Year 4: Blog items

Year 4 Blog - Friday 19th May 2023

Date: 19th May 2023 @ 1:18pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 19^th May 2023

We have had a very busy week in Year 4! Here’s a brief overview of what we have been learning:

In English, we continued to explore noun phrases and tried to write our own which also included a prepositional phrase. In order to write an expanded noun phrase we:

1. Chose a noun - for example,  cookie
2. Added a determiner - The cookie
3. Chose 2 adjectives - The tasty, crumbly cookie
4. Included a prepositional phrase - The tasty, crumbly cookie with the marshmallow pieces
5. Finished the sentence - The tasty, crumbly cookie with the marshmallow pieces fell on the floor.

Next week we hope to include some noun phases / expanded noun phrases in our writing.      

In Maths, we compared and ordered angles.  We also identified vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry in shapes, completed symmetrical figures and named and identified the 3 different types triangle.   

In RE, we listened to the story of Paul and discussed how he changed. Following this, we learnt about some of the places Paul visited to spread the Good News, and how the Holy Spirit gave Paul new life and happiness.  

In French, we practised spelling number words to 12 using our phonics to help. Then we moved on to learning the vocabulary for parts of the face.

In PE, we took part in some athletic activities in preparation for our sports day.

In Science, we experimented with our home-made string telephones. We investigated how they worked, how the sound travelled and what stopped the telephone from working. We also tried to make improvements if needed. Well done Year 4 – you can see some pictures of our science investigation here.

This week we also attended the parish mass on Monday morning. Following this, we enjoyed juice and cake in the school hall as part of our First Holy Communion Celebrations. You can see some pictures here. In addition, we attended the Ascension Day Mass on Thursday afternoon.

The CEO of the Foxton Centre in Preston also visited on Friday morning.  He gave us a very interesting talk about how they help the homeless community of Preston. 

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Please discuss what you have read with the person who has listened to you read.

Spellings

Next week our spellings are all homophones – words which sound the same but are spelt differently. You will be tested on these words next Friday. (26^th May 2023).

The words are:

weather       whether      who's      whose     medal     meddle

missed      mist       there      their     they're     

aloud       allowed      groan      grown

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 11’s

Start at 0 and count up to 132 and back again

0   11   22    etc             132   121   110 etc

Start at 20 and count up to 141 and back again

20   31   42   etc          141    130   119   etc

(TIPS - When counting up, add on 10 and then add another 1

When counting down, subtract 10 and then take away another 1)

Times tables

You will be tested on your tables target next Wednesday (24^th May 2023). Please practise every day. Remember you can practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please also practise the ‘Multiplication Tables Check’ on timestables.co.uk

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A symmetry challenge
• A times tables challenge based on the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog - Friday 12th May 2023

Date: 12th May 2023 @ 12:46pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 12^th May 2023

Another very busy week in Year 4! Here’s a brief overview of what we have been learning:

In English, we investigated contrasting settings. We read two descriptions of the grotto of the fire fiend and considered how the words and phrases described the setting. We also explored noun phrases and had great fun writing sentences which included interesting adjectives.    

In Maths, we subtracted two numbers with one decimal place using the formal written method. We needed to be confident with our number facts and this is something which some of us need to practise a little bit more. We also started our new topic - 2d shape.  We started by identifying acute and obtuse angles and understanding what these words meant.  (An acute angle is less than a right angle. An obtuse angle is larger than a right angle, but less than a straight line.)

In RE, we learnt how the Holy Spirit gave courage to Peter and John. We hot seated Peter and John, and this helped us to understand how the Holy Spirit confirmed their faith in Jesus and gave them the courage they needed to speak out about the Good New, even when they were threatened.

In French, we produced the grand finale of our Matisse project.  We described our picture in French, remembering to put the adjectives after the nouns and make them agree. (A feminine noun needs a feminine form of the adjective etc). Well done Y4 - these will be on display now to show everyone your amazing French!

In PE, we continued with our striking and fielding topic.  We learnt how to bat off a tee and then played mini games of ‘cricket’ which involved all the players on the batting team running and all the fielders throwing and catching to each other.  This ensured everyone was actively involved in the game.

We also perfected our hymns and words for the parent assembly.  We all worked really hard to make sure we could be heard clearly, didn’t rush when we were speaking and knew exactly when we needed to speak.  Well done to everyone in Year 4 you were fantastic.

Thank you also to everyone who came to our Parent Assembly, we hope you enjoyed it.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Look carefully at any descriptions – what makes them descriptive? Can you use any of the words in your own writing?

Spellings

Next week we will be revising apostrophes for possession, including singular and plural, therefore there will be no words to learn.  We will be practising this each day in class and you will be tested on this rule next Friday. (19^th May 2023).

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 9’s

Start at 0 and count up to 108 and back again

0   9   18    etc             108   99   90 etc

Start at 20 and count up to 146 and back again

20   29   38   47          146  137   128   119   etc

(TIPS - When counting up, add on 10 and take one away

When counting down, subtract 10 and add one back on)

Times tables

You will be tested on your tables target next Wednesday (17^th May 2023). Please practise every day. Remember you can practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please also practise the ‘Multiplication Tables Check’ on timestables.co.uk

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• An acute and obtuse angles challenge, including comparing and ordering angles
• A times tables challenge based on all the times tables

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

AS YOU ONLY HAVE 2 SUMDOG CHALLENGES THIS WEEK, PLEASE TAKE SOME MORE TIME TO PRACTISE YOUR TABLES !

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

The Year 4 Team

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your First Holy Communion Celebrations.  

Year 4 Blog - Friday 5th May 2023

Date: 5th May 2023 @ 3:39pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 5^th May 2023

We have only been in school for 4 days, but we have been very busy!  Here’s a brief outline of what we have been learning:

In English, we wrote our ideas for our parent assembly. We then practised performing our songs and readings. We tried hard to put expression into our reading - speaking slowly and clearly - and at a volume which could be heard by the audience. This week, we also worked hard on our handwriting, making sure that anything that we wrote looked beautiful on the page. 

In Maths, we practised counting on to find a difference – this method was most efficient when the numbers in the calculation were close to a multiple of 10 or 100. In addition, we consolidated our knowledge of column addition – adding more than 2 numbers together with up to 4 digits, and 2 numbers with one decimal place.

In RE, we learnt about Pentecost.  We listened to an account of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and to another when Peter addressed the crowd and discussed the effect of the Holy Spirit on people’s lives.  We also looked in detail at a picture depicting Pentecost and described the people, symbols and colours we could see.

In French, in made a collage in the style of Matisse and began to describe our pictures. There are some beautiful pictures and a great start to the descriptions. Magnifique, Year 4!

In PE, we practised our throwing and catching skills again and then played a game which involved batters and fielders.  Well done Year 4 – our overarm throwing and catching is certainly improving.

In Science, we investigated the link between the pitch made by musical instruments and their features. They described the patterns they found such as the thicker the guitar string, the lower the pitch.  For next week, please make a string telephone. A sheet of instructions is provided. Ask someone at home to help you and remember to thank them for their time and assistance.

In PSHE, we talked about self-control and how as we are growing up, we need to be more mindful of our actions and the things that we say.  

In Art, we finished our pictures for our parent assembly. These look beautiful and we are looking forward to sharing these with you at the assembly.

We also enjoyed celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III. We all dressed in red, white and blue and went onto the field for a picnic.  You can see some pictures of us enjoying ourselves here.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Look carefully at any descriptions and see if you can identify any noun phrases.

