Anston Park Junior School

Welcome to the Year 4 webpage

Here, you should find all the information needed about life in Y4.
If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to speak to the class teacher either in a morning before or after school.

Alternatively, you can contact school via email: enquiries@anstonparkjuniors.co.uk

Year 4 Teaching Staff:

Mr B. Bradley (4B)

Miss H. Fenton (4F)

Y4 Teaching Assistants: 

Mrs S. Hutchinson

Mrs K. Bennett

Miss E. Murray (2 days a week)

Class Novel

Over the year, we will be listening to and sharing a range of different class novels. 

We are currently reading: 

The Ancient Egypt Sleepover by Stephen Davies

Y4 Long Term Plan 

Below is our long term plan for all subjects. This shows the topics that will we cover across the different half terms. 

Below, you will find more information about the key questions we will be answering this half term across the different subjects. As well as key vocabulary, content and useful links. 

Science

In this unit, children will learn about states of matter. They will compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases. They will observe that some materials change state when heated or cooled, and they will identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle.

What’s the matter?

Air is a gas. It is made of lots of different materials. Can you find out what they are? Try presenting it as a graph.

Are all liquids the same? Do they have the same appearance? Carry out a survey around your home and compare them all. How can you share what you have found out?

Food changing state

Why do we add salt to paths in the winter?

What does it do to the ice?

How many places can you see changes of state taking place?

Why do changes of state happen?

The water cycle

Do all materials boil?

What material has the highest boiling point? What has the lowest?

What about melting and freezing points?

There are people who can predict the weather. They use temperatures and winds to work out where it is going to rain. Why not find out more about the part that water and temperature play in this?

Tumble driers at home dry the washing. How do they work? They have a part called a condenser – what do you think this is for?

 History

In this unit, the children will explore who the Ancient Egyptians were, what they did, and discuss whether Ancient Egypt deserves its reputation as one of the most important early civilisations. The National Curriculum Programmes of Study for History require you to study Ancient Egypt in the context of three other early civilisations. These are the Shang Dynasty of Ancient China, Ancient Sumer and the Indus Valley civilisation. The first session introduces all 4 civilisations, and supports the children in understanding where they were located in time and place. It looks at some of the common features that made them so successful.

In this unit, the children will:

study the achievements of the earliest civilisations

develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understand of British, local and world history

note connections, contrasts and trends over time

develop the use of historical terms

understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources

address and devise historically valid questions about similarity, difference and significance

construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Key questions

Why were people able to prosper in the desert land of Ancient Egypt?

Why do we know so much about the Ancient Egyptians and their achievements?

How did different groups of people contribute to the achievements of Ancient Egyptian society?

What can we learn about the Ancient Egyptians from the Great Pyramid?

Are you surprised by Ancient Egyptian religion?

How much did the Ancient Egyptians achieve?

Design Technology

Textiles 

In this unit, children demonstrate a range of stitching techniques and allow children to practise sewing two small pieces of fabric together, demonstrating the use of, and need for, seam allowances. Children will create a design brief, supported by the teacher, set within a context, which is authentic and meaningful. They will plan the main stages of making and assemble their product using their existing knowledge, skills and understanding.

Generate realistic ideas through discussion and design criteria for an appealing, functional product fit for purpose and specific user/s.

Produce annotated sketches, prototypes, final product sketches and pattern pieces.

Making

Plan the main stages of making.

Select and use a range of appropriate tools with some accuracy e.g. cutting, joining and finishing.

Select fabrics and fastenings according to their functional characteristics e.g. strength, and aesthetic qualities e.g. pattern.

Evaluating

Investigate a range of 3-D textile products relevant to the project.

Test their product against the original design criteria and with the intended user.

Take into account others’ views.

Understand how a key event/individual has influenced the development of the chosen product and/or fabric.

Technical knowledge and understanding

Know how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce existing fabrics.

Understand how to securely join two pieces of fabric together.

Understand the need for patterns and seam allowances.

Know and use technical vocabulary relevant to the project.

Computing

In this unit, children will identify the input device (microphone) and output devices (speaker or headphones) required to work with sound digitally. Children will discuss the ownership of digital audio and the copyright implications of duplicating the work of others. In order to record audio themselves, children will use Audacity to produce a podcast, which will include editing their work, adding multiple tracks, and opening and saving the audio files. Finally, children will evaluate their work and give feedback to their peers.

This unit will be structured into 6 lessons:

Lesson 1 – Digital recording

Lesson 2 – Recording sounds

Lesson 3 – Creating a podcast

Lesson 4 – Editing digital recordings

Lesson 5 – Combining audio

Lesson 6 – Evaluating podcasts

French

My Family

By the end of this unit, children will have the knowledge and skills to present themselves both orally and in written form in French. This is one of the first units where previously learnt language will be integrated with newly acquired language, encouraging all pupils to use their growing bank of vocabulary. In this unit, pupils focus on asking questions as well as providing accurate replies. They will demonstrate a growing understanding of grammar to manipulate language and start to create sentences of their own using a range of personal details including name, age, where they live and nationality.

