Friday, 10th December 2021

The children in Year 4 this week, lit the second candle on their Advent Wreath and carried on reflecting on their Advent Promises and their journey, bettering themselves, until Christmas arrives.

After several practices and walks to the church, they performed beautifully during Wednesday’s Advent Service. I am very proud of them; I though every reading, action and song was clear and well expressed. They all took their roles seriously and put a lot of effort into delivering those. The Service was therefore heart warming, a true ‘preparation’ for the coming of Jesus.

In Maths this week, the children began to work on their column subtraction both with and without decomposition. In RE, they looked at ways St Luke uses specific words to show his belief in the incarnation. In History, they thought about continuation and change with regards to housing in the Roman occupied Britain.

The children also made decorations to further enhance the classroom’s already cheerful atmosphere and then of course enjoyed a fantastic party day today, with a visit from Father Christmas, party food and games in the classroom.

Have a lovely and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Your Home Learning this week:

Spelling Please spend some time practicing this week’s spelling words, before testing yourself on them.

Spelling Rule 11 – The suffix –ous (1 of 2)

https://spellingframe.co.uk/

Reading Please log onto ReadTheory and complete 2 activities. Please also update your reading record logs and be prepared to present them on Wednesday.

https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Multiplication Please log onto Maths Chase and spend some time practicing your mixed multiplication.

https://www.mathschase.com/

Maths This week, the children looked at column subtraction. Please see the attached sheet, which shows how we would approach this method using manipulatives such as place value counters or dienes equipment to show the movement of values within the process. It also shows you how we would put the method into different contexts such as worded problems or reasoning.

Use the sheet as a form of consolidation of 4 digit subtraction that does not involve exchange. This is for your own use, I am not expecting them back into class, however if completed, I am happy to record their efforts in their Maths Books.

4 digit column subtraction without exchange

Science Thank you for those of you who sent in your musical instrument already. Just a reminder that the deadline is Monday, 13th December 2021.

Friday, 3rd December 2021

The children in year 4 were busy practicing for their Advent Service this week. We walked down to the church to practice our readings and acting, whilst in class, we sang our songs ready for next week Wednesday.

In RE, we looked at St Luke’s Nativity and came up with definitions for the different titles he used to tell us about Jesus, such as Messiah, Saviour, Lord, etc. The children then wrote beautiful acrostic poems using some of our collective ideas.

The children also finished their ‘Place Between’ narrative applying all the learning from before, such as fronted adverbials, subordinating conjunctions, inverted commas for speech and noun phrases for description. I was very impressed with their stories. Well done!

In Maths, the class further consolidated their understanding of the column addition by looking at missing number sentences and working on reasoning.

In karate, they have learnt evasive moves for blocking whilst in rugby we played simple attacking games in smaller teams.

We also started decorating our classroom for Christmas, creating chains and other hanging paper decorations. It is looking festive already!

Have a lovely and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Your Home Learning this week:

Spelling Please log onto spelling frame and practice this week’s spelling words before testing yourself on them.

Spelling Rule 10 – Endings which sound like /ʒən/ (e.g. erosion, pension… etc.)

https://spellingframe.co.uk/

Multiplication https://www.mathschase.com/

Spend some time practicing your mixed multiplications.

Reading Please update your reading logs as you continue to read at home and be ready to present them on Wednesday.
Songs Please carry on practicing our songs for next week’s Advent Service.
Science Thank you for all of you, who have brought in your musical instruments. They look fabulous. You still have some time left to complete this assignment.

 

Friday, 26th November 2021

The children in Year 4 had a really busy week. In Maths, they have moved on to formal written methods for addition and subtraction, whilst in English, they further consolidated their understanding of speech punctuation and learnt about the use of prepositions. Next week, they are going to plan and later write their first big story based on the lovely artwork they completed as their Home Learning, describing their ‘Place Between’.

In Science, they learnt about what sound is and how it travels through different media to reach the ear. They carried out several practical enquiries like talking through balloons or listening to the sound of tuning forks as well as putting them in water or using them with table tennis balls to make vibration visible. The children really enjoyed these investigations and created some excellent diagrams about their observations.

In D&T, the class moved on to their third prototype, the ‘moving dragon’. They are getting better each time at measuring accurately, making design decisions or evaluating and changing their mechanisms. Can’t wait for their final project.

In RE, they looked at Luke’s Nativity in depth and written fact files about it, whilst in karate they moved on to punches. In History they started looking at the reasons behind the Roman invasion of Britain using iPads for research.

