Spring 2 - Week 11

We've had a lovely week in 4BP this week!

We have now finished our assessments for the end of the Spring Term and I am pleased to say that the children have done extremely well - we are so proud of them! Take a look at the pictures of some of their writing assessments - I'm sure that you'll agree that their work is amazing!

In maths this week, we have been focusing on using inverse operations as well as adding two-digit numbers with one decimal place. The children found this skill very tricky at first but I can now confidently say that they are little experts in adding numbers with decimals!

We have also continued to work on our times tables, making sure we can recall all of the times table facts quickly and accurately. Any help the children could be given with learning their times tables outside of school would really benefit them, not only with their times tables, but also with the rest of their maths work. 

In History we compared the modern and ancient Olympics. My goodness things have changed!

“ It was interesting finding out how the Olympics have changed!” Kiki

We finally collected enough boxes for our DT work! We flattened the boxes and decorated them with tissue paper. Next week we will make them into light boxes.

“D.T. is going to be really fun next week!” Laura

In R.E. we continued to explore the theme of betrayal in the Easter story. We explored the part of the story when Peter denied knowing Jesus. We wrote an imagined diary entry for St Peter.

We hope you all have a lovely, restful weekend and that all the mums enjoy being spoilt on Sunday!

Spring 2 - Week 10

It's been another week of hard work in 4BP this week!

We have been completing our termly assessments in reading, writing, grammar and maths this week and the children have done incredibly well, remembering lots of information that they have been taught and applying it independently to their work.

For our writing assessment, we wrote all about Count Dracula and pretended to be relic hunters to write a diary entry. The resulting writing was outstanding and I couldn't be prouder of the way the children have used everything they have learnt so far this year to complete their work!

In Science we looked at how water evaporates. We poured water on the playground and observed the results over time. We are hoping that as the weather improves, ( fingers crossed) we can do more outdoor learning.

In History, we learnt about the Olympics in Ancient Greece.

“ It was wonderful doing History this week, we found out loads of facts about the Olympics in Ancient Greece” Evan

Did you know?

*The Ancient Greeks competed bare foot and naked!

* There was wrestling and boxing

* Women were not allowed to compete

We were unable to start our D.T. this week as the children were asked to bring in a cereal box. Very few boxes came into school so we will have to start next week. I’ll have a dive into my recycling bin - maybe you could do the same!

“I am excited for D.T. next week!” Logan

In R.E. we continued to explore the theme of betrayal in the Easter story. We designed our own wanted posters for Judas who, after the death of Jesus ran away in fear for his life.

Spring 2 - Week 9

We have been working extremely hard in 4BP this week!

In English, we have started our new text, 'The Lost Happy Endings' about a young girl whose job it is to sprinkle happy endings across a fairy tale forest every evening but who is then caught by an evil witch! So far, we have made predictions about what we think will happen in the story using sentence stems to help us. We have also produced a character poem all about the young girl and we have answered comprehension questions which have required us to read the text very carefully. We will be finishing the story next week and none of us can wait to see how it ends!

In maths, we have been tackling fractions including finding fractions of amounts and adding fractions which have the same denominator. They children have taken to this work fabulously! They are already adding fractions independently and have even begun to convert improper fractions to mixed number - well done year 4!

We have been working hard on developing our oracy skills and this week, we have been focusing on reading aloud, making sure we aren't slumping, that we're projecting our voices and using the correct intonation and expression to perform a piece.

In Science, we found out about the water cycle. We researched the meanings of the science vocabulary of the water cycle- precipitation, condensation and water vapour. Why not ask your child the meanings of these words we learned?

In History, we learned about everyday life in Ancient Greece. We researched facts about clothes, food and childhood.

Did you know?

The Ancient Greeks ate snails!

Some children had monkeys as pets!

In R.E., we continued to explore the theme of betrayal in the Easter story. We thought about the reasons why Judas betrayed Jesus to the Romans. We also studied some art that reflected this difficult theme.

In honour of Science Week, Kellan and Oscar had fun completing a jigsaw all about the Tree of Life. Have a look at their progress below!

Reminders:

Parents' Evening takes place on Monday, 17th and Wednesday, 19th March

Our Easter Chocolate Bingo event will take place in school on Wednesday, 2nd April

Spring 2 - Week 8

We've had a real reading focus in 4BP this week! World Book Day took place on Thursday, 6th March and to celebrate, we dressed up and took part in various book-related activities, such as designing a book cover for our favourite book and taking part in our very own 'sorting ceremony' complete with a sorting hat! Take a look at our photos from the day itself.

