Welcome to Year 4!

Wow! It's the last half term already; it's gone by so quickly but Year 4 still have lots of things to do! This half term, we will be learning lots of new things about different animals and plants.  We will be classifying animals into their groups and deciding why they fit into that group! Year 4 will then use this information to create a non-chronological report, classification key and Venn diagram!

Also Year 4 will be making 'Grassheads' so look out for photographs to see them grow! I wonder which one will have the longest hair?

Children will also learn how bees make honey and put this into an explanation text!

In maths, children will be focusing on symmetry, shape and translation as well as many other topics.  We're going to have so much fun this half term and work as hard as we can!

Debates! Debates! Debates!

In our Literacy lessons, we're beginning to work in groups to take part in different debates about a range of subjects.  This week (22.6.15) we're focusing on:

'Should animals be kept in zoos?'

Children have been working in small groups to think about the 'Pros' and 'Cons' of keeping animals in zoos.  Year 4 completed a drama activity called a 'conscience alley' suggesting reasons why zoos are good and bad. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

Next week, children will then begin writing balanced arguments to link with their debates!

All About Algorithms!

This half term, Year 4 have been focusing on algorithms; algorithms are set of instructions that can be inputed to control an object or program.  If the algorithms were inputed incorrectly, children needed to debug in order to correct it!

Which grassheads' hair will grow the quickest? Keep checking the website for regular updates!

During this half term, Year 4 have been extremely lucky to receive gymnastic teaching from a secondary school teacher from Prince Henry's. The focus has been gymnastic floor work using individual and paired balances, different movements and using these to perform sequences!

Have a look at our photographs and there's even some video clips of the children's sequences!

This half term, our topic is all about Whitby and we've just got back from a fantastic two day trip!

We've been so busy; we did lots of exciting activities such as:

• Captain Cook Museum
• People survey
• Toursit Information Centre
• Harbour sketching
• Walking up and down the 199 steps
• Beach in the rain
• Shop survey
• Lifeboat Museum
• Whitby Abbey
• Eating ice-cream in the rain
• Visiting the whale bones
• And lots more!

Data, data, data!

We've learnt lots this week interpreting data and drawing different graphs!

Aesop's Fables

This week in Year 4 (w/c 30.3.15) we will be reading different fables and writing our own.  There are many websites available for children to read different fables.  Here are a few websites to get you started!

http://read.gov/aesop/

http://www.penguin.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/aesop/index.php

http://www.taleswithmorals.com/

Come and Calculate Morning

Year 4 had a fantastic morning showing parents how we use different formal methods to solve problems using all four operations.  I was extremely proud of my class as they really rose to the challenge and successfully taught parents how to use the different methods.  Children had lots of positive feedback and I would like to thank parents for getting involved! We hope it helps to make maths homework that little bit easier!

Maths Mayhem!

Over the past few weeks, Year 4 have been looking at equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages; we've completed lots of puzzles to match them together!

Year 4 had a fantastic day at Murton Park; we got to spend the whole day as Vikings! We did so many exciting activities such as:

• Dressing up as a Viking
• Training to become a Viking warrior
• Making clay pottery
• Having lunch in a Viking banqueting hall
• Making bread in a longhouse
• Farming and collected wood for our fire to keep us warm

Year 3 and 4 Water Safety Talk

On Friday 6th February, Year 3 and 4 enjoyed a Water Safety Talk from three qualified lifeguards.  They dressed up as lifeguards, listened very carefully to the advice and answered lots of different questions.

They now all know how to stay safe near water!

Year 4 Homework Timetable