4BP - 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 - 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.” Pippa

Autumn 1 Week 7

In English this week we have been beginning to develop a newspaper article about a mysterious animal.

In Mathematics we have been using the column method complete additions and subtractions.

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. 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

Autumn 1 Week 6

In English this week, children have completed writing their final paragraph based on the story of ‘The Whale’. Children wrote a narrative setting to describe the events of the storm, considering the journey of either a girl or a boy. Their stories have been of high quality with lots of description, drama and tension added. They used grammar features that they worked on throughout the week. After this, they have gone on to edit and improve their work by recognising missing punctuation and where in their sentences they could improve.   

In Maths, children worked on statistics. They have looked at various tables and charts including bar charts, frequency tables and pictograms. They have been able to interpret these tables and charts along with answering questions to deepen their understanding. The children have thoroughly enjoyed this topic of maths and have understood it brilliantly. We then moved onto column addition, adding 2 4 digit numbers and adding 3 4 digit numbers.

In Science, we continued looking at the digestive system and the children watched some engaging video clips that explained the process from mouth to anus. Children engaged, worked collaboratively, asked some fantastic questions and used the correct vocabulary to explain the process. They produced a flow chart to show their understanding.  

In Geography, children continued to enjoy the first half-term topic of Natural Disasters. The children recapped key vocabulary, including dormant. We researched the reasons why people live so close to these volcanoes. The main part of the lesson, the children matched pictures and statements to decide whether living close was an advantage or a disadvantage.

On Thursday, it was World Mental Health Day and the theme was Hello yellow. The children added a touch of yellow to their school uniform and looked fantastic. We discussed why we celebrate this amazing day and looked at ways we could help each other and ourselves. Children came up with some fantastic ideas which they shared with each other. We finished with watching a video on doodling and the children produced their own doodles.

 

Pupil Voice

“I enjoyed Junior Jam this week, in particular music, because when playing the keyboard, I learnt new keys and thoroughly enjoyed it.” (Michelle)

“I enjoyed English because I enjoy writing and noticing everyday my handwriting improving.” (Natalie)

“This week, I enjoyed Maths as I was challenged and found it difficult, but I never gave up.” (Layson)

4S Autumn Week 5

During English this week, the children have continued reading ‘The Whale’ novel and have planned their own setting narrative based on the story. Children began to write this narrative using lots of description based on the grammar they have learnt this week. The children will be finishing this off next week ready to move onto a new topic!  

In Maths, children have continued to look at length and perimeter. Children have looked at rectilinear shapes and working out the shapes perimeter. They have also looked at statistics and a variety of different charts The children have put their all into Maths this week and have shown great determination to overcome challenges that they have faced. Children continue to work on their times tables, so they are confident and fluent when recalling these number facts ready for later parts of Maths. They have practised these in a number of ways including engaging games and also through singing and dancing.

As we continued Science the children completed their experiments on eggs. The children were looking at which liquid would decay an eggs shell. This was a substitute for our teeth’s enamel.  Children also tested the brand of toothpaste to see which one would make a surface cleaner after a certain amount of time. Children loved seeing various results and being hands on.

In ART, children have been researching 2 main artists, these were Shaun Tan and Laura Carlin. Shaun and Laura  are both very talented creating illustrations for graphic novels. Children have also been looking at a very famous narrative poem of the Jabberwocky. They then had to design their own front cover for a narrative poem including adding a drawing of a Jubjub bird.

 

Pupil Voice

“I liked maths this week because we learnt lots of new things which I enjoyed” (Hollie)

“I enjoyed working English this week because we were writing setting novels based on the book we have been reading ‘The Whale’ I really liked it when we used the Working Wall to help each other write descriptive sentences” (Natalie)

“I have really enjoyed playtimes this week. Being able to play outside still when the weather has been uncertain is a real benefit” (Niya)

4S Autumn - week 4

During English this week, we have continued with ‘The Whale’ novel whereby children have taken part in freeze frames to understand the character’s thoughts, feelings and actions during different events of the story. They have also completed a role on the wall focussing on feelings and actions of a particular scene in the story. On Friday, children wrote an action paragraph based on a boy being caught up in a storm in the sea. Children were engaged and enjoyed writing their descriptive paragraph.  