In English, we have completed our information guides on Jormungandr and the children have done some excellent work! They have made sure that their guides are written using formal language, technical vocabulary and are packed full of facts about Jormungandr. Watch this space for a new Viking display next week!

In maths this week, we have been working on written division as well as using estimation and inverse operations to check our answers. The children found written division very challenging at first but through perseverance and hard work, they are now able to use it confidently! Next week, we will be working on written addition and subtraction.

In Science we watched a live stream hosted by a real marine biologist. We found out some amazing facts like:

• An octopus has three hearts and blue blood
• Manta Rays can heal from injuries really quickly
• Sharks can detect heartbeats

Next week is British Science week and we will be thinking about looking after the creatures that live in our oceans.

In History we learnt about Alexander the Great. We found out that he invaded many countries and had a huge empire that spread all the way to India.

Spring 2 - Week 7

A big welcome back to all our children and their families - it sounds like the children had a lovely break during half-term and are now ready to learn and take on new challenges.

This week, we have been working hard to continue our learning about the Vikings in English. We have now planned out our information guides on the Viking god, Jormungandr - a serpent large enough to fit all the way around the Earth! The children have researched and learnt lots of facts about Jormungandr and a lot of new Viking vocabulary - do ask your child to tell you everything they know about Jormungandr, Jotnar and the Vikings in general.

In maths, we have been continuing to work on using the grid method as a formal method of multiplication. We have also been using Base 10 resources to help us with halving odd numbers - particularly single-digit numbers which require a decimal answer. Please have a look at the photos below to see what we've been up to!

We started our new History topic about the Ancient Greeks and continued our Science work on states of matter.

In Science, we considered the question: How do states of matter affect our daily lives? We measured the temperature of a cup of ice and observed how the temperature rose as the ice melted and changed from a solid to a liquid.

In DT, we evaluated various products with lights from night lights to reading lights, light up ice scrapers to hoovers! We are looking forward to designing and making our own products.

In History, we ordered a timeline of the important events for the Ancient Greeks. We drew pictures of Spartan warriors for a display on the wall. Here is one of our drawings - what do you think?

Spring 1 - Week 5

It's been another fabulous week in 4BP! 

In maths, we have been learning strategies to help us remember our 7 and 12 times tables - please test us on our times tables facts at home! We have also been applying our knowledge to completing and extending number sequences, as well as finding the factor pairs of different numbers.

In English, we have now completed our myth narratives and are currently editing our first drafts. We will be moving onto writing an information guide on the Vikings next week so any research the children can do at home will be very useful.

We have been working hard on our inference skills in reading and have been trying to beat each other in our Accelerated Reader Challenge! The pictures below show our Accelerated Reader area in class with the bookshelves for children to move their names along when they have completed a book. Take a look at the pictures below! 

Friday was NSPCC Number Day nationally and 4BP did some additional number work - which involved lots of games and challenges - to join in the fun! Have a look at what we got up to!

In art, as part of our still life work, we are going to be making tiles out of clay next week and we are all very excited! Please don't forget to send an old t shirt into school for your child to wear in our art lessons on Tuesday - clay can be very messy! Take a look at some of the tile designs we have been working on below!

Don't forget - PE is on Wednesdays and Thursdays!

Spring 1 - Week 4

The weeks are whipping by and it's hard to believe we're already over the halfway mark for this half term!

The children have worked their socks off this week and they have been an absolute credit to themselves, to the school and to their parents so well done everyone!

In English this week, we have been writing our final stories based on Arthur and the Golden Rope. The style and content of their writing is fantastic and I can't wait to share their finished pieces on here with you when they are complete. 

In maths, we have continued our work on place value and have now moved onto dividing numbers by 10 and 100 to give a decimal answer. This can be a very tricky skill to master and so we have been using lots of physical resources to support the children's understanding. As you can see from the pictures below, they very much enjoyed using them! We will be moving onto multiplication next week and I must again ask parents and carers to support their child in learning and remembering all of their times tables. There are many apps and websites the children can use at home - such as Times Table Rockstars or Hit the Button - to support them with their learning. Alternatively, just reciting the times tables and doing quick quizzes can be equally effective.

