Year 4 Autumn Term 2
English – Leon and the Place Between
Our text this term is Leon and the Place Between by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith (Templar).
Leon is a boy who believes in magic. This exciting and beautifully illustrated picture book follows Leon beyond the realm of the circus big-top and, with a ‘Pouff!’ from the great magician, Abdul Kazam, onto a magic carpet ride into the place where the magic sends you...
Throughout the unit the children will:
- explore, interpret and respond to illustrations in a picture book
- enjoy a story and discuss its meanings
- build an imaginative picture of a fantasy world, based on real life experiences
- explore these through role play and through writing in role
- write their own stories based on the story read from another character’s point of view
Maths
This half term we will be focusing on the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will be learning how to calculate the area of simple shapes and compare the areas of different shapes.
Science – Changing State
This unit, involves identifying different materials, and exploring how they can be changed by freezing or melting. We will look at the process of evaporation and how condensation is formed. We will undertake practical experiments to explore how these processes work and record our findings.
History – Emperors and Empires (Romans)
Emperors and Empires is our History topic, providing first-hand experience of what this period was like. We will learn about the history and structure of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire, including a detailed exploration of the Romanisation of Britain. The children will also learn about Roman clothing and weapons, as well as some games they used to play.
Art – Mosaic Masters
The unit Mosaic Masters teaches children about the history of mosaics, before focusing on the colours, patterns and themes found in Roman mosaics. The children will learn techniques to help them design and make a mosaic border tile.
Music - Transposing and adapting motifs (Theme: Romans)
During this unit children will learn a new song, singing in time and in tune while following the lyrics. They will identify motifs aurally and play a repeated pattern on a tuned instrument and then create and perform a motif, notating it with reasonable accuracy. Next children will transpose their motif, using sharp or flat notes where necessary and change the rhythm. Finally they will combine different versions of a musical motif and perform as a group using musical notation.
Computing – Creating Media
During the unit, the children will develop their research, word processing, and collaborative working skills whilst learning how web pages and web sites are created. They will explore how to change layouts, embed images, videos and create links between pages.
P.E. Gymnastics and Orienteering
This term the children will be learning about gymnastics. They will develop their individual skills when learning about jumps, rolls and balances. The children will then create routines and understand the importance of body management when using equipment.
In their second PE lesson, the children will be developing their knowledge and understanding when taking part in orienteering. They will be need to use their communication skills, demonstrate co-operation and be determination, whilst completing a variety of activities.
PSHE – Jigsaw – Celebrating Differences
Over the term we will explore these aspects of celebrating differences
- Accept that everyone is different
- Include others when working and playing
- Know how to help if someone is being bullied
- Trying to solve problems
- Using kind words
- Know how to give and receive compliments
French – Portraits – describing in French
In this unit, we will be learning adjectives to describe people’s physical appearance and their personality. We will use these to create simple sentences ensuring that the adjectives agree with the gender of the noun.
R.E. – Christianity in Action
We will be continuing our topic, ‘Christianity in Action’. We will be looking at Christian values, and how these are put into action in society today. Major Govier (minister from the Salvation Army) will visit to share more about how the work of the Salvation Army demonstrates Christian values.