Year 4
We hope you all had a great half term break and are ready to learn about our new topics, leading up to Easter.
This half term the children will be exploring what happened during the Tudor reign. The children will look at a variety of sources and use artefacts, books and iPads to research Tudors. They will explore the Battle of Bosworth and the life of Henry VIII and his six wives. Finally, we will complete this topic by experiencing a day in the life of Tudor child. The children will be invited to wear Tudor clothes and have the opportunity to learn a Tudor dance, make a model of a Tudor house and taste some Tudor food.
In Maths, we will continue learning about fractions and decimals before moving on to time and money. We will begin by telling the time to the nearest 5 minutes on analogue and digital clocks. We will use this knowledge to solve problems involving the passing of time. We will then look at shape properties including sides, angles and regular and irregular. We will continue to focus on the correct use of maths vocabulary, recalling times tables and division facts and finish by calculating area and perimeter of shapes.
In English, we will begin this half term by reviewing a variety of poetry including looking at Acrostic poems, Rhyming poems, Calligrams and Limericks. The children will discover who William Shakespeare was and explore a new and exciting story of his as we study Macbeth. We will examine characters, setting, problems and resolutions throughout the tale. Through the term, the children will find clues in story boxes and jump into story world before building up to writing their own poem about the story they have experienced and finally write their own story inspired by our topic.
Some important information for Year 4 parents/carers:
- Swimming will be our PE session each week from Wednesday 26st February for four weeks.
- Times Tables need to be practised every day at home and will be practised every morning 8:45-9:05.
- Reading books should be brought into school every Friday.
Year 4 teachers would like to encourage children to bring in water bottles and a piece of fruit for snack, if they wish. Book bags should be brought in
everyday so children do not miss any opportunities to read to an adult.
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC):
In June, Year 4 will be taking part in the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). This is an on-screen check consisting of 25 times tables questions. Children will answer three practice questions before moving on to the official check, and will then have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
In preparation for the check, we will be using the ‘try it out’ area on the MTC site with the children so that they are aware of the expectations and know not to worry about the exercise. As being able to recall times tables along with their corresponding division facts, is so important for children in many areas of their life, we always practise times tables in a range of different ways so this will also help prepare the children for the MTC.
Please note, statistics on MTC data will be published on the GOV.UK website in October, however school and pupil level data will not be published.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to the Year 4 teachers, Mrs. Mellor or Mr. Vine. More information can be found at:
Information for Parents Multiplication Tables Check
How to prepare
A good way to prepare is start early and build a daily routine practising the times tables. With regular practise you will learn all the questions and gain confidence. We suggest practising 10 to 15 minutes a day for optimal results.
With the year 4 multiplication timetables fast approaching, it is important that all children are confident in recalling their timetables up to 12×12. Here are some websites for the children to use at home.
- Multiplication Tables Check
This interactive test is in the same format as the Multiplication Tables Check they will sit in June. On this page the children can practice for the MTC and will become more comfortable with reading and answering on a screen. https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check - Timetables Rockstars
You can either download the App or use the website below. Your child will be given their username and password in school. This will help children answer at speed.
https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/36529
- Hit the button
This interactive game will also encourage children to answer at speed.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
2024_Information_for_parents_Multiplication_tables_check_PDFA_v1.1
Year 4 Science Knowledge Organiser – Animals including humans