Autumn 2022

Autumn 1

Welcome back everybody! We hope you had a lovely holiday and are looking forward to a brand new year in Year 4! 

Our classroom is ready for you! 

The Ancient Egyptians 

This half term, we will be learning about the lives of Ancient Egyptians.  

In English, we will be using a film as our stimulus for writing.  We will follow the epic adventures of Tadeo Jones as he explores the environment in Ancient Egypt.   We will be writing setting descriptions and diary entries before writing our own time-lapse story.  In our poetry sessions,  we will look at different poetic devices and figurative language to write free verse poems.  These will bring together our knowledge and understanding from topic work.  

We will follow Tadeo Jones on his wild and exciting and adventures while he endeavours to teach us more about the Egyptians. 

As an explorer, Tadeo needs to keep fit and healthy so we will help him to look after his body- specifically his muscles and his skeleton which covers the content of our Science lessons.  We wouldn't want him to break any bones to stop him from taking more adventures!

For our whole class reading sessions, we will be using the book 'Ancient Egyptian Sleepover'.  VIPERS will help us to understand the text and respond to questioning.  

In the middle of the half term, we will be visiting Tullie House.  They have an exciting Eyptian workshop for us to take part in, and we will also get chance to investigate all other areas of the museum to feed our thirst for knowledge!

Week commencing 07.09.22 

In the week we came back to school, time was spent finding our educational feet again, laying down some ground rules as a class, and learning about our new Christian Value.

We introduced our value - Trust, learning about what trust means, what it means to trust someone, and to be trustworthy ourselves.  Thinking about the people we trusted, both in and out of school, we made little people from pipe cleaners and labelled them with the name of our person and the reason we trust them so.

Week commencing 12.09.22 
In Science, we started our new topic - Skeletons and Muscles.  Children started with a pre-assessment- What did they already know?  We were very impressed with some key scientific vocabulary.  They were introduced to some new vocabulary too- vertebrate, invertebrate, endo skeleton and exoskeleton.  Why do we need our skeleton?  Support, Protection and Movement. 

In English, children watched some of our Literacy Shed video- Tadeo Jones.  One child commented how brave and courageous he was because the setting was eerie and a bit scary.  We recapped adjectives and nouns before using our knowledge to write expanded noun phrases.  We will use some of these phrases to build a piece of descriptive writing.   

 

In Maths, we have been refreshing and developing our place value knowledge - some bigger numbers are coming our way and we're excited about learning the value of the digits.  We have been learning a new counting game too and getting very competitve while doing so!

In History, we have started our topic on Ancient Egypt.  We discussed what we already know and shared some great facts with each other.  A timeline of important events helped us to understand what happened when, and we linked it to our big classroom timeline too.  We have a visit planned to Tullie House in the next few weeks, and we had an online assembly with them on Friday afternoon.  This answered any questions we found we had about Ancient Egypt, and gave us an insight into the delights we can expect on our visit too.

In RE, we introduced feelings of 'Awe and Wonder' when looking at the Christian Story of Creation.  Children explained how it might be difficult to find the most appropriate adjectives for something so fascinating and yet- in some respects- unbelieveable!  Words such as 'astonishing' 'outstanding' and magical were used in our discussions.  

Week commencing 20.09.22

In RE, we enjoyed singing 'Who put the colours in the rainbow?' We discussed the response for Christians as 'God made all of these'. 
Children developed their own questions to think about Creation.  Is there always a definite answer?  Children decided that it would depend on what you believe. 

In English, we worked collaboratively to retell the story of Tadeo Jones.  We used our skills in summarising to pick out the key information - it was very practical in the playground using lily pads!  The next lesson, we worked with the same groups and created a story map for the story from selected pictures.  Using the figurative language skills we have been learning, we wrote a sentence for our chosen pictures.

            

     

In French, we had our first phonics lesson of the year, and began to learn the pronunciation of the French alphabet.  We had a little quiz on the carpet and had a go at spelling some words - a bit like hangman!  We learned the sounds 'ou' in mouton, 'on' in cochon, 'oi' in oiseau, and 'ch' in cheval. 