The children also wrote their Advent promises and displayed them in the hall during a special Advent assembly, beyond receiving parts for the upcoming Ks2 Advent Service. We will be walking down to the church next week to practice our part as well as going through our new hymns. So far, beautiful singing therefore I am sure the service will be wonderful.

Have a lovely and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Your Home Learning this week :

Spelling Please log onto Spelling Frame and spend some time practicing this week’s spelling words before you test yourself on them.

Spelling Rule 9 – Words with endings sounding like /ʒə/ or /tʃə/ (e.g. adventure, creature… etc.)

https://spellingframe.co.uk/

Multiplication Please log onto Maths Chase and spend some time practicing your mixed multiplication facts.

https://www.mathschase.com/

Reading Please carry on reading over the weekend, and make sure you update your log with relevant details about the books you are reading. Please be prepared to present your reading records on Wednesday.
Advent Service Please practice reading your lines over the weekend, thinking about expression and pace. Also start learning your lyrics for the new hymns as we will have separate hymn practices as well.
Science Just a reminder that you still have approximately 2 weeks to complete your musical instruments for your Science lesson. Thank you for those of you, who already brought them in.

Friday, 19th November 2021

This week in Year 4, the children spent time revising their knowledge of the use of speech punctuation in English, whilst in Maths, they have learnt a new mental strategy for addition called the equal sum or rebalancing. In Science, they have used their understanding of how far sound spreads and thought about volume in order to use the school’s floor plan and decide where to put fire alarms to ensure,  that in case of an emergency, everyone can hear them. In RE, the children designed a Liturgy of the Word based on the second Advent reading  and later put some of the Gospels into a historical context linking their two subject areas. In Design and Technology, the class designed and built their second prototype, now using two levers and four linkages to create a mechanism. Very well done!

During the week, the children also had a special focus on anti-bullying, being National Anti-bullying Week. Following on from their workshop from last week, they further distinguished between conflict and bullying, they evaluated given scenarios and came up with strategies to solve them. They also applied this year’s theme, ‘One Kind Word’ when they created ‘Kindness Booklets’ to give to each other in class, celebrating each other’s gifts, talents and uniqueness. The children really enjoyed this activity and it was heartwarming to see how much they appreciate one another other and their class community. I couldn’t be more proud of them.

On Wednesday, in Karate, Sensei Michael thought three blocking techniques to the children who then practiced those in pairs. Well done!

Also well done for the members of our Tuesday Sewing Club, who finished their first full project of creating their very own bookmarks. Beautiful work everyone!

I wish you all a restful and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see your Home Learning below:

Home Learning Due by Tuesday, 23rd November 2021
Spelling Please use your personal log in details to practice this week’s spelling words before testing yourselves on them.

Spelling rule 8, the suffix-ly

https://spellingframe.co.uk/

Well done for Nikola, Siena and Christoph who are at the top of the leaderboard 🙂

 

Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete 2 tasks. Please also update your reading log and be ready to present them on Wednesday morning in class.

https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Multiplication Thi9s week as an alternative to ‘Hit the Button’, I would like the children to try out another online resource, called ‘Maths Chase’.

https://www.mathschase.com/

It is a free website and does not need login details. Depending on their existing knowledge, the children can set specific tables to practice or can practice their facts mixed, up to 12×12. They can increase the challenge by setting themselves a ‘chaser’ or just start first completing the questions and up the level later. They can also choose their characters and the number of points, they can gain. The website also enables other procedures to practice, such as addition and subtraction, which are also beneficial to maintain fluency, however it is important to keep in mind, that we as a school follow specific strategies for both of those that are not necessarily included on this platform. You can also further challenge yourself by practicing not only your multiplication facts but the corresponding division facts. Have fun!

Science project This term, the children are learning about sound in Science. In order to carry out a practical enquiry in class, I would like the children (in the next 3 weeks) to design and make an instrument using, if possible, recycled materials. The instrument needs to make at least 2 different tones. Here are some possible examples:

Please be ready to present your instrument on Monday, 13th December 2021.

Friday, 12th November 2021

The children in Year 4 had a really busy week, with lots of practical activities.

On Monday, the class participated in an anti-bullying workshop as a lead up to next week’s Anti-bullying week. During their workshop, the children learnt about bullying and understood the difference between 1 isolated, unkind incident and something that would happen intentionally, over a period of time. They also learnt about ‘power imbalance’ as a new terminology and used freeze frames and acting to work on solving different scenarios. Very mature and responsible answers from everyone!

