Welcome to Year 4!
We have lots of exciting things planned this year so please keep an eye on the Year 4 blog where we will try to post regular photos/updates.
Key Information
4B will be taught by Miss Boyce.
4H will be taught by Mr Harris.
Mrs Parrott will be supporting both classes in the mornings and one afternoon a week.
4B will be covered on a Wednesday afternoon by Mrs Hardcastle while 4H will be covered by Mrs Bothwell.
Stationery
We can provide all necessary stationery but it would be useful if children could bring a pencil case containing some basic stationery:
Please make sure that the pencil case isn’t too large as it needs to fit in a tray.
Headphones
We like to use the Chromebooks and ipads with headphones. Although we have some headphones in school, it would be useful if children could bring their own - earphones with a more traditional jack are perfect.
PE
Regular PE days are Wednesdays and Thursday; please have all PE kit on all days in case this changes.
Recorders
Children in year 4 are fortunate to have whole class recorder lessons on Friday afternoons instructed by Mrs Tong. You will be provided with recorders at school but should children wish to bring their own, they are more than welcome to do so.
Homework
Homework in year 4 will consist of the following:
It is useful to keep homework, reading books and reading records in a zipped envelope folder, just to keep everything together. See below for further information about possible ways to support spellings and times tables at home.
Practising Spellings at School and at Home
In year 4, and throughout KS2, Spelling Shed is used to support the teaching and learning of spellings.
Children will be taught a new spelling pattern each week as part of their English lessons. These spellings will be visible when the children log in to Spelling Shed (which can be accessed at home). We have a weekly class Spelling Hive (usually on a Monday) where children are quizzed on their spellings.
At the beginning of the autumn term, we check children’s knowledge of phonics as well as their statutory year 3 and 4 spellings and boost any children that need support to attempt to get them to where they need to be. We will practise targeted spelllings regularly in class. The list of Year 3 and 4 spellings is available lower down this page. (Note- year 4 spellings are also visited as part of the Spelling Shed scheme throughout the year).
Practising Multiplication Tables at Home
As you may know, all year 4 children complete the national multiplication tables check in the summer term with the purpose being to ensure their times tables knowledge is at the ‘expected level’.
Our weekly multiplication quizzes are on a Wednesday each week targeted at each child's current level. Children should be aware of the tables they are currently being quizzed on and should aim to complete the school’s times table challenge by the end of the year (reaching Platinum is the goal!).
Repetition is key with learning tables so use these sites to help (or of course any of the more traditional methods!).
Login Details
As a school, we subscribe to a range of different learning websites which your children have accounts for (logins and passwords are stuck into reading record books). These websites are for use at both home and school and can be really powerful learning tools! The websites include: Google Drive, SpellingShed, MathsShed, TTRS (Times Tables Rock Stars), Letterjoin (handwriting) and MyMaths. Maths Shed in particular is useful for getting your head around certain aspects of maths as it includes lessons with linked quizzes and games. If you would like more information about one of these websites, just ask.
If you need to speak to us, please feel free to stop at the classroom door for a quick chat at the end of the day or email us. We try to check our emails regularly and respond on the same day when possible.
Kind Regards,
Mr Harris and Miss Boyce
nharris@edwardfrancis.essex.sch.uk
eboyce@edwardfrancis.essex.sch.uk
Autumn term
Our topic is ‘Superheroes’. This is a brilliant topic for learning about natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes (linking into our geography curriculum) and links well into finding out about changes of state and sound in science. The superhero topic is continued across the curriculum within both English, Art and PE too! A special "Mad Science" day with a special visitor will take place in November.
Spring term
Our topic is Anglo saxons and Vikings.
Winter term
Our topic is Food and Farming.