in school! On Monday afternoon, we had a Lego STEM workshop with Steven from Creative Designs. To commemorate the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, we worked together to create some of the famous London landmarks that will be passed during the procession. We only had photos of the landmarks to work from - there were no instruction booklets - so we had to work together to work out how to create them in the best way. We added roads to make it look like a city as well as some finishing touches such as trees, bins and boats on the river. The end results were fantastic. Then on Tuesday, we took part in a dualathon with the TriKidz team. We had to run 4 laps around the field, get on the bikes and cycle for 800m and then run another 4 laps of the field. It was hard work, but it was wonderful having everyone cheering each other on and seeing the determination and stamina everyone showed. We all finished the challenge and got a medal. In English this week, we read more of our story Secrets of a Sun King and met some new characters who we compared to the ones we have already met. We then found out that there was a papyrus scroll in the jar. We were very excited to learn that the scroll was all about the final days of Tutankhamen. We showed what we learnt about the young King for the text using a point and evidence table. In Maths, we have been dividing one and two digit numbers by 10 and describing how the value of the digits changes. We then extended our understanding of decimals to include hundredths as well as tenths. In Science, we looked at how we use decibels to measure sound. We looked at a data logger and how it can measure the sound levels. We thought about the question, where is the noisiest place in school and how we could test it. In French we continued to practice our numbers so that we can talk about amounts of pocket money as we work through the topic. We recapped the numbers we have already learnt up to 39 and then extended our knowledge to 59. 

Summer 1 Week 1

The first week of the Summer Term has been fantastic in Year 4. In Maths, we have started to learn about decimals and have found they are not as tricky as we thought. We have learnt about tenths, when a whole one is split up into 10 equal parts and have been introduced to the tenths column and writing tenths as decimals. We have looked at tenths in a place value grid and on a number line. In English, we have started our new novel and we have been instantly gripped! We have been introduced to some of the characters and a very mysterious jar that might be cursed. We can't wait to read more and find out what is in the jar and what will happen to the characters. In Science, we made the musical instruments that we designed last half term. We had to think about the type of things we would put into our bottles to make different sounds and how the amount of things inside the bottle would affect the sound too.  In History, we started our new topic about the Ancient Egyptians and had the opportunity to explore some replica artefacts. We thought about what they were, what they would have been used for and what they were made of.   In D.T. we thought about different forms of transport and how they had changed over time. We identified that one of the earliest forms of transport was a chariot and that the Ancient Egyptians would have used them. We used lolly sticks to make a chassis and then cut dowel to make an axel. We then added wheels and made a framework for a simple chariot. In Music, we listened to a new song called 'Train is a comin' and we learnt to play part of the instrumental section on our glockenspiels. In P.E. we started to look at the long jump. We watched videos of Olympic champions and identified some of the techniques that they use. We went outside and investigated the difference our arms can make to a standing jump. On Wednesday, Kelly the swimming teacher came into school to talk to us about water safety. She told us what to do if we fell into open water or if we saw someone in open water. In P.S.H.E we thought about all the things that make us unique and celebrated them. In French with Madame Wardle, we started a new topic about pocket money. we shared our own experiences of getting pocket money and how we get it. We recapped our numbers up to 39 to help us when we need to talk about how much pocket money. 

Spring 2 Week 6

In the last week of half term, we have had an exciting week starting with our History re-enactment of the Roman invasion practicing the Testudo, wedge and triple line formation. We carried on our history lesson learning about the legacy the Romans left behind after being invaded, we found some interesting facts about what the public baths and sewage system were like. On Monday, we had the pleasure of watching a concert with the children who have been attending Rock Steady lessons. They all did an amazing job and it was a delight to watch our future rock stars. In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting fractions to get improper and mixed fractions, we have also been adding and subtracting mixed fractions from common fractions using different methods. In English, we have made a hybird report about the Romans. We used our history books, Roman books and iPads to gather information to help us write our set of instructions and a non-chronological report. We also wrote our letters out on the computer to Mr Dugdale on how we can make a difference with our recycling to save the environment. In Science, we planned what we need to make our own instruments using recycled materials to continue our English topic of recycling. On Tuesday, we made our Easter cards ready to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. In RE, we learnt about how the Jewish people were treated during WW2. We looked at our value of the week Justice and how Christians remembered God when forgving the soilders for their actions. On Thursday afternoon, we finished our Computing topic by editing our images on recycling and finished our powerpoint to persude people to recycle more. In Gymnastics, we had a fun session using different equipment to finish our Gymnastics unit. In Art we were finishing our art work using paint to add a different texture and having a mixed media approach to our paintings. In French we finished our topic on healthy eating by playing a team game of detectives to translate french sentences to english using our vocabulary we have learnt through the term. 

