Summer Term 2023 

DT

This term DT will be closely linked to our topic about the Romans. The children will research Roman siege engines, especially looking at the Onager (a large catapult device used in battle). They will design and make a catapult device of their own, choosing suitable materials and testing their device, giving opportunities to revisit what they know about push and pull Forces. They will evaluate their ideas, saying what worked well and what they would do differently, if they made them again.

Art

As artists this term we will be linking our art to our Romans topic. The children will be enhancing their drawing skills and reminding themselves about the effects that different medium can produce. They will be drawing Boudicca from a historical description, drawing Roman busts and a Roman soldier. Their work will continue with finding out more about mosaics and then they will produce their own using printing techniques and ICT. They will also be looking at the work of Antoni Gaudi, in particular his mosaic work in Barcelona.

History

Our History topic this term is the Romans. The children shall start off by finding out who the Romans were, where they came from and will be exploring their reasons for invasion. They will be investigating different interpretations of Boudicca and learning about her rebellion. Future studies will include investigating: Roman food, clothes, roads, the Roman army, Roman towns, villas and entertainment. The children will also be taking part in a ‘Roman Day,’ where we shall take part in a variety of different activities further exploring life in Roman Britain and their legacy.

Geography

We shall be linking Geography to our Roman topic where the children will be making maps to show the expansion of the Roman Empire. They will also be using their map skills to identify Italy, Rome and other major Italian cities on the map, before exploring the features of Italy such as climate, population, landscape, mountains and rivers.

Science

This term in science we are going to a have a lot of fun as our topics are very practical. The children are going to be exploring the topics of forces and magnets as well as sound. They will start by comparing how things move on different surfaces, which we will do around the school and then how objects need contact between them. They will then focus on magnetism and that magnetic forces can act at a distance.  There will be many opportunities for the children to play with magnets and to see what materials are magnetic. After half term they will investigate sound and how sounds are made. They will recognize that sounds get fainter and that pitches of sound can change. They will continue to work on our enquiry types and working scientifically skills throughout the term.

Computing

We are going to kick start this term by looking at e-safety and reminding the children of the importance of staying safe online. In computing we are going to create programs by planning, modifying, and testing commands to create shapes and patterns, using Logo. Logo is a text-based program. Children will use Logo commands to read and write codes and they will look at repetition and loops within programming. It will be a fun yet rewarding topic.

Literacy

We will begin the Summer 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.  The children will be writing in a wide variety of genres such as writing setting descriptions, letters, an advert, non-chronological report, narrative and a descriptive recount. As the term progresses they will be working on embedding a range of skills which we have covered in SPaG sessions throughout the year. The children will be enhancing their range of vocabulary, quality of sentences, use of punctuation as well as editing and improving their work. These are transferable skills which we hope they can apply to other curriculum subjects. They will continue to have weekly reading sessions where they will develop their comprehension and use their text detective skills, alongside the reading they do at home. We will continue to focus on handwriting and presentation not just within Literacy but in other subjects too.

Maths

We have lots to fit in during the Summer Term. This will include learning about fractions, decimals, money, time, shape statistics and position and direction. We aim to develop the children’s learning by using concrete, pictorial and abstract resources. The children will continue to use Times Table Rockstars and mental maths sessions to improve their knowledge of multiplication and division facts up to 12. The children will need to work on their accuracy and speed ready for the Year 4 Multiplication Check later in the term. We aim to help the children understand topics so they can use their knowledge in different situations and then apply it to problem solving and reasoning questions.

RE

In RE this term we are finding out about the significant milestones we may have in our lives and the children will begin to make connections between their own milestones and others. They will look at how making choices can affect their life journey.  They will also find out about the milestones in different religions and they will respond to the meanings behind different beliefs and practices.

PSHCE

During the first half of the summer term, the children will be covering topics ‘Managing Risks’ and ‘Safety Contexts’. They will consider a range of physical risks and will begin to develop their understanding of feelings associated with these. They will also begin to broaden their understanding of risk to include social and emotional risks. They will have the opportunity to consider strategies for reducing risks in everyday situations, as well as recognize the causes of accidents and ways of preventing them. This is a great way to recap some of the things the children learnt during the ‘Hazard Alley’ trip at the end of last term. During the second half term, the children will cover the topic ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ which includes RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) and will look at a range of factors which contribute to a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating, physical activity, sleep and use of free time. Children will learn about the physical and mental benefits of regular exercise and will consider the relationship between physical activity and nutrition. The children will be made aware of their own capacity to make healthy choices and encouraged to reflect on and take responsibility for their own lifestyles. A part of this unit they will focus on basic anatomy, including naming external body parts and the physical differences between males and females. They will also develop their understanding of personal hygiene and learn more about how to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Music – Classical Music

Year 4 will be looking at different types of Classical Music, and how it has influenced the music we more commonly listen to today. They will be looking at different instruments in the orchestra, how the orchestra grew, who “Mozart” was and why he was important, and also learning to play pieces of music using “music notation”.  They will also be looking at a timeline of how music developed. 

PE

We recognise the importance PE plays in the curriculum and we are committed to providing all children with opportunities to engage in Physical Education. Sessions aim to develop children's basic physical competencies, build confidence in their ability and build the foundations for a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotional and thinking skills. We are lucky enough to have specialised sports coaches to deliver some of our PE sessions, the children this term will be covering Dodgeball, OAA, Cricket and Athletics.