Year 4

Summer 1

                                                         Why are rainforests important? 

This half term in Geography, pupils will enjoy exploring the world around them by using maps, atlases, globes and digital tools to locate countries, cities and key physical features. They will learn about the Equator, latitude and longitude, climates and biomes, and how these affect the way people live. Children will compare places in the UK with regions around the world, discovering how landscapes and settlements have changed over time and how humans interact with their environment. They’ll also develop practical geography skills through fieldwork, route‑mapping, data collection and presenting their findings in creative and engaging ways.

Summer 2

                              How did the achievements of the Maya impact their civilisation and beyond? 

Next half term,  the children will become history detectives! They'll build their knowledge of Maya settlements, inventions, city states and gods as well as Ancient Maya time periods and some of the reasons behind their decline. They’ll learn how historians talk about time by using words like BC, AD, century and millennium, and practise placing events on a timeline. They’ll explore what life was like in different periods, comparing what changed and what stayed the same, and making links between different societies and cultures. Using artefacts, pictures, books and other sources, they’ll ask questions such as “How do we know?” and learn that the past can be interpreted in different ways. Through discussion, drama, art and writing, the children will investigate causes and consequences of events, spot similarities and differences with today, and build confident, evidence-based answers about how people lived in the past.

Summer 2

A Myth-Hunter's Travel Guide

The Literacy Company

A Myth-Hunter’s Travel Guide is an engaging non-fiction text that takes readers on a journey through the world of myths and legends. Presented as a travel guide, it explores famous mythical locations, creatures, and characters from different cultures, encouraging children to discover how myths have shaped beliefs, stories, and landscapes around the world. Through fascinating facts and vivid descriptions, the book inspires curiosity about history, geography, and storytelling while developing key reading and research skills

How we read in our guided reading lessons:

Summer 2

Blue John

Berlie Doherty

For our Pathways to Write unit, we will be exploring Blue John by Berlie Doherty. This captivating adventure story follows a young boy called Blue John as he journeys through the mysterious Derbyshire hills, discovering secrets, legends and unexpected friendships along the way. Inspired by the rich setting, characters and themes of the text, children will develop their writing skills by creating descriptive settings, narratives and persuasive pieces. Through reading, discussion and writing activities, pupils will build their vocabulary, creativity and confidence as writers while immersing themselves in this memorable story.

In this unit, children will write a letter in role as an expert containing an explanation about cave formation.

Summer Term

This term, we will look at fractions and decimals, money, time, geometry and statistics.

We will make times tables our main focus, practising hard and building our confidence using Times Table Rockstars and timestables.co.uk as we prepare for the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), which takes place at the beginning of Summer 2 after half term. We will undertake a practice MTC approximately three times a week so that the children are used to answering 25 times table questions with 6 seconds to answer each question. Further information about the statutory MTC can be found on the government website.

Check out www.timestables.co.uk for some fantastic games to aid learning as well as TTRS and www.topmarks.co.uk. The children should be practising as often as they can at home so that they know each times table from 1 to 12 off by heart. The MTC 6 seconds per question gives children enough time to recall an answer they have learnt by heart but not enough time to use their fingers on which to count. Being able to count in a certain number is not the same as knowing that times table!

PE - On PE days, children should wear school PE kit with jewellery removed. Earring studs that are not removed will be covered with microporous tape. 

Spring 2 PE Days      4C: Monday & Wednesday        4Ch: Wednesday & Thursday 

Coats & outdoor shoes- please can you send your child in with a coat every day as we will be learning in and out of the classroom in both rain and shine. Outdoor shoes are particularly important. It is not safe for children to spend time in school without their shoes on, regardless of how wet they are. It is imperative that all belongings, including coats, are clearly named.

Water bottles - children should bring a water bottle in with them each morning so that they can access a drink during the day.

Reading - in Key Stage 2, reading continues to be something that children should be doing regularly so that they are able to build their fluency and comprehension. Please can you record in your child's reading diary each time that they read so that we can monitor their progress more accurately.

Bookbags -  Please bring in books/book bags every day. These will be kept in your child's drawer or on their peg. Where possible, please avoid sending your child in with very large back packs as we struggle to fit them all in the cloakroom.

Please can all toys, including squishies, be left at home and NOT brought into school.