Summer Term 2023-24

Year 4

Staff- Miss Barnes & Mr Henderson

Research Question: How did the Maya people live day to day?

Our key concepts: Identity, power, change, care, conflict, fairness.

Science 

Sound

Children will: 

• identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating 
• recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear 
• find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it 
• find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it 
• recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

Animals including humans

Children will: 

• describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans 
• identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions 
• construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.

English:

Writing:

Our class reading book for this term will be ‘Varjak Paw’ by S.F Said. We will also be reading and watching stories from other cultures.

Children will: 

• Use causal connectives to develop their explanations.
• Use their, there and they’re correctly in their writing. 
• Use organisational devices within non-narrative writing such as headings and subheadings. 
• Evaluate and edit by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements 
• Use inverted commas in direct speech in their writing. 
• Use reported speech in their writing. 
• Continue to practise weekly spellings linked to the year 3 & 4 spelling list.

Spelling:

We will be focussing on the statutory year 3/4 spelling list and the spelling rules/ patterns connected with these spellings.

Reading:

We will use Varjak Paw to support comprehension skills. The children will also practice specific reading skills on a rotation 3-4 x a week using a range of shorter fiction and nonfiction texts/ extracts linked with the Maya civilisation. Vocabulary choices and word meanings from the context of the text:

 Inference - Retrieval and explanation - Sequencing - Summarising - Prediction.

Maths 

Children will continue to practise their times tables daily in preparation for their times tables multiplication check in June. There is an expectation that all children will work on TTRS at home to improve their times table fluency. Children will: 

• Identify and write tenths as decimals.
• Identify and write hundredths as decimals. 
• Divide a 1- or 2-digit number by 10.
• Divide a 1- or 2-digit number by 100. 
• Partition decimals. · Compare and order decimals. 
• Recognise halves and quarters as decimals. 
• Convert between pounds and pence. 
• Solve problems involving money. 
• Convert between analogue and digital times. 
• Convert to and from the 24-hour clock. 
• Revise shape. 
• Interpret charts and line graphs. 
• Plot coordinates and translate shapes on a grid.

DT- Moving animals

Design, make and evaluate a moving animal, which uses pneumatics as a mechanism for younger children as a toy.

Art - 

Children will be looking at the artwork of the Ancient Maya civilisation and will be making their own artworks inspired by these.

PE

Pilates : Understand and demonstrate a variety of pilates poses.

Cricket: · Learn striking and fielding skills.

Music- Charanga Music Unit 3 and 4

All of the learning is focused around two songs: 'Stop!'- a rap/ song about bullying and 'Lean on me'. Children will learn about the interrelated dimensions of music through games, singing and composing. (Pulse, rhythm, pitch, singing and playing instruments are all linked).

PSHE

In PSHE children will learn more about:

•  How to stay healthy and safe.
• Our rights. · How we can make a difference.
• Making choices. 
• Our school community.
• Better understand friendships and how to mend conflicts.

RSE

Children will:

•  Learn more about body changes during puberty. 
• Better understand friendships and how to mend conflicts.

Computing- information technology- ( In all three terms we regularly look at the LGFL Digi safe resources to keep our knowledge and skills at staying safe online up to date). 

Children will:

• Collect, analyse, evaluate and present data and information 
• Continue to work and use technology safely and responsibly 
• Use research tools.

RE- 

Religion/Worldview: Why is there diversity of belief within Islam?

Children will learn about: 

• What Sunnis believe. 
• What Shia believe.
• How they are different. 
• How Sufis behave differently from Sunni and Shia. 
• What the roots of Shia are. 
• What the roots of Sunni are. 
• The sort of actions Sufis do to show their faith.

What does sacrifice mean?

Children will learn about: 

• What sacrifice means and how it might feel.
• Reasons for sacrifice. 
• What it means to sacrifice in different world religions, and in Humanism. 
• Links we can make to other cultures or ancient traditions when it comes to sacrifice, e.g. Maya, Ancient Rome.

History

How did the Maya people live day to day?

Children will learn about :

•  When and where the Ancient Maya civilisation lived. 
• What a city state is, and the difference in living standards/way of life between a noble and a worker. ·
• Maya trade and farming day by day. 
• How the Maya people communicated (writing and number system).
• Maya entertainment.

French

Children will: 

• Talk about journeys. 
• Talk about the weather. 
• Give opinions about food.
• Describe items of clothing.

Music

Children will use Charanga to:

•  Understand the note length of semibreves, minims, dotted crotchets, crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and corresponding rests. 

Identify:

•  Stave 
• Treble clef
• Time signature Identify and understand the differences between minims, crotchets, paired quavers and rests. 
• Explore ways of representing high and low sounds, and long and short sounds, using symbols and any appropriate means of notation.
•  Rehearse and learn to play a simple melodic instrumental part by ear or from notation.
• Improvise using a range of musical instruments.