Hello everyone!

We hope that you’ve all had a good week so far and are keeping well.

This week in English the children finished publishing their fact files on their created spiders. We were blown away with the quality of their writing. Within their fact files the children wrote about their spider’s anatomy, attack and defence, weaving their webs and even made their own top trump fact box! This week was the start of a new unit looking at Raymond Brigg’s Snowman. We started off the week with making our own snowmen!

We will be continuing to explore The Snowman text and focus on using inference skill. We will also be developing our rich vocabulary to use in our final outcome that is a leaflet in how to care for your snowman.

 

In Maths this week we started a new unit on multiplications. Here the children explored and deconstructed a multistep problem and identified strategies that would help them solve the question. Next week, we will continue to explore multiplication strategies to help us unpick problems and multiply larger digits (35 x 6).

 

Just a few quick reminders:

• Please send your children in their PE kits on Thursday for CM sports.
• On Tuesday 17th November 2020 Year 4 will be taking part in Heads Up for Guide Dogs charity fundraiser. Please send your children in wearing something bright on their head or shoulders.  £1 donations  are recommended and you can donate on Scopay. Please ensure your child comes to school in their school uniform with something colour. This is not a non-school uniform day.
• Thank you for those who have completed their My maths and Sumdog homework. Just less than half the year did access the homework. Please continue using these platforms as we carefully select tasks that link with their maths learning at school. If you have any issues accessing these sites, do not hesitate to ask us and we will be happy to help you.
• Virtual Parent’s evening will be taking place from Monday  23rd November, if you have not booked into a slot then please contact the office.
• Thank you for bringing and donating materials for our DT project. We are still collecting bits in so if you have any loo rolls or materials to make torches, we would most appreciate them.

 

Keep up the brilliant work Koalas and Kangaroos. We hope you all have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing you all next week.

Miss Jackson-Nash, Miss Honeywell and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone,

We hope that you are all well and that you are having a good week so far.

 

In English, Year Four have created an excellent set of Spider Non Chronological Reports. We look forward to collating them and creating a spooky book as a gift for each of the Year Four classes. In Maths, we have been learning about perimeter and how to calculate the total distance around the outside of shapes. We have also been converting measurements between mm, cm and m, using a place value grid. Can  you have a go at taking some measurements at home? Which equipment could you use to help you? What would the measurement be in… mm, cm, m, km?

 

Please see the list below for a few quick reminders for next week:

• Please ensure your child is wearing their PE kit to school on Monday. They shall be taking part in a PE session with their class teacher on the school field.
• Thank you to everyone who has brought in their resources for making our D&T torches. Please continue to bring in any toilet rolls, decorations, tin foil, etc.
• Spelling / Vocabulary home learning books to be handed in on Thursday 12th November 2020. We will not be collecting in Reading Home Learning Journals as these shall be marked on a two weekly basis.
• Quick reminder: Individual School Photos shall take place on Thursday 12th November 2020. Please ensure your child remembers to bring their jumpers and cardigans.
• Just a brief note to say that we were disappointed to see only a very small number of children logging in to use their Sumdog accounts last week. The tasks set on here and on our other online learning platforms (My Maths, Times Table Rockstars) have been carefully selected to support the children across their curriculum learning. Please do not hesitate to contact us if your child has misplaced any of their logins, we are very happy to help.

 

We hope that you all have a lovely weekend,

Miss Honeywell, Miss Jackson-Nash and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone,

We hope you are well and safe. What a first half term it has been. We are incredibly proud of how the children have settled so well into their learning and we would like to thank you for all of your help and patience along the way.

In English, the children have continued to research lots of facts and statistics about hairy eight-legged beasts and have made a bank ready to write their own fact file on a spider they have designed. This week we have also been exploring different sentence structures when using subordinating conjuctions and looking at how we can move our main and subordinate clauses. On returning back to school the children will be well equipped to plan, draft and edit their own non-chronological report inspired by the class text ‘Spider Diaries’.

