2. Welcome to Year 4 Hello and welcome to Year 4! We are very excited to be working with your children this year and we are looking forward to getting to know you all!

3. R.E Religious Education is integral to our school life here at Sacred Heart and we make it a focus of our everyday learning through prayer, scripture and traditions. This term we will be looking at ‘In the beginning’. We will be looking at: The second story of creation in the book of Genesis Identifying beliefs about God that come from this text Why prayer is a part of Christian and Jewish ritual Praying the Psalms and explaining why we do this

4. In Literacy we will be following the Power of Reading schemes. As the class reads, we will use the text to explore vocabulary, language, imagery and literary techniques. We look at the grammar used and they will use this as a prompt for their own creative writing later on. This half term we will be reading Roald Dahl’s ‘The BFG’ as well as dipping into ‘The Orchard Book of Roman Myths’ to tie in with our topic work. We will be studying different stories using drama, storytelling, poetry and extended pieces of writing. We will also be teaching grammar lessons. These will be standalone lessons as well as embedded within our literacy lessons. Literacy

5. Numeracy In numeracy we will be using Singapore Maths where we use a Concrete-Pictorial- Abstract approach. As the majority of the work in the textbooks are word problems this will encourage your children to use high-order thinking techniques and applied skills in their work. This term we will be learning: Place Value Addition and Subtraction within 10 000 Multiplication and Division 2D shape Time Data handling

6. Topic In Year 4 our topics are The Romans and Solid, Liquids and Gases. At the moment we are learning all about the life of the Romans, comparing countries, using maps as well as finding out about Roman inventions. In the next half of the term we will be studying states of matter investigating why things freeze, melt and burn.

7. General Information P.E Please make sure your child’s P.E kit is named and in school. Their kits are expected to be in school and they should participate unless a valid written reason is given. During the winter months we would advise for them to have a green tracksuit in school. The children will participate in outdoor games on Thursdays. Indoor P.E will be on Fridays for this first half term, then Mondays thereafter. Homework We will have a Literacy, Numeracy, R.E or Topic task that will be set on a Friday. This homework should be returned by the following Tuesday. If they have completed this prior to this day they are of course welcome to bring it in on Monday. Where possible the homework is put up on the Year 4 page of the school website, along with the spellings for that week. Library Library day is Tuesday for 4A and Thursday for 4J

8. Spelling and Times tables We will give out spellings and times tables with the homework on Fridays. Spellings will be tested on Tuesdays and times tables on Thursdays. Children need to score 50/50 to be moved onto the next level. We want your children to have a full grasp of the times table they have studied before they move on to the next level. When they have completed the level sheets, they will move onto to using a range of operations before moving onto mental maths. Please remember that we are here to help you and if you wish to meet either of us to discuss matters regarding your child please contact us to arrange a mutually convenient time.

9. This powerpoint and the curriculum plans are available to access on the school’s website along with a suggested book list and grammar glossary.

10. School Trips This term there will be a workshop in school based around ‘The Tempest.’ Two weeks later there will be a school trip to the Wyllyotts Theatre for a performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest. A letter will be sent out on Friday with more details RM Maths, Lexia and Spag.com All children are registered to spag.com and RM Maths. Please encourage your child to complete these at home. If your child is registered to Lexia, you will receive login details in the next few weeks. Pencil cases ruler HB pencils pencil sharpener rubber colouring pencils glue stick Red pen (biro) Please also name your child’s pencil case.

11. We hope that your child has a fun, challenging and happy time in Year 4 and that they enjoy their learning this year! Thank you very much for listening and if you have any questions please ask. Thank you! Miss Byrne Mrs Vyas Mr Gagen (and Mrs Desbois for a short time!)