Spring 2 Week 5

On Wednesday, we had a very exciting trip to Ribchester Roman Museum. Patrick, the museum curator talked to us about the village of Ribchester and how it was a fort for horse back soldiers during the Roman’s reign over Britain. He showed us what it would have looked like and talked about the evidence that was found at the site to prove it. We then got to look at and handle some genuine Roman artefacts that had been found at the site as well as some replicas. It was super fun getting to try on lots of different Roman armour, we couldn’t believe how heavy the sword and shield were. Then we went outside to look at the ruins of the granary where the food would have been stored. We had lunch in the village hall and played some games. After lunch, we went back museum and completed a quiz set for us by Patrick. Everyone had a great time and learnt lots of new things about the Romans. In our English lessons this week, we have been looking at non fiction hybrid texts about the Romans. We have identified some of the features of non chronological reports and instructions. In Maths, we have been thinking about improper fractions and mixed numbers. We have converted between the two and also represented them on a number line. In Science, we have continued with our mini project for British Science Week about rabbits. We used the iPads to do some research about rabbits; their habitats, diet and their predators. We then went outside to look for suitable places around the school grounds to create a habitat for rabbits to encourage them to come and live here. We took photographs to help us with our design sketches when we came back into school. On Thursday afternoon in Gymnastics, we were using the equipment to complete different jumps thinking about our positions in the air and landing. We then had the chance to use the ropes and see who could get all the way to the top. After that we had Computing, where we altered some images of the earth and environment to illustrate the damage we are doing to our world. We then turned them into posters to persuade people to take more care of the environment. In Music, we looked at the song Frere Jaques again and we learnt to play the glockenspiels to accompany part of the song. In French, we looked again at the phrase je joue (I play) and learnt the new phrase je fais (I do) as well as some new sports such as de la peche (fishing), aux echecs (chess) and du cheval (horse riding). In Art, we used graphite pencils to go over our sketches from last week to make some parts darker and create shadows. Then we used oil pastels to shade them in. 

Spring 2 Week 4

It has been another exciting week in Year 4. On Wednesday, we had our outdoor learning session with Louise from Wild One Adventures. We began by splitting into the red and blue teams and using face paint and coloured tape to mark ourselves in our team colours. Before the game began we had to work together to build a guard around our team flag and also a jail to put members of the other team in. Once the game started, we had to try and capture the other teams flag without getting tug, if we were tug we were taken to jail. After that, we made some musical instruments using y shaped twigs and we also practiced our fire lighting skills. To finish, we picked some wild garlic and Louise made some delicious garlic bread. On Friday we also had a taster session of a sport called Jag Tag, which uses elements of Tag Rugby and American Football, which was lots of fun. In English, we finished our unit on the novel City of Rust, we did our performances of the legend we created in our groups and then rewrote them individually.  In Maths, we have been continuing to look at mixed numbers. We compared them using the greater than and less than signs and then put them into ascending and descending order. In Science, we put some birdseed on some drums and investigated what would happen to the birdseed when we hit them. We found out that the birdseed jumped up in the air and sometimes off the drum altogether because the skin of the drum was vibrating. In History, we found out how the Romans created roads and some of the reasons why they created them. We thought about how different groups of people would have felt about the roads, thinking about both positive and negative attitudes. In Art, we looked at some different painting techniques to create different effects. We then sketched an arrangement of objects on our tables thinking about the size and position ready to paint next week. In French, we recalled our days of the week and how to say verbs in the first person. We then started to create sentences saying what activities we do on different days for example Lundi je joue au football. Our Music linked to French this week, as we were learning to sing the Frere Jacques. 