Spellings

Here are this week’s spellings. You will be tested on these words next Friday (12^th May 2023).

centre         probably      separate      library         occasionally

peculiar       straight       remember    possible       question

famous         difficult       increase       interest       ordinary

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 10’s

Start at 76 and count up to 256 and back again

76  86   96 etc             256   246  236 etc

Start at 32.5 and count up to 152.5 and back again

32.5   33.5   35.5          152.5   142.5   132.5  etc

Times tables

You will be tested on your tables target next Wednesday (10^th May 2023). Please practise every day. Remember you can practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please also practise the ‘Multiplication Tables Check’ on timestables.co.uk

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables
• A column addition and subtraction challenge

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Enjoy the Coronation and the Bank Holiday weekend.

The Year 4 Team

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING IN YOUR STRING TELEPHONE NEXT THURSDAY

Year 4 Blog Friday 28th April 2023

Date: 28th Apr 2023 @ 4:00pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 28^th April 2023

Welcome to the first blog of the Summer Term. It has been lovely to see everyone again this week and although it’s been a little bit chilly the sun has been shining a little bit! Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we learnt how to identify, select and effectively use pronouns.  We also wrote a description of the water goddess and the ‘Ceremony of the Full Moon’ using our senses and vocabulary from the novel.    

In Maths, we learnt how to find fractions of numbers using a bar model split into equal parts.  We used counters to share an amount equally and then found unit (eg 1/3   1/4   1/5) and non-unit (eg 2/3   ¾    2/5) amounts. Following this, we used bar modelling to help add and subtract fractions with the same denominator.    

In RE, we started our new topic – New Life. We listened to a story and then talked about our own experiences of feeling a bit miserable or something upsetting us, and then something happened which brightened our day and made us feel alive.  We also considered what we learnt from the experience and how good news changed the way we felt. 

In French, we learnt lots of different ways of spelling the 'ay' sound which I thought was difficult, but the children proved me wrong! Then we looked again some artwork by Matisse and described them.  Some children excelled themselves - super French writing Y4! Next week, we'll make our own picture in the style of Matisse.

In PE, we started our striking and fielding topic.  We started by practising throwing and catching both underarm and overarm and the played a mini game similar to cricket.  We will be developing our fielding and batting skills over the coming weeks!

In Science, we carried out a practical experiment around the school to help us recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear.  We were surprised to find out that sound travels best through a solid, then a liquid and then a gas! Look at some of our experiments here.

In Geography, we recapped some of our findings from the Formby trip. We will be creating a PowerPoint to highlight the impact of climate change on our local coastline.  This is a work in progress and will take a few weeks to complete.

In PSHE, we described how someone could respond to, and manage feelings in different circumstances.  We read different scenarios and discussed how the main character might be feeling and what they might do and say at the time. Finally, we thought about who the character could talk to after the situation. This was an interesting and thought-provoking discussion – well done Year 4.

In Art, we painted some pictures for our parent assembly.

Have a look at our Summer Term Class Overview to see what else we will be learning this term.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Look out for speech marks and pronouns when you are reading.  Look carefully at the punctuation used with inverted commas and think carefully about what noun the pronoun has replaced.

Spellings

Here are this week’s spellings. You will be tested on these words next Friday (5^th May 2023).

corrode        corrosion     intrude        intrusion

conclude       conclusion     comprehend comprehension

suspend       suspension   decide         decision

erode           erosion        expand         expansion

Counting

This week, please practise counting in fractions  

Start at ½ and count up to 10 and back again

½   1   1 ½    etc                       10   9 ½   9  etc

Start at 1/3 and count up to 4 and back again

1/3   2/3   1   1 1/3                              4   3 2/3   3 1/3   3   etc

Times tables

You will be tested on your tables target next Wednesday (3^rd May 2023). Please practise every day. Remember you can practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please also practise the ‘Multiplication Tables Check’ on timestables.co.uk

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on all the tables

AND a class competition based on adding and subtracting fractions – have fun!

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Thursday 6th April 2023

Date: 6th Apr 2023 @ 8:21am

Happy Easter and Happy Easter Holiday

We have had a fantastic last week of term in Year 4.  The sunshine on Monday and Tuesday really helped too!

Here is a brief overview of this week’s learning:

In English, we revised the rules for writing dialogue.  We then discussed different words for ‘said’ and how Lila and the chief pirate (Rambashi) might speak.  Following this, we write a scene which included dialogue between these two characters.

In Maths, we practised our mental addition and subtraction skills.  We learnt and refined the strategies of bridging through 10, and compensating using a number line.

In RE, we learnt more about Holy Week and completed a beautiful piece of work in our books which showed our understanding of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  We also took part in a class worship which was led by some of the children in Year 4.

In DT, we finished our sewing projects.  We also evaluated our creations, describing what we felt went well, what didn’t go so well, and whether the product was fit for purpose.  You can see some pictures of our finished items here. 

On Tuesday afternoon, we also took part in an Easter Liturgy in church which was led by Year 6.

Well done for all your hard work this term Year 4.  We hope you have a lovely Easter Holiday - make sure you enjoy yourselves and spend time having fun with your friends and families.

We look forward to seeing you again on Monday 24^th April 2023 in your summer uniforms.

Please remember to keep reading over the holiday!

The Year 4 Team.

Year 4 Blog Friday 31st March 2023

Date: 31st Mar 2023 @ 1:03pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 31^st March 2023

Welcome to your Friday blog. 

Everyone looked fabulous on Thursday when they dressed up for World Book Day! You can see some pictures of us in our costumes here.

It’s been another very busy week in Year 4 – here’s what we have been learning:

In English, we started our new novel, The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman.  We looked carefully at the front cover and made predictions about the plot and themes of the novel.  In addition, we were introduced to some key characters, Lila, Chulak, Hamlet and Lalchand.  We used evidence from the text to describe the main character, Lila.  We also read the stories we had published to both Year 5 and Year 6. You can see some pictures of our story telling here.

In Maths, we practised division using partitioning (mental division) and using the formal written method of chunking, both without and with a remainder.  Many of us found this tricky, again because we are not yet confident with our tables.  

In French this week, we looked at some paintings by Matisse and expressed our opinions of them. We then read some French sentences and decided which sentences applied to which work of art. After Easter, we will make our own collage in the style of Matisse and describe it in French.

In RE, we started our new topic - Self-discipline. We discussed what this means and how we need to be especially self-disciplined throughout Lent.

In Geography, we looked carefully at a map of our local coastline (Lancashire and Merseyside).  We then used ‘Digimaps’ to find features found on our local coastline and labelled these on our maps. In addition, we provided a key to the symbols.

In PSHE, we matched feelings to a scale of intensity and identified strong feelings.  We also described different feelings and how they may be experienced in the body.

In DT, we practised 3 different stitches (running stitch, back stitch and over stitch). We then planned and designed the product we wanted to make (a purse, pencil case or phone holder). This included drawing, labelling and annotating our design on a planning sheet.  Next, we collected the resources needed and made our product.  You can see pictures of us in action here.  Next week, we will be evaluating our creations to consider what we felt went well, what didn’t go so well, and whether our product is fit for purpose.

It was our last swimming lesson this week. We have thoroughly enjoyed our lessons and have all made lots of progress with our swimming. Well done to all of Year 4!

