Ash - Year 4
Friday 14th February
Marble Run Challenge
As part of the whole school, challenge, children in Ash class designed their own Marble Run. Their challenge: to make the marble take the longest time to fall the length of one group of tables.
Designs varied, with some great results. The winning group made their marble roll with a successful run from top to bottom with a time of 5.94 seconds. Well done to Henry, Charlotte, Autumn, Clara, Emilia and Ava!
We measured the length of the runs, and timed how long they took, calculating the marbles speed and finally evaluating the process to suggest improvements if we were to try the task again.
Our Year 4 students also enjoyed an out-of-this-world experience when entering the Wonder Dome mobile planetarium set up in the Sports Hall.
Stepping inside the dome, they were transported on a thrilling journey through the universe. The presenter-led show explored topics ranging from the formation of planets to the life cycle of stars, leaving students in awe of the vastness and beauty of space.
It was a truly immersive experience which took the children to distant parts of the universe. They saw stars forming, whole galaxies and were told the details of our solar system. Everyone enjoyed seeing the moving images projected onto the dome and many chose to take it all in lying down. It was a fantastic experience
The pupils’ curiosity grew as they learned about different planets and looked at a variety of moon rock and meteorite samples. We also considered the the possibilities of space exploration and learnt more about the Apollo mission and Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon.
The interactive format and stunning visuals helped to bring the science curriculum to life, hopefully sparking a deep interest in the wonders of the universe!
Friday 31st January 2025
In Literacy we have been enjoying reading and studying ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’. This novel is the driver for our writing and reading. In Guided Reading, we have been working on developing our vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarizing skills as part of whole class reading. The wonderful story begins with Edward Tulane, a China rabbit who belongs to a girl named Abilene. The family is wealthy and not only does Edward have fancy clothes to wear, but he has the love of Abilene as well. She absolutely adores him and spends all of her time caring for him. So far, we learnt that Edward is a surprising protagonist. We all agree that we MAY grow to love rather than enjoy him from the beginning. Frankly, he is rather stuck up and selfish at the start of the story. He doesn’t love anyone or even care about the little girl who cares for him so deeply. Edward finds humans annoying and boring. And then the adventure begins…
In Maths, we have moved on from informal methods for multiplication to formal ones such as using the column method to multiply 2- and 3-digit numbers by 1. We have also used the Bus Stop method for division.
This half term, Year 4s are dedicating themselves to football, where their passion, skills, and strategy are combining to create unforgettable moments on the school field. However, they didn’t start off this good; first they had to master the basics which we are continuing to work on.
Dribbling - The ability to keep the ball under control while navigating through defenders is crucial. Great dribblers like Lionel Messi and Neymar are able to glide past opponents with finesse, creating space and opportunities.
Passing - Football is a team game, and passing is at the core of how teams move the ball up the pitch and break down defences. Precision and timing are key when executing short passes, long balls, or through passes.
Shooting - Scoring goals is the ultimate objective in football, and being able to shoot with power, accuracy, and composure can make all the difference.
Defensive Skills - Defenders need to master the art of timing, positioning, and tackling. Great defenders like Virgil van Dijk or Sergio Ramos don’t just rely on strength; they read the game and anticipate attackers’ moves.
The children are all working hard and are making their own progress - I’m super proud of them!
Friday 17th January
In Maths this week the children learnt about facts and used factor pairs. They also practised multiplying and diving by 10 and 100 and used practical equipment to demonstrate and consolidate their understanding of multiplication and division.
In English the children considered the different stages of writing as they planned, drafted and published their own version of 'Coming Home'. A highlight of the week was going outside to share their poems and giving each other feedback using the steps to success.
In P.E. we recapped gymnastics with a focus on creating simple and complex balance poses in pairs. Take a look at our incredible gymnasts!
Friday 20th December 2024
Year 4 class enjoyed a week of festive fun. In English we read Morpurgo’s beautiful Christmas tale – ‘Coming Home’. The story quickly became a real class favourite, with children looking eager to follow the little robin’s epic journey, desperately battling to get back to his lady robin. Together we explored the importance of ‘home’ with the pupils engaging in meaningful discussions and spending time understanding just why the brave robin fought so hard to get to his.
The children also loved getting into the festive spirit by baking and decorating spiced and sweet gingerbread men cookies and then decorating them with icing, chocolate chips, sprinkles, marshmallows and smarties.
Lastly, we had great fun at our Christmas party. We enjoyed pass the parcel, playing musical statues and dancing to Christmas songs.
Happy Christmas 🎄 🎅 and a healthy 2025!
6th December 2024
This week has been busy in Year 4. We started off with a trip to the church alongside Key Stage 2 to learn about Christmas from the Christian perspective.
We have also spent some of this week working hard on our tests - we have completed all of the assessments ready for next week. It is really nice to be able to see how well everyone is progressing.
We are looking forward to welcoming Year 4 parents into school for their delayed parents evening and SEND reviews next week. Christmas will be in full flow for Year 4 - watching the Key Stage 1 nativity, the foundation nativity and the panto!
28th November 2024
MATHS NEWS - Looking for an app to help your child practise their multiplication tables and number bonds? Struggling to engage with Times Table Rock Stars? Look no further! Our White Rose maths scheme has a great 'one-minute maths' app. Take a look here.
11th November 2024
Year 4 has started reading the book 'Horrid Henry' in our English classes. They have settled well and is looking forward to writing character descriptions leading into writing their own Narrative. Please encourage them to read the book, even better if parents carve out some time to read with them. Discuss with them what the story is about, what type of person is Henry, why do they think the author titled the book Horrid Henry. They could even practice writing their own character descriptions at home before doing it in class.