In Maths this week we started to look at money problems. The children explored the different values of money and their equivalnce (100p = £1). With this knowledge, they were able to answer multistep problems that included addition (how much altogether), subtractoin (change) or even both. To help them answer these problems children were using a range of strategies and representations such as bar models and numberlines in order to help them. Our next Maths topic, we will be focusing on length studying conversion, perimeter and area.

In Science this half term, we have been exploring simple electrical circuits. Children now understand what a closed and open circuit is,  what components a circuit needs and how to modify one. Children are now prepared to make their own circuits for our next DT project ‘Making torches’ whereby the children will be making safety torches for children to use on Bonfire Night. We have asked the children to keep hold of materials like toliet tissue rolls, so if you have any lying about we would really appericiate the donation.

Some quick reminders,

• Please continue 10 minute daily reading with your child over the half term.
• Spelling and vocabulary homework has been sent out and will be due back the first Thursday of Autumn 2.
• Reading journals will be due back on the first Thursday.
• MyMaths and Timestable rockstars have been set. A really good timestable resource on Times Table rockstars is the soundcheck tool!
• Please send your child in their PE kits on first Thursday.

We really hope you have a fantastic half term and look forward to seeing you in November!

Stay safe and keep on smiling,

Miss Jackson-Nash, Miss Honeywell and Mrs Cairns.

Hello,

We hope that you are all well and keeping safe.

This week, we have started our new unit of learning on The Spider Diaries. The children have really enjoyed taking a look at documentaries including Planet Earth and the Deadly 60 (CBBC) in order to find out more about these creepy crawlies! At the start of the week, Year Four designed their very own arachnid and used vocabulary banks in order to use scientific terminology when labelling the parts of the body e.g. muscular, strong pedipalps. As the week progressed, the children then considered a selection of nouns and pronouns that they could use to replace ‘spider’ and ‘web’ for the non chronological report they shall make as their written outcome. We have been amazed by the quality of the language that has been used by the children and are delighted to see lots of pupils accessing challenge tasks e.g. Can you include a verb, adverb, or preposition to add further detail to your expanded noun phrase?

In Maths, we have been focusing on subtraction and how to use expanded column to solve problems. We discussed how to exchange values and use a ‘magic exchanging pen’. Later on, the children then had a go at bar model challenges, discussing where they felt particular numbers should go based upon their place value when interpreting a problem. By Friday, Year Four had successfully interpreted a range of multi step word problems that involved both addition and subtraction. Please make sure that your child logs on to My Maths, as there have been lots of activities set based on Money and Conversions. We look forward to exploring pounds and pence next week! What do you know about money already? How do you calculate change? Be ready to share your ideas with the class on Monday…

A few quick reminders:

• Please ensure your child wears their PE kit to school on Monday for a PE lesson with their class teacher in the afternoon.
• Red home learning books (spelling/vocabulary) and Yellow home reading journals to be handed in on Thursday please.

We hope you all have a great weekend,

Miss Honeywell, Miss Jackson-Nash and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone,

We hope that you have all been having a good week so far.

In English, we have been learning about the Tin Forest and the children have been using subordinating conjunctions to add their ideas together across sentences. We have been very impressed by the children’s use of emotion words, technical vocabulary and expanded noun phrases. Next week, we look forward to selecting WAGOLL examples (What A Good One Looks Like) and sending copies to Waterlooville library for their display board.

In Maths, we have been looking at the addition of four digit numbers. The children have used place value counters to explore what happens when they have too many ones, tens or hundreds in their place value columns (i.e. carrying). They have now begun to solve Tin Forest problems on subtraction – both classes have used dienes drawings to explore what happens when they need to do when exchanging a ten or hundred for more ones or tens  (i.e. exchanging). Please ensure that your child logs on to Sumdog for additional Times Table practice this week.

Reminders for next week:

• Children to wear PE kits to school on Thursday morning, for a PE session with CM sports.
• Spelling and vocabulary homework is due on Thursday.
• We will not be collecting yellow reading journals until two weeks time (a fortnightly homework).
• Sumdog has been updated with Times Table learning only for this week.