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Try retelling what you have read to someone else.  Remember to focus on fluency, understanding, and adding expression to your reading.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in hundredths

For example, start at 0.01 to 0.17 and back again

0.01    0.02   0.03  etc           0.17   0.16   0.15     etc

Then start at 2.56 and count to 2.75 and back again

2.56   2.57   2.58   etc             2.75   2.74   2.73   etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (5^th April 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please practise your tables each night as this will help you in lots of different aspects of maths and many of you are finding them tricky to apply in different contexts.

Spellings

As we had a big spelling test this week, we will spend next week revising spellings we have previously learnt. We will be practising these each day in class.  There will be no spelling test next week!

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• A tables challenge - using place value and known facts to multiply and divide mentally
• A division challenge - dividing by 2, 4, 5 and 6

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

As there are only 2 Sumdog challenges this week, please take a little time to practise doubling and halving numbers again.  You can practise this on Hit the Button. Click on ‘play game’ then select either halves or doubles – choose any of the games, they are all good practise! Good luck!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Have a relaxing weekend

The Year 4 Team

We have attached a new online safety guide 'What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Age-Inappropriate Content'. Please Read.

Year 4 Blog Friday 24th March 2023

Date: 24th Mar 2023 @ 3:54pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 24^th March 2023

Welcome to your Friday blog.  Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we published our adventure stories choosing either to hand write them or use a word processor.  We also designed a sleeve (the front and back cover) and wrote the blurb to tempt others to read our story.  We are looking forward to sharing our stories with Year 6 next week.

In Maths, we learnt how to accurately double a number with ones and tenths and also solved grid multiplication problems - this required identifying missing numbers in a calculation.  Many of us found this tricky as we are still not confident with our times tables.  We also started our new topic - division. We began by halving numbers with all even digits followed by halving numbers with some odd digits!

In French this week, we learnt that feminine nouns usually end with the letter e. This helped us decide whether we need un or une as a determiner. Then we recapped the shape words and began to look at the work of Matisse, a French artist, and tried to spot the shapes he used.

In Science, we began the topic of Sound by thinking about what we already knew. then we did a carousel of activities designed to make vibrations visible. By the end of the lesson, we had learnt that sound is caused by vibrations.

In Art, we explored different fonts of the first letter of our names on the ipads. We then copied some that we liked into our Art Books. We will be using all the ideas we have explored to design our own illuminated letter next week.

In RE, we finished our ‘Giving and receiving’ topic with a beautiful class Collective Worship.

In Geography, we looked at a map of the UK and located our local coastline (Lancashire and Merseyside).  We then gave a title to the map and used colour to indicate where our local coastline is.

During our swimming lesson, we practised swimming lengths in different strokes. We have all made lots of progress with our swimming over the past 9 weeks. Our last swimming lesson will be next Wednesday.

We have also added a guide on how to promote kindness when online. Have a look below.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Try retelling what you have read to someone else.  Remember to focus on fluency and understanding, and add some expression to your reading too.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 100's

For example, start at 600 and count back to 2400 and back again

600  700   800  etc                 2400   2300   2200     etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (29^th March 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please practise your tables each night as this will help you in lots of different aspects of maths and many of you are finding them tricky to apply in different contexts.

Spellings

Here are next week’s spellings. You will be tested on these next Friday (31^st March 2023).

quarter             purpose       enough         bicycle         experience

exercise            knowledge    special         appear         breadth

busy                  calendar       favourite     opposite      particular   

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
• A times tables challenge based on the 2, 4, 6 and 8 times tables

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

As there are only 2 Sumdog challenges this week, please take a little time to practise doubling and halving number as we have been learning about this in class.  You can practise this on Hit the Button. Click on ‘play game’ then select either halves or doubles. Good luck!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Have a relaxing weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 17th March 2023

Date: 17th Mar 2023 @ 12:57pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 17^th March 2023

Welcome to your Friday blog.  Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we wrote our own adventure story about Lily from the novel.  We concentrated on quality rather than quantity, proof-reading carefully, editing, and making improvements to our writing.  We are very proud of our stories and will be publishing and reading them to Year 6 next week.  

In Maths, we learnt more about multiplication.  We found factor pairs of numbers using our times tables and consolidated our learning about the grid method. Many of us found this tricky as we are not confident with our times tables!

In French this week, we learnt how to change masculine adjectives into their feminine form, then we used these feminine adjectives to write a card for a special lady to tell her how amazing she is! I hope the children can read and translate for you.

In Science, we used our understanding of changing state to design a machine to speed up evaporation. There were some great ideas and good scientific understanding - well done year 4

In Art, we sketched different gerberas in a variety of pencil grades. We chose different parts of the flower to sketch and then experimented with shades and tints – choosing one colour and investigating how to make it lighter.  We put all our ideas together and hope you enjoy seeing the finished product this weekend.

In RE, we made links between parts of the Mass (for example The Lord’s Prayer and the Sign of Peace) and the religious symbols and steps involved in religious actions and worship.

We were also lucky to have an extra PE session with Freddie Fit this week. As well as keeping us active, Freddie also told us the importance of exercise, water intake and eating healthily.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding. Try and add some expression to your reading too.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in decimal tenths

For example, start at 0.7 and count up to 2.1 and back again

0.7   0.8   0.9  etc                 2.1   2.0   1.9    etc

Then have a go at counting in fractional tenths

For example, start at 7/10 and count upto 2 1/10 and back again

7/10   8/10  9/10  etc           2 1/10   2 0/10   1 9/10   etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (20^th March 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Please practise your tables each night as this will help you in lots of different aspects of maths.

Spellings

Here are next week’s spellings. You will be tested on these next Friday (24^th March 2023).

invention           action          digestion     creation       calculation

direction           completion   expression   confession    admission

progression       discussion    possession   procession   permission  

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
• A times tables challenge based on the 7 8 9 10 11 and 12 times tables
• A recognising and using factor pairs challenge

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Another app for practising tables and number facts is One Minute Maths from White Rose.  It is free to download from the AppStore and PlayStore. There are lots of excellent games you can play which will help you brush up your mental maths skills.  Please do your best to access this fabulous free resource!  Knowing your tables and number facts off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Have a super weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 10th March 2023

Date: 10th Mar 2023 @ 4:04pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 10^th March 2023

Welcome to your Friday blog.  Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we started to plan and write our own story.  First, we drew a story map and discussed our story with different partners. We made tweaks and amendments to our story maps and then produced a more comprehensive plan.   We will be writing our stories next week and publishing them, so that we can share them with Year 6.

In Maths, we learnt the effect of dividing a number by 100, and placed hundredths on a number line which helped with our understanding of comparing and ordering decimals. We also started our multiplication topic and began by learning about number sequences.

In French this week, we began to learn the vocabulary for shapes, noticing which are masculine and which are feminine. Then we revised masculine and feminine colours, coloured some shapes and chose the correct colour word to go after the noun.

In PSHE, we discussed ways to make ourselves feel good every day, and what to do if something feels not so good.  We then recorded lots of the ideas we had shared in our books.

In our swimming lesson, we practised personal survival.  We learnt how to tread water, what to do if we fell into water, and how to keep afloat lying on our back.  This was another invaluable lesson which we hope will help us to keep safe around water.

We started our Geography topic ‘Climate change and its impact on the environment’ this week with a visit to Formby Beach and Southport Eco Centre. You can see some pictures of our trip here. Although it was cold and snowing, we made the most of learning in the outside environment – we had a very interesting trip and learnt lots of new things. Over the next few weeks, we will be using the information we learnt during our trip and finding out more about the impact of climate change on our local coastline.