This unit will be structured into 6 lessons:

Lesson 1 - In this lesson, pupils will learn how to recognise, recall and spell different family members with the correct definite article/determiner in the foreign language.

Lesson 2 - In this lesson, pupils will consolidate the nouns and definite articles/determiners for family members and will also learn how to use the possessive adjective ‘my’ in the foreign language with increasing accuracy.

Lesson 3 - In this lesson, pupils will learn how to ask and answer the question ‘do you have any siblings?’ in the foreign language.

Lesson 4 - In this lesson, pupils will further consolidate the language needed to introduce their own/ fictitious family members in the foreign language. This will involve moving from 1st person singular ‘I am called’ to 3rd person singular ‘he/she is called’.

Lesson 5 - In this lesson, pupils will be introduced to numbers 1-70 in the foreign language and will use this knowledge to be able to say how old their own/ fictitious family members are.

Lesson 6 - In this lesson, pupils will revise and consolidate all language covered in the unit and complete the end of unit assessment.

Music

This is Unit of Work that continues to teach about the language of music through playing the glockenspiel. The learning is focussed around exploring and developing playing skills through the glockenspiel. This is a six-week Unit of Work that continues to teach about the language of music through playing the glockenspiel. The learning is focussed around exploring and developing playing skills through the glockenspiel.

This unit will be structured into 6 lessons:

Lesson 1 Revisit D-E-F-inately , Easy E from Stage 1 Theory: Finding out about music: Pulse. Finding out about music: Pulse question.

Lesson 2- Revisit Roundabout and March of the Golden Guards from Stage 1. Theory: Finding out about music (rhythm) Remembering what you found out - rhythm

Lesson 3- Revisit Portsmouth, Strictly D from Stage 1. Pieces: Remembering what you’ve found out,Two-Way Radio (note-names) - playing part 2, Two-Way Radio (note-names) - playing part 1, Two-Way Radio (note-names + notes) - All, Two-Way Radio theory - the language of music, Two-Way Radio (notation), Theory: More Finding out about music - Finding out about music - Rhythm game 1

Lesson 4- Revisit: What's up? DeeCee’s Blues from Stage 1, Pieces: Flea Fly, Flea Fly (note-names), Flea Fly (notes + note-names), Flea Fly theory - the language of music AND Flea Fly (notation)

Lesson 5- Revisit: Play Your Music, Drive from Stage 1 Pieces: Rigadoon, Rigadoon (note-names), Rigadoon (notes + note-names), Rigadoon theory - the language of music, Rigadoon (notation) and Mamma Mia

Lesson 6- Composition - revisit Stage 1 and create your compositions for this Stage.

As part of our wider curriculum, children can also choose to complete homework from our homework menu (see below). This is optional, however, it will be enjoyable for the children and it will allow them to take their learning further and share it with you at home. Once any tasks have been completed please bring them into school and we will do our best to display as many of them as possible.

We would love to see how creative you can be and display your hard work for all to see.

Reading is an essential part of the curriculum and opens up many other curriculum areas. We expect children to read at least three times a week at home. Some children may choose to read independently, which is completely fine, but it is also helpful for adults to check children understand the vocabulary within the text and understand the content of what they are reading.   

Children need to spend time at home practising their times tables. Children can prepare for the times table challenge and aim to achieve their best times. Don't forget to visit the Times Tables Rock Stars website to help them practise their tables and earn coins to promote their band! It is their challenge this year to top the leader board and help their band to win the Battle of the Bands. 

 https://ttrockstars.com/

Look out for the weekly spellings that will be set on Spelling Shed on a Friday – children will practise throughout the week at school. Children have access to Spelling Shed which allows them to practise their assigned weekly spellings.

https://www.edshed.com/en-gb/login 

Another set of important spellings which will inevitably help children with their writing is the Y3/4 Statutory word list. It would be great if children could also spend time practising these. 

Other Useful Information

P.E.

P.E. days are:

4B - Tuesday and Wednesday

4F - Tuesday and Wednesday

Please ensure that your child brings their P.E. kit in on a Monday and keeps it in school until Friday (when it will be sent home for washing etc). This is very important as sometimes timetables may need to be changed and P.E. sessions may be on alternative days.

Indoor Kit = plain white t-shirt, shorts and suitable shoes (pumps or trainers)

Outdoor Kit = tracksuit bottoms and warm jacket and shoes suitable for the outdoors (trainers)

 

Please remember that no jewellery should be worn and earrings MUST be removed by children before P.E. Long hair also needs to be tied back.