Hercules Class

Useful information:

PE is on Mondays and Thursday.

Spellings and times tables tests are on Fridays.

Reading homework is checked on Mondays.

Mathletics homework is checked weekly.

The Curriculum:  Our big question this term is “What happened when nomadic people settled?”. Throughout the Autumn the term we will investigate the changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Part of our study will involve looking at the Neolithic Hunter Gatherers and early farming making comparisons to our harvest and farming today.  We will learn about how this developed through the Bronze and Iron Ages, and the impact this had on the first settlers in Britain.

In English we will look at a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts; such as How to Wash A Wooly Mammoth, Stone Age Boy, Stig of the Dump, and The First Drawing.  All our reading will inspire our writing and reading and understanding the complexities of the different texts will have a high priority throughout all curriculum lessons. Children do not write well unless they have something to write about!  All our texts will enable the children to write from different perspectives, write stories of their own and to use evidence from a text to map out events.  There will also be an expectation on improving accuracy of spelling, grammar and punctuation and the quality of handwriting.  Pen licences will be awarded and re-awarded to those children who write using cursive and fluent script. 

In Maths we start, as always, by looking at place value including the value of decimal places and we will have a strong focus on mental arithmetic (number bonds, counting in multiples, addition and subtraction facts).  As the term progresses, we will move onto mental and written methods for addition and subtraction of numbers, including larger numbers.  Finally, we will begin to look at multiplication and division, beginning to develop written strategies to complete these calculations.

By the end of Year 4 it is essential that the children know and have instant recall of all times tables up to 12x and their inverse.  During the Autumn term the Y4 children will start to prepare for taking their multiplication check in the Spring Term.  In Year 3 we will also have a strong focus on times tables and the children will have a weekly times tables test.

Look out for passwords and logins for both Mathletics and Times Tables Rockstars as we will set activities on these sites for home learning.

Science:  Plants:  Biology will be our key strand during the first half term.  We will quickly re-visit the learning covered in year 2, before moving on to identifying and describing the functions of different parts of flowering plants; exploring the requirements for life and growth; how water is transported within plants; and exploring what part flowers play in the life of flowering plants.  During the second half of the term we link our science to geography and study rocks and soils:  comparing and grouping different kinds of rocks; understand how fossils are formed and recognise that soils are made from organic matter.

Throughout the term, in PSHE we will be thinking about personal responsibilities and keeping ourselves safe at home and outside. As usual at this time of year, we will also think about our own new beginnings and participate in Harvest celebrations. As we near the end of the Autumn term we will of course be participating in our Christmas celebrations.

In Music, we will be looking at developing our skills in reading and writing using Western notation, through units which are linked to the Stone Age and then looking at the style of Minimalism.

Computing will begin with a unit on the Internet – focusing on understanding how networks have been made to create the World Wide Web we have today, how websites are shared and how to spot and evaluate the reliability of websites.  After half term, the children will look at data handling and spreadsheets.

 We will also be using our history unit to inspire our Art this term, studying the Lascaux caves in France and developing our drawing skills with pencil and charcoal, our painting and use of vocabulary to describe tone and colour, and finally exploring different styles of print making.  In Design and Technology after half-term, we will be working on a textiles unit, designing and making our own foraging bags.

PE:  On the days that we have PE, the children may arrive in their PE kit and remain in it all day.  PE will continue to be twice a week and we begin with hockey and fitness. 

PE kit should comprise of:  Blue t-shirt, black shorts/skort (or as the weather becomes cooler – plain leggings), a hooded jumper/school sweatshirt, dark coloured socks.  It is essential that your child wears good fitting, outdoor training shoes as we will be outside as much as possible.

HOME LEARNING: It is our aim to support the children in becoming self-motivated and organised with their home learning and as such we will be refreshing passwords during the autumn term. 

Maths: Weekly home learning will be set on Mathletics and Times Tables Rockstars is ready to use. (All logins will be provided shortly)

Reading: for at least half an hour each evening and make an entry in their reading journal. Complete 1 reading activity from the suggestions within the Reading Record. This will be explained to the children in school.

Spelling lists will be sent home at the start of each term detailing each week’s spelling pattern – children should then learn their spellings for that week, ready for a spelling test each week. In addition, a copy of the Year 3/4 national curriculum expectation for spellings has been sent home already – further copies can be found on the class page of the school website.

Times Tables:  each week your child will be set times tables to learn for their times tables test, this will be sent out termly.

Formal parent evenings will be held in February to discuss your child’s progress. However, if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s education or have any concerns at any time throughout the term, please do not hesitate to make an appointment.

CLASSROOM ORGANISATION:  Bags, lunch boxes and pencil cases. Cloakrooms and classroom space is limited and it is important that we minimise the amount of equipment brought in from home.  Our cloakroom area is shared and can become cluttered VERY quickly.  Please ensure that any bags/lunch boxes brought into school are of a reasonable size and that all personal property is clearly named.   We do provide frequent use stationary, however if children would like to bring in a pencil case it MUST fit in the drawer space provided.  The children are encouraged to be responsible for their own belongings however, it is still worth checking for letters, texts or emails at the end of the day. 

Further detailed information regarding all trips, events and visits will be sent separately.  Make sure you check your email, text or the school website which will have more important school dates for your diary.

Additional Information

We are always able to access and drink water throughout the day, as such children should bring a named, and refillable water bottle each day.  Water bottles must be taken home and cleaned thoroughly each evening.

 If your child has an inhaler, please could you make sure that it is clearly named and in date.  Their inhaler should be in school to be accessed at all times.  If your child requires any other medication please could you make us AND the office staff aware. 

Formal parent evenings will be held in October to discuss settling in and your child’s progress.  However, if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s education or have any concerns at any time throughout the term, please do not hesitate to make an appointment.

Multiplication Tables Check (Year 4)

In June our Year 4 children will be taking part in their multiplication check - further information for parents on this can be found here: 

multiplication tables check information for parents.pdf