Spring 2 Week 3

It has been another action packed and fun filled week in Year 4. On Tuesday, we had a Spirituality day all about Easter, where we moved around all the different classrooms and were taught by all the different teachers in mixed age groups. In each classroom, there was a different colour of salvation to explore through a variety of different activities. We all enjoyed working with different children from across school and getting to work with all the different teachers. In English this week, we have been thinking about legends and how they are passed down over generations, orally over many years. We worked in groups to create a legend about the events of the drone race from our novel City of Rust. We had to write what we were going to say as part of our legend and also decide how we would use our 'puppets' to act it out. In Maths, we have been learning more about fractions. We looked at fractions that total one and also what happens when we go beyond one to make mixed numbers. We then partitioned some mixed numbers and put them on a number line. In History this week, we thought about why the Romans built Hadrian's Wall and what the Picts reaction to it was. We wrote in role as Romans and Picts to show some of the different reactions. In P.S.H.E we thought about how it feels when someone calls us an unkind name. We also thought about some of the reasons why people might call each other unkind names and came up with some strategies that we could use instead of saying unkind things when we are feeling upset or angry. In Computing, we were looking at editing pictures and removing different parts of the pictures using a clone tool.  Friday was an extremely exciting day as we had a snow day. We did some learning from home that included a snow sculpture challenge and writing poems about snow. The Year 4 staff loved seeing all the photos of everyone having lots of fun in the snow on Seesaw. 

Spring 2 Week 2

It has been another exciting week in Year 4. We loved World Book Day and came to school in some fabulous costumes on Friday, it was very difficult to choose the best dressed finalists. As part of our World Book Day celebrations, we read the book The Day the Crayons Quit. We really enjoyed listening to the book being read and the different voices used for the crayons. We then thought about how the different crayons felt and what their complaints were. We wrote some conversations between the different crayons about their situations. We have also been continuing with our novel City of Rust and we have been studying the different characters in it and what they are like. In Maths, we started a new unit on fractions. We began by recapping some of the learning from Year 3 to ensure we had a good understanding of what fractions are, what they show and different ways to represent them before moving onto fractions that total one. In Science, we continued to look at how sounds are made. We use a tuning fork and some water to allow us to see the vibrations that are created when a sound is made. We also thought about which specific parts of different items vibrate in order to create the sounds. In History, we used some written Historical sources from eye witnesses to find out about Boudicca who she was and what she was like. In Art, we looked at using shades and tints of colours to create a 3D effect on some shapes that had been drawn on a grid. In Computing, we looked at some examples of photographs that had been taken and then altered, we identified the different ways that they had been changed and which tools had been used to do it.  In Gymnastics we were practising our cartwheels. In R.E. we thought about the words trust and betrayal and what they meant. We discussed examples of trust and betrayal from our own lives and from stories that we know. We looked at a Bible story where the disciples showed trust in Jesus. We then created posters about trust and betrayal. In Music, we looked at the song Let Your Spirit Fly again and thought about what style of music it was, how it made us feel and what instrument we could hear. In French, we started to look at some instructions with verbs in them that we are familiar with for example stand up, put  your hand up and sit down. We used these to help us learn some new verbs such as dance, jump and march and how to say that we do those things rather than give an instruction.

Spring 2 Week 1

This week we have started our new topic of Treasured Tales in Year 4. In English, we have begun to read a novel called City of Rust, which is set in a futuristic world made of rubbish. We have met some of the characters and are starting to find out what they are like. In our Maths learning, we have started to look at measures. We have been converting some measurements and also calculating the perimeter of regular and rectilinear shapes. On Tuesday, we started our new Science topic about sound. We played a guess the sound game and then learnt all about how sounds are made when something vibrates. In PSHE we thought about people whose duty it is keep us healthy and safe and what things we can do to help them keep us safe. In History, we started our topic about the Romans, we looked at the reasons why they wanted to invaded Britain and worked in groups to make presentations to explain this. In P.E. we had our first gymnastics session with Mrs Winward where we were looking at different types of rolls such as log roll, forwards roll, backwards roll and shoulder rolls. In Art, we looked at a mixed media picture by the artist Brianna McCarthy and discussed what things we liked and didn't like about it. We then used paints to make different shades of colours. In Music, we sang the song Let Your Spirit Fly and then learnt to play a section of it on the glockenspiels. In Computing, with Mrs Wardman, we started to identify that photographic images can be edited and changed. In French, we recapped how to say the days of the week in French. We completed some puzzles like word fits and wordsearches to help us get to know the words, then Madame Wardle challenged us to write them from memory, which was really tricky.   

