Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

Come and see what we have

been learning about!

Cooking

To wrap up our year in DT, year 4 created an extravagant 3-course meal filled with our major food groups while promoting healthy eating. Small groups were given the task of perfecting their dish of either a starter, a main course or a dessert. These budding chefs worked together to chop, mix, whisk and decorate their creations – they even made their very own salad dressing from scratch! During the process children showed excellent communication , teamwork and leadership skills. Working in groups allowed students to support each other and break the task into smaller jobs, before assembling the final product.

Year 4 enjoyed the experience of creating their own dishes – especially the taster session! They were eager to try their masterpieces and evaluate their cooking skills. Many children commented that they were inspired to try more cooking at home.

English - Kensuke's Kingdom

Year Four have been thoroughly enjoying their English lessons, reading "Kensuke's Kingdom" by Michael Morpurgo. In the first week, we had an experience week where we immersed ourselves in the story through reading, role play, philosophy for children and vocabulary generation. In the second week, we focused on guided writing, retelling the story from Michael's perspective. Now, in week three, we are engaging in independent writing, reimagining the story from Dad's perspective. The children have been incorporating expanded noun phrases, figurative language, conjunctions, fronted adverbials, and varied punctuation into their work. We are looking forward to publishing this work, reading it, and enjoying their creative efforts.
This unit ties in beautifully with our geography topic on rivers and our science lessons about the water cycle. Soon, we will be writing some creative poetry inspired by these themes.

Knowledge Based Curriculum - Rivers

In geography, Year 4 have begun to investigate the journey of a river and how they shape the landscape. After learning about the water cycle in science, we know that a river begins at the source, mainly in mountainous regions. From there, they flow downward, meandering along the way creating oxbow lakes, valleys, gorges and waterfalls, all due to the incredible power of water!

Tying in with history, the Anglo-Saxons, we have explored why many Anglo-Saxon settlements were based along or nearby rivers across the UK. We also took our previous knowledge about the Ancient Egyptians in Year 3 and discovered similarities between to the two civilisations and why rivers played a significant factor in these settlements. These areas were particularly chosen for transporting goods, making travelling easily accessible and an excellent resource for clean water which also provided fertile land during harvesting season. Some of these settlements are also still around today!

Personal Safety Workshop

Last term, we had the pleasure of hosting a real-life police officer at Minet Junior School. The officer conducted an engaging and informative Personal Safety Workshop for our students, covering topics such as road safety and online safety.

During the workshop, the police officer stressed the importance of road safety, including not using phones while crossing roads, wearing seat belts in cars, and avoiding distractions for drivers. The children also had the chance to demonstrate safe road-crossing behaviours.

Additionally, the officer reminded students to wear safety helmets while riding bicycles and discussed the importance of staying safe online. The workshop provided valuable knowledge and skills for our students and we look forward to incorporating these lessons into our daily routines.

Botwell Green Library Visit

Year 4 had an exciting experience visiting Botwell Green Library!  We met the librarian, Amy, who explained how to borrow reading books, audio books, and even balls!  She then read a captivating Chinese folk tale, illustrating how reading for pleasure can transport us to new worlds. Afterwards, we enjoyed a fun game where we searched for fiction and non-fiction books, learning all about how the library is organised. Finally, we finished off by having some quiet time reading! Many of us are eager to join the library with our parents and looking forward to visiting again!

Writing Workshop

On Tuesday, year 4 were delighted to have a writing workshop led by the author, Cliff McNish. During the session, the children wrote about travelling to an imaginary world through a magical gateway. Cliff inspired the children to use their senses to create vivid descriptions. The session was extremely enriching, as the children were captivated by Cliff's enthusiasm and passion for storytelling.

Climate Change Workshop

For the second consecutive year, we were joined by The Big Wheel Theatre Company led by the magnificent George and the amazing Professor Emily, who performed “The Pollution Solution”. This performance demonstrated the damaging effects that greenhouse gases cause to our ozone layer. It also showed us that the choices we make - from littering to our mode of transportation - can impact our environment and other living things around us, since we all depend on one another. In the end, we learnt that we can be the change, and it simply starts by taking care of our local area.

“In the climate change workshop, we learnt how greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapour have ruined the earth and can cause harm to our lungs and mental health.”  - Azaan, 4T

“We learnt that lots of things can cause climate change like cutting down trees or releasing gases into air, even when cows fart!” – Sidra, 4T

African Drumming

Year 4 participated in an African drums workshop as part of Cultural Week, led by a highly skilled and experienced artist, Mr. Lucky. During their musical journey to Africa, the children learned how to keep their musical instruments in time with the beat. The children also had the opportunity to learn different types of strokes to create exciting and energetic African rhythms. It was wonderful to see every child engaged, demonstrating new skills and developing confidence.

Cultural Week

During Cultural Week, Year 4 had a wonderful experience exploring Africa! Thank you to the parents who joined us in sharing insights about Somalia and a traditional dance and captivating drum performance. Year 4 also had the opportunity to learn about African clothing, homes and animals through the creation of beautiful artwork. It was a week filled with both educational and enjoyable activities, contributing to a well-rounded cultural learning experience for our pupils.

Dental Workshop

On Tuesday October 31st , Year 4 had an exciting workshop from an NHS dentist, who spoke to the children about their oral hygiene. The children learnt about how much sugar is contained in different foods, making healthy choices for their snacks and meals, and the impact of a high sugar diet on teeth. The session also included hands-on practice on how to brush their teeth using interactive models, and the children were shown the consequences of not managing to do so!

They also had the opportunity to have their questions answered.

Ufton Court

This week, Year 4 had an amazing opportunity to learn more about the Romans on their  trip to Ufton Court! Throughout the day, the children were able to experience what it was like to be a Roman soldier training for battle, master their skills in threading and spinning wool to make warm clothing, discover how to spark a fire with flint stones and learn how to build a wooden fence using bamboo sticks and a specific type of weaving technique. The children were also able to explore and investigate various artefacts used during Roman Britain, some of which are still around today, like soap, notebooks and a colander!

Beep Beep Day!

Year 4 had an exciting time during Beep Beep Day! Higgins visited the school and engaged with the children, providing valuable lessons on road safety. The students gained knowledge about various types of crossings, safe road crossing procedures, and the potential risks involved. Additionally, Year 4 had the chance to sit in a lorry and understand the hazards pedestrians face when near different types of vehicles.