Autumn Term 2023 

Year 4 Maths

In Numeracy we shall start off the term by revising our skills in number and place value, we will apply this when revising the written methods for the four rules of number. Problem solving is an important skill in the mastery curriculum; this involves the application of the children’s knowledge to a variety of everyday situations, rather than just being able to work out a page of sums. We will be working hard on building up a quick and accurate recall of all the times tables up to 12x12. Knowledge of the division facts will be extremely valuable when we apply this to other areas of the curriculum such as fractions and decimals. We shall continue to use the ICT programme Times Table Rockstars to consolidate the children’s knowledge, which they really enjoy using. 

Year 4 Literacy

 We will begin the Autumn term looking at a natural disaster during the rise of the Roman Empire. This is a unit of work which is linked to our history topic ‘The Romans’. Our Literacy text is ‘Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit.’ After half term, we will be reading a book called ‘The King Who Banned the Dark’. The story is about a little boy, who grows up to be King, he decides to use his power to tackle his fear of the dark by banning it, this links nicely to our Science topic of Light. We will be exploring a wide variety of genres this term including non-chronological reports, narratives, descriptions, diary entries and poetry. Our grammar work will focus on a review of the different word classes, and then find out more about pronouns, apostrophes and Standard English. Spellings will be focussing on the word families, prefixes, suffixes, root words, homophones and contractions. Alongside, this we will be doing weekly Text Detective sessions, comprehension activities and class reading.

Year 4 DT

For our DT project this term we are going to make a set of bamboo panpipes. We will revisit what sound is, how we hear and how the pitch of a note varies. We will then improve our measuring and sawing skills to cut the bamboo to different lengths to make a different note. We will attach each length of bamboo together to produce a set of panpipes. We will spend some time evaluating our product and seeing if we can make some sounds!

Year 4 Computing 

In year 4, we will be learning some exciting things in Computing. We will start by learning about the internet and how to keep themselves safe online. Learners will apply their knowledge and understanding of networks, to appreciate the internet as a network of networks which need to be kept secure. In the second half term, we will be creating media and editing audio. Children will examine devices capable of recording digital audio, which will include identifying the input and output devices. 

Year 4 Science

For the first half of this term the children will be learning all about Light. During these lessons we will learn all about how light travels, how we see and how we need to protect our eyes from the sun. We will explore how shadows are formed and how we can the length and size of shadows. Following on from this we will explore electricity and how we use it in our everyday lives. As we make our learning as practical as possible, we will be constructing simple circuits, trying to make bulbs light and buzzers sound. We will also be testing many materials to see if they are insulators or conductors. Throughout all our learning we will use the 5 enquiry types to help us learn, improve our working scientifically skills and learn some new vocabulary. Sustainability is a particularly important issue for us here so we will be learning how solar panels work to avoid burning too many fossil fuels.

Year 4 History

In the first half of the Autumn term Year 4 will be learning about the Romans and how they impacted Peterborough. We will be studying Peterborough and the surrounding areas and how they were affected by the Roman invasion in AD 43. We will be learning about why they invaded Peterborough and settled here. What evidence is there to suggest that they did? Why did Peterborough become an important settlement for the Romans? Finally, what did Peterborough provide the Romans with? This will be a fantastic opportunity for the students to delve into the History that surrounds them locally.

Year 4 Geography

Year 4 will be taking a Road Trip Across the UK and finding out what countries make up the UK. They will use maps to find out more about these 4 countries and their capital cities. They will be looking at physical features that differ across the UK using a variety of maps and online resources. The children will also be spending some time finding out where Peterborough can be found in the world from the local county, region, country, and continent.

Year 4 Music

Year 4 will look at different songs in the genre of “Soul and Gospel”. They will use more notes on the treble clef and sing the songs as well as develop performances including instruments. Students will use the songs to compose their own lyrics, as well as develop an understanding of the contexts of the song and music. Through listening work, students will also widen their experience of instruments they can hear, and how they are played.

Year 4 RE

This Autumn Term we are learning how faith teaches people to treat each other with kindness and respect. We will be exploring how people use their faith as an example to lead a good life. In the second half term we will be able to explain the true meaning of Christmas, by looking at the story of Christmas and the celebrations that occur and why.

Year 4 PSHE

During the Autumn term we will be exploring three modules:

• Keeping/Staying Safe – Cycle Safety: We will identify strategies we can use to keep ourselves and others safe and recognise the impact and consequences of an accident or incident.
• Keeping/ Staying Healthy – Healthy Living: We will explore what is meant by a balanced diet and plan a balanced meal. The children will become more familiar with nutritional information as well as describing different ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Growing and Changing – Appropriate Touch: Children will identify the different types of relationships we can have and how and who to ask if we need support and how we can support our families. We will identify how relationships can be healthy or unhealthy.

Year 4 Art

In art this term we will be learning more about successfully mixing our own secondary and tertiary colours and how we can develop our knowledge of the colour wheel and complementary colours. We will be linking some of our work with our science topic of light and we will learn more about shades, tints and tones. We will look at the work of artists and how they use shading to great effect. Using the phenomenon of the Northern Lights, we will use pastels to experiment in creating our own pieces of artwork. Finally, we will understand how French artist Claude Monet used light and colour to create impressions of the River Thames.

Year 4 PE

During this first term, the children will be working with our Sports Coach. He will be teaching fitness and fundamental skills and pupils will take part in many challenges and learning about the different components of fitness. Pupils will also be developing the fundamental skills of balancing, running, jumping, hopping and skipping.  For outdoor PE sessions children will be taking part in football and Tag Rugby. During football sessions pupils will be encouraged to persevere when developing key skills and principles such as defending, attacking, sending, receiving and dribbling a ball, building on their knowledge of tactics and how to work effectively as a team. In Tag Rugby sessions, pupils will learn to contribute to the game by helping to gain and keep possession of the ball whilst working as a team.