Spring 1 Week 6

We have had yet another busy week as this half term draws to an end. In Maths, we have been practising written methods of division using the chunking method. We started off just taking one group away at a time and then moved onto taking larger groups away each time to make it more efficient. In English, we have been writing our own innovated version of Mulan using the strong female character we created last week. We had to remember to use fronted adverbials at the start of our sentences and also to link our paragraphs. In Science, we looked at the processes of evaporation and condensation thinking about the how the states of matter change throughout the process. We linked this to the water cycle.  In R.E. we looked at the Jewish celebration of Shabbat. We thought about why Jewish people celebrate it using some Bible extracts to help us. We then looked at how Shabbat is observed and what things Jewish people do during it. In Geography, we did a case study of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that struck in the Indian Ocean. We looked at the strength and magnitude of them and the destruction that they caused. We also discussed some of the ways they tried to rebuild the affected areas. In P.E. we continued to practise our throwing and catching as part of our fielding skills and then applied them to a game of circular rounders. In French, we recapped the French foods that we know and our opinion phrases to say if we liked them or not. We then added some new phrases to say if they were good or bad for our health. We ended the half term with our behaviour treat, we had a film afternoon where we watched Mulan and enjoyed some popcorn. In Computing, it was safer Internet Day this week, so we did some Internet safety with Mrs Wardman. We complete an A to Z challenge to identify lots of good things about the Internet and being able to be online. We then thought about some of the problems that can occur from being online, such as scams and cyber bullying and how they can make people feel. We then designed our own Internet safety character. 

Spring 1 Week 5

This week in Maths, we have been dividing. We used our times tables knowledge to help us with some mental divisions and then we started to use repeated subtraction for a written method. On Friday, we took part in the NSPCC Number Day. We all dressed up for digits and it was wonderful to see the different and imaginative costumes that the children had made. We took part in some number challenges including one where we had to work together as a team answering Maths questions to earn pieces of a key. Madame Wardle also linked our French lesson to Number Day and we practised our French numbers up to 20. We then played an open the box game where we had to choose a box and then identify the food item that was in it, in French. We had to try and avoid the boxes with empty plates and cups though. In English, we compared the character of Mulan to Adelita from another story we have read called The Dragon Slayer. We then planned our own innovated version of Mulan with a new strong female character. In Science, we began to think about the process of freezing and how liquids turn to solids. We then investigated which liquid freezes the fastest, by putting a range of different liquids into the freezer and checking them every half an hour. In Geography, we thought about some of the reasons why people live near volcanoes or in earthquake zones. We also thought about some of the ways people try to protect buildings in earthquake zones. In R.E. we looked at the word authority and what it meant. We then thought about different people in our lives who have authority. As part of our D.T. learning, we designed a lookout shelter for Mulan thinking about the materials we would use and how we would join and strengthen them. In P.E. we continued to practise our throwing and catching skills to use when we are fielding and then used them in a game of rounders. In Music, we were listening and learning to sing a song called Old Joe Clark that mixes Jazz and folk styles of music.  