We were also lucky to have 2 visitors this week.  On Wednesday morning, we were joined by our Japanese visitors who told us a story about ogres.  We then used chopsticks to pick up soya beans – some of us found this quite tricky.  You can see some pictures here.

In addition, on Friday afternoon, Stuart Rowson (a local author and ex CBBC producer of ‘Bedtime Stories’) visited the school.  He gave an assembly, read extracts from his book, and held a question and answer session. This was very interesting and gave us some great ideas for our own story.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding. Try and add some expression to your reading too.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in tenths  

For example, start at 2.56 and count up to 4.16 and back again

2.56   2.66   2.76  etc           4.16   4.06   3.96    etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (15^th March 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

Here are next week’s spellings. You will be tested on these next Friday (17^th March 2023).

physician           optician       magician       electrician   magician

musician            politician      extension     collision        confusion    

explosion           division        exclusion      conclusion     invasion       

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
• A times tables challenge based on the 7 and 9 times tables
• A dividing 1 and 2 digit numbers by 10 and 100 challenge

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 3rd March 2023

Date: 3rd Mar 2023 @ 3:35pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 3^rd March 2023

Welcome to your Friday blog.  Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we concentrated on identifying adverbial phrases in sentences.  We then made ‘human sentences’ and moved them around so that the adverbial phrase was at the beginning of the sentence.

In Maths, we learnt more about decimal and fraction equivalents.  In addition, we also investigated numbers to 2 decimal places in the context of money, and compared and ordered numbers to 2 decimal places.  We have found this tricky, but have worked really hard this week to understand these concepts.

In RE, we watched a video of the Penitential Act which helps prepare people to hear God’s Word.  We read together the ‘I confess’ prayer and then considered how we can say sorry in our daily lives.

In French this week, we recapped how to put days, numbers and months together to write the date in French.  We feel really confident with this now.

In Science, we learnt about evaporation and condensation by finding out about the water cycle. We made a model of the water cycle in a bowl to demonstrate the different processes. We then tried to use the new scientific vocabulary to explain how it works. You can see some of our models here.

In History, we made our names with sticks outside – we realised that some of the letters were tricky to make, especially if they were circular – you can see some of our names made in sticks here.  Following this, we looked at the Anglo-Saxon rune alphabet and identified any similar letters to our own alphabet.

In Computing, we practised cloning and retouching photographs, and the impact of changing a picture.

In our swimming lesson, we practised personal survival and how to help someone who was in the water and who couldn’t swim. This was an invaluable lesson and we completed it whilst wearing our pyjamas in the pool! NEXT WEEK - you will need to remember to bring shorts and a tshirt as well as your usual swim wear!

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding. Try and add some expression to your reading too.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in hundredths  

For example, start at 0.01 and count up to 0.15 and back again

0.01    0.02   0.03  etc                    0.15   0.14   0.13    etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (8^th March 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

Here are next week’s spellings. You will be tested on these next Friday (10^th March 2023).

address   decide         answer         describe      believe

perhaps   disappear     continue       suppose       though

height     different     important    February     thought      

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
• A times tables challenge based on the 4 and 8 times tables
• A decimal equivalents (tenths and hundredths) challenge

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 24th February 2023

Date: 24th Feb 2023 @ 3:44pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 24^th February 2023

Welcome to the first blog of this half term. Here is a summary of our learning this week:

In English, we retold a diary extract attempting to show the character’s feelings through actions, emotions and body language, rather than explicitly stating.  In addition, we identified verbs and adverbial phrases in sentences, and attempted to use these to enhance our writing. 

In Maths, we learnt how to label positive and negative numbers on a numberline. We also learnt about hundredths and numbers to 2 decimal places, as well as recognising and writing some decimal and fraction equivalents.

In RE, we watched a video of the Introductory Rite of the Mass and listened to a reading from Matthew’s Gospel in which he explained how God loves and gives advice to us about how to love better. Following this, we considered how we can follow Matthew’s advice in our everyday lives.

In French this week, we recapped the days of the week and how to say the 'i' sound . We learnt some new vocabulary with this sound in. Then we watched a video of this year's Carnaval de Nice which ended on Mardi Gras.  This year's theme is les Tresors du Monde - the Treasures of the World. We enjoyed looking at the floats and the costumes. Amazing!

In Science, we compared boiling and evaporation and explained what they are.  We also identified all variables and then set up and carried out an experiment. We learnt that the amount of time it takes for water to evaporate depends on the amount of water there is, when all other variables are kept the same.    

In History, we investigated Anglo-Saxon placenames using Digimaps. We found out that ‘ton’ at the end of a name means ‘settlement’ and that ‘ford’ means ‘river crossing’. We were surprised that so many place names came from Anglo-Saxon words.

In PSHE, we started a new topic about feelings.  We discussed what feelings and emotions are, and how they help us to manage different situations. In addition, we talked about how our feelings can change throughout the day.

In Computing, we practised editing and recolouring photographs, and talked about the effect that changes on an image can have. Have a look at some of our work here.  

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding. If you find any new words, make sure you find out what they mean – write them in your reading diary and try and use them in your own writing.  

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 10’s  

For example, start at 42 and count up to 182 and back again

42  52  62  etc                     182  172  162    etc

Now have a go at counting which includes negative numbers

For example, start at -12 and count to 15 and back again

-12  -11  -10  etc                        15   14   13   etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (1^st March 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

Next week’s spellings all have the prefix inter or anti. You will be tested on these next Friday (3^rd March 2023).

antiseptic antidote       antibiotic     antibody      anticlockwise

antisocial           antihistamine         anticlimax    interfere     international

interrupt internet       intervene     intercept     interject

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
• A times tables challenge based on the 3, 6 and 9 times tables
• A negative number challenge

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR PAJAMAS NEXT WEDNESDAY AS YOU WILL NEED THEM IN YOUR SWIMMING LESSON. PLEASE ALSO BRING A SPARE PLASTIC BAG TO PUT THEM IN AFTERWARDS!

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 20th January 2023

Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 3:46pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 20^th January 2023

Welcome to this week’s blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:

In English, we continued reading our class novel, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. We used ideas and vocabulary from the story to write our own diary account.  In addition, we learnt more about verbs and adverbs and how choosing words carefully can really enhance our writing.

In Maths, we learnt more about time. We read time on both an analogue and a digital clock to the nearest minute.  We also learnt how to tell the time on a 24- hour clock, as well as converting between analogue, digital, and 12 and 24 hour clocks.  As highlighted last week, time is a tricky concept and needs lots of practice.  Why not ask someone at home to help you tell the time – you might find this resource helpful if you want to practise at home.

In RE, we learnt about the local parish and church.  We discussed the name of the parish and activities in the church which spread the Good News. We also considered how the school and parish link up and why the local parish community is important. 

In Science, we began a new topic about States of Matter by looking at the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We then classified a range of items using a Venn diagram, explaining why we knew, for example, that shampoo was a liquid. There was a lot of really good discussion using the new vocabulary. 

In PE, we continued with our swimming lessons. We are becoming more confident in the water, and much faster at getting changed and remembering to organise our clothes in our lockers!

In History, we started our new topic about the Anglo-Saxons.  To begin with, we learnt who the Anglo-Saxons were, where they came from and why they came to England.

To celebrate Chinese New Year which falls on Sunday 22^nd January, we had a visitor who came in to tell us about life in China. Our visitor (James) taught us a few words in Cantonese and how to count to 10. He also answered lots of questions about his time living in China. 