In swimming this week, the children all swam in the deep end again and all had a go doing backstroke. They really are progressing incredibly well and are loving the pool and learning with their friends. Please remember to send your child to school with their swimming kit next week - we have had quite a few children who forgot to bring theirs last week.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday! 

4BP - Spring 1 Week 3

It's been a very blustery end to this week - I'm wondering what type of extreme weather we'll see next!

It has also been a lovely week in 4BP. We've been working incredibly hard in all subjects but maths has proved to be particularly tricky as we have been learning all about fraction decimal equivalence. At first, the children really struggled, however, after lots of ambition and perseverance (along with the help of place value counters, coins and place value charts), we did it! Have a look at the pictures of us mastering this learning below!

In English, we have been planning our own myth narrative based on the Viking story of 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'. We have been taking part in drama activities to help us understand what the characters are thinking and feeling and to develop lots of exciting vocabulary to include in our work. Below, you will see some examples of what we have been up to in which we are re-enacting the scenes where Arthur defeats the evil wolf 'Fenrir'!

Thursday was our weekly swimming day and the children really did outdo themselves! The instructors made sure to tell us how impressed they were with the children and how delightful they were. All of the children are doing incredibly well and all of them have now swum a length (some with flotation aides). Please can I ask all parents to remember to sent their child in with a full swimming kit next Thursday. Could I also ask that parents pack spare underwear just in case the set they are wearing somehow ends up wet! Many thanks. 

In art, we have been continuing with our still life work and study of Cezanne - watch this space!

4BP - Spring 1 Week 2

This has been an incredibly busy week in school and I think the children are all very much looking forward to a well-earned rest this weekend (as are the staff!).

As you will be aware, we had some very special visitors into school this week and the children were a complete credit to you, themselves and school. It is not easy for children when their usual routine is disrupted but I am very proud to say that they responded brilliantly!

In English, we have been continuing to read our text, 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'. We have been learning all about the Norse gods and using images to help us create our own setting descriptions. We have then taken pictures from the book and used the as inspiration for some drama work - the whole thing was lots of fun!

In maths, we are learning all about decimal numbers. We have been thinking about how you find a tenth of 1 or even a hundredth of 1! We have used lots of practical equipment to help us understand what this looks like in real life. We have then gon on to convert tenths and hundredths into fractions.

We have been continuing our study of Cezanne in art and have been using his work and techniques as inspiration for our own still life pieces using fruit, cups and saucers, bowls and bottles. We aren't quite finished yet but as soon as we are, we will be publishing photos on our blog to share with you all!

There was a lot of excitement on Thursday when we went to our very first swimming lesson as a class! Some of the children were quite nervous at first but once they got the hang of things, there was no stopping them! Every single child went around the deep end in the water and I couldn't have been prouder. We are all very excited for next week's lesson. Please could I remind all parents and carers to ensure their child has a swimming costume/swim shorts, a swimming cap and towel for next week's session. It would also be helpful if the children could come to school with their costumes already on underneath their underwear - this saves lots of time getting changed and gives us more time in the pool. Many thanks!

4BP - Spring 1 Week 1

It has been a very cold, very wintery start to the new term. Many thanks to those who have made it into school so that children's learning is not disrupted. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the weather, it has not been possible to use the playground, however, we are expecting outdoor play to be back up and running next week!

Swimming

4BP will be starting swimming lessons on Thursday, 16th January, running until the end of the half term when 4S will take over. A letter has gone home this week informing parents and carers of what their child will and will not need to bring. Please read the list of items carefully. If you have any questions or concerns around the swimming lessons, please contact Ms Blackledge, Mrs Parkinson or our PE Lead, Mrs Lawton in school.

PE

Please be aware that our PE days are now Mondays and Wednesdays. Please feel free to send your child to school in sports wear on those days; PE kits still require black trainers.

This half term in English, we have begun studying 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'. This story is based on the Vikings and the children are loving the magical and mythical elements of it! We are also looking at Viking-based texts in shared reading, so the children are jam-packed full of Viking knowledge!

In maths, we have been working on 3D shape, looking particularly at different pyramids and prisms and finding out what their properties are. Next week, we will be looking at place value and the skill of rounding.

We are also practising our times tables every morning and afternoon in class and have now become very good at them! Please support your child by encouraging them to play Times Table Rockstars or Hit the Button at home - the extra practise makes all the difference!