 

Our Fantastic Hall Display- Setting Description 

Week commencing 26.09.22

In Maths, we have been looking at estimating numbers on a numberline.  To help, we created our own numberlines (0-100, 0-1,000, 0-10,000) We spotted the patterns and used our knowledge of place value to position numbers accurately.  Children folded the numberlines in half to help when identifying the intervals. 

In Science, we welcomed Alexa and her very special guest, Bob.  They came into school to teach us more about the human body.  Children had lots of interesting questions which were kindly answered by Nurse Alexa.  Anabelle said "I have learnt lots this afternoon.  It's been brilliant!" 
Thank you Nurse Alexa and Bob! 

In English, we looked at the use of informal language for the purpose of a diary entry.  Children identified key features of diaries before experimenting with informal (chatty) language.  Some children injected some humour into their diary entries and- I think you'll agree- they make fantastic reading! We looked at The Diary of a WImpy Kid and some of the children opted to draw their own doodles too.      

 

In History, we were learning what was important to people in Ancient Egyptian times.  We looked at pictures and identified the evidence to help us piece together what life was like.  Some great discussion in groups went on!  We then thought about how different life was then and compared and contrasted different aspects of ours lives.

In French, we are revisiting introducing ourselves, greetings and initial conversations - 'Je me presente'.  The phonics we are learning has helped us in our writing of French, and we are beginning to pick up more words in listening tasks too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Commencing 3rd October 2022

Wow!  I can't believe we're in October already!  
In Science, children put their craft skills to the test by making their own moving skeletons.  We discussed movement by identifying the joints.  Do you know which is the longest bone?  Where would you find the shortest bone?  Maybe ask some of our fantastic Year 4 scientists for the answers! 

Tullie House Trip - Wednesday 5th October 2022

Year 4 had a fantastic time at Tullie House for an Egyptian workshop.  They all took part in a carousel of activities and the general consensus was that the mummification process was their favourite task!   

English 
Children completed a piece of independent writing based on our Tullie House visit.  The task was to complete a diary entry,  Here are a few examples: 
     
   

Week Commencing 10th October 2022 

English- Hotseating
Children had a Drama session as part of their English in the form of hot seating.  We heard the story of Emily who touched a scarab beetle in the museum and was transported back in time to Ancient Egypt.  Children developed some questions that they would like to ask her before taking turns in the hotseat and role playing Emily.  We had some fantastic roles in character!

Art- watercolours and mod roc
On Thursday, Mrs Pieroni joined us for an art lesson!  Children experimented with watercolours and produced their very own drawing of Tutankhamun.  It was lovely to see children enjoying different media and all art piece looked different but equally as brilliant!  
For our second task, we started to make Tutankhamun masks with mod roc.  It was rather messy but keep an eye on this page for the finished results...

The Daily Mile 
Year 4 were the first children out to do our daily mile on Friday 14th October.  They were very excited to meet Ryan from ITV Border.  It was a wet and soggy morning but nothing dampened their enthusiasm and they were loving their time outside.  I wonder how many children saw themselves on the News that night... 

Week Commencing 17th October 2022 
Well, the final week of half term was a busy one and lots of hard work was completed in year 4.  They finished writing their very own 'Time Lapse' Stories and I am really enjoying reading them.  

The Tutankhamun Masks are outstanding- well done year 4! 

On Thursday , Friends of Rockcliffe provided a fabulous Book Swap.  It was fantastic to see the children's enthusiasm when browsing through a range of wonderful books.  They spent some time sharing their books with a partner in the classroom and the 'Reading Buzz' was so lovely to see! 

We hope that you all have a fabulous half term! 
Here are our very proud children sharing their creativity...

Autumn 2 2022 

Welcome back all. Autumn 2 is planned to be very busy with lots of new and exciting learning. 

This half term, our main topic is Rivers. We will learn about our local river- The River Eden- and make comparisons with the River Nile and other world rivers.  We hope to venture down to the river at some point, weather permitting! 

