Autumn Term  

The Autumn Term in Year 4 looks like this:  

English

Our writing across the Autumn Term will use The Flying Scotsman and the best birthday present ever by Michael Morpurgo and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. 

The children will retell the story of the of the Flying Scotsman, then develop some rhyming poetry and finish Autumn 1 with some non-chronological report writing. 

In Autumn 2, the children will write their own version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and create some poetry using the  imagery and then write to inform using an eyewitness account of one of the events of the story. 

Grammar 

We will learn grammar through our English lessons as well as one skill-focused lesson a week. The grammar features that we will focus on in Year 4 are: 

• Using direct and reported speech including using inverted commas to correctly punctuate direct speech 

• Using commas following fronted adverbials 

• Using subordinate clauses, punctuating them correctly by using commas when the subordinate clause starts the sentence 

• Using apostrophes for singular and plural possession

• Using prepositional noun phrases

• Appropriate use of nouns and pronouns 

• Precise use of paragraphs

• Understand and identify suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, homophones and all four categories of nouns.  

Spelling

Year 4 will have three spelling lessons a week during which they will learn spelling rules, spelling patterns and common exception words. We will then have a weekly spelling test of these rules on Fridays. The spellings will be sent home weekly. 

Maths

Throughout the Autum term in Maths, we will build upon our prior learning in the following topics:  

• Place Value
• Addition and Subtraction
• Area
• Multiplication and Division

Times Tables

In the Summer term, Year 4 will complete the statutory multiplication tables check. On an Ipad or laptop, the children will complete 25 multiplication (no division) questions, with 6 seconds for each question. Once the 6 seconds has passed, the next question will load.   

It is, therefore, very important that the children continue to practise the 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 times tables previously learned. As we learn the remaining times tables in school, the children should practise these too.  

Do please keep logging on to Times Tables Rockstars or access the free websites linked below:  

 Hit the Button - Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds (topmarks.co.uk)  

Times tables Speed Test X - Timestables.co.uk  

For those who prefer a more practical approach, why not try the following ideas?

• Times tables songs on Youtube eg 6 Times Table Song (Cover of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift!) - YouTube
• Quiz children on different questions - maybe even get them to quiz you!
• Set up a treasure hunt of the questions and answers.
• Use water or chalk to write out the tables on the floor outside. 
• Make art out of the times tables facts eg. putting the answers on flower petals.  

Science 

In science in the Autumn term, Year 4 will explore the following two topics through lots of hands-on investigations:  

We will develop our scientific skills through the five types of scientific enquiry: 

• Observation over time 

• Pattern seeking 

• Identifying, classifying and grouping                           

• Comparative and fair testing 

• Research using secondary resources 

Year 4 will use this book to consider and reflect upon their mental health this term. 

History

Our Autumn term history topic will be How have children's lives changed, where we will: 

• Make inferences and deductions from primary and secondary sources.
• Explain why children needed to work.
• Identify the jobs Tudor and Victorian children had.
• Describe the working conditions of Tudor and Victorian children.
• Identify how Lord Shaftesbury changed the lives of children and evaluate the impact of his work.
• Use sources to identify leisure activities and compare them over time.
• Identify diseases past children suffered from and discuss how effective the treatments were.

Geography

In geography in the Autumn term, we will focus our learning around rivers, where we will: 

• Identify water stores and processes in the water cycle.
• Describe the three courses of a river.
• Name the physical features of a river.
• Name some major rivers and their location.
• Describe different ways a river is used.
• List some of the problems around rivers.
• Describe human and physical features around a river.
• Identify the location of a river on an OS map.
• Make a judgement on the environmental quality in a river environment.
• Make suggestions on how a river environment could be improved.

PE 

We will have PE on Wednesdays this half term. Please send your child in with the correct PE kit and ensure that long hair is tied back and any earrings are covered with micro-pore tape or removed.   

Useful information 

Snacks: Please send your child in with a healthy snack for their morning break. Children may also purchase a warm snack, if they wish. 

Water bottles: Please send your child into school with a named, filled water bottle, with a secure lid. 

Homework:  

• Times tables: please encourage your child to use Times Tables Rockstars and the MTC practise test to recall their times tables.
• Maths: Set weekly through Mathletics on a Friday. 
• Accelerated Reader: it is so important to listen to your child read, even just for 5 minutes daily. 
• Reading comprehension: A reading comprehension text and questions will be sent home weekly. These should be returned the following Thursday and a new copy will be sent home.  
• Spellings: please encourage your child to practise their weekly spellings in preparation for their Friday test. The weekly words are sent home via SeeSaw.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on Seesaw, at the end of the school day or on contact@excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk.

Mr Barclay