We hope that you all have a wonderful weekend,

See you on Monday,

Miss Honeywell, Miss Jackson-Nash and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone,

We hope that you are all having a lovely week so far.

Today, we took part in the Big Anti Bullying Assembly 2020. The children watched an online assembly which discussed bullying, the various forms it could take, and who to speak to when there is a problem. Both classes learnt a lot about the types of bullying and how to help someone who is feeling unhappy at school.

In English, we have been learning about our new text, The Tin Forest. The children have enjoyed playing ‘spot the difference’ and matching activities, to learn new vocabulary including the names and actions of different tools that can be used to make mechanical animals. We also created an emotion graph to explore how the main character’s feelings change across the course of the story – the children were very successful when they used evidence from the text to support their point of view.

In Maths, we have been continuing our work on number and place value. In particular, we have started to learn about addition and subtraction. Today, the children were given a Tin Forest problem to explore as a group – they enjoyed using Maths tools such as place value counters, to add, subtract and exchange different amounts. We also discussed a new class problem, using ‘think aloud’ to annotate what we noticed… the children were curious to find that they had been given the answer but had to use the inverse and work backwards to solve the challenge.

Please remind your children to bring in their spelling and home reading journals tomorrow. They will also need to arrive in their school PE kit for a session with CM sports. Please do not forget that we have an Inset day on Friday 2nd October 2020.

We hope you all have a peaceful weekend,

Miss Honeywell, Miss Jackson-Nash and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone,

We hope you are all keeping well.

Here is a quick reminder of the homework your child will need to complete:

• Sumdog is live with activities on number and place value.
• Reading passports have gone home and need to be started.
• Our fortnightly reading reviews in our yellow book journals are due on Thursday.
• Spelling and vocabulary homework are due on Thursday.
• Please remind your child to wear their PE kits to school on Thursday.

 

This week the children have worked really hard on their curriculum learning. In English we have been creating setting descriptions for a winter wonderland. Please check out some excellent examples from each class below:

In Maths we have been looking at rounding to the nearest 10’s and 100’s. Next week we will start to explore addition with 4 digits  using formal written methods. We have also used the following link to practise our times tables, why not have a go at home? https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check

We are really looking forward to our Black history month afternoon session on Thursday next week. In this session will shall be discussing family traditions, celebrations and beliefs.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend and stay safe,

Miss Jackson-Nash, Miss Honeywell and Mrs Cairns

 

Hello everyone,

It has been another busy week in Year 4 and we cannot wait to tell you what the children have been up to. For example on Tuesday 15th we celebrated our Year 4 Liturgy which was all about coronavirus and how we can show prayers of gratitude and spread hope during such a difficult time. We explored the story of Noah’s Ark and the symbol of the rainbow as being a sign of  promise. The children enjoyed sharing their prayers of gratitude for our unsung heroes and their promises they made for the future.

Here is the homework your child needs to be working on at the moment:

• Spelling and Vocabulary homework in their red books (this needs to be completed by Thursday)
• Remember to keep reading your books at home and to fill in a book review in your reading journal when you are ready (you can be as creative as you like and we would like you to hand them in by Thursday 1st October 2020). Remember your book reviews can just be based on a chapter.
• Your child has been given a homework diary, please check out the introductory pages and the last few pages at the back of the diary.

Please remember to send your child in their PE kits on Monday 21st September 2020.

We look forward to seeing you all next week,

Miss Jackson-Nash, Miss Honeywell and Mrs Cairns

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to St Peters, we hope you’ve all been keeping well. Thank you for your patience as the school adapts to new routines. Just a quick few reminders for you this week :

• Please check out welcome meeting on this link. This presentations provides information on home learning expectations and new updates for you to be aware of in Year 4.  Welcome information video for Year 4 parents
• Home work for this week is for children to complete their front page of their home reading journals and begin to look into the 6 must reads.
• PE is on Thursday next week with CM sports.
• Additional homework will be set as of next week. We appreciate that the children will need time to adapt to routine and settle into Year 4 and we do not wish to overload families with homework information on the first week back.
• Thank you for those who have worked hard on their summer holiday learning. Feel free to bring them in next week. Our homework hand in day is on Thursdays.

