This half term’s Gospel Value: Generosity

This half term’s British Value: Individual Liberty

Year 4

Mathematics

This half term, we are learning to:

* Secure multiplication facts

* Use fractions

* Understand time

The children will be:

* Identifying and exploring patterns in multiplication tables

* Exploring different interpretations and representations of fractions, representing fractions greater than one as a mixed number or improper fraction, and adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator including fractions greater than one

* Converting between analogue and digital time (12-hour and 24-hour format) and between units of time

 
Vocabulary: numerator, denominator, vinculum, whole, divide, equal parts, explain, representation, equivalent, multiple, factor, product, greater than, less than, mixed numbers, proper fractions, minus

English

This half term in the Power of Reading, we are learning about The Iron Man by Ted Hughes:

* Analysing the characters and story, exploring key themes of the book

* Making predictions about the book based on pictures and the story so far

* Discussing and reviewing the story and justifying our opinions with persuasive language

In Grammar lessons, the children will be learning and revising:

* The grammatical difference between plural and possessive

* Fronted adverbials

* The use of paragraphs to organise a text
* Proper use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech

* The continued use of correct sentence structure including clauses, alternative verbs and paired adjectives

Science

The children will continue learning about States of Matter:

* Learning about Solids, Liquids and Gases and their definitions

* How different temperatures affects what state of matter a material is and how the states of matter may change e.g., ice becomes water when heated, and water becomes water vapour

* Understanding the water cycle and how water moves around the Earth

The children will begin learning about Living Things and Their Habitats:

* The different groups of animals; fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals – their definitions and classifications

* The difference between vertebrates (animals with backbones) and invertebrates (animals without backbones)

* The habitats of animals across Europe and human effects on them e.g., deforestation

Vocabulary for States of Matter: solid, liquid, gas, evaporation, condensation, solidify, molecules, temperature

 
Vocabulary for Living Things and Their Habitats: fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal, habitat, invertebrate, vertebrate, classify, organisms, behaviour

Religious Education

The children will follow the Big Question, “Can we use Parables today to teach others?”

We will be:

* Learning about a number of parables and what we can learn from each of them

* Asking and responding to questions about Jesus’ experiences and the lessons he shared. Why Jesus came to Earth.

* Retelling the narratives of the New Testament and their relevance today

* Learning about the Disciples, in particular the role of John the Baptist

* Understanding Jewish worship of God

 
Vocabulary: parable, forgiveness, baptism, prophet/prophecy, justice, beatitudes, the Torah, synagogue, menorah, Rabbi

Humanities: Geography

This half term, we are learning about ‘The European Traveller’:

* Using atlases and globes to find the countries and capitals of Europe

* Understanding key human features (cities, towns, roads) and physical features (rivers and mountains) of European countries

* Studying trade links and tourism in Europe

* Looking at different European weathers, climates and biomes

 
Vocabulary: atlas, continent, capital city, urban, rural, coastal, occupations, trade, import, export, climate, the Mediterranean, marine

Music

This half term, we are learning about:

* Writing lyrics

* Singing, playing and improvising
* Developing listening skills

Art and Design

For Art, the children will be:

* Learning how to draw with pencil and charcoal, including shading and using light

* Using pencils and charcoal to create self-portraits and develop their understanding of facial features

* Learning different techniques for drawing and depicting the same image in different ways

For Design and Technology, the children will be completing their project to build a car park barrier:

* Using pneumatics to open and close a car barrier

* Designing and creating their own working car park barrier, using a range of materials

Vocabulary for Art: sketching, shading, crosshatching, contour, tone, texture, portrait, pressure, personality, distance, appearance

Vocabulary for Design: pneumatic, hydraulic, barrier, pressure, axle, force, materials

Computing

The children will be:

* Taking part in Safer Internet Day

* Learning about the Internet and researching Internet safety

* Video editing by combining a variety of software, including Internet services, on a range of digital devices

 
Vocabulary: E-safety, clips, timelines, split, transitions, titles, voiceovers, export

Modern Foreign Language - Italian

The children will be learning about:

* The tradition of La Befena (the Epiphany)

* The days of the week, months of the year and seasons

* The Birthdays – when their birthday is, singing the birthday song, talking about presents

Personal Social Health Education

The children will be learning about being “Created to Love Others.” This module will explore:

* Our relationship as individuals with others

* Our calling to our friends, neighbours and family

* Developing healthy relationships

* Keeping safe

 
Vocabulary: stereotypes, safety, friendship, community

Physical Education

The children will be doing football (outdoor) and gymnastics (indoor).

Football will help children learn about:

* The importance of teamwork and communication

* Overall fitness as well as coordination

* Passing, throwing and shooting

Gymnastics will help children learn about:

* Balance and core strength

* Engaging with music to create different shapes
* Being creative and engaging positively with others