Spring 1 Week 4

This week in English, we have read more of the story of Mulan and looked at collecting evidence about the different characters to back up our points. We have also been thinking about how the different characters felt when Mulan left her family. We have also been creating a description of the mountain setting and using our grammar features to be creative in our writing. In Maths, we have been multiplying numbers; 2 digits by 1 digit and 3 digits by 1 digit, explaining how we can use the informal mental and formal written methods to calculate them. We identified how we can use the times table facts that we know and then scale up by multiplying the answer by 10 and 100. In Geography, we looked at where the world’s most active earthquakes and volcanic zones are today. We used https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/ to see where they are and identified the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire.’ We created factual postcards showing the things we have learnt about volcanoes and earthquakes so far. The weather was on our side this week and in P.E, we ran our daily mile followed by practising our over arm throwing and catching accuracy as part of our fielding skills. We put these skills to practise and enjoyed playing a circular version of rounders. In R.E, we looked at where Jesus’ authority came from and why was he given the authority. We read some stories from the Bible to identify the miracles he performed and recognised who he called Father and that he was truly the Son of God. In Outdoor Learning, we started off looking at an Ordnance Survey map to identify the different symbols and orientate the map to where we were. Then in groups we created a picture of Mulan using natural resources and voted for the best picture. Then we imagined we are in an earthquake zone and created shelters using sticks, sheets, and any other natural materials we could find. Then we created a volcano by building a frame structure from sticks and used natural materials to clad it to make it look like a volcano. After that, we created some eruptions. In Computing, we looked at using loops when writing programmes to create shapes. We explored the effect of changing the number of times a task is repeated and predicting the outcome containing a count controlled loop. In P.S.H.E, we discussed being picture wise online and which pictures are safe or unsafe to post by considering a number of factors e.g. is the picture appropriate for others to see. In D.T, we explored the different structures to make a pavilion and evaluated the pavilions we made in the previous week. We looked at designing a pavilion for Mulan to take shelter in when she was on guard duty.  In French, we recapped all the French foods we had in our song last week. We started to recognise them in their written form by matching the words to pictures of the foods.

Spring 1 Week 3

This week has been a very cold and winters week, but we have wrapped up well and enjoyed playing in the snow at playtimes. In our English learning, we began the week giving our performances of the ballad of Mulan, use this link to view them https://stpaulshoddlesden.primarysite.media/playlist/year-4-2022-2023-1. Then we read some of our narrative version of Mulan from our book.  We have been thinking about how the different characters felt at different events in the story we have read so far, especially Mulan and her father. In Maths, we have been continuing to build our knowledge and understanding of multiplying and dividing numbers by 10 and 100. We also started looking at calculations like 30 x 4 and identified how we can use the times tables facts that we know and then scale up by multiplying the answer by 10. In Science, we continued to look at the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We had lots of fun exploring some ice hands to help us see and feel what a solid can look like. We then left it in the warm classroom to show us the process of melting, where a solid is heated and turns into a liquid. In Geography, we used our models of tectonic plates that we made last week to show how the plates move into each other and how this can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. We then looked at the different parts of a volcano and what happens underneath the surface to lead to an eruption. In R.E. we heard the story of Jesus walking on water form the Bible. We then thought about how this showed us that Jesus was truly the son of God. We discussed other miracles that Jesus performed and how they also showed us Jesus’ authority over nature. In Computing, we looked at the repeat function when writing programmes to draw shapes. We explored how this can be a more efficient way to draw a range of shapes and patterns. In P.E. we practised our throwing and catching accuracy as part of our fielding skills. In Music, we listened to a piece of music and thought about how it made us feel. We identified the time signature as being 4 time and it have a steady tempo. We also thought about some of the instruments we could hear. We then had a go at singing the song together. In French, we learnt how to say some new foods in French using a song. We also used our opinion phrases from last week to say if we liked them or not. As part of our worship, we have looked at Chinese New Year. We found out why it is celebrated and how it is celebrated and the we created some ‘Happy Chinese New Year’ cards. 

Spring 1 Week 2

This week in English, we have been looking at the Ballad of Mulan, which is an ancient ballad that the story of Mulan is based on. We have explored the meaning of the old and very tricky vocabulary and identified what it is telling us. We have also been creating a performance of a section of the poem thinking about our using our voices and bodies to create a good performance. In Maths, we have been multiplying numbers by 10 and 100, explaining how the digits move and how their value changes. We then moved onto division and have looked at diving numbers by 10, looking at how the digits move a different way.  In Science, we looked at the different properties of solids, liquids and gases and then explored some different materials and identified if they were a solid, liquid or a gas. In Geography, we started to think about earthquakes. We looked at the different layers of the earth, what tectonic plates are and how they can cause earthquakes to happen. In P.E. we practised our under arm throwing and tried to make them more accurate and into a target. We really enjoyed playing a circular version of rounders. In D.T we looked at what pavilions are and some different pavilions from around the world. We then used sweets and cocktail sticks to explore different ways that we could build a sturdy structure. We had to think about the shape, the base and ways to reinforce them. On Wednesday the rain thankfully stopped for a couple of hours whilst some of the class took part in Bikeability level 1.  We learnt how to check our bikes over to ensure they are safe to ride and how to fit a helmet correctly. We then practised riding our bikes through a course and stopping effectively. Once we were feeling confident, we started to look behind us over our shoulder and taking one hand off the handlebars to signal. Children who did not take part in the Bikeability stayed inside with Miss Whalley and did some art work using watercolours, based on the Ancient Chinese Shang Shui style. This style is based around landscape pictures, that includes mountains and rivers, but is not always realistic in the colours and images that it uses. In French, we talked about how we can live a healthy lifestyle, which is what our topic is about this term. We matched some foods with their French names and also started to express our opinion about whether we like them or not. 

