Year 4s Summer Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers This summer term is going to be a really busy time for us in Year 4 as it is packed with events and trips out of school. We are going by coach to the Redbridge Drama Centre for drama workshops on Boudicca the famous Celtic warrior next week. This was a really great event last year so we are hoping the children will again enjoy and gain a greater understanding of these times. We are also going on a trip to the Museum of London on the 12th May 2011 and the 24th June 2011 again to look at how the Romans influenced life in Great Britain. There are also plans for a trip to Redbridge Museum and for a speaker to come into school but I will let you know more about these events when they have all been finalised.

English We will be using a range of texts including stories / novels, classic / modern poetry, stories in a series in relation to the following areas: Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary to look at common letter strings; identify misspelt words; identify root words; the use of the apostrophe. Grammar and Punctuation to continue developing punctuation skills; use of adverbs; to look at question and exclamation work and how it can alter the meaning of a sentence; to look at verb tenses and endings. Comprehension and Composition To look critically at dilemmas i.e. moral issues; to present arguments and points of view; to appreciate rhyme and patterns via poetry; to investigate how style and vocabulary link to persuasive writing.

Maths Number this will include money and mental calculations. To develop place value, ordering and rounding; mental calculations strategies for all four operations; understanding plus and minus; multiplication and division; fractions and decimals, simple fractions and their properties. Shape and Space - finding the area and perimeter of a shape; reasoning about shapes. Data Handling - Handling data; collect, represent, interpret data; make deductions form data. Measure and Time - Reading numbers from scales relating to length, mass and capacity; measures including problems; problems relating to time.

Science We will be looking at habitats and why certain animals live where they do and the different types of mini beasts. Our second topic in this subject is on friction and finding out what it is, how friction is used in everyday life and how it helps us. I.C.T In this subject we will be creating graphs from collected data using database software and turn this data into different forms of graphs. Control We will then be learning how to change text and use various effects to make presentations. The programme we will be using is a mixed media package and includes using images, videos, sounds and web links which should be very exciting. History We will be looking at the Romans Invaders and Settlers. Understanding B.C and A.D via timelines; Celtic dwellings; Roman invasion / Roman Empire; researching Romans everyday life; Boudicca; Romans legacies. Music We will be learning how to play the recorder and continue to improve on understanding of listening and repeating songs to help performing skills. R.E. Looking at sacred writing and the Bible; looking at religious festivals. PE and Games In games we will be looking at how to improve our skills such as sprinting and jumping in readiness for sports day in the second half of this term we will be learning how to play tennis In PE we will be concentrating on using balances with apparatus. The second part of the term will be looking at dance movements associated with a theme. Please make sure your child has a plain white t-shirt, navy blue shorts and either trainers or plimsolls to change into for PE. HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD AT HOME We would like to remind you that there are a number of things that you can do to support your childs progress in school, for example; helping them to tell the time, learn their multiplication tables, everyday spellings hear them read from their reading book, play games with them and take them to places of interest. We thank you for your continuing support throughout the year. Yours all Year 4 teachers, Miss Bowden Mr Roberts Miss Moodliar Mrs Ladbrook Year Group Leader