Take care and best wishes,

Miss Jackson-Nash, Miss Honeywell and Mrs Cairns.

Hello everyone!

We hope that you have all been having a good week so far and that you enjoyed the sunshine this weekend. Please keep up all of the great work you have completed so far as part of your home learning. As we now approach week 15 of our remote learning tasks, stay motivated and don’t give up as you are all doing so well with the homework and we are very proud of you all for your fantastic efforts! Feel free to send any more examples of learning that you are proud of, to our classroom email accounts. This is our last week of term and therefore our last set of home learning tasks for you! All blog posts will be staying on our website so please feel free to complete any tasks that you may have missed along the way during the summer holidays! Please remember as you go about completing this home learning that our priority is reading, writing and maths so use your time to complete the tasks set for those. Pick and choose from the other subjects e.g. science, music and art; there is no expectation to complete them all. We are very excited to see you all this week for our Keeping in Touch meetings. It will be lovely to have a catch up with you all, and for you to be able to tell your teachers and classmates what your lock down experience has been like so far. See you soon!

 

Reading comprehension

 

This week, we would like you to focus upon diary entries as part of your Guided Reading and writing tasks. In particular, we would like you to have a go at comparing the differences between fact and opinion, then try to infer the feelings of a character by what he/she has written and described.

 

Lesson 1: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/reading-comprehension-fact-retrieval-d9fe16

 

Lesson 2: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/reading-comprehension-inference

 

Challenge

 

* Fancy a challenge? Give the following task a try…

 

Take a look at the diary entry below (word document), by clicking on the link:

 

Wilbur’s Diary: 

10.07.20 Guided Reading challenge

 

Can you read through the diary entry from Charlotte’s Webb and locate the following key features?

 

Key Feature	Yes  /  No	Example (from the text, or your own)
Past tense
First person
Emotion words
Fronted adverbials
Dialogue
Expanded noun phrases
Time and date headings

 

Extension:

If you cannot find a particular feature, can you use an editing pen to improve Wilbur’s diary entry so that it includes some of the missing features?

 

Support:

 

* For those who complete separate guided reading activities, have a go at the following task…

Watch the following video, from Literacy Shed: https://www.literacyshed.com/beans.html Can you have a go at filling in the emotion graph for the main character, for the different stages of his life?

 

 

In addition, please continue to read 20-30 minutes daily. Try and read a range of texts too.

 

Writing activity

 

To continue your learning on diary entries that you completed as part of this week’s reading comprehension task, we would like you to have a go at the following tasks in order to help you apply the skills that you have already started to identify from WAGOLL diary extracts (What A Good One Looks Like). Once you have made your own diary entries, why not email them to the classroom email account so we can celebrate your great effort?

 

Lesson 3: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/to-identify-the-key-features-of-a-diary

 

Lesson 4: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/spag-focus-07a5ff

 

Lesson 5: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/to-write-our-own-composition-using-the-key-features-of-a-diary

 

Challenge

 

* Fancy a challenge? Give the following task a try…

 

Extension:

This task follows on from the reading challenge task this week…

 

Wilbur’s Diary:

10.07.20 Guided Reading challenge

 

Now have a go at writing the diary entry for the next morning, from Wilbur’s point of view. Don’t forget to use your Diary Entry checklist from the writing challenge task on this week’s blog post!

 

 

Support

* Too tricky? Why not take a look at the activity below. This task follows on from the reading challenge task this week…

– Re-watch the following video, from Literacy Shed: https://www.literacyshed.com/beans.html

– Now that you have identified how the main character felt at different stages of his baked bean journey, can you choose one of the following tins of baked beans to write your own diary extract?