Spring 1 Week 1

It has been wonderful to have the children back in school this week and to make a start to our new topic of Amazing Asia. Although is had been a short week, we have managed to pack lots of learning in. In English, we started to look at Mulan. We recapped what we knew from previous learning and experiences, watching the trailer to help us. We then thought about the character of Mulan and what she is like. We used a thesaurus to find higher level vocabulary and to create expanded noun phrases. In Maths, we started our multiplication unit. We learnt what factors are and then used factor monsters to help us identify the factors of different numbers. We also looked at how we can use factors to help us calculate by breaking bigger numbers down into their factor pairs. In P.E. we were looking at underarm and overarm throwing skills for our striking and fielding unit. We discussed when you would need to use each type of throw and looked at the technique for each one. In PSHE, we thought about risks, hazards and dangers. We made sure we understood what each one meant and then identified whether scenarios were a risk, hazard or danger. In French, we greeted each other for the new year in the traditional French way by shaking hands and saying 'Bonne Annee'. Then we though about food where we use the French name such as croissant, baguette and crepe. We also talked about some of the foods that are traditionally eaten in France. 

Autumn 2 Week 7

We have had a very busy, but very fun end to the term. we spent sometime rehearsing our carol concert and we loved performing it for our families on Wednesday and Thursday. It was wonderful to be able to do it in person again after 2 years of virtual ones. In English, we continued to read the Piped Piper and we used evidence form the text to help us say what the mayor of Hamelin was like.   We also started to think about whether the Pied Piper was justified in taking the children away from the townspeople. We tried to think of both sides of the argument in preparation for a debate. In Maths, we enjoyed doing some Christmas based logic puzzles with Mrs Scholes. In History, we learned about the Suffragettes and some of the criminal actions they took in order to try and get the vote for women. We looked at a speech that Emmaline Pankhurst gave to see why they resorted to criminal actions. We made our final batches of biscuits for our Elf Enterprise for DT, which were a success, lots of people who bought hem said they were delicious. Once we finished them, we evaluated the whole process thinking about what things went well and what things we would improve if we did it again.  On Friday, we made some Christmas cards for our families and enjoyed doing some Christmas puzzles and activities. The main event that we were all excited for was opening our Secret Santa gifts. You can see from our faces on the photos that everyone did a great job and we loved our presents. 

All of the Year 4 team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in 2023

Autumn 2 Week 6

It has been another very busy week in Year 4. In English, we have been reading our new fiction text The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Michael Morpurgo. We have considered how the townspeople would have felt when the rats invaded and also when the Pied Piper took all the children away. We have written formal letters to try and persuade the Pied Piper to give the children back. In Maths, we have been revisiting some addition skills from the previous unit. We really enjoyed trying to work out how you would score enough points on a target board to win some Christmas teddys. In Science, we recapped what vertebrates and invertebrates are and the 5 different groups vertebrates can be grouped into. We looked at the properties of each group and then created posters to show this. In History, we looked at the punishment of transportation. We looked at what it was and what it was like to be transported using sources of evidence. We thought about the reasons why transportation became unpopular and stopped being used. On Tuesday, we had a very exciting morning at King George's Hall watching Jack and the Beanstalk. The children really enjoyed the performance and it was wonderful to see them laughing, clapping, booing and singing along.  In R.E. we reminded ourselves about how Jesus is the light of the world and looked at Christingles. We discussed each part of the Christingle and what it represents. In French, we talked about our own Christmas traditions before talking about how Christmas is celebrated in France. We then used our detective skills to try and work out what some French Christmas words were. For the ones we couldn't work out, we used a French/English dictionary to find out. In D.T. we have been busy making our biscuits for our Elf Enterprise project. Mrs Ahmad has been the head baker and has been working with the children to bake and package the batches of biscuits. We also created some posters to advertise our biscuits. We used alliteration and a slogan to make them memorable. The biscuits can now be ordered from the website on the link below.