In RE we celebrated World Religion Day with a series of lessons finding out about other faiths. We had some brilliant discussions about faith, traditions and religion. We researched the most followed religions in the world and found out lots of new things.

In Art we have been researching the French Artist Paul Cezanne. Our topic this half term is still life. Watch this space for wonderful sketches, paintings and models of fruit, loaves of bread and vases like this one!

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing the children back in school on Monday!

Ms Blackledge & Mrs Parkinson 

4BP - Autumn 2 Week 13

Christmas is definitely coming to Meadowhead! We have had a wonderful week of Christmas activities and lots of learning too! 

In English, we have published our final drafts of our outsider narrative and have been completing our end of term assessments in writing, reading and grammar. The children have done incredibly well and we are very proud of them!

In maths, we have finished our work on time and have now moved onto 2D shape, learning the different properties of 2D shapes and learning how they can be used to identify and name different shapes. As with English, we have been completing our assessments in maths and it really is wonderful to see the progress that has already been made! We are also still working hard on our times tables daily in school but any additional work that could be done at home would be very helpful - why not have a go on Times Table Rockstars?

On Wednesday, it was our Stay and Read event in school and I think that you can see from the happy smile on Ella's face that she really enjoyed meeting Wordsworth the library mascot and having her photo taken with him!

On Thursday, it was Christmas dinner day as well as the Christmas Fair. The children have been busy all week making woolly hat and button Christmas tree decorations to be sold at the fair. We still have a limited amount of button tree decorations left at £2 each so if you would like one, please let the office know.

We have also been working hard on rehearsing for our Christmas Concert next week and we hope that as many of you as possible will be joining us!

4BP - Autumn 2 Week 11

As we approach December, we are starting to get very busy in 4BP! On Monday, we will be going to see Jack and the Beanstalk at the Thwaites' Theatre. If you haven't paid for your child to attend, please make sure this is done before Monday so that your child can attend. Many thanks.

In English this week, we have been very busy writing the first draft of our outsider narrative based on the book, 'Leaf'. The children have been working very hard, using drama techniques to really understand how the main character is feeling so that this can be translated into their writing.

We will have finished our outsider narratives and will be completing an assessment piece when we do. 

In maths, we have been learning all about time and how to read different times on clock faces. Some of the children have found this skill quite tricky to master so any support parents and carers can give their child at home with reading the time would be greatly appreciated!

What a busy week it has been. The weeks are flying by so quickly with all the wonderful learning going on in class 4BP.

In Science this week we have continued with our topic: ELECTRICITY.

We made a circuits using bulb, wires and a cell and tested different materials to see if they were conductors or insulators.

“Metal conducts electricity.” David

In History we continued our topic on the Lancashire cotton trade. We created a timeline of the history of Lancashire cotton trade from before the 18^th century to the 1960s. (78543jk7)

“It is sad that the mills are no longer used to make cotton. I wonder what they are used for now? Zain

In DT we thought about the different materials we could use to make a box. We considered the advantages and disadvantages of each material.

As promised this is the display of Year 4’s wonderful Art work from our topic last half term.

4BP - Autumn 2 Week 10

It's been another fantastic week in 4BP! We have started a new book in English called Leaf about a polar bear who gets lost and finds himself in a forest with some unfamiliar animals! At first, he feels misunderstood, ignored and lost but as the story develops, he realises that he is not alone and the other animals find that he is not so scary after all. This is a wonderful book about celebrating difference and supporting each other through difficult times and we have thought hard about how Leaf's story can help us understand other people better. We are currently working on writing an 'outsider narrative' from Leaf's perspective - please ask your child what they have learnt!

In maths, we have been working on written multiplication and division and although the children have found the work challenging, they have truly persevered and are now making real progress! We will be continuing our work on written division into next week, focusing on 'chunking' as a method. I have given an example of what chunking looks like below so that you can support your child with their work.

In Science this week we have continued with our topic: ELECTRICITY.

We made circuits with switches this week. We added buzzers, lights and even a small propellor.

“I liked the circuits we were making. I used a cell to power a bulb.” Zain

In History we continued our topic on the Lancashire cotton trade. We researched the inventor James Hargreaves and looked at the Spinning Jenny. We wondered how this invention changed the town of Blackburn.

