Charles Kingsley’s Primary School
Glaston Hill Road, Eversley, Hants RG27 0LX
Tel: 01189 732187
Gauguin Class Newsletter – Autumn Term 2016
September 2016
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the start of a new school year at Charles Kingsley’s CE Primary School and
welcome to Year 4! We hope you have all had a lovely Summer holiday and are ready to
start a new year.
I am delighted to become a part of your child’s learning journey and I look forward to
instilling further knowledge and understanding, watching your children grow and develop.
The Autumn term curriculum will adhere to the new National Curriculum aims and
programmes of study.
Science
The topic for this term is sounds, with a particular focus on how sounds are made, how we
hear sounds looking at pitch and volume with musical instruments to illustrate this. Children
therefore may become inquisitive into sounds they hear further away and natural drummers
may be keen to experiment with pitch and vibrations at home! We will be investigating how
sounds are made and experimenting with materials to find the best insulator.
English
English is one of my passions and I like to incorporate drama skills to inspire and ignite
imagination and creativity!
This term, children will be looking at informal writing, continuing to practise decoding and
comprehension skills through reading ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ as a class. It will be essential
for children to continue daily reading at home as this will support their development and
enhance the work completed in school. We will also be focusing on Riddles and Kennings to
provide different purposes of writing, looking at the legend of ‘Beowulf’. Literacy homework
will continue weekly, with a focus on the current topics in Literacy. Spelling home learning
will be set every week. This will be a combination of 'lists of words to learn', investigations
and games, based on the spelling focus in class that week. There will also be an opportunity
for children to apply their adventures from Hooke Court into a topic based all around these
experiences!
Children will only be tested on spellings when 'lists to learn' are given (this will NOT be
weekly). These lists will include topic based or subject specific words (e.g.
scientific/geographical/historical vocabulary), words selected from personal spelling
collections (e.g. words misspelt in their own writing) and words from the KS2 National
Curriculum word lists. As part of the testing, children will be learning to write short
sentences from dictation which include the words from their lists.
For specific children, lists of words may be given weekly as part of their English intervention
work (children requiring additional support with spelling).
Mathematics
Daily practice of times tables knowledge and number facts will continue. If children could
practise their tables each day this will be extremely beneficial as this term we will be looking
at addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and place value. During these lessons
children will have the opportunity to problem solve and reason mathematically. As an
additional challenge, they will also be given reasoning tasks to deepen understanding at a
level to suit. There will also be weekly maths home learning which aims to provide continual
practice of the skills learned in school. Please do encourage your child to come and see me
before the hand in date if they are unsure.
History
History is a passion of mine so this term it is all about the Anglo Saxons, looking at
continuity and change. The children will be studying where the Anglo Saxons came from, the
invasion, settlements, timelines and significant dates. This topic also allows a build up to the
residential visit to Hooke Court at the end of September where skills and knowledge will be
developed and utilised! An added dance element will
allow children to get into role using modern music to
portray the Anglo Saxon life.
Art
To start, children will study our class artist, Paul Gauguin. This will involve exploring the
natural environment to incorporate materials and patterns into their art work. Further on in
the term, activities will stem from the History topic of Anglo Saxons, allowing children to
make connections in their learning. Children will have the opportunity to look at artwork
from the Anglo Saxon period and try their hands at weaving, using natural resources from
the time period. Later on in the term they will also be able to experiment with pottery in
the style of Anglo Saxon pots and bowls. This will further link into design and technology
where children get to first design a shape, what it will be used for, patterns and colours in
the style of Anglo Saxon art.
Computing
During computing sessions children will be researching and creating presentations about the
Anglo Saxons. This assesses their design skills, using a search engine safely and effectively
both at home and at school, and incorporating animation, audio and transitions into their
work. E-safety will be paramount at all times.
Geography
This will be intertwined within History, looking at where the Anglo Saxons originated, parts
of Britain they invaded and where they chose to settle. This will include map work and
looking at continuity and change between how land use has changed over the years. This will
also help to prepare children for the Hooke Court trip, allowing them to get into role as an
Anglo Saxon and experience their lives!
Music
Music is centred on the topic of Anglo Saxons so the children will be studying music from
this time period. The focus is on tone, pitch and volume where children need to listen
carefully to identify instruments they hear and how the music changes its tone, pitch and
volume. Further into the term, with links to design and technology, they will be making their
own piece of music using instruments they have designed and made. Our music teaching will
be supported by Mrs Rayner.
P.E
P.E continues to develop skills both in invasion games and gymnastics. Skills children will be
developing are throwing and catching, hand/eye co- ordination, balance, team work and
communication in Netball. Brushing up on their co-ordination will see children use their
creative and teamship skills to apply in dance to tell an Anglo Saxon story!
R.E
The main focus of these session will be Hinduism and festivals, but with connections to
Christianity. Children will be comparing festivals and celebrations between Hindus and
Christians and their similarities and differences. Freeze framing and hot seating will provide
an interactive touch and will enable children to understand why celebrations and festivals
are important to different religions. As we get close to the 2nd half term, we will be looking
at Diwali and then the Christmas story!
French
The children will continue to develop their speaking skills in order to communicate more
fluently in French as well as understanding the cultural aspects of French speaking countries.
This term we will continue to build on their understanding of colour to describe animals and
pets they may have. Children will also be using French dictionaries to help support
sentences to add fluidity and new language to their work.
P4C
Philosophy for Children will engage children in friendly discussions and debates about
philosophical questions to encourage deeper thinking. Thus this will help to promote
curiosity and enquiring minds, developing skills that can be utilised across all subjects.
Home Learning
The children will be given regular home learning for maths and literacy. Clear dates will be
given for the return of this and if not brought back in on time, one warning will be issued
before children will be asked to complete the work at breaktimes. Your support is valued
with this organisation. All home learning will be monitored!
Dates for your diary:
Thursday 15th Sept – Parent class talk @ 9am
21st – 23rdSept - Hooke Court
Friday 2nd October – Focus Assembly
Tuesday 4th October – Harvest Festival @ St Mary’s
Friday 7th October – Focus Gauguin Focus Assembly.
Tuesday 12th Dec – Y3/4 Christmas Carols @ 6pm
We are very much looking forward to working with you as a team and supporting your
child. Should you have any queries or worries, please do come and see me or drop me an
email [email protected] and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
The Year 4 Team
S Carter
C Kilby
C Paterson
C Bedford
Permission for food tasting – Gauguin
I give/do not give permission for ………………………………………. to participate in food
tasting throughout the year Sept 2015 – July 2016.
I confirm that my child has no food allergies
My child has the following food allergies - : Please state:
My child can/cannot have a croissant for Bastille Day
Signed :
Date:
Parent/Guardian