In PSHE we discussed our rights and responsibilities. Rights are the basic things that we are all entitled to – such as freedom, equality and the right to be treated fairly.  However, for each right, there is a responsibility placed on us.  For example, although we have the right to education, we also have a responsibility to work hard and do our best in school.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding. If you find any new words, make sure you find out what they mean – write them in your reading diary and try and use them in your own writing.  

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 2’s and 20’s.  

For example, start at 184 and count up to 210 and back again

184   186   188  etc                   210   208   206   etc

Now have a go at counting in 20’s

Start at 240 and count up to 360 and back again

240   260   280 et                     360   340   320  etc

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (25^th January 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

This week’s spellings are all homophones.

scene           seen            mail             male             bawl

ball              waist           waste          guest           guessed

new              knew            to                two              too    

These spellings will be tested next Friday (27^th January 2023).

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables
• A time challenge – estimating time and reading analogue and digital clocks

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

Have a relaxing weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 13th January 2023

Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 12:53pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 13^th January 2023

Welcome to this week’s blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:

In English, we started our new novel, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo. We began by exploring the pictures on the cover, reading the blurb and looking inside the book. We found many similarities between this novel, Kensuke’s Kingdom, and other books we have read by Michael Morpurgo (for example, Toro Toro and the Butterfly Lion).  We also collected words and phrases to describe Lily, the main character, and then wrote a character description.

In Maths, we learnt more about division.  We consolidated the chunking method and also learnt how to record a remainder.  In addition, we investigated dividing numbers by 10 and completed some word problems. We also started our time topic. Time is a tricky concept and needs lots of practice.  Why not ask someone at home to help you tell the time – you might find this resource helpful if you want to practise at home.

In PE, we started swimming lessons.  Our first week went very well - we are looking forward to building our stamina and becoming more confident in the water over the coming weeks.

In French, we revisited all our learning from September to remind us what we have learnt. We know all the singular parts of the verb etre and how to make an adjective feminine if necessary. We looked at how to pronounce words with an and en in them and practised listening and reading in French

In RE, we started our new topic ‘Community’.  We discussed the different communities we belong to, as well as the advantages and demands of being part of a community.  Following this, we considered how the apostles felt when Jesus chose them to help him in his work.

In PSHE we started our ‘respect’ topic.  We considered how people’s behaviour affects us, and others, including online.

We also completed our DT project this week. This involved:

• sketching, labelling and annotating our design
• making the model, including the circuit and switch
• evaluating our final product

You can see some pictures of our finished models here.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Focus on fluency and understanding, taking notice of punctuation. Remember to discuss the story with an adult.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 7’s.  

For example, start at 0 and count up to 84 and back again

0   7  14  21  etc                        84   77   70   etc

Now have a go at counting in 8’s

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (18^th January 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

This week’s spellings all have the ending -ture.

mixture       capture        feature        moisture      adventure

nature         picture        vulture         future         torture

sculpture     creature      fracture      furniture     temperature

These spellings will be tested next Friday (20^th January 2023).

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 7 times tables
• A time challenge – telling the time on digital and analogue clocks

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

Have a super weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog - Friday 6th January 2023

Date: 6th Jan 2023 @ 1:00pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 6^th January 2023

Welcome to the first blog of 2023 – it has been lovely to see everyone again this week. We’ve only been back 3 days, but what a busy 3 days we’ve had!

In English, we tried to use lots of different sentences (simple, compound and complex) in our writing.  We wrote about our first day back after the Christmas holidays and all the strange things that had happened in our classroom and to the teachers. 

In Maths, we started our new topic – division.  First, we used our knowledge of place value and multiplication facts to divide larger numbers (eg 540 ÷ 6).  Following this, we divided 2-digit numbers using the chunking method when there was no remainder.  Many of us found this tricky, but knowing our table facts really helped.

In PE, we practised our dodgeball and bench ball skills, as well as working as a team. Have a look at us in action! Remember, next week we will start swimming lessons on a Wednesday afternoon!

In Science, we made and tested a circuit. Following this, we made and evaluated switches.  We needed to have a good understanding of which materials conducted electricity and how a switch worked. You can see some of our switches here.

In Geography, we created a double page spread about the causes and impact of climate change along with ideas about how we can stop or limit climate change.  In addition, we carried out an experiment to see the effect of climate change on glaciers. You can see some pictures here.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening.  Make sure you discuss the story and predict what you think will happen next.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 4’s and 8’s.  

For example, start at 0 and count up to 48 and back again

0   4  8  12  etc                         48   44   40   etc

Now have a go at counting in 8’s

Start at 0 and count to 96 and back again

0   8   16   24   etc                     96   88    80  etc                      

Times tables

You should know your individual tables target.  These will be tested next Wednesday (11^th January 2023). 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

This week’s spellings all have the g sound, but it is spelt gu.

guide           guitar          guard           guest           guardian

guess           guilt            guinea          guile            guarantee

guilty           guild            guitarist      guillotine      guaranteed

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 3, 4 and 8 times tables

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

As you have only been given 2 Sumdog challenges, please practise your times tables as much as you can.  Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.

Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds.  Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.

Have a super weekend

The Year 4 Team

NEXT WEEK IN DT we are hoping to design and make our own ‘Iron creature’, based on the Iron Man.  If you need anything for your design, such as a cardboard tube, box or tub, please bring these in to school.  In addition, you may wish to bring any ‘decorations’ into school too. School will provide cups, tin foil, some decorations, card and paper, along with the electrical circuit components.

Year 4 Blog Friday 16th December 2022

Date: 20th Dec 2022 @ 7:52am

Year 4 Blog

Friday 16^th December 2022

We've had a lovely last week of term in Year 4 with lots of Christmas activities.

On Monday, we were entertained by All Hallow’s who performed a musical showcase. During the week, we also enjoyed: exchanging cards during the 'Grand Christmas Post', wearing our Christmas jumpers and eating a delicious Christmas lunch. On Thursday afternoon, we took part in a Christingle service in church which reminded us that Jesus is the light of the world.

In addition, this week we also made Christmas cards and calendars, created a podcast in computing and learnt more about Antarctica and the Arctic Circle, including their similarities and differences. We are certainly ready for a rest!

Well done for all your hard work Year 4 - have a happy and relaxing Christmas and New Year.  We look forward to seeing your bright, smiley faces again on Wednesday 4^th January 2023.

Have a lovely Christmas break.

The Year 4 Team.

Year 4 Blog Friday 9th December 2022

Date: 9th Dec 2022 @ 4:10pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 9^th December 2022

We have had another great week in Year 4.

In English, we imagined we were the owner of a restaurant and designed a menu specifically for the Iron Man who loves eating metal.  We included alliteration in the titles of the dishes along with a description which used lots of adjectives and mouth-watering phrases! In addition, we were introduced to the Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon.  We used evidence from the text to write a detailed character description which included similes.

In Maths, we finished our multiplication topic by consolidating the different strategies we have learnt and using bar models to help solve word problems. Many of us found this tricky but we persevered.  

In RE, we continued our ‘Gift’ topic. We learnt that God sent Jesus as a gift for everyone, and were introduced to the prophet Isaiah who was waiting for the coming of the Messiah.  In addition, we learnt about the third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday.

In French, we described the jumper that we designed last week using a conjunction to extend the sentence and including a negative sentence. They look great! Fantastique, Y4.

In PE, as part of our invasion games unit, we practised our hockey skills. We practised the skills of stopping the ball, turning and then pushing the ball to our partner. Following this, we played a mini tournament. 