“I enjoyed finding out about the Spinning Jenny. I wrote a newspaper report.” Laura 452d!

“James Hargreaves was an inventor who made the Spinning Jenny. He was the first person in the world to make a spinning machine.” David

P.E. this week was gymnastics with our fantastic coach teaching us. It was great fun, and we even tried to beat 4S in the bunny hop challenge. It was close but 4S won. Next week there is another challenge, fingers crossed that we win.

“It was fun that we did a challenge against 4S.” Sida

“I enjoyed doing a forward roll in gymnastics this week.”

Mrs Parkinson, with the help of Pippa, did a forward roll! We think it made her a bit dizzy. She had to sit down for a bit!

Reminder: parents' evening takes place on the 19th and 20th November - please make sure you have booked your appointment on Weduc!

4BP - Autumn 2 Week 9

Whew! What a week it's been! We have absolutely worked our socks off and once again, the behaviour and enthusiasm of the children have been exemplary.

This week, we have been finalising our newspaper reports which have the heading: 

OMINOUS ORCA OUTED!

We have used word play, puns, eyewitness reports and even the present perfect tense to make our reports come to life! We will be publishing the reports onto a newspaper report format on Monday and I can't wait to show you the results - watch this space!

In maths, all the work we have been doing on our tables tables is really paying off and we have used our knowledge this week to help us complete larger multiplications using a written method. At first, the children we a little afraid of the size of the multiplications but now, we're multiplying like pros! Thank you to all those who have supported the children with their homework this week - it really makes a difference to their understanding of our class work.

In Science this week continued with our topic: ELECTRICITY.

We had loads of fun trying our hands at making our own circuits using bulbs, batteries and wires. We made a simple circuit using wires, bulbs and batteries. We drew the circuits using the correct scientific symbols.

In History we began our topic on the Lancashire cotton trade. We thought about where cotton comes from ( a plant- who knew?) and the industrial looms used in the mills in Blackburn.

P.E. this week was gymnastics with our fantastic coach teaching us. It was great fun, and we even got to climb the ropes in the hall.

In DT we made our own boxes from a net. We put a biscuit in the box and tested to see if the box would protect the biscuit from being dropped, shaken and thrown. Needless to say, not many of the biscuits stayed in one piece so our project is to make a more robust box. Watch this space to see how we get on.

4BP - Autumn 2 Week 8

It's been wonderful to see all of the children again after their half-term break! They were full of exciting news about what they had got up to and were eager to share this with the rest of the class. 

I must start by saying that the children's behaviour has been exemplary this week. They have completed some excellent work and are really trying hard to apply all of the skills they have been taught in their work.

In English, we have been building up to writing our own newspaper reports and this week, we have been taking part in drama activities and immersing ourselves in the language of newspaper reporters to help us when it comes to us writing our final piece. Below are some pictures of us acting in role as fishermen, marine biologists, tourists and local residents - I wonder if you can guess which is which!

We have been working incredibly hard on improving our times tables skills this week. We have used a variety of methods to help us calculate multiplication facts, including creating arrays and using times table grids. The children are already working hard to make sure they know all of their times tables ready for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check which will take place across all schools in April. Please support your child at home by helping them to learn their tables - they will be receiving weekly times table homework to support with this.

In Science this week started a new topic: ELECTRICITY.

We thought about all the things in our homes that use electricity. We cannot wait to try our hands at making our own circuits using bulbs, batteries and wires.

In PSHE, as part of Black History Month, we researched the life of the poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. We read her poem 'Still I Rise' and thought about how she used words to protest against inequality and discrimination.

P.E. this week moved to a Thursday as we now have a gymnastics coach teaching us. It was great fun, and we learnt lots of new skills.

A message for parents: please could you make sure your child has a water bottle in school. Some children are having to use cups for water during the day, which inevitably ends up getting spilt on their work. Many thanks for your support!

4BP - Autumn 1 Week 7

After a jam-packed week at school, it is finally half-term! The children have worked incredibly hard this week and I am so very proud of them - they have truly earned the half-term break!

We have started some new work on newspaper reports in English this week and we are working towards writing our very own reports about an Orca sighting off the coast of Blackpool! The children have been learning all about the language used in newspapers, how an article is structured and what articles usually include. They have also been learning all about the past perfect tense and will be using this in their articles when we return. We have also taken part in drama activities this week with the children role-playing as reporters and eyewitnesses. They had great fun doing this which you can see in the pictures below!