Art this term is going to tie into the river theme as we focus on the Impressionist Artist, Claude Monet.  We will experiment with colour to make our our artistic impressions of water before creating a final piece.   

In English, we are using the beautiful picture book 'Journey'.  We are going to look at prepositional phrases, expanded noun phrases, speech punctuation and forming our own narratives based on the text.  Later in the half term, we will look at Explanation Texts with The Water Cycle before some extra special English lessons which will lead to the end of term.  (Currently, these are top secret!) 

We are very lucky to have PE this half term with Nick who will be teaching us Dodgeball Skills.  PE Days are now on Wednesday and Friday. 

Week Commencing 31st October 2022 

RE 
For our first RE lesson, we looked at the festival of Diwali.  The Hindu Festival was celebrated on 24th October but as that was in half term, we chose to have a whole school focus in the first week back to school.  Children listened to the story before deciding on the key elements of the festival.  They completed a piece of writing to say which five elements they thought were the most important.  We did have some different opinions but the reasoning was fabulous! 

 

Children then created a Diwali Craft which included the key elements that we had discussed.  
Maths
In Maths, children were introduced to area by counting the squares inside a shape.  We had some children who were fantastic at drawing their own shapes with a specific area.  We have also looked at comparing area with < > and =.

English 
In English, we looked at predictions based on the first couple of pictures in the book- the images were very dull and grey but there was a red crayon.  Children quickly jumped to the conclusion that the crayon was magic.  The little girl drew a magic door but where did she go? 
We enjoyed some Drama activities to imagine the setting- what could they see, smell, touch and hear? 

As this is a wordless picture book, children worked on writing their own speech based on what they could see in the pictures.  We were very impressed with their speech punctuation and synonyms for 'said'.  Some children even included elements of narrative to advance the story between the characters.  
 
Art 
In our first lesson, children completed some research about Impressionist Claude Monet.  They looked at some samples of his work before picking a water image to inspire their own artwork.  Children mixed colours to experiment before creating their own image of water.
 
Paired Reading 
On Thursdays, we are now taking part in a Buddy Reading Session.  Year 4 are joined by children from EYFS to share a story.  All of the children had a wonderful time and we can't wait to do this again! 

Week 2 - Week commencing 7th November 2022 

We have had a busy second week in year 4.
In Maths, we have been looking at multiples of 3,6 and 9.  Children enjoyed spotting patterns using a hundred square and even played games with a deck of cards.

RE

In RE, we revisited the story of Noah's Ark.  Why did God send the Great Flood?  Why was Noah chosen? 
Some children looked at the positive qualities of Noah and identified his positive actions because he trusted God.  We had a group of children who wrote a letter to Noah, identifying his determination and perseverance.   

English
Children are working on their sequel to Journey.  
They planned their stories using the same sequence- Opening dialogue, Setting 1, Problem, Setting 2, Problem, Resolution. 
Keep checking back to read some of our fantastic pieces of writing. 

Art 
Children continued their journey into the art of Claude Monet.  This week, they mixed primary colours to make secondary colours, experimented with tints and shades and looked at blending colours to create sunsets/ water. 

Science 
In Science, we looked at The Water Cycle.  Children worked in groups to create a water cycle in a bag.  We will observe the water cycle over one week and record our findings next lesson.  Singing a song about The Water Cycle also helps us to remember key scientific terms. 

Remembrance  11.11.22

Year 4 and 5 joined together to make Poppy shortbread biscuits.  They discussed the significance of the poppy and decided how to make the red flower out of fondant.  

Week Commencing 14th November 2022

Monday marked the start of Anti-bullying week and Rockcliffe CE school took part in Odd Socks Day to celebrate what makes us all unique. 

One of our activities during Anti-bullying week was to think about our Trusted Adults.  We have covered this in our Kidsafe Sessions so children had an array of trusted adults to choose from.  After watching the 2022 Anti-bullying video, we desgined our own hands to 'Reach Out!' 

Music 

Children are continuing to work on playing tuned instruments- glockenspiels and xylophones.  They followed the notes carefully and repeated a melody to accompany the song.  We will continue to work on this over the next few weeks. 

