Information about learning in Year 4
The Home/School Partnership Curriculum Newsletter
Autumn Term 2 2015
For our Sensational Start we became artists for the day! Firstly, we made a colour
wheel including primary, secondary and tertiary colours. We also learnt how to create
different tints and shades of colour using black and white on a colour snail. Using our
new skills we painted our own version of Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night which
culminated in a collaborative whole class piece of art.
Did you know white light is made up of the
seven different colours of the rainbow?
Learning Theme Overview
In this learning theme, we will be learning about the way light influences the world in which we live.
We will be researching the wonders of Aurora Borealis and creating an information page to share with
our peers. Our science learning will centre around the theme of electricity and circuits and we will use
our learning to design and make our own light up Christmas cards. In English we will be learning about
the features of fantasy fiction and studying, ‘The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe’ by CS Lewis.
English
We will be studying ‘The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe’ and focusing our
reading on excerpts from a range of fantasy novels.
Science– Electricity

Identify common appliances that run
on electricity

Construct a simple series electrical
circuit and identify and name its
parts
Fiction: To write a story set in a fantasy setting. Create character, setting
and plot that are clear and appropriate to purpose.
Grammar and Punctuation:

Identify whether a lamp will work or not in a simple
series circuit

Recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit

Recognise some common conductors and insulators

Use a wide range of adjectives to create impact in expanded noun phrases

Use more mature expanded noun phrases with the addition of prepositions

Consistently use paragraphs as a way to group related material
Geography
We will be learning about the wonders of the
Aurora Borealis. We will also:
Design & Technology
We will be applying our science
learning to make a ‘Light up
Christmas card’. Pupils will:

Design a functional and
appealing product fit for purpose

Select and use a wide range of
materials, tools, equipment and
components to perform practical tasks

Evaluate their ideas and products
against their own design criteria

Understand and use electrical systems
in their products

Locate the world’s countries using maps to
focus on Europe, concentrating on their
environmental regions, physical and human
characteristics, countries and major cities.

Describe and understand key aspects of
physical geography

Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/
computer mapping to locate countries and
describe features studied

Understand geographical
similarities and
differences through the
study of a region in
Europe.
Subjects linked to the learning theme…
Art—Tints and Shades
We will focus on the work of artist Van Gogh and his
‘Starry Night’ painting.

Develop a wider range of art techniques using
colour, pattern, line, shape form and space

Improve their mastery of art
techniques and control including
drawing and painting
PE and Games
Music
Indoor - Ballroom Dancing 4TI & 4CS Wednesday am
The children will continue building on rhythmic skills, while introducing the concept of pitch.
Pupils will:

To perform the basic Salsa steps to a variety of music

To perform a short routine during the house dance competition

Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts,

To give positive and constructive feedback to group members

Use and understand staff and other musical notations

Improvise and compose music for a wide range of purposes using the inter-related
dimensions of music
Outdoor —Tag Rugby 4TI Friday am 4CS Thursday am

To understand and use a defensive line effectively during a game

To begin to understand the offside rule
4TI will continue with the Sound Start project during this term. Please ensure that all clarinets are
in school on a Thursday morning. The 4TI Sound Start concert will be Thursday 24th November at
9.30am in the primary hall.
Maths
This term we are continuing to “master” our addition and subtraction skills before
moving on to multiplication and division.





recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12
recognise and use factor pairs and commutatively in mental calculations
use place value, known and derived facts to multiply and divide mentally,
including: multiplying by 0 and 1; dividing by 1; multiplying together three
numbers
multiply two-digit and three-digit numbers by a one-digit number using
formal written layout
solve problems involving multiplying and adding, including using the
distributive law to multiply two digit numbers by one digit, integer scaling
problems and harder correspondence problems such as n objects are
connected to m objects
Computing
This term we will be continuing to:

To run, check and change programs

To know that programs run by
following precise instructions

To use logical reasoning to predict the
behaviour of programs

Home learning
Your child will continue to receive home learning tasks in the form of:
● Weekly comprehension
● Weekly Mathletics work set relating to maths topic
● Weekly spelling list
● Termly KIRFs
● Occasional tasks linking to the theme
RE
Islam: Keeping the Five Pillars - what
difference does it make?

to understand how Muslim beliefs
impact on their way of life

to consider what can be learned from
the religious concepts studied in this
unit, whilst referring to their own
experiences, beliefs and values and
making links between them
PSHE Growth Mindset
Guided Reading
To understand your brain and how it
works
PEEWEES

To know the different parts of the brain

Explore the origins of the term ‘growth
mindset’

To understand the importance of making
mistakes in improving our learning
E—Evidencing meaning

Understand what they have read in
books they can read independently
by drawing inferences and
predicting what might happen and
justifying with evidence.