https://www.stpaulshoddlesden.org.uk/elf-enterprise-5/

Autumn 2 Week 5

We began the week with our outdoor learning session. To start off we played a game to help us remember the different compass directions. Then we imagined that we were peace enforcers in Epping forest on the hunt for the criminal Dick Turpin. We created wanted posters for him using sticks and mud as our pens and ink. Then we swapped roles to be Dick Turpin on the run from the peace enforcers and created hiding places within the woods to avoid being caught. In our English lessons, we started to create our magazine pages using the writing we did last week. We considered the best way to layout it out using the different layout devices such as text boxes, subheadings and pictures. We then moved onto a new unit and read an extract of text form our new book. We looked at the text and identified what things it told us about the new book and also what questions it created. In Maths, we have been completing some assessments of all the learning we have done this half term. In Music, we continued to look at the song looking in the mirror and we learnt to play along with it on the glockenspiels. In P.E. we continued to practice our Charleston dance moves with a partner and we choreographed a short performance using them. In P.S.H.E.we thought about the difference between friends and acquaintances and which people in our lives we would class as friends and acquaintances. We also thought about the word consent, what it means and times when we need to get consent before we do things. In D.T. we worked brilliantly as a team to make hot chocolate bombs to sell at the Christmas Fair on Saturday. We all worked on different parts of the process, melting the chocolate, making the shells, filling them and decorating them. They looked fabulous and sold out in record time at the fair. We also made labels for them to display the ingredients and designed posters to advertise them. 
 

Autumn 2 Week 4

This week, Year 4 have started to look at area in Maths. We made sure we understood what area was and then counted squares inside shapes to work out the areas. In English, we have been writing our hybrid magazine pages that include a non-chronological report about crime and punishment in the past, a biography about Dick Turpin’s life and a discussion about which punishments are the most effective. In Science, we used magnifying glasses to study leaves that we had collected and identified their different features. We then created branching classification keys to identify them. In History, we looked at law enforcers over time and put them into a chronological time line. We also looked at similarities and differences between them. In Music, we listened to the song Look in the Mirror and thought about what the lyrics meant. We also identified some of the instruments that were used including an electronic synthesiser. We played the glockenspiels to accompany the song. In French, we learnt the phrase en vacences to mean on holiday and put it into our sentence. We also learnt the vocabulary for some new forms of transport that we could use to get on holiday. In R.E. we looked at different ways that artwork can show that Jesus is the light of the world. We then used chalk pastels to create our own pieces of art showing Jesus as the light of the world. In Computing, we planned a podcast, thinking about music or sound effects we would use and what we would say. In P.E. we continued to learn Charleston dance moves, but this week working with a partner and trying to mirror them. In D.T. We started to design the packaging for our Elf Enterprise biscuits. 

