Year 4 2017 - 2018

 Year 4  

Welcome to Year 4's class page.

Class teacher: Mr Modest

HLTA: Mrs Mokri

P.E days: Tuesday  and Thursday after morning before play. All pupils should bring their p.e kits into school on Monday and take them home to be washed at the end of the week.

Homework day:  Thursdays

Please try and support your child(ren) with the completion of their homework. They must try their best to complete it to the best of their ability. It would be really helpful if you could check that they have completed it properly and write a supporting comment to help boost their confidence.

Reading at home: Please try and ensure that an adult in the home is hearing  your child(ren) read. Try and read a balance of fiction and non-fiction books. Discuss parts of the text you all enjoyed reading and why you enjoyed reading with them. Try and ensure it is an enjoiyable experience!

'Reading together' will build special bonds and habits that will last for a long time. The more you support your child in reading, the more you empower them to access the curriculum and information that is all around.

Times tables: The year 4's have been challenged to learn of their x tables before Easter. Please try and support your childr(ren) in learning them. Times tables open many areas of the maths curriculum to them. Encourage them to learn them in small chunks, such as the first 6 of the 2 times tables, then next 6 and then the same for learning the divisons for each times table. The children in year 4 are assessed weekly and their progress is charted. During the test the children are given 5 seconds to answer each question. It is not just about learning them in order, it is about knowong them and being to recall the answers quickly

(5 seconds!).

Spellings: The children are tested on their spellings on a weekly basis. It would be a real help if you could support them in learning their spellings and ensuring they know what the words mean and how to use them in sentences.

Also have a look at some of the Netherthorpe Spell Well Activities document.

Curriculum:

Our History topic this half term is: 

 Sheffield a Steel City

The children will study the relationship between Sheffield and the Steel Industry

Our current science topic is:  

Materials and their properties

The children will be looking at the different types of materials and their properties. They will:

• Learn to name and describe them.
• Learn to seperate and sort them.
• Learn to understand what gas is and how to recognise it.
• Investigate melting and freezing.
• Investigate how materials can be changed by heating.
• Investigate evaporation and condensation.
• Investigate the water cycle.

Electricity will be the next topic.

In this unit children will identify common appliances that run on battery and mains electricity, and name some appliances that do the same job but are operated manually. They will learn the names and functions of simple electrical components including batteries, bulbs, buzzers, wires and switches. They will understand the need for a complete loop for a bulb to light or a buzzer to buzz, and will construct simple circuits to light a bulb and make a buzzer buzz. They will then insert a switch into the circuit to turn the bulb/buzzer on and off.

Working Scientifically, children will raise questions related to electrical insulation and conductivity. They will plan and carry out investigations, make predictions, record results in appropriate ways and draw conclusions. They will apply knowledge about electrical circuits and conductors to design and make a switch.