Out topic this half term is Watery Worlds.

In English we will be reading a range of fictional texts that have water at its core. These include our Talk for Writing model text, The Canal, as well as Swimming Against the Storm , an adventure set in a small fishing village on the coast of Louisiana, by Jess Butterworth. We look forward to exploring these texts in both reading and writing and learning more about how settings become almost like another character of the story. We will also be using similes, metaphors and ambitious adjectives to bring our setting descriptions to life!

Over this half term in Maths, we will be revisiting place value and understand that this is the basis of all understanding of number. We will also look at what a negative number is as well as begin to understand Roman Numerals. Later in the term we will be adding and subtracting up to 4 digit numbers and building our confidence when making an exchange. There will also be a focus on multiplications because in June year 4 pupils nationally will sit a multiplication check assessment.

Our Science topic is ‘Animals, including humans’. We will be learning about the different types of teeth animals have and their purposes. We will also learn about the human digestive system with some messy experiments!

In RE we will be learning about Sikhism, with a particular focus on belonging to a Sikh community, the Amrit ceremony and becoming a Khalsa Sikh.

In Geography we will begin the unit by learning about how a river is formed and some of the vocabulary used to describe this accurately. We will use maps and atlases to locate the major rivers of the UK and visit the River Thames to see how we live and work with the river. We will also learn more the water cycle and the processes that water goes through.

In Music the children will begin to learn the ukulele. We will practise holding the instrument correctly and learn the names of
basic notes before playing simple tunes.

If you have any further questions about the content of the Year 4 curriculum please contact the Year 4 Team Leader, Mr Cartildge, who will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.