This week, we have also painted Christmas trees in the style of Monet and enjoyed listening to the drumming showcase on Thursday afternoon. We were all very impressed with the drummers and some of us now feel inspired to have a go at drumming ourselves! 

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and predict what you think will happen next.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 0.1’s and 12’s.  

For example, start at 0.6 and count up to 2.3 and back again

0.6   0.7   0.8     etc                            2.3   2.2   2.1   etc

Now have a go at counting in 12’s

Start at 0 and count to 144 and back again

0   12   24   36   etc                             144   132   120  etc                      

Times tables

As we have had a tables test on all tables this week, we will not have a tables test next week. However, you should know your individual tables target and these will be tested after Christmas. 

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

This week, the children have worked extremely hard on their spellings as they have also been tested on all the words on the Year 3/4 Spelling list.  Therefore, there will be no spellings to learn for next week.

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 2 challenges on Sumdog:

• A times tables challenge based on the 12 times tables
• A times table challenge based on the 3, 4 and 8 times tables (this is revision of Year 3 learning and involves missing numbers)

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a super weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 2nd December 2022

Date: 2nd Dec 2022 @ 3:40pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 2^nd December 2022

Welcome to your Friday blog. Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we learnt what alliteration was and then wrote sentences using our names and alliteration.  Following this, we wrote animal poems which again used alliteration.

In Maths, we learnt how to double numbers efficiently. In addition, we learnt how to multiply using the grid method, and started to reason using the grid method by identifying missing numbers in a calculation. 

In RE, we started our new topic ‘Gift’ during which we will explore God’s gift of love and friendship in Jesus.  We started the topic by listening to a story and writing our own ‘recipe’ which showed what we look for in our ideal friend.  We also described how Christians prepare during Advent for the coming of Jesus.

In French, we designed a Christmas jumper ready to describe it next week.

In Science, we tested materials and classified them as conductors or insulators of electricity. We then thought carefully about how to explain the results.

In PE, as part of our invasion games unit, we practised our hockey skills. Our hockey skills included dribbling, passing and intercepting the ball. 

In Computing, we practised recording sound, editing it and then tried moving sections of audio using the ‘time shift’ tool. We then started planning our own podcast. 

In Geography, we learnt more about the North and South Poles and their similarities and differences.    

On Monday, we spent the day with Father Michael and the catechists preparing for our Reconciliation. Throughout the day, we considered what ‘reconciliation’ means and how when we say sorry, we should mean it. Following this, we took part in a Celebration of Reconciliation and came forward to Father Michael or Father John to say sorry for one thing.  Many thanks to all the parents and family members who have supported Year 4 on this journey and who came to the service on Monday afternoon.

We finished our week with a ‘Santa Dash’.  You can see some pictures here.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and predict what you think will happen next.

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 4’s and 25’s.  

For example, start at 0 and count up to 48 and back again

0   4   12   16     etc                            48   44    40   etc

Now have a go at counting in 25’s

Start at 0 and count to 250 and back again

0   25   50   75   etc                            250   220   200  etc                      

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Wednesday (7^th December 2022) Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

Spellings

Your spellings next week practise adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words of more than one syllable (eg -ing, -er, -en, -er). Your test will be on Friday 9^th December 2022.

forgetting   excelling      excelled       regretting   regretted

upsetting     beginning     beginner      recapping     recapped

travelling     traveller      travelled      forbidding   forbidden   

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above (Please note, not all the words are on Sumdog)
• A times tables challenge based on the 2, 4 and 8 times tables
• A challenge based on multiplying 2 and 3 digits by 1 digit

(eg 32 x 8          30 x 8 = 240     2 x 8 = 16       240 + 16 = 256

Use the grid method which we have practised in class this week for 3 digit multiplications)

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a super weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 25th November 2022

Date: 25th Nov 2022 @ 3:44pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 25^th November 2022

Welcome to your Friday blog. Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we created our own ‘Wanted’ poster for the Iron Man. We tried to include lots of description, so that he could be easily identified. Have a look at some of our posters in the gallery. We also wrote a diary extract as if we were Hogarth when he enticed the Iron Man into the pit.  We felt very guilty for our actions and tried to explain this in our diary account.

In Maths, we learnt how to multiply by 10 and 100.  We used counters and place value charts to demonstrate the digits getting either 10 or 100 times larger.  In addition, we learnt how to multiply using compensating (eg using 20 x 6 to help calculate 19 x 6).

In French, we practised saying some words with the an/en sound and we continued to learn the verb etre, to be by listening and reading

We made simple electrical circuits in science this week and tried to problem solve when they didn’t work. We now understand that a complete circuit is needed for a component to work. You can see some pictures here. To extend our learning, we also drew a picture of the circuit in our books.

In PE we practised our hockey skills. We got into pairs and practised stopping the ball and pushing it back. We also practised dribbling the ball around a cone and then passing it back to our partner. Following this, we took part in a mini competition which involved dribbling a ball, turning around a cone, dribbling back and passing to our partner. This was very competitive! 

In Computing, we practised recording sound and editing it.  We also discussed what makes a good audio recording so that we could make improvements to our work.

In Geography we started our new topic ‘Climate Change’. Throughout this topic, we will be learning what climate change is and how it affects different environments (eg a local area, oceans and glaciers).  We started the topic by looking at atlases and finding the position of the Equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the Prime Meridian and the Arctic and Antarctic Circle. We then labelled these on our own maps.  Next, we located the North and South Poles and briefly discussed any differences we would see on the map.  

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 6’s and 9’s as many of you are finding this tricky.

For example, start at 0 and count up to 72 and back again

0   6   12   18     etc                            72   66   60   etc

Start at 0 and count up to 108 and back again 

0   9   18   27     etc                             108   99   81   etc

Now have a go at this, still adding 9 (Tip – add 10 and subtract 1).

Start at 56 and count to 155 and back again

56   65   74   etc                                 155   146   137  etc                      

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Wednesday (30^th November 2022). Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Your spellings next week are all from the Year 3 / 4 Tricky words list.  You will be given a paper copy home on Monday and we will practise these in class during the week.  Your test will be on Friday 2^nd December 2022.

caught         experiment            increase       particular    separate

certain        extreme                interest       peculiar       special

complete      famous                  island           potatoes      thought

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 3, 6 and 9 times tables
• A challenge based on multiplying by 10 and 100, as well as using known facts to work out other multiplications (eg 30 x 6, use 3 x 6 = 18, then multiply by 10)

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 18th November 2022

Date: 18th Nov 2022 @ 3:50pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 18^th November 2022

Welcome to this week’s blog. Another super week of learning in Year 4 which included a visit from Freddie Fit – you can see some photos in our gallery.

Here’s what we have been learning this week:

In English, we started our new novel - The Iron Man by Ted Hughes.  We made predictions about the book by looking carefully at different front covers and reading the blurb on the back.  We also discussed which descriptive phrases we liked in Chapter 1 and their impact and effect on the reader.  Following this, we rewrote the first Chapter from The Iron Man’s point of view as his body parts reconnected. Everyone was very proud of their work and used lots of vocabulary and ideas from the novel.

In Maths, we finished our addition and subtraction topic and moved onto multiplication. We started the topic by using arrays to help understand multiplication facts for the 9 and 11 times tables. Next, we used arrays to identify what the term factor means.  Arrays and multiplication squares were  then used to find all the factor pairs of a given number.  This new learning was tricky to start with, but with perseverance we have hopefully mastered it! You can see some pictures in our gallery.