In Maths, we have started to look at length and perimeter. First of all, we looking at how we measure using correct resources moving onto looking at comparing lengths of measurement to looking at word problems involving measurement. The children have put their all into Maths this week and have shown great determination to overcome challenges that they have faced. We continue to work on our times tables so children are confident and fluent when recalling these number facts ready for later parts of Maths. Children have been showing fantastic teamwork when working collaboratively and discussing their work during lessons using Mathematical vocabulary when working out answers.

As we continued Science looking at the digestive system, we watched a video which explained how our digestive system worked. The children then were able to label the digestive system with its individual parts. As a challenge the children found out what the functions of the parts of the digestive system was.

In Shared Reading, we started a new book called ‘Habitats’ which is a non-fiction book. Children have thoroughly enjoyed reading the extracts from the book and learning all about different habitats and how animals can adapt to their environment. Children find it fascinating.

Pupil Voice

“This week when Junior Jam came into school I enjoyed playing football in P.E” (Leah)

“I enjoyed Mr Crowther’s Maths” (Braiden)

“I enjoyed researching the artists Shaun Tan and Laura Carlin and learning all about their lives” (Niya)

 

4S Autumn - week 3

 

                

This week we started look at our new book ‘The Whale’. We wrote a poem of similes and invented our own descriptions of storms. We finished our work around ‘The Witches’ and are now enjoying it as a class novel.

‘I enjoyed reading The Whale, it was really good. The best bit was when they spotted the whale through the binoculars.’ -Scarlett

‘We learnt about poems and the stormy seas’- Natalie

In Maths we continued with our 3 times tables practise, now reaching our half way point in our planned work. We will be moving on to our next times table before we know it.

‘ I scored 40/40!  That is much better than 25/40 last week’ - Scarlett

‘We had a maths lesson with Mr Crowther this week and it was great!’ Cleo

This week we started our week long experiment in science to study the effect of different liquids on our teeth.

‘We used eggs because they have shells made of calcium like our teeth.’ Emmett

We are look forward to seeing the results.

4S Autumn - Week2

In English this week, we have continued reading ‘The Witches’ and used drama to aid our descriptions. We used props and our imagination to create short shows about shrinking into mice.

We learned about the fear of turning into a mouse – Lily H

We shuffled, shrank and turned into mice – Eli

We used adverbs in our writing - Jenson

In Maths we have launched fully into our 3 times tables practise, with every child showing progress in just one week! We have also been rounding up and down to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000.

We learned about the 3 times tables using a funny dance – Olivia

I learned my 3 times tables, I  have got a better score every day. My highest score is 12- Leo

We have started our science for this half term by looking at our own teeth and learning all the names for them.

In science we learned about teeth! You have 32 teeth! – Jenson

We looked at our pre-molars, canines, incisors – Natalie

And our wisdom teeth and molars Natalie – Scarlett

In geography we looked at the layers of the Earth and make a model out of tinfoil and playdough to represent this. We found it hard to believe that anything can be hotter than our ovens at home!

The hottest part of the Earth is the liquid metal in the centre of the Earth. The very centre is solid because of gravity. – Olivia

The Earth is the only planet with liquid water on the surface – Olivia

I live on the crust - Corby

4S Autumn - Week 1

In English this week we have been reading ‘The Witches’ and writing our own character descriptions.

This week in English we have learned about witches (the bald headed, wig wearing kind) – Scarlett

We learned that the Grand High Witch is evil, moody and bossy – Braiden

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 by completing activities themed around a specific value.

We learned about respect and treating people the way we want to be treated. We learned about that so we knew how to be a Meadowhead Hero – Natalie

I learnt about teamwork and how to improve things – Leah

We drew 3D hands of friendship- Ella

 We made and filled in a kindness journal. I will keep it in my tray and use it – Niya

We learned about kindness and friendship – Corby

 

 

 

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