RE
Children worked in groups.  Building on from the story of Noah's Ark when God sent the great flood to rid the world of sin, children considered  'What could be removed from the world to make it a better place?'  We then went one step further- which of these elements can be influenced/ controlled by human actions?  Children thought about the impact that their actions have on the wider world.

PE
The weather was on our side this week so we could play Dodgeball outside.  Children had to think about their strategies in a larger space. 

Children in Need

Rockcliffe School embraced Children In Need on Friday 18th November.  School Council had arranged a vote beforehand and children opted to wear PJs!  On that morning, playground duty was interesting as children arrived in an array of wonderful onesies and comfortable PJS!  Some children even brought their own slippers and dressing gown! 

 

In the afternoon, we joined with Year 5 in the hall to take part in a range of Pudsey Activities.  

Week commencing 21st November 2022

RSE
In RSE, we played a game to reinforce the learning from the last few weeks.  They looked at potential risks, dangers and safe decision-making as they took turns during game play.  

Art 
Children were excited to complete their Art Work this week.  Using a River Thames scene as inspiration, the children in Year 4 have been experimenting with colour, blending, tints and shades to show water and sky.  They have developed these skills over the last few weeks and completed a wonderful river scene.  They used black oil pastel for a silhouette and reflection.  

Geography 
In Geography, we looked at some of the features of a river.  Children matched the key vocabulary to their definitions before deciding whether it would be found in the upper, middle or lower course.  They used key vocabulary to help develop their explanations.  Well done Year 4! 

Week commencing 28th November 2022 
Children began their week with a magical journey aboard The Polar Express.  We have read the book opening and watched the beginning of the film to make comparisons.  Children wrote some wonderful accounts of how they would feel to board the magical train.  Excitedly, they kept their very own golden tickets! 

Maths 
Children have been looking again at column addition and subtraction.  They were challenged to complete a range of one-step and two-step word problems.  It was fantastic to see them working together to earn ride tokens for our fictional theme park!

Cyclewise 
Children in year 4 had the opportunity to experience a session with Cyclewise.  Despite the rain, they all put in a superb effort and showed fabulous skills! 

Week commencing 5th December 2022

The class have produced some exciting work for The Polar Express writing - some real dilemmas going on!  We look forward to being able to watch the film in its entirety at the end of term to compare to our own writing and the book which we've been reading too.  We are all certainly getting in the Christmas mood, the sound of carols floating around school, the chill in the air and even a few snowflakes this afternoon too!

 

Maths

We have spent time consolidating our knowledge this week, and have been looking at pictoral representations to help us solve missing number problems.  Some children enjoyed making up stories to help them remember how to use some models.  We end the week with a reasoning and problem solving lesson, trying different activities to apply our skills consolidated this week.

Design Technology

This week saw the introduction of our Christmas Craft Project.  The children are to design, make and evaluate Christmas Stockings.  We heard the history of the Christmas Stocking, with the story of the legend too.  We started by evaluating products on the market already, with the class researching on the internet, finding two designs they liked and answering questions about them.  This will then aid the design of their own in coming lessons.  As sewing is involved, we have learned about (and begun to practice) the basic stitches, such as running stitch, overstitch and even blanket stitch.  We will continue to practise alongside the design process to make sure our skills are perfected for our actual design being made.

  

NISCU 
Rachel from NISCU joined is for the whole day on Tuesday 5th December.  Each class took part in a workshop about the true meaning of Christmas.  There was even a myth-busting session which revealed some unexpected details about the birth of Jesus.  It was truly informative for children and staff alike... 

Week commencing 12th December 2022 
On Tuesday 13th December, we had a whole school trip to the pantomime- Aladdin! 
What a fantastic show with fun and laughter had by all!   We would like to say a huge thank you to Russ, Sam and family for making everyone a wonderful, interval treat bag.  They were fabulous! It's certainly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! 

Design Technology 
We ended the term by finishing fantastic stocking decorations.  Children completed research, created initial designs and made edits and improvements during the creation stage.  Well done Year 4!  We hope that these were proudly hung on your Christmas trees.