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 playgroun

 

4S Autumn 2 Week 13

This week we have been solving problems by converting units of time. When I asked the class what was needed to be included in our blog this week, Layson quoted what we had learning perfectly!

‘I just read it from our L.O.!’ – Layson

This week I have agreed to hand over the blog entirely to the class as a Christmas gift. So, here are the class…

Hi Michelle and Amelia here!

This week in Maths we learned about time and shape  

In English we have been learning about Leaf.

 

With normal service now being resumed, I’d like to support what the girls were saying by complimenting the efforts everyone has put into our tests this week.

We have indeed been writing about Leaf, in the form of a brilliant newspaper article to showcase what everyone has learnt this term.

In Maths, we began our final topic this term, shape. We have so far looked at 2-dimensional shapes and are beginning to recall our understanding of 3-d shapes.

Despite illness seeming to sweep through the class, we have all tried to be in school each day no matter what! This has been inspirational, and from next term will mean we get extra rewards as a class for attendance and punctuality.

Next week, we are completing our History, science and DT projects. DT and Science we will need a large amount of cardboard, so any donations for Amazon, the post office or even fish finger boxes would be greatly appreciated.

I’ll leave this week’s blog with a picture of one of Father Christmas’ visits this week.

One week to go! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

 

4S Autumn 2 Week 11 

A full week of school completed! Who saw that coming with the reports of snow? On top of this week’s learning, we also had an amazing time playing out in the snow on Tuesday and wearing our own clothes on Friday!

This week we have continued reading our new book in English. It is called ‘Leaf’ by Sandra Dieckman.

‘This week we learned about Leaf’s feelings about being stuck in a forest full of animals who shunned him.’ – Leah

‘We also wrote in books about Leaf’s feelings and what he did in the story.’ – Niya

‘We learned how to use fronted adverbials to open our story’ – Michelle

‘In our sentence accuracy, we wrote fronted adverbials. That was my favourite thing in English this week because I am the grammar queen’ – Olivia

 

 For Maths this week we have continued learning about division.

‘We have been learning methods to answer division questions’ - Hassan

‘I know how to use my multiplication facts and set out my question, but it is hard’ - Eli (Eli did absolutely brilliantly all week)

‘We have been doing questions, then after Mr Simmons gives me a really hard question, but they are still easy for me’ – Layson

Everyone is working really hard setting out their division questions and answering them. This week we have also begun, and done wonderfully on, finding remainders.

 

In Science we broke out the electrical circuit materials again and investigated why some circuits we examined were not working. This relied on the children showing their learning from the last 2 weeks and their reasoning to complete the problems. I’m sure if you have a power cut, your child will be able to fix the issue now!

‘In science we made lights turn on by getting a battery, some wires and a bulb’ – Amelia

‘The circuits were not working because the circuit was disconnected’ – Michelle

‘It was fun because you can experience things that you’ve never done before’ - Leo

In History, we pretended we were a piece of cotton in the 1700’s travelling across the world to get to Blackburn. Next week, we will look at life in Blackburn at the time, so any family anecdotes would be brilliant to hear in our lessons.

 

As you can see dotted through the blog this week, in PE we were learning how to do a backwards roll. Mr Simmons has been challenged to do better by the class ( I can’t).

A massive thank you to everyone for coming in their own clothes and bringing a bottle. Same again next week but this time with chocolate 😊.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn 2 Week 10

What a week! I hope everyone is excited for Children in Need this evening. Everyone looked amazing in their yellow or spotty clothes.

This week we have begun to read a new book in English. It is called ‘Leaf’ by Sandra Dieckman.

‘The book is about an animal trying to get home.’ -Leah

‘The polar bear is trying to fly using leaves so he can get home’ – Olivia

‘The other animals thought he would be mean, but when they talked to him the found out that he was nice and just wanted to go home’ – Ella

We are looking forward to using this to create our own narratives.

I’ll hand over to Braiden to explain our Maths this week-

‘We learned about using a triangle and a multiplication square to answer times tables questions’

 We have also started to use our understanding of multiplication to progress into answering division questions.