Throughout the week, the children also participated in ‘Maths Week England’, solving Maths Mysteries such as the Bullion Heist and also competing in the Maths World Cup against other schools and classes nationwide. Well done, fantastic work on your multiplication facts!

On Wednesday, the children had the amazing opportunity to work with Sensei Michael. Throughout this half term, they will learn basic karate skills like stances, kicks and punches, in a safe, non-contact environment every week.

In RE, they have carried on their Advent learning focusing on Luke as a Gospel writer and the most important Sunday readings. In Science, they started their new unit, Sound whilst in History, they put the Roman invasion of Britain in context when looking at timelines and events happening around the world in that time.

Thank you for sending in some cardboard, we now have enough to finish our project prototypes. The children completed their first prototype this week, called the ‘waving hand’ and had great fun designing their mechanisms.

Please remember to send in one white item for our class hamper! Thank you.

Have a lovely and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see below your Home Learning:

Home Learning Due by Tuesday, 16th November 2021
Spelling Please log onto Spelling Frame, using your individual passwords and complete the practice tasks and test for Spelling Rule 7 (the suffix-ation).

https://spellingframe.co.uk/

Well done for Nikola, who is now leading the leaderboard! 🙂

Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete 2 tasks. Please update your leading logs and be ready to present them on Wednesday.

https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Multiplication Please log onto ‘Hit the button’ and spend 10-15 minutes on practicing your mixed multiplication facts.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

English The children are currently working on a narrative unit based on Angela McAllister’s book, Leon and the Place Between. I included a video link, if you wish to listen to the story at home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjAtvxA3xE

This week, I would like the children to create a plan for their final writing piece in about a week’s time.

They need to think (and probably talk to an adult) about their own idea for a ‘Place Between’ using their imagination. How would it look like? How would it smell like? What would they see there? What would they hear? Could they taste anything in their magical world? Who would be  one suitable character to meet there?

This is a very personal ‘Place Between’. As I explained it in class, for some, it might be a happy place, with bright light and a rainbow. With trees that look like candy floss and unicorns jumping from one fluffy cloud to another.

For some children, it might be magical, a bit like the world of Harry Potter. They might see magical animals, and potions floating in the air. They might see sparks from spells, capes turning and twisting. Maybe brooms flying by, etc.

For other children, it might be a bit more mysterious. Shadows and whispers filling a dark, candle lit hall. Maybe ghosts of magicians from the past floating by. Forgotten tricks stuck in their universe.

The only limitation I need to set is that their plan cannot include computer game images or existing themes like Pokemon, Minions, etc. It needs to be the children’s own idea building on their interests. They are also only allowed to meet with one character.

Please can you create an A4 poster, where you draw a picture of your ‘Place Between’ and add key words or phrases to describe the sights, sounds, tastes, feelings. Also include and clearly name the character, who you are going to meet there. DO NOT WRITE A STORY PLEASE! This is just a plan, that we are going to build on and add to it. I only need key words or phrases! Please be ready to present your poster on Tuesday.

Planning ahead will give the children a very clear, solid base to build upon when we get to our final writing stage, therefore the children will be able to focus on sentence structure and vocabulary and work on their specific targets.

Friday, 5th November 2021

This week in Year 4, the children published their persuasive travel brochures which went on display in the classroom and started their next English unit, a narrative, based on Angela McAllister’s book, ‘Leon and the Place Between’. They liked the story, which is set in a circus and includes all sorts of dark and mysterious magic.

In Maths, the class moved onto addition and subtraction. We will spend the next week going through all the strategies learnt for mental calculations in the previous years before moving onto formal written calculations (column addition and subtraction with/without exchanging).

We also launched our first design and technology unit for the year, which is moving mechanisms-levers and linkages. Please may I ask if you have any cardboard boxes from packaging (amazon deliveries, cereal boxes, etc), please would you be so kind to send them in, as the children will go through a lot of card to make their mechanism prototypes before designing and creating their final product.

The children started their new Topic unit as well, which this term will focus on an ancient civilisation- The Roman invasion of Britain. They designed their own games in PE whilst writing beautiful remembrance prayers and decorated poppies to create our new RE display.

Thank you for those of you, who already sent in items for the Christmas hamper. Our class colour is white this year.

Have a restful and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see your Home Learning below:

Home Learning Due in by Tuesday, 9th November 2021
Spelling I have created individual accounts for all children to access Spellingframe in the future.