In maths, the children have been working incredibly hard on written subtractions all week. They have found the exchange element ('borrowing' and 'carrying' in old terms!) quite tricky and so we have spent lots of time going through this skill so that the children are able to use it independently.

On Wednesday, we had our behaviour treat! Those children who did not receive any reflection sheets this half-term were able to have a half hour slot on an inflatable assault course. For those who received one reflection sheet this half term, they missed 10 minutes of their treat; if they received two reflection sheets, they missed 20 minutes and unfortunately, if they received three or more, they missed the treat altogether. The children really did have an amazing time (as did Mrs Parkinson and myself!). Check out the photos of this fantastic treat!

In Science this week, we have been finding out about herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. We have been looking at how teeth show what kind of diet an animal needs.

In Geography, we took a quiz to see how much of the volcano topic we could remember. There were some great scores from everyone in the class. Some of us even scored 100%!

In Art, we continued our own illustration project using the poem ‘The Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll as our inspiration. We watched a rather brilliant video to inspire our work.

4BP - Autumn 1 Week 6

It's Friday again, and what better way to spend it than looking through 4BP's fabulous learning journey this week?

We have been doing writing, writing and MORE writing this week in English and our narrative setting descriptions are finally complete! The children were so excited to complete their work that they didn't want to stop writing with some even asking to stay in at playtime so that they could carry on! I'm so very proud of the wonderful writing they produced and I think you can tell just how hard they worked by looking at the picture below.

In maths this week, we have been working on column additions, using this written method in multiple ways - such as by finding missing digits or to solve word problems - to really secure our understanding! The children have been using their knowledge of place value to help them and have worked with concrete resources such as place value counters, place value grids and number beads to help them. Next week, we will be moving onto written subtraction.

In Science this week, we have been researching the human digestive system. We have found out so many interesting facts about what happens to our food and how it is made into energy by our bodies.

In Geography, we continued our study of volcanoes. We wrote a case study about Mount Etna in Sicily. We discovered that 300,000 people live in a town near this volcano. We wondered why.

In Art, we continued our own illustration project using the poem ‘The Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll as our inspiration.

This week we focused on the terrifying monster the Jabberwocky. Once again, I was impressed by the wonderfully imaginative and quite honestly frightening drawings by the children of 4BP. We are going to create a display of our artwork in the base room. Watch this space for photographs when the display is up!

Reminder: school closes at 3:20pm on Friday, 18th October for the half-term break. We reopen on Tuesday, 29th October for the second half of the Autumn Term.

4BP Autumn - Week 5

I can't believe we are at the end of week 5 already! The weeks seem to be whipping by and the children are making fantastic progress in their learning!

In English this week, we have been busy planning and writing our own narrative setting descriptions of a scene from the picture book, 'The Whale'. We used a variety of drama techniques to help us understand how the characters might be feeling and used body language to interpret this. Take a look at the results below!

We have also been working hard on perfecting our use of standard English in our speech and writing. We experimented with different verb forms in sentences to find out which ones were correct - have a look at some of the sentences we made.

In Maths this week, we have calculated different perimeters and have found the measurements of the sides of a shape using the others we were given - the children were amazing at calculating perimeters! We have now moved onto work on statistics and we have been representing data on bar charts and using different graphs and charts to interpret different data.

In Science this week, we have been investigating the stain removal powers of different toothpastes. After testing five different pastes, we discovered that not all toothpastes clean stains as well as others!

In Geography we continued our study of volcanoes. Kellan is looking forward to next week when we will be focusing on Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

In Art, we began our own illustration project using the poem ‘The Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll as our inspiration.

I was so impressed with the imaginative work of the children in 4BP. Some of the drawings of the ‘Jubjub bird were quite scary. I hope I don’t have nightmares! Have a look at our gallery below.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones - let's hope the weather is as nice as it is forecast to be!

4BP Autumn 1 - week 4

In English this week we have been working hard analysing our text this half-term, 'The Whale'. We have been investigating how the author has used language to create drama and tension, as well as using drama to investigate the feelings of the characters in the story. We can't wait to publish some of our finished pieces on our class blog once they have been written!

