Welcome to Lewis Class
Ms C Woods
Class Teacher
In Year 4, the children are bridging the gap between lower and upper Key Stage Two. Therefore, we focus on building from Year 3 by developing further independence, a greater resilience to try to solve problems themselves and develop more strategies to support their own learning. We wish the children to be confident enough to ‘have a go’ and use the resources around them to work more independently. We teach them that mistakes are a good thing and not to be ashamed about…that everybody makes mistakes and this is how we learn!
A huge focus in year 4 are the multiplication tables. This is a statutory year group with the ‘MTC’ (Multiplication Tables Check) taking place in early June. We will spend the time leading up to this really focusing on ALL the multiplication tables. We follow on from years 2 and 3 where they focus on a progression of specific tables. There will be regular practise of these through using various resources and activities.
Our overall aim is that the children leave year 4 and move into year 5 with increased independence and confidence, that the majority will be fluent in all multiplication tables and that they will have felt a sense of achievement in their own progress and be ready for the new challenges of Upper Key Stage 2.
Year 4 Documents
English
Handwriting
Children will continue to practice their handwriting skills whenever they are writing and during regular handwriting sessions– the Letter Join website is available to support handwriting practice. The username is ak3814 and the password is home.
Reading
Reading is central to everything we do and is the doorway to improve all learning. We read across the curriculum, allowing the children to experience a range of texts and styles of writing. Pupils have a reading record which is the link between home and school reading. Parents and carers are encouraged to read regularly at home, recording this daily. The children are encouraged to record their own reading in these too. The children read regularly in class – we have regular ‘quiet reading’ where the children settle down to reading their own choice of book to themselves. We also have daily whole class reading lessons where children explore a range of texts. And at 3pm. most days, we drop everything and the teacher reads aloud our ‘class reader’ which is a perfect end to the day. A time for the children to unwind, sit back and enjoy listening to and becoming immersed in a book.
Writing
In Year 4, children will continue to develop across the different strands of writing: imagination and ideas, audience and purpose, handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. There is more of a focus on organising their writing into paragraphs around a theme and following on from previous year groups, they will be taught and reminded to use punctuation correctly, including for direct speech.
For writing we use model texts to ‘scaffold' the children’s own writing. They then ‘innovate’ this model text to write their own version. As we move further into Year 4, we move to a less scaffolded approach. Children get to write a range of genres and for different purposes and audiences.
Year 4 spellings are set weekly They are sent home every Tuesday on a ‘Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check’ sheet which they should do every day. They will also practise them in class during daily spelling lessons and be tested weekly.
Year 3 & 4 Spellings
Mathematics
In Year 4 we use our own school long term plan but follow the White Rose Maths scheme for the basis of our lesson planning. The CPA (concrete – resources, pictorial – pictures and abstract) approach is used across all Maths topics in order to embed them and ensure that the children are able to call on the necessary skills when required.
As mentioned previously, in Year 4 the children are expected to take the government prescribed MTC (Multiplication Tables check). This is merely a checking tool for the school whereby it can allow us to see where the gaps are and put further intervention in place to support the children who need it.
When children know these securely it increases their confidence and improves their ability to access other maths learning. Work on their times tables is through weekly challenges to test their knowledge and speed recall matched to their target (Mental Magicians), specific lessons, daily tables work and daily practise on Times Table Rockstars and timestables.co.uk to practise. We focus on repetition but also strategies to recall and find the answers. We ask that parents/carers support at home with daily practice too and thus, it is part of their weekly homework.
Home Learning
Supporting Mathematics
In Year 4 we use White Rose Maths scheme as the basis to our maths work. This is adapted and used as needed to meet the needs of the children. It is used in conjunction with other resources and ideas so the children have variety. White Rose Maths have published free online Maths resources that can be used at home to support children's learning.
A major focus in this year group is learning all the multiplication tables in readiness for the statutory MTC (Multiplication Tables Check). We practise daily in school. To help at home, families are encouraged to use Timestables.co.uk which will help them practise their times tables and has a 'mock' test. Also, TTRockstars which has a MTC area. Your child will have a log in for this so they can see their own progress and compete against themselves and others.
Quick Links:
Supporting English
It is essential the children have their 'basics' in place but that children have and develop a love of oracy, language, reading and writing. In Year 4 we continue to build on previous years with lessons in reading, grammar and writing. A focus on vocabulary and building it further is vital, including spellings. Families are encouraged to read daily with/to their child. Spellings are set weekly and the children have 'Look, Say. Cover, Write, Check' sheets to practise spellings at home. We follow the Read, Write, Inc. scheme which focuses on sounds and patterns such as adding prefixes and suffixes. We also learn the Year 3 and 4 words (see link on Year 4 page).
Helpful links to support learning at home:
- Literacy Shed
- Timestables.co.uk
- Pobble 365
- Third Space Maths Hub
- White Rose Maths
- Letterjoin - school handwriting scheme
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Good mental health and wellbeing is essential for all school pupils. It helps them to learn effectively, cope with day-to-day challenges, and develop into resilient young adults. There are a number of things that we, at school, do to support the mental health and wellbeing of the children. We aim to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable discussing their mental health and understand how to support their wellbeing. Please come and speak to the adults in school if this is something you would like to discuss regarding your child and we will endeavour to support you in any way that we can. We also have our Learning Mentor who is always available to support and advise both children and adults. There are also a range of websites that can provide support to you, as parents and carers, in order to help your child.
YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity for Children and Young People | YoungMinds
Child Mental Health: Recognising and Responding to Issues | NSPCC Learning
We love to take our children on trips to extend their learning and give them experiences they may not always be able to have otherwise. In the past we have been on one off trips such as we visited Brighton Theatre Royal to see a production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which all the children loved and it gave them a memorable experience that also improved and enhanced their understanding of the book, which we study.
Our main, established trips are:
Spring Term: Fishbourne Roman Palace ( linked to our class topic of The Romans). The children get the opportunity to take part in a Roman workshop.
Summer Term: Preston Manor (linked to our class topic of The Victorians)
We also take part in our whole school annual Summer trip, our 'Lyminster Big Day Out' where every single class goes on a trip. This has been down to the beach and to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.