Please click here to see your individual login details, then access this week’s spelling list and spend some time to practice them before you test yourself on them.

https://spellingframe.co.uk/spelling-rule/59/6-More-prefixes-3-of-3

(Please let me know if you have any technical issues)

Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete 2 activities. Please also update your reading logs and be prepared to present them on Wednesday, next week.

https://readtheory.org/

Multiplication Please log onto ‘Hit the button’ and spend 10-15 minutes practicing your multiplication facts.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Study Ladder Please log onto Study Ladder and complete the activities in your assigned pod.

They are all consolidating, 2 and 3 digit mental addition strategies. Please remember what we have covered in class. Which method would be the most efficient to use:

  1. Counting on and back (149+4=)
  2. Place Value (70+40+20=)
  3. Finding complements/ number bonds (12+28)
  4. Doubles, near doubles (£0.99+£0.99)
  5. Regrouping/Think10, 100 (134+79)

https://www.studyladder.co.uk/

Friday, 22nd October 2021

The children in Year 4 had yet another very busy week with One World Week activities, a Class Mass and a big writing to complete!

In English, they finished their brochures explaining the benefits of their chosen attractions and using persuasive techniques such as rhetorical questions, over-eggaretation and persuasive openers. The pieces all read very well and sound convincing so well done class!

On Wednesday, we celebrated Mass in our classroom lead by Father Shaun, during which we reflected on Harvest-the gifts of God’s Creation and talked about our responsibilities to keep that Creation safe and sustainable for the next generations to come. The children read with great expression and showed reverence and maturity during Mass. They also learnt a new song, ‘Thank your lucky stars’ from scratch and performed it beautifully on the day. I was and am very proud of you all!

During the week, we also focused on OWW and as part of that we covered important topics such as the upcoming COP26 conference is Glasgow, climate change and global warming, the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in South America and its direct link to climate change and renewable energy sources. The children watched video clips and used the atlases to locate relevant areas around the world, whilst also using Google Earth satellite images to prompt dialogue about the changing of our world and ways to slow that or stop it entirely. We also planted cress seeds as a way to bring something new and green into our classrooms whilst the children also had an opportunity to look at innovative ways the world could look like in a few years time and design their own ‘Future City’ with wind turbines and solar panels, electric cars and drones being used instead of fuel based vehicles for transportation.

As a closing to this week’s activities and learning, the children have also written their pledges that they presented during assembly and answered our big question: ‘Who does the world belong to?’

Thank you very much for your hard work this half term. I appreciate all your efforts and your positive attitude to your learning in Year 4 so far.

I wish all of you and your families a restful and safe half term holiday and see you back on Tuesday!

Ms Varga

Home Learning:

Please keep up your reading and log anything interesting you read during your holiday.

Please have a look at our Whole School RE learning: here

(We are expecting a design idea only, not an actual monstrance built)

Friday, 15th October 2021

This week in Year 4, the children finished off a great piece of persuasive writing, arguing that Purple Beard and his trusted crew mates should not embark on a treacherous journey across the sea. We displayed their fantastic ‘Pirate Postcards’ just outside their classroom. In Maths, the class started a new timed multiplication activity, that we are going to carry on completing daily,whilst in their main lesson, we focused on rounding whole numbers to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand using benchmark numbers and number lines. In RE, we allocated reading parts for next week’s Harvest Class Mass, led by the children and Father Shaun. As next week is also One World Week, their Mass is centred around issues such as climate change and our responsibility to care for God’s Creation. The children completed their first observational art pieces in the form of still life, which are also being displayed in class. Well done, they are looking great!

Have a lovely and healthy weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see your Home Learning below:

Home Learning Due by Tuesday, 19th October 2021
Spelling Please practice this week’s spelling words that follow the previous 2 sets of words with prefixes.

irresponsible, irrelevant, intercity, interact, international, interrelated
Please see the attached sheet, if you would like to use that: Spelling sheet
Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete 2 activities. Please also update your reading logs and be prepared to present them on Wednesday.

https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Multiplication Please log onto ‘Hit the button’ and spend 15 minutes practicing your mixed multiplication facts.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Study Ladder Please log onto Study Ladder and complete the activities in your assigned pod. The 4 activities are all consolidation of rounding whole numbers (including 4 digit) to the nearest 100.

https://www.studyladder.co.uk/

(Although Study Ladder groups these tasks as Year 5 activities, they are actually covered in the Year 4 Essentials curriculum.)