Autumn 2 Week 3

This week in English, we have been looking a non chronological reports. We created our own quizzes about a non chronological report about crime and punishment in Victorian times. We also looked at paragraphs and ensuring we have information about similar things in the same paragraph. In Maths, we began to complete subtraction calculations that needed more than one exchange. We also thought about making sure we are using efficient methods when we are calculating. We finished the week by thinking about two step problems, where you need to add something together before you can subtract to calculate the answer. In History, we found out more about the life of Dick Turpin, by examining different sources of evidence. We then created a wanted poster that described some of the crimes he had committed. For our D.T. this week, we thought about how we could adapt our basic biscuit recipe to make it more 'Christmassy' considering the flavour and appearance. We also started to discuss how much it costs to make the biscuits and set a budget to keep the cost within, so we can make some profit. In P.E. we learnt some more Charleston dance moves and we started to choreograph some routines using all the moves we have learnt so far. In R.E. we thought about the idea that Jesus is the light of the world. We looked at Bible extracts and highlighted parts where Jesus was described as light. We then created postcards with metaphors to show that Jesus is the light of the world. In Science, we looked at vertebrates and invertebrates and how they are different. We also looked at what exoskeletons are and which type of animals have them. In French, we enjoyed playing Blankety Blank with Madame Wardle. She gave us a French sentence with a blank and we had to write the missing word on our whiteboards. In Music, we continued to use the Garage Band App to build up a piece of music, using different instruments and sounds. We added our own vocal onto our pieces and used the auto tune function to make us sound like pop stars! On Wednesday, we had visit from the local Police Support Officers who came to talk to us about their new mascot.  

Autumn 2 Week 2

It has been another packed week in Year 4 and around school. We had an exciting visit from Rock Steady Music on Wednesday. We learnt about some different electric instruments such as guitars, drums and keyboards and got to sing along to some popular songs. In our workshop, some people had the chance to form their own band and play the instruments. In English, we have been looking at a specific type of recount, a biography. We have looked at the features and then played a game of guess the biography from some extracts. We also looked at a biography of Dick Turpin, the highwayman, to link in with our History learning. In Maths, we have been using written methods of subtraction and we have been learning how to exchange when the calculation in a column would give us a negative answer. We have looked at making exchanges in different places within the calculation. In History, we thought about some of the punishments that were given for crimes in the past such as flogging and the stocks and how our punishments have then changed over time. In D.T. we used a basic recipe to bake some plain biscuits. We baked two different batches, one that was small and thin and one that was bigger and thicker. We then compared them for their appearance, texture and taste. We thought about ways that we could improve the recipe by adding things to the mix or to decorate them. In Science, we thought about different types of animals and how they can be classified into groups due to their attributes. We started to think about vertebrates and invertebrates and looked at some pictures of their skeletons. In P.E. we started to learn some Charleston dance moves. We practiced them side by side with a partner trying to make sure we were in time with each other. In Computing, we learnt about input and output devices for sound and identified some of them. We then recorded ourselves saying some sentences using voice note on the ipads. In French, to fit in with our topic about transport, we looked at the Channel Tunnel, when and how it was built and what the journey through it is like. With Mr Richards, in our Music lesson we continued to build our knowledge of Garage Band on the ipads. We added to our drum beats from last week with synthesiser keyboards and strings, we also looked at how you can record vocals and auto tune them.

Autumn 2 Week 1

We have had a fantastic start to the new half term and have enjoyed starting our new topic Factual Footprints. In English, we are celebrating Non-Fiction November by looking at magazines. We have had lots of fun exploring a wide range of magazine articles and identifying the different non-fiction text types that they contain. We have also looked at some of the layout features they have and have investigated what some of the challenging vocabulary means. In Maths, we recapped our learning on using written methods of addition and extended it to adding 3 numbers that made the exchange larger than 1. We then moved onto subtraction, we looked at using a number line to count on before moving onto using written column methods. We have had a biscuit filled week, in science, we had a very fun lesson sorting and classifying types of biscuits using branching keys. We thought about the similarities and differences between the different biscuits to help us create questions for our keys. Also, on Tuesday in our DT lesson, we were tasting different biscuits to evaluate existing products to give us ideas for when we design our own biscuits. We thought about the appearance, smell, texture and taste as well as looking at what the packaging was like. In History, we introduced our new topic of crime and punishment by discussing about what rules and laws we have to follow and why. We then thought about what happens when we don’t follow them. We looked at some different crimes and decided if we thought they were crimes in the past, modern day or both. In R.E. we thought about the difference between light and dark and how they can make us feel. We then wrote poems about  light and dark using some imagery.  In French, we looked at the question Comment vas-tu en France? (how do you get to France) and then learnt the names of some popular modes of transport to enable us to answer the question with Je vais en France en avion ( I go to France by plane). In Music, we discussed how some artists changed the style of popular music in the 1980s through using electronic synthesizers and other technology. We listened to some examples of this. We then used the Garage Band App on the ipads to create our own synthetic pop beats.