‘We have used written chunking to answer division questions’ – Layson.

I was particularly happy with Layson’s answer as he is quoting our learning objectives from this week. When I thanked him for this during our blog writing session, he insisted I add that he finds it easy!

 

‘In Science we have learned more about how electricity works and we got to experiment with different materials than last week.’ – Olivia.

This week we have added switches, buzzers and LED lights to our simple circuits. Everyone under the age of 10 really enjoyed the buzzers and learned a lot about how to assemble a circuit. I was hugely impressed with just how much everyone is remembering about assembling a circuit already.

In History, Mrs Scholes paid a visit to the class for the afternoon to teach about local history. When I asked what we learned about where we are from while writing this blog I was greeted by an excited wall of shouted facts!

 ‘James Hargreaves was born in Oswaldtwistle’- Jenson

‘The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1764-65’ – Leah

‘He was born on 13^th December 1720’ – Almost inaudible shouts from everyone attempting to get their name on the blog.

In PE, we want to focus on our Monday lessons this week after our brilliant photos of Gymnastics last week.

‘We have been learning about how to throw underarm and overarm and using it in a game of dodgeball’ – Layson

 

Finally, here are some pictures from our PSHE lesson about bullying, linked to anti-bullying week!

  

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone this week for parents evening and discussing the brilliant progress your children are making!

Have a great weekend!

Autumn 2 Week 9

Another amazing week of learning has come to an end! I am very happy to begin this blog with a huge thank you to everyone in our class. We have all worked incredibly hard this week, showing a wonderful effort. Everyone deserves a relaxing weekend.

This week we completed our newspaper column about a mysterious visitor to the coastline. I particularly loved the speech punctuation many children put into their quotes from a local called ‘Captain Simmons’. Part of me wishes he was not such a silly character though. Michelle used wonderful adverbs to describe how he fell off his boat.

In Maths, we have used partitioning, doubling and recombining to double 4 digit numbers and used the grid method to multiply 3 digit numbers. By far the best thing about Maths this week was the look on the children’s faces when they saw it all come together.  

In Science we continued our new electricity topic by drawing and making a simple circuit (please don’t blame me if they ask to rewire your house).

After we completed our work we took some time to ask and answer questions. Layson and Emmett asked ‘What happens if we add more batteries?’. They showed what happened to the whole class brilliantly, until the bulb got really hot! We now know that electricity also gives off heat as well as powering the bulb. Leon asked what would happen if we added more bulbs and he, and his group, looked a little deflated to see the dim bulbs.  

    

We have continued learning about our local area in History by exploring what cotton is and how a loom is used, ready to learn how it impacted here next week. In RE we have looked at how the bible describes Jesus as the light of the world and in PSHE we have learned methods to repair broken friendships as well as exploring what influences our thoughts and actions. Many children named their parents and grandparents as their influence for supporting Rovers!

In PE, the children continued with their gymnastics and progressed on to the ropes! Catherine set a competition to see who could hang on the rope the longest and I think some children would still be there if the lesson had not ended. Also, Olivia was so quick up and down the rope I didn’t even have time to get a picture of her!

    

To end, can I remind everyone of the importance of our homework books, both for dojo rewards and learning. Also, I just wanted to say that P.E. is on Monday and Thursday this term.

Have a great weekend!

Autumn 2 Week 8

Welcome back for the run up to Christmas!

We have continued our newspaper column work this week and are prepared to write an article about a mysterious turtle spotted offshore. Is it real or not?

In Maths we have being investigating factors using arrays. We have also spent time recalling our 2 times tables to help us with halving our arrays.

In Science we began our new electricity topic by discussing which objects in our home use electricity and which do not. This lesson becomes more difficult each year as technology advances!

‘Books are electrical! What about a kindle?’ – Leah

We have also had 2 exciting visitors this week. From Blackburn Rovers, Catherine came in and talked to us about racism and Black History Month and secondly, another Catherine came to deliver a wonderful Gymnastics lesson. She will be in each Thursday this term.

  

 

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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