Friday, 8th October 2021

 

A huge well done to all the children in Year 4 for their beautiful assembly this morning. Great reading and acting! They took on the responsibility with maturity and motivation. Very proud of them all!

This week, beyond practising for their assembly, the children completed learning on number magnitude (the size of a number relative to other benchmark numbers) in Maths, whilst continuing with their English topic of persuasion. They have used Computing tools to write counter arguments, first based on a short picture book, then later based on their home learning research of local attractions. In Science, they interpreted and constructed a variety of food chains whilst in RE they looked at the meaning of monotheism and recalled the details of the Burning Bush story from Exodus. They also worked on their still life adding tones and shades to create a 3D effect and played team ball games in PE to further progress their passing and catching skills.

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see your Home Learning below:

Home Learning Due in by Tuesday, 12th October 2021
Spelling Please log onto Spelling Frame and practice this and last week’s spelling before testing yourself on them. To access these, you don’t need registration.

https://spellingframe.co.uk/spelling-rule/11/4-More-prefixes-1-of-3

Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete 2 activities. Please also update your reading logs with details about your current reading book. Be ready to present your records on Wednesday.

https://readtheory.org/

Multiplication Please log onto ‘Hit the button’ and spend 10-15 minutes practicing your mixed facts.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Study Ladder Please log onto Study Ladder and complete the activities on your assigned pod. They will include 2 tutorial videos on times tables and then further practice opportunities plus a Science activity of food chains to consolidate your understanding on producers, consumers, preys, predators, herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.

https://www.studyladder.co.uk/

 

Friday, 1st October 2021

This week, the children in Year 4 carried on with their Place Value learning by comparing, ordering and flexibly regrouping whole numbers. In English, they copied up their first final pieces in their neatest handwriting. These are  now displayed in class. We therefore started a new unit of work, still based on persuasion inspired by a story titled, ‘The day I swapped my dad for two goldfish’. The children enjoyed this book and have written great persuasive paragraphs swapping someone in their families for something valuable or exciting like a real life submarine or a pet puppy.

In Science, as the pictures show, the children used ziplog bags to simulate how the stomach functions and why it has an important part in the human digestion, whilst also learning the names and roles of the rest of the basic parts like the liver or pancreas. In Geography, they started recording some of their ideas creatively about the advantages and disadvantages of living in megacities whilst in RE they looked at the life of St Vincent de Paul and made links between the Vincentian values and their lives.

We also started rehearsing for their class assembly on St Francis of Assisi for next Friday. Great first reading from everyone.

Thank you again for the lovely plants; our class garden looks lovely.

Have a lovely and safe weekend,

Ms Varga

Please see your Home Learning below:

Home Learning Due by Tuesday, 5th October 2021
Spelling Please practise this week’s spelling words by either copying them out or by segmenting them like we do them in class.

disappoint (dis-app-oint), disagree (dis-ag-ree), disobey (dis-o-bey), inactive (in-act-iv-e), incorrect (in-cor-rect), illegal (il-le-gal)
I include a worksheet in case you would like to use that: Spelling sheet
Reading Please log onto Read Theory and complete two activities. Please also update your reading log with details about the book you are currently reading. Be ready to present your logs on Wednesday, 6th October.

https://readtheory.org/auth/login

Multiplication Please log onto ‘Hit the button’ and spend 10-15 minutes practicing your mixed facts.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Maths Please log onto Mathletics and complete your assigned activities (5) based on ordering, compering and re-grouping whole numbers of up to 4 digits.

https://www.mathletics.com/uk/

English As a preparation for the children’s next writing piece, I would like them to research a favoured destination.

It can be a holiday location like Center Parks, or a theme park like Chessington World of Adventures or Lego Land. It can be a museum like the Natural History Museum with all its dinos or the London Eye, etc.

I would like them to create a plan where in simple bullet points they have about 10 facts they can include in their writing later.

  • Where is the attraction?
  • How many people visit every year?
  • What is exciting about the attraction?
  • What facilities are there? (restaurants, cafes, pools, etc)
  • Anything that makes it unique?
  • What age range is it suitable for?
  • Why would you recommend that attraction to someone else?

I am NOT expecting the children to write paragraphs. All we need is a bank of facts and ideas that the children can have in front of them, so they can lift those details into their persuasive pieces. About an attraction that they feel excited about to motivate them. Please be prepared to present your facts by Thursday, 7th October 2021