In RE, we finished our ‘Belonging’ topic.  We watched a two video clips so that we could understand what happens at Confirmation, and discussed the people present and some of the key points (eg the anointing, the blessing and the name.)  We also considered what it means to ‘live in the light’ and how at Confirmation, people promise to try and turn away from what is wrong and follow in God’s light.

We started our new Science topic this week – Electricity. First, we discussed what electricity is, how it is made and what it is converted into (light, heat, sound and movement).  We then classified different appliances according to whether they run on mains electricity or batteries. We also learnt about the dangers of electricity and designed posters to warn children about the different ways it can be dangerous. These are going to be judged by a local electrician – we look forward to hearing what he says!   

In PE we split into 2 groups. Whilst one group learnt hockey skills with Mrs Cookson, the other revised different balances and travel movements with Mrs Tipping.  The children then put together a short sequence which combined balances and travel movements.  They will be adding to this sequence over the coming weeks. You can see some photos here.

We made Clips videos in our PSHE session to demonstrate how to be more resilient and highlight how to ‘reframe’ unhelpful thinking.  We were given a scenario and acted it out twice. The first time demonstrating what unhelpful thinking might look like, and the second time showing how to reframe the thinking in a positive way.

In Art, we continued creating our own mosaic design and also made flags using paper and creating a collage.  We discussed the countries taking part in the World Cup and then chose one we wanted to collage. These will be hung up in the hall so everyone can see our work.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 9’s.

For example, start at 0 and count up to 108 and back again 

0   9   18   27     etc                             108   99   81   etc

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Wednesday (23^rd November 2022). Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Here are your spellings for this week.  You have also brought a paper copy home with you, so that you can practise these during the week.  Please remember to use neat joined up writing and check them very carefully once you have written them! We will be practising these spellings in class too. Your test will be on Friday 25^th November 2022.

they            weigh           eight           grey             sleigh

young           touch           blood           trouble        country

does            chef            brochure      parachute    machine

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 9 times tables
• A challenge based on multiplication arrays and the 3, 4 and 8 times tables

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Friday 11th November 2022

Date: 11th Nov 2022 @ 3:42pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 11^th November 2022

Welcome to this week’s blog.

If your child is following the Reconciliation program at church, they will have come home with a leaflet, ‘Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation at home’. Please discuss and share this information with your child.

Here’s what we have been learning this week:

We read some Remembrance poetry this week, listening very carefully to the words. We then copied a poem into our books, making a big effort to make our writing look beautiful on the page and not to make any mistakes. Following this, we wrote our own Remembrance poetry using the poem ‘What are we fighting for?’ as a stimulus. Our poems were very thoughtful and beautifully written.

In Maths, we revised and learnt more about the formal written method of subtraction.  We used this to subtract 4 digit numbers from 4 digit numbers, including when zero was used as a place holder.  We were very proud of our efforts, especially when we needed to include exchanging!

In RE, we have been learning about Judaism. We learnt about the rules of the Jewish faith and the Torah.

We also finished our History topic about the Romans this week.  We learnt about the 3 invasions of Britannia and why the first 2 were unsuccessful. We also learnt about Boudicca, her army and how she rebelled against the Romans. Finally, we considered the lasting legacy the Romans have left on Britain.

In French this week, we learnt the verbs J'ai (I have) and Je suis (I am) in the context of World War 1 soldiers. We thought about how the soldiers must have felt and used expressions such as J'ai froid - I am cold.

We started our new computing topic – audio production. Over the course of the topic we will be making digital recordings and editing them.

On Friday afternoon, we also had a visit from Mr Maloney and his dog Poppy.  Poppy was so well behaved and we enjoyed stroking her and asking lots of questions. You can see some photos in our gallery.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 6’s.

For example, start at 0 and count up to 72 and back again  

0   6   12   18     etc                             72   66   60   etc

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Wednesday (16^th November 2022). Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Here are your spellings for this week.  You have also brought a paper copy home with you, so that you can practise these during the week.  Please remember to use neat joined up writing and check them very carefully once you have written them! We will be practising these spellings in class too. Your test will be on Friday 18^th November 2022.

busy            business      exercise      imagine        opposite

regular        calendar       experience   important    ordinary

remember    caught         circle           forward       library

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 6 times tables
• A challenge based on the formal written method of column subtraction – please note this only goes up to 3 digit subtract 3 digit numbers

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog - Friday 4th November 2022

Date: 4th Nov 2022 @ 4:45pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 4^th November 2022

Welcome to the Year 4 blog and another busy half term. We have worked our socks off this week and are very proud of our learning.  

In English, we wrote a chapter from another person’s point of view trying to include vocabulary from the novel and lots of thoughts and feelings.  In addition, we wrote questions about a chapter and planned a book review.

In Maths, we finished our statistics unit. We learnt how to interpret data and solve questions using information in a table, and also presented and interpreted data using pictograms.  Following this, we started our new unit – Addition and Subtraction. We began by revising the formal written method of addition and used this to add 4 digit and decimal numbers together, including exchanging. 

In Science this week, we carried out an environmental survey to look at the impact humans have on the landscape and how this can impact living organisms. We found out that the best place for wildlife in our school is the nature area.  

In RE, we explored how we are all unique and different.  We understood that we should treat each other as we would like to be treated and designed a poster to explain this. We also wrote our own set of Golden Rules to live by, and chose a reading from the Bible which we felt celebrated the uniqueness of each of us.

In History, we learnt more about life in the Roman Army and wrote an account as if we were a Roman Legionary - we tried to include as much historical information and detail as possible.

In PE, we practised our dodgeball skills in preparation for the competition in a few weeks time.

In PSHE, we thought about a skill or character strength we would like to develop. We then set a goal for our own development.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 4’s.

For example, start at 0 and count up to 48 and back again 

0   4   8   12     etc                             48   44   40   etc

Then practise counting in 8’s.

For example, start at 0 and down up to 96 and back again

0   8  16  24  etc                                  96  88  80   etc

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Wednesday (9^th November 2022). Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Your spellings next week all have the prefixes in-, il-, im- or ir-.  You have also brought a paper copy home with you, so that you can practise these during the week.  Please remember to use neat joined up writing and check them very carefully once you have written them! We will be practising these spellings in class too. Your test will be on Friday 11^th November 2022.

inactive       incapable     incredible    inaccurate

immature     immobile      impossible    impatient

irregular      irrational     irresistible  irresponsible

illegal           illiterate      illogical        illegible

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 4 and 8 times tables
• A challenge based on the formal written method of column addition – please note this only goes up to 3 digit plus 3 digit numbers

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog Thursday 20th October 2022

Date: 20th Oct 2022 @ 2:39pm

Year 4 Blog

Thursday 20^th October 2022

Year 4 have had a great half term! They have worked hard and already made good progress in their learning. Being part of the Harvest celebration in church was also a highlight of the week.

Our learning this week:

In English, we used words to describe Kensuke’s personality.  We then used these words in complex sentences to explain our thinking. We also wrote a message in a bottle as if we were the character Michael.  As space was limited, we had to ensure we chose our words carefully.

In Maths, we drew bar charts.  We needed to use a scale which was appropriate to the numbers involved and needed to accurately draw the bars on the chart.  In addition, we interpreted data and solved one-step questions using information in a bar chart. 

In RE, we read Mark 1: 14-20. This passage tells of Jesus calling his Apostles.  We discussed how Andrew, Simon, James and John might have felt when Jesus called them and talked about the meaning of the Kingdom of God. 

