English

This half term our writing units will continue to be based on the book, The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. This story is about a gigantic iron robot who appears out of no-where, crashing onto the beach and shattering into many parts. He is discovered by a young boy, Hogarth. The Iron Man proceeds to cause trouble to the villagers, devouring their machinery, until they decide to rise against him and entrap him. 

We will be studying how tension is created and writing our own narrative. We will also be studying features of a formal letter of apology and a newspaper report. We will also watch the film version and compare similarities and differences between this.  

Maths

This term we will be covering topics including area, rounding, multiplication and division, and effective addition and subtraction techniques. We will be focusing on learning the 6 and 9 times tables and their related division facts, in addition to recapping prior multiplication and division facts. 

We will be working to cover the objectives:

As a school we use TT Rockstars to practise our times tables. We encourage the children to practise regularly at home. Year 4 have a termly challenge to earn raffle tickets and wow cards for playing regularly at home!

History

What does the Staffordshire Hoard tell us about the Anglo-Saxons?

The Staffordshire Hoard is one of the largest pieces of Anglo-Saxon treasures discovered. This half term we will be learning about:

• What is the Staffordshire Hoard?
• Key artefacts within the Staffordshire Hoard
• The mystery of the Staffordshire Hoard and the theories about why it was buried
• The Kingdom of Mercia and why it was important
• Life in Mercia in the Anglo-Saxon times
• The ruler Aethelflaed

Science

Sound

This term, our Year 4 scientists are diving into the wonderful world of Sound to discover how it is made, how it travels, and how we hear it.

Here is a quick look at what we will be exploring:

• How Sound is Made: Discovering that all sounds begin with vibrations (like a plucking guitar string or a struck drum).
• How Sound Travels: Exploring how sound waves move through different mediums (solids, liquids, and gases) to reach our ears.
• Pitch & Volume: Finding patterns in how changing an object's size, length, or tension alters its pitch (high or low), and how the strength of a vibration changes its volume (loud or soft).
• Fading Away: Investigating why sounds get fainter the further away we move from the source.

French

🏡 Our New French Topic: Chez Moi (At My Home)!

This term, our linguists are stepping inside the French home! We will be learning how to name different types of houses, identify the rooms inside them, and describe where we live in French.

Here is a quick look at what we will be learning:

• Types of Homes: Learning how to say whether we live in a house (une maison) or an apartment (un appartement).
• Rooms of the House: Exploring vocabulary for the areas we use every day, such as the bedroom (la chambre), the kitchen (la cuisine), and the living room (le salon).
• Saying Where Things Are: Practising simple sentences to describe our homes, like "Dans ma maison, il y a..." (In my house, there is...).

Music

Our unit this half term focuses on developing our musical notation skills. We will be looking at recognising different letter notes and the names and duration for each note. We will be playing glockenspiels to a variety of pieces and begin to compose our own pieces. 

PSHE

Safety First

We will be learning about different responsibilities that we have and how to keep ourselves safe. This includes school rules, emergency situations, road, water and railway hazards, and how to deal with common and simple injuries. 

DT

Seasonal Stockings

In this textiles unit we will be exploring different stocking products. We will use these to design, make and evaluate our own Christmas Stockings! 

Computing

💻 Our New Computing Topic: Unpacking Hardware and Software!

This term, our Year 4 tech experts are looking under the hood of the technology we use every day. We will be learning the difference between the physical parts of a computer and the invisible programs that make them work.

Here is a quick look at what we will be exploring:

• Hardware: Identifying the physical components you can touch, both on the outside (like the keyboard, mouse, and monitor) and inside the machine (such as the CPU and motherboard).
• Software: Exploring the invisible programs, applications, and operating systems (like apps, web browsers, and games) that give instructions to the hardware.
• How They Work Together: Investigating how inputs (like typing on a keyboard) travel through software to produce an output on the hardware (like text appearing on a screen).

⌨️ Tech Talk at Home!
You can support your child by spotting hardware around your house (tablets, smart TVs, microwaves) and discussing what software or apps make them run!

RE

What can Christians learn from the Christmas Journey?

We will look at the importance of Bethlehem, the journey that Mary and Joseph took, the visitors baby Jesus received and the gifts they shared, and King Herod's jealousy. 

PE

We will develop our understanding of attacking and defending principles of invasion games with our Netball and Football units this term. We will use skills and strategies to outwit the opposition, whilst playing fairly and honestly.