Spring Term 1

Reading

During Spring 1, Year 4 children will delve into the exciting text The Highland Falcon Thief to develop their reading skills. They will revisit identifying themes and conventions in a text, focusing on uncovering the deeper meanings and patterns that run throughout the story. Children will also work on improving their understanding of what they read by making sensible predictions about the meanings of unknown words, using context and prior knowledge to inform their thinking.

In addition, children will practise summarising key events from the story in their own words, helping them to condense and articulate the main points effectively. They will enhance their skills in skimming and scanning to retrieve key information, as well as making inferences about characters' thoughts, feelings, and motives to deepen their understanding of the plot and relationships within the story.

Following this, children will explore non-fiction texts, revisiting and applying the same key skills. They will develop their ability to summarise, make inferences, and evaluate language choices within these texts, making cross-curricular links with science and geography.

Finally, the children will study poetry, focusing on Free Verse – Instructions for Growing Poetry by Tony Mitton. They will explore the unique structure and language of free verse, evaluating its impact on the reader and identifying themes and patterns within the poem. This well-rounded approach to reading will enable children to enjoy and analyse a variety of genres, fostering a deeper appreciation of different types of texts.

 

Writing

In Spring 1, Year 4 children will focus on developing their writing skills through an exciting journey of adventure and informative writing. They will begin by honing their storytelling abilities, using the captivating book River and elements of The Highland Falcon Thief as inspiration for their own adventure stories. Children will learn to create vivid descriptions of characters and settings through detailed expanded noun phrases, incorporating modifying prepositional phrases. They will revisit and strengthen their understanding of paragraph structure, ensuring their narratives are well-organized. Additionally, they will explore how to craft engaging openings and satisfying endings, creating stories that entertain and captivate their readers.

Next, children will focus on writing to inform, using the text driver Until I Met Dudley to inspire their work. They will develop their ability to use a range of subordinating conjunctions, such as "since," to show causality in their writing. Children will practice placing subordinate clauses at both the start and end of sentences, learning how to use commas accurately when the subordinate clause comes at the start. Through this, they will produce clear, informative writing that explains and educates with precision and clarity.

Through these objectives, children will strengthen their technical writing skills while fostering creativity and a love of storytelling.

 

Maths

This term, the children will be continuing their subtraction and division learning journey, focusing on mastering the formal written methods for subtraction and developing their mental and formal division skills.

In subtraction, children will learn how to subtract numbers with up to 4 digits using columnar subtraction, while also estimating and using inverse operations to check the accuracy of their answers. They will apply this knowledge to solve two-step problems in a range of contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why.

In division, children will focus on recalling division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12 and using place value, known facts, and derived facts to divide mentally, including dividing by 1. They will also practise solving division problems in a variety of contexts.

As well as this, the children will be focusing on improving their fraction knowledge. They will learn to count up and down in hundredths, recognising that hundredths arise when dividing an object by one hundred or tenths by ten. They will explore equivalent fractions, using diagrams to identify and show families of common fractions, and will learn how to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator. They will apply their understanding to solve problems involving increasingly complex fractions, including calculating quantities, dividing quantities, and solving measure problems involving fractions.

 

Science

During this term, the children will explore the fascinating world of sound! They will begin their learning journey by identifying how sounds are made, associating them with vibrations produced by objects. Through hands-on investigations, children will learn to observe and describe these vibrations and relate them to the sounds they hear. Next, children will explore how vibrations travel through different mediums to reach the ear. They will investigate and find patterns between the pitch of a sound and the features of the object that produced it, deepening their understanding of how sound is generated and altered. Building on this, children will focus on finding patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it. They will experiment with a variety of objects and scenarios to discover how changes in vibration can affect the loudness of sounds. Finally, children will learn to recognise that sounds become fainter as the distance from the sound source increases. They will observe and record these changes, applying their understanding to real-world examples.

 

History

In history this term, the children will be studying Britain's settlement by the Anglo-Saxons and Scots. They will explore the origins of the Anglo-Saxon people and learn about their migration to Britain, examining the reasons behind their settlement and how they established communities. The children will investigate the impact of the Anglo-Saxons on Britain, focusing on the development of towns, villages, and the early foundations of English society. They will also study key features of Anglo-Saxon life, including their culture, religion, and art.

 

Geography

This term, the children will describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, focusing on rivers and mountains. They will explore the characteristics and formation of rivers and mountains, learning about how they shape the landscape and the impact they have on the environment.

In addition to this, the children will use fieldwork to observe, measure, record, and present the physical features in the local area. They will apply a variety of methods, including sketch maps, plans, and graphs, to accurately capture and analyse the physical geography around them. Through these hands-on activities, children will develop a deeper understanding of how geographical features are represented and studied, and how they influence the local environment.

 

Religious Education

In RE, Year 4 children will explore the concept of devotion in Hindu worship, focusing on how love and devotion are expressed in religious practices. They will reflect on the importance of devotion in the lives of Hindus and consider how these expressions of love through worship are meaningful to individuals and communities. Children will describe how devotion is shown in rituals and prayers, and explore how these practices might vary within different Hindu communities. They will also evaluate the significance of devotion in their own lives and how it might be applied to their personal experiences and communities.

 

PE

In Real PE this term, children will be focusing on identifying areas to improve both physically and non-physically. They will consider their stance, footwork, and awareness of space and others when making decisions during competitive games. Children will use feedback from themselves and others to identify areas for improvement and develop a clear understanding of what a successful performance looks like in order to refine their skills in attacking and defending.

In Real Dance, children will focus on performing with balance and control when holding and transitioning between shapes, as well as landing smoothly. They will work on creating clear, strong, and varied shapes and moving fluently between them without stopping. Children will explore circular movements and practice performing exact, repeatable movements, including circles and half-circles. They will also learn to ensure a partner is secure when in direct contact and perform with multiple partners in a range of roles, incorporating circular movements in and out of lifts. This will help improve their coordination, creativity, and teamwork in dance.

 

Spanish

This term, the children will further develop their language skills in Spanish by learning how to describe and give opinions about sports. They will practise using new vocabulary to express their thoughts and ideas about different sports, and will gain confidence in speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Through these activities, children will enhance their ability to give and follow instructions, as well as express opinions on topics related to sports in Spanish.

 

Art

Throughout the Spring Term, children will become proficient in using colour, pattern, and texture in their painting, focusing on exploring forests in art. They will study the works of Henri Rousseau, highlighting his use of bold colours and patterns to create vibrant, dreamlike forest scenes. Children will also explore the rainforest-inspired works of Abel Rodríguez, focusing on his precise lines and textures that capture the complexity of the forest. After practising these techniques, children will use their knowledge of colour, pattern, and texture to create their own forest-inspired painting, combining harmonious elements in their artwork.

 

Design and technology

In D&T this term, children will be applying their skills in weaving to create a wall hanging. They will select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, carefully considering the materials and techniques they will use for their design. The children will conduct research to inspire their final design and prototype, experimenting with different weaving methods and patterns. After creating their wall hanging, they will evaluate their finished product, reflecting on their design choices and the effectiveness of their techniques

By the end of this half term, the children will have developed and performed the American army style Super Hero chant, incorporating a steady beat and rhythmic ostinato accompaniment. They will have responded to The Peter Gunn Theme, analyzing and using its elements to inspire their own compositions. The children will have created their own Super Hero music, including a steady beat, rhythmic ostinati, and improvised sections. The steady beat and improvised sections will be notated using a grid or conventional rhythmic notation, showcasing their understanding and creativity in music.