Curriculum Information
TERM: Autumn
Home Learning:
English home learning is sent out on Monday and is due back on the Thursday. Spellings will be sent home at the beginning of each half term and tested weekly.
Maths home learning is sent out on Thursday and is due back on the following Monday.Every other week children will complete a task on ‘my maths’. They should practise their timestables rapid recall targets on a daily basis.
As Year 4 will be taking the multiplication tables check (MTC) this year, please can you ensure that times-tables are practised everyday. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/multiplication-tables-check-development-process
Tasks are designed to support the learning taking place in class. Please work with your child to complete the activities, but please don’t do it for them! We encourage the children to try their best, even if they might make mistakes.
PE Days:
Y4R - Wednesday and Friday
Y4M - Wednesday and Friday
Children must have a full PE kit in school everyday. Please make sure all items are labelled. If your child does not have a PE kit in school they will be given one to wear for the lesson and a letter will be sent home to let you know.
RE:
We follow the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work. Each topic lasts for four weeks. We begin by exploring what each topic means to us before moving on to how it relates to religion and the gospels. During the year we also learn about other faiths. At OLM we focus on Judaism and Islam. This is a brilliant way to teach respect for our community as a whole, regardless of cultures and beliefs.
Topic 1: Domestic Church - Family
The Church names the family the ‘Domestic Church’ where children may begin to understand the Church which is ‘nothing other than the family of God.’ This topic explores the truth that Jesus had a natural family with real people with names and a history.
Topic 2: Baptism and Confirmation - Belonging
Through Baptism and Confirmation people are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and are called to respond in their lives. We will understand that confirmation is a call to witness.
Judaism
For Jewish people their scriptures are very important. The first five books of the Hebrew scriptures are called the Torah, sometimes it is called the Books of Moses, as Jewish people believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Torah shows how God wants the Jewish people to live. The Sefer Torah, or Torah scrolls are treated with great reference and respect.
Topic 3: Advent and Christmas - Loving
God’s gift of Jesus is a gift of love to all people of all time. Jesus reveals God’s love for humanity and the possibility of friendship. This gift is celebrated each Christmas. During the season of Advent, we explore this gift of love and the promise of Jesus’ return at the end of time.
Throughout the year, OLM focuses on different elements of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Each month we look at a different value and discuss what each one means:
September- We are Called to Live as Family and Community
October- Rights and Responsibilities
November- Promotion of Peace
December- No CST- focus on Advent
January- Solidarity
February- An Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
March- The Dignity of the Human Person
April- No CST- focus on Lent
May- The Dignity and Rights of Workers
June- We are Called to Stewardship
July- Recap
English:
Fiction: Christophe's story
The children start by listening to Christophe’s Story, responding to questions that stretch their comprehension and questioning skills. They use discussion, drama and role play to understand more about the characters. They look at the author’s use of language: her choice of memorable words and phrases. Children draw on their understanding conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause to tell their own oral recounts, and then turn these into written recounts. Children use a letter as a model to write their own, applying their ability to write multi-clause sentences. Children repeat the same task for a book blurb, if required. In the main writing task, children write their own stories, drawing on their own personal experiences and a shared model text.
Non-Fiction: Space Explorers
In this unit, the children select applicants to be trained as astronauts for a mission to Mars. They read about Neil Armstrong in the interactive eBook, using the eBook’s features to find out about Neil Armstrong’s personal qualities. They focus on effective use of pronouns and fronted adverbials, and use these in their writing tasks: to write a diary entry and a biography.
Poetry: Creating images
The children enjoy the range of poems in the unit and discuss and explore their uses of figurative language. They learn and revise metaphor, simile and personification and then identify the features of free verse, haiku and performance poetry. Finally they draft and write their own poems using ones from the unit as models.
Ficition: Varjack Paw
Children read the story of 'Varjack Paw'. They make and build inferences about the characters. They will also develop their persuasive writing skills, by writing letters.
Non-Fiction: Newspaper reports
In this unit, the children explore the Big Question: What is the world’s most incredible sport? They read the interactive eBook, finding information and distinguishing between fact and opinion. They answer the Big Question, planning and writing their own newspaper report.
Grammar includes:
Adjectives, adverbs, fronted adverbials, verbs, nouns (common and proper), conjunctions (causal & time) possessive and contracted apostrophes, complex sentences (main and subordinate clauses).
Reading
We encourage children to read for pleasure at home and school. Please encourage your child to read for at least 15 minutes a day and spend time discussing the books they are reading and the authors. We will begin a brand new teaching pedagogy called 'Destination Reader' Destination Reader:
- Provides a systematic approach to the teaching of reading across KS2
- Enables children to develop key strategies which deepen their understanding of texts
- Develops children’s motivation to read broadly for pleasure and purpose
- Increases children’s ability to lead their learning through the acquisition of key learning behaviours
- Places children at the centre of a formative approach to assessment in reading
- Provides a replacement to Guided Reading
Maths:
At OLM we use the Maths No Problem teaching scheme. This scheme focuses on mastery of different mathematical concepts.
In this chapter, pupils will learn how to multiply and divide by 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12. They will begin to understand mathematical vocabulary such as 'quotient' in relation to division. They will learn how to calculate multiplication equations using the multiplication facts that they know. They will understand the difference between sharing and grouping and they will understand the commutative law in multiplication. They will also solve problems involving multiplication and division.
Pupils should know times tables 1-12 by the end of Year 4
Wider Curriculum:
Science:
We will be learning about food chains, food webs, predators, prey, carnivores, omnivores and herbivores. We will also be exploring what exactly happens to the top level predator once it dies…interesting stuff!
We will then take a look at our digestive system and teeth. We will learn how our bodies break down our food and the journey it goes on once we have eaten it.
History:
In History, we will be exploring the Roman Empire, Hadrian ’s Wall and Julius Caesar.Trying to answer our big question 'What was the Roman army's greatest achievement in Britain?'. We will also be investigating the Roman Invasion. Roman architecture will be linked to our art unit “Mosaics.” Brace yourselves whilst we travel back in time!
Art:
In Art we are learning how to make Roman Mosaics. We will begin by sketching mosaics with pencil and eventually will create a replica of a Roman Mosaic and experiment with a range of colours and textures.
In DT, we will be learning how to make a Roman Colosseum. We will use a range of materials before deciding which is the best for this construction.
Computing:
The children will be developing their programming skills by creating quizzes on scratch in the first half term and then using J2CODE for programming in the second half term.
PE:
This half term Year 4 will have one lesson taught by our PE coach, Tommy.
In their other PE lesson they will be focusing on gymnastics
French:
In Year 4 we have weekly french lessons with Ms Louzanne.
Music:
Y4R will be learning how to play to the guitar (Thursday afternoons) and Y4M will be learning to play trumpets and clarinets (Friday afternoons). Children will learn how to read music, about rhythm, notation, pitch, length of musical notes, note names and will have the opportunity to perform at a half termly concert. Please check your emails for concert dates.
Special Events:
10th October - Roman Workshop
Learn at home- click on the links below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z826n39
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zv48q6f
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/ordering-and-sequencing-numbers
https://www.mymaths.co.uk/index.html
