Welcome to the Year 4 class page!  Myself and Mrs Holt are excited to begin the new school year, looking forward to getting to know you all and having the opportunity to help you grow and learn.  Below you will find information about the first half term in year 4.  We hope you have had a relaxing summer and are ready to work hard and have fun!

We will continue to be using Class Dojo this year to reward positive behaviour. I will use class Dojo for pictures of activities the children are taking part in, so please do make sure you are linked to the class.  We will also use the class Dojo page to keep you updated about important things happening in school.

English 

In English this half term, we will looking at information texts, using the legend of the Loch Ness Monster!  We will plan and write a magazine article about the Loch Ness Monster.

We will be concentrating on the following aspects:

• be able to write sentences using a range of conjunctions and demarcate with commas where needed.
• be able to write sentences with new vocabulary.
• be able to discuss new information and record facts.
• be able to select key information and make notes using a film clip.
• be able to select key information and make notes using website information/texts.

Guided Reading
Guided Reading sessions are every morning for around 20 minutes.  There are several different activities throughout the week including comprehension.  It is an important part of the school day and gives adults the chance to listen to your child read regularly.

Maths
We will be working through a Place Value unit in the first half term including:

• numbers to 1,000
• number lines
• rounding to 10 and 100
• partitioning 
• representing numbers in different ways

PE
In the first half term we will concentrate on 'Keeping Fit and Healthy' and this will involve understanding how regular exercise can improve physical and mental well-being.  PE lessons will link with other work we do in class to develop a good knowledge of how we can all take responsibility for our health and encourage children to discover different types of exercise.

History

Our topic for Autumn 1 is The Maya People - in year 4 we will look at the ancient Maya civilisation and find out about the customs and rituals of the Maya people.

Religious Education

At Sacred Heart, RE is at centre of everything we do.  This half term, we will be looking at 'The Universal Church', recognising that we are all equal in God's eyes and concentrating on the qualities we have and share with others.

Science 

In Science, we will study Living Things and their Habitats, concentrating on exploring and identifying and studying plants and animals, particularly in the local environment.  Children will use classification keys and explore the impact of humans on living things.

Computing

In computing we will be planning and designing an educational game.  Children will use Scratch to write programs which allow the user to play the game.

Art

The first topic in Art is Drawing.