Summer Term

Summer Term 2012

 Dear Parents,

 I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and managed to enjoy the glorious weather that we were treated to. Here is an outline of what we will be covering in the classroom during the children’s final term in Year 4.

 Literacy

 We will begin with exploring the form of a range of list poems by several well known poets. The children will write additional verses or their own original poems in the style of those we study. They will be written or typed and the children will also present them as a performance piece.

We will then move onto stories that raise issues or dilemmas. We use the stories ‘Sam’s Duck’ and ‘Journey to Jo’burg’ to identify issues and predict how characters will deal with them. We will look at issues from different viewpoints and the children will also write their own stories.

After half term we begin with stories with historical settings, we will read a series of stories set during WW2 and investigate historical vocabulary, powerful verbs and vivid adjectives. Finally we finish with a unit of work on plays. We will use proverbs as a stimulus for some short plays based on everyday life. The children will look closely at play script features and stage directions to develop characters and setting. The children will then create scenes based on events from a Roald Dahl story.

 Maths

 This term we will be covering areas such as written subtraction using a standard method and 8-point compass and measuring clockwise/anti clockwise turns. We will look at angles and know that they are measured in degrees and continue to investigate patterns in multiplication work. We will cover the standard units of weight and reading scales and also to locate a position on a grid using coordinates. We will continue working with money both adding and estimating different amounts. Our work will also cover finding fractions of amounts and shapes, how fractions relate to division and continue to recognise decimal notation. Throughout the term the children will continue to develop their mental arithmetic skills and working with the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Science

The two units of work in science this term are moving and growing and habitats. Moving and growing – The children will learn about how the skeleton is related to movement and support in humans. They will learn what happens to the skeleton and muscles as we move. They will compare human bones and skeletons with those of other animals.

Habitats – Through this unit the children will understand the concept of a habitat, how it provides organisms found there with the conditions for life and how animals depend on plants or other animals for food. We will look at how they are best suited for their own particular habitat.

Geography/History

These two units will link together this term. The children will investigate their local area from a geographical point of view. They will investigate the different features of our local area using maps. They will identify human and physical features and land uses. They will also look at what it was like to live here in the past. How the local area has changed using key areas such as the school, shops and village hall as points of investigation.

ICT

The children will use a database to present information they have collected in a range of graphs such as bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs. The children will also continue to develop their touch typing skills using a junior touch typing programme. Throughout the term the children will publish work on a word document, combining their word with appropriate images. They will also programme a screen turtle to follow instructions on a screen and programme in specific instructions to create a range of shapes.

PE

The children will continue to have Rising Stars every Friday and this term they will be doing athletics, covering both track and field events, and rounders. We will also choreograph the country dance for the May celebrations and also the children will get the chance to learn tri-golf.

ART

This term the children will explore the atmosphere of a dream. They will explore the work of a range of surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Rene Magritte. They will produce a piece of collage work inspired by these artists. They will also explore different viewpoints of the school grounds, taking a photo which will be the basis for a dreamlike image and piece of writing.

RE

During RE the children will look at books which are precious or important with a focus on sacred texts. They will continue to look at the different religious practices, lifestyles and family traditions of Christians, Sikhs and Hindus.

FRENCH

The children will continue to revise the language they have covered so far which includes the weather, numbers, greetings and saying their age and where they live. This term they will also start to name items in the classroom and also telling the time. The children will not only develop their oral skills but also reading and writing in French.

MUSIC

The children will continue their music lessons with Mrs Wright and this term they will revise tonic sol-fa names and signs as well as simple pitch and rhythmic notation. There will also be a focus on African music. The children will listen to and sing a collection of African songs and also improvise repeated patterns like the African music.

Thank you again for all your help and support, especially with your child’s reading, homework and spellings. I will continue to give out homework and spellings on a Friday, the homework is due in the following Thursday and the children will be tested on their spellings every Friday morning. I am really pleased with the hard work and progress the children have made so far this year and I’m really looking forward to a great summer term.

Mr Martin