It's all been about measurement this week in maths! We have been measuring lines, sides in shapes and using our skills with converting measures to help us solve word problems involving different measurements. Please encourage your child to measure a variety of things at home - it really helps with their learning!

In Geography we have been researching the location of the most famous volcanoes from around the world.

“I found Mount Fuji in Japan. The image of this volcano has been in many anime cartoons.” – David

In Science it was time to find out the much-anticipated results of the eggs in different liquids experiment.

“The egg in vinegar had lost the shell and had become like a bouncy ball!” - Oscar

In Art we researched the illustrators Shaun Tan and Laura Carlin.

Please don't forget to support your child's learning by reading with them for 10 mins every day and helping them to practise their times tables. Practising little and often is the best way to improve your child's skills!

4BP Autumn 1 - week 3

In English this week we have started work on 'The Whale'. We have also been learning lots of facts about blue whales, humpback whales, narwhals and dolphins in shared reading so we're practically experts by now! We have been writing a detailed setting description for a dramatic incident in the middle of the story and will be writing a newspaper article about the incident in the coming weeks - watch this space!

In Maths we have been working on our addition and subtraction skills this week and using them to complete number sequences and using mental methods and jottings to calculate larger additions and subtractions. We have used lots of physical resources to help us too! 

We have also been working on our times tables and using facts that we know to help us work out multiplications that we don't. Please support your child with their times tables by encouraging them to play on Times Table Rock Stars daily - it's loads of fun! All children have their logins and passwords. If you have any problems logging on, please just let us know - we're only too happy to help!

In Geography this week, we have been continuing our work on volcanoes and have found out about the parts of the volcano. We made our own models of volcanoes using card and tissue paper.

“I’ve enjoyed Geography this week. I made a model of a volcano, it was fun! – Kiara

In Science we set up an investigation to find out the effect of different liquids on calcium. We have placed eggs in different liquids and are observing the results daily. Our findings have been very exciting but a bit smelly too! We're really looking forward to seeing what has happened to them after the weekend.

We began our 'Storytelling Through Art' topic this week, inspired by our work on volcanoes. We're really looking forward to showing you all the results!

Don't forget! We will be hosting our Macmillan coffee afternoon on Friday, 27th September at 2:30pm in school. Please do come and join us - we'd love to see you and it's for a great cause!

4BP Autumn 1 - Week 2

This week seems to have gone by very quickly! We have been learning lots and have been working our socks off!

In English, we have been finishing our recount of the day we were turned into a mouse! This is based on a scene from 'The Witches' and we loved putting as much gory detail of our transition into our writing as possible! Ella is proudly holding her first draft in the picture above. 

  “I was impressed with my writing in English and so was Ms Blackledge” Ella 

  In Geography we found out about the structure of the Earth.  

  “I’ve loved Geography this week. I especially liked making the model of the Earth”- Mehar 

 “ I liked it when we cut the model and saw the layers of the Earth- the core, the mantle and the crust.” - Zain 

In our maths work, we have been continuing to learn all about place value and have been focusing on adding and subtracting multiples of 10/100/1000 to a given number. We have also started to learn about decimals!

We had great fun during outdoor P.E. this week.  

“ I had fun playing games in P.E. Mrs Parkinson had fun too!”- Laura 

In Art, we all drew our shoes to see how our observational drawing skills have improved. Take a look at some of our pieces below!

“I’m proud of my artwork.” - Kael 

Kael was also the very deserving winner of our achievement certificate this week for reaching every goal he has been set, particularly in maths and English - well done Kael!

We are looking forward to another fabulous week of learning next week - don't forget our 'Meet the Teacher' session on Wednesday, 18th September which will take place from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. This will be a chance for you to meet your child's class teachers and to find out about life in Year 4 for your child. We hope to see you there!

4BP Autumn Week 1 

In English this week we have been reading ‘The Witches’ by Roald Dahl. We have been writing our own character descriptions and a warning poster telling children to stay away from the Grand High Witch!

“I liked the voice of the Grand Witch when the teachers read the story to us” David

“I am reading another book by Roald Dahl; I think lots of us are.” Evan

In Maths we began by reviewing our times tables from Year 3 and using concrete materials to review and expand our understanding of place value.

We have also focused on our values and how to be a Meadowhead Hero. We discussed our understanding of Ambition, Kindness, Teamwork, Respect, Friendship. We loved drawing to record our ideas.

“We played a fun team building game on the playground"