In French this week, we learned how to ask a question in French just by changing the intonation in our voices. We listened to, read and spoke sentences and questions, using the correct intonation.  We practiced reading words with silent final consonants too.

In PE, we warmed up by running around the track.  We then finished our invasion games unit by playing a netball tournament.  It was fantastic to see the children putting into practice the skills they had learnt – brilliant Year 4!  

In History, we learnt about the 4 main formations the Roman Army used. We learnt their names, how they were formed and what they were used for (eg fighting against cavalry or advancing against the enemy).  We also got into groups to make the formations, using our history books as shields!

As it is half term, there is no Home Practice. However, please try and read every single day as this really helps unlock your learning.

We hope you have a peaceful and relaxing holiday and look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 31st October 2022.

The Year 4 Team

Online Safety Update

Date: 19th Oct 2022 @ 1:52pm

Welcome to your latest Online Safety Update

At St Oswald's, we regularly discuss online safety with the children to find out what they are experiencing in their online spaces. We find out what new games and platforms are trending and if any of our children have worries or concerns about what they experience online. A lot of children continue to access YouTube so we have added a refresher guide on the platform. 

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as connecting with strangers, inappropriate content and high visibility.

We have also spotted that some children have the new FIFA 23 football game for the PlayStation and XBox. Gaming has changed massively in the past few years with social connection now becoming an integral part of the gaming experience. We have added the latest guide for this game also. 

Below you will find a link to join the National Online Safety platform and gain free access to a huge range of videos, resources and support.

http://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-oswald-s-catholic-primar-school-pr45eb

Year 4 Blog Friday 14th October 2022

Date: 14th Oct 2022 @ 4:35pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 14^th October 2022

Year 4 have had such a busy week! Lots of learning, a trip to Lancaster City Museum and we also attended Mass at church on Friday morning.   

In English, we investigated subordinating conjunctions and used these to write sentences about Kensuke.  In addition, we wrote Michael’s thoughts and feelings at the start and end of a chapter.

In Maths, we calculated the perimeter of rectilinear shapes when we had to work out missing sides using known dimensions.  Following this, we started a new unit - statistics. The topic began by calculating addition facts to 10 when numbers to one decimal place were involved (eg 4.7 + 5.3 = 10).

In RE, we started our new topic ‘Called’. We considered our feelings when we are chosen to do something as well as recalling times we have been chosen.  

In PE, we warmed up with a train run.  We then practised our dodgeball skills again in preparation for the tournament which is coming up soon.

In Art, we drew our own mosaic designs following on from our investigation last week.  We experimented with different colours and different designs, which ranged from pictures of specific things (eg a flower) to patterns which we found appealing.

In History, we learnt what Roman Legionaries wore and what equipment they carried. We also looked at these items in the classroom. Have a look at our pictures in the gallery.

During our trip to Lancaster City Museum, we met Marcus, a Roman Legionary, and found out much more about the life of a Roman Soldier.  Year 4 had a fantastic day and learnt a lot of interesting facts about the Romans. The children’s behaviour was superb too – they were excellent ambassadors for the school. You can see lots of pictures of our trip in the gallery.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 4’s and 40’s.

For example, start at 0 and count up to 48 and back again 

0   4   8   12     etc                             48   44   40   etc

For example, start at 0 and down up to 480 and back again

0   40   80   120  etc                           480   440   400  etc

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Thursday (20^th October 2022).  Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Your spellings next week all have the i sound spelt y.  You have also brought a paper copy home with you, so that you can practise these during the week.  Please remember to use neat joined up writing and check them very carefully once you have written them! We will be practising these spellings in class too. Your test will be on Thursday 20^th October 2022.

gym             myth            pyramid       symbol         synonym

mystery       Egypt          system         lyrics           hymn 

gymnastics   typical         cylinder       physical       oxygen        

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 2 and 4 times tables
• A challenge based on calculating the perimeter of rectilinear shapes – this is repeated from last week as it consolidates this tricky area of maths

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Thank you to everyone who came along to Parent’s Evening this week.  It was lovely to see you and we hope you enjoyed looking at your child’s work.

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team

Year 4 Blog - Friday 7th October 2022

Date: 7th Oct 2022 @ 2:56pm

Year 4 Blog

Friday 7^th October 2022

Year 4 have had a fabulous week and have shown an excellent attitude to their learning.  You are all superstars!

Here’s what we have been learning:

In English, we wrote sentences using co-ordinating conjunctions to make them more interesting. We also wrote a diary account from Kensuke’s point of view and listed words to describe Michael’s thoughts and feelings. During the week, we have also been practising our spellings in preparation for our weekly test – have a look at our gallery to see us playing Spelling Countdown!

In Maths, we measured lengths in centimetres and millimetres, including cm as decimals with 1 decimal place.  In addition, we measured and calculated the perimeter of rectilinear shapes where all the side lengths are given.

In RE, we finished our ‘Families’ topic.  Four children gave a lovely ‘Respond’ to remind the class of their learning – this was beautifully presented and very respectful. Please see the pictures in our gallery.

In Science, we created our own classification keys using a computer program called Flexitree.

In French, we practised reading words with the vowel sounds in then we looked at classroom instructions such as asseyez-vous, ecrivez, dessinez and looked at the sound ‘ay’ spelt ‘ez’.  We also chose the first pair of Language Leaders who will be helping everyone to answer questions in French about themselves.

In PE, we warmed up with a train run.  We are definitely getting better at baton changes and building our stamina with these relay races. In addition, we played dodgeball in preparation for a tournament in a couple of weeks time. You can see some pictures of our PE lesson in the gallery.

In Art, we found out what Roman mosaics were made of. We looked at lots of examples and discussed what made them effective, which ones appealed to us and what especially stood out to us.  Following this, we selected different examples and stuck them in our Art Jotters – we also explained what we liked about them. We will use these to help us design our own mosaic in the coming weeks. Have a look at us exploring mosaics in the gallery.

In PSHE, as part of World Smile Day, we discussed what makes us happy and brings a smile to our faces.  In addition, we thought of acts of kindness we could do to bring a smile to the faces of others.

Home Practice

Reading

Please read for 20 minutes each evening to an adult at home.  Make sure you discuss the story and the characters.  Find the meaning of any new words too.  Reading every night will help you read more fluently and with understanding. 

Counting

This week, please practise counting in 3’s

For example, start at 0 and count up to 36 and back again 

0   3   6   9     etc                             36   33   30   etc

For example, start at 42 and down up to 66 and back again

42   45   48  etc                               66   63   60  etc

Times tables

Please practise your individual tables target for your test next week on Friday (14^th October 2022).  Ask someone at home to test you on your tables – can you recall them quickly and accurately?

Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk

It is crucial that you learn all of your table facts as this will help you with many aspects of maths.

Spellings

Your spellings next week all have the k sound spelt ch.  You have also brought a paper copy home with you, so that you can practise these during the week.  Please remember to use neat joined up writing and check them very carefully once you have written them! We will be practising these spellings in class too. Your test will be on Friday 14^th October 2022.

ache             anchor         Christmas              school          choir

echo            scheme        chorus                   chemist       chemistry

chemical       chaos           character              chameleon    chasm

Sumdog challenges

You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:

• A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
• A times tables challenge based on the 2 and 3 times tables
• A challenge based on calculating the perimeter of rectilinear shapes

Please make sure you log on and have a go!  Little and often is the key to success!

Have a great weekend

The Year 4 Team