WC 23.09.24

This week:

English - This week in English we have used our writer’s knowledge that we gained last week to write a diary entry about the environment around us. We have included wonderful descriptions and identified how we feel when our world and environment is not treated the way it should be. We have finished the week planning our own letters about a part in in our local environment.

Maths - This week in maths we continued deepening our understanding of place value. Building on previous steps where children explored numbers up to 1,000, they are now exploring numbers beyond 1,000 up to 10 000. The initial focus was counting in 1,000s. forwards and backwards from any given multiple of 1,000. They were then challenged to use different place value charts to identify any number up to 10 000.

It would be a great help if you can write down numbers up to 10 000 and ask your child to read it out but also to try and write it in words.

Science – We have continued with our topic – Rocks and Soil. This week we compared and grouped together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties. The children were challenged to find their type of rock by using the questions in the dichotomous key.  Ask your child if they can explain what sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks are.

 History – At the beginning of the week, we had a very enjoyable trip to the Verulamium Museum. The children all really enjoyed the market workshop. If they have not told you about it yet, ask them. Some of them especially mentioned the coins fascinated them.

This week in school, we focused on the influence the Romans had on Britain. The children found out that many aspects of Roman life – including those found in Pompeii can still be found in Britain today. ​ For example, aqueducts, Roman baths, roads, cats’ eyes​.

 Times tables

To start, all the children will focus on the following tables: 2, 5, 10, 3, 4 and 11. Every Friday, the children will have a timed times tables mix test. They will get 10 seconds to answer the question.

All children have different learning styles. Some are very good at skip counting for example 2,4 6, 8…. Other children might need it more visually, so display the times tables around the house. Finally, some children might benefit from learning it like a song.  We will try this in class, but you can do this at home too.

3 times tables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG8hRwH3JJM

4 times tables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMdE6ghY4CE

We have sung the 3 times tables song a few times this week. Have they requested it at home yet?

PE Kit Reminder: Please ensure that your child comes to school wearing their PE kit on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

WC 16.09.24

This week:

English -  This week in English we have been immersing ourselves in our new vehicle text ‘Dear Earth’ which is a letter in story form. Students made a prediction based on some clues and an image from the text. We then wrote ‘spine poems’ about a forest. The children came up with fantastic ideas for our poems.

Maths - This week in maths we spent some time getting accustomed to the new maths platform Magma Maths. We have also started our new topic place value where we have looked at numbers up to 1000 and used our knowledge of place value to partition our numbers into hundreds, tens and ones. The children all did really well, getting to grips with the new way we are completing our maths work.

Science – We’ve started our new topic – Rocks and Soil today. The children had the opportunity to handle different stones, for example, limestone, slate, granite, marble and chalk. We had to describe the different stones and then carried out 3 tests. We tested the rocks' hardness, permeability and acidity.

History – We continued learning more about Pompeii. We’ve looked at pictures to find out about what life was like in a Roman town at this time. We are looking forward to our trip on Monday to the Verulamium museum in St Albans.

RE - In RE our big question this half term is ‘Why do people pray?  We’ve had a discussion, and the children explained what they think prayer is and where and when we can pray. They all agreed that it is a conversation with God and that it can take place any time of the day, and it does not matter where you are. They then identified who they think loves them and drew beautiful pictures for our RE book. Next time we will discuss ‘what is the difference between prayer and magic.’

Times tables

To start, all the children will focus on the following tables: 2, 5, 10, 3, 4 and 11. Every Friday, the children will have a timed times tables mix test. They will get 10 seconds to answer the question.

All children have different learning styles. Some are very good at skip counting for example 2,4 6, 8…. Other children might need it more visually, so display the times tables around the house. Finally, some children might benefit from learning it like a song.  We will try this in class, but you can do this at home too.

3 times tables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG8hRwH3JJM

4 times tables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMdE6ghY4CE

PE Kit Reminder: Please ensure that your child comes to school wearing their PE kit on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

School trip to St Albans: Monday 16th September.  Can all children please be at school at 8 am for us to leave on the coach at 8:30 am.  We aim to be back at school for normal pick-up time.

Bonus!!

One of the children in our class completed her own research about volcanoes and produced a little booklet which is now displayed on our Pompeii board in class. You can have a look at her booklet in the gallery section.  

I would like to encourage other children to do the same. They can also make some thing. Let their imagination go and they can present their work in which ever way they would like. I would love to see it and share it with the class and Mrs Denham.

WC 02.09.24

Immersion week 

We had a fantastic two days in Year 4 this week. The children settled in quick, and they were all ready for the challenges of the day.

One of the highlights was our hands-on volcano experiment, where we used simple household items like lemon and baking soda to create a memorable learning experience. Witnessing the eruption and reactions was not only educational but also a moment of sheer delight for both the children and myself. You can see photos of our lemon volcanoes in the photo gallery.

I want to say thank you to you for your efforts in dressing up the children for the occasion. Your involvement undoubtedly added an extra element of excitement to the day and made it even more special for all involved.

As we look ahead to the coming week, I would like to provide a couple of reminders:

PE Kit Reminder: Please ensure that your child comes to school wearing their PE kit on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Parent Information Evening: A friendly reminder that our Parent Information Evening is scheduled for Thursday, 12th September, at 6 pm. We will start the evening in the classroom for a brief session before Mrs Denham provides valuable school information in the hall.