 

 

Take a look at the examples below to help you with your ideas…

 

Support examples:

The one for one

Dear diary,

My favourite food in the whole entire world is a tin of baked beans! I know that sounds silly but it is my true passion. Beans are so good for you and I want to invent a tin that is just the right size for one person to snack on…

To begin my work, I had a go at using my baked-bean-o-meter to crush my aluminium cans into just the right size. It was tiring work and things didn’t go too well. Just before lunch time, my beans had exploded everywhere and splattered all up the windows of my workshop! It made such a mess and I felt so cross and humiliated. Perhaps I shall try again tomorrow instead…

Your exhausted friend,

Geoff

 

The one for two

Dear diary,

You’ll never guess what! Just as I was about to enter my workshop to have another try at making the perfect sized can of beans at the Heinz factory, I had the most wonderful surprise.

As I looked out of the window of my workshop, I saw the most beautiful girl of my dreams. Her smile dazzled in the lamplight and her glossy, golden hair swished from side to side. I showed her the can of beans I had been working on so far and she kindly giggled and told me not to give up.

And then the idea hit me… I must make a lovely can of beans to share with her! I cannot wait to get to work and impress her, my heart is leaping with joy.

Your excited friend,

Geoff

 

Spelling

This week, we would like you to revise the following Y3/4 spelling words from our list. These words contain double consonants…

 

Accident         Address        Grammar        Pressure         Possess        Different        Disappear

 

Challenge:

* Fancy a challenge? Give the following task a try…

 

Can you practise your spelling words for the week by using silly sentences and word pyramids?

 

Why not try a spelling graffiti wall in order to practise each word in different sections of the drawing you have made?

 

 

Support:

For those working on tricky common exception words, use the following online ‘Spelling Times Game’, then select ‘Word Silhouette’ to recognise the patterns of ascenders and descenders across your practise words.

https://spellingframe.co.uk/spelling-rule/139/35-Common-exception-words

 

Maths

This week, we shall complete our learning on measurements and calculations involving measure. In particular, we are going to look at different word problems for measure, as well as how to continue to convert between measurements where necessary. Feel free to take a look back at the learning your did last week before having a go at these new sessions from Oaks Academy…

 

Lesson 1: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/measures-weight-two-point-seven

 

Lesson 2: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/measures-money-buying-fruit

Lesson 3: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/measures-money-souvenirs

 

Lesson 4: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/measures-length-flag-pole

 

Lesson 5: https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/measures-mixed-measure-problems-fe977c

 

Challenge

 

Too easy? Have a go at the problem solving tasks on measures, below. Don’t forget to draw the problem first and discuss with an adult. Clue: how could you use squared paper, or number lines to help you?

 

Rope Mat

I have a square table-mat made from rope that spirals from the centre. It is rather like this one:

 

 

The mat is a 14 centimetre square. The rope is 2 cm wide.

How many centimetres of rope will I need to make another mat just like it?

How much rope would I need to make a 12 cm square, or a 16 cm square?

Is there a quick way to work this out?

 

Walk and Ride

A group of 10 students are on a field trip when their bus breaks down 40 miles away from the school.

A teacher takes 5 of them back to school in her car, travelling at an average speed of 40 miles per hour.

The other 5 students start walking towards school at a steady 4 miles per hour.

 

The teacher drops the 5 at school, then immediately turns around and comes back for the others, again travelling at a steady speed of 40 miles per hour.

How far have the students walked by the time the car reaches them?

 

Support

For those who have additional support during maths activities in school, please take a look at the following discussion tasks to support your learning. How can you use your learning on measures label these Talk Tasks with your ideas?

 

Hand Span

Spread your fingers as wide as you can,

What you have now is called a hand span .

A hand span can help you to find out how big

Is the height of a cow, a horse or a pig.

 

Use your hand span very carefully and see

How many it takes to go right round a tree.

Now get a good friend and make this a game,

Compare if the number of spans round the tree is the same.

 

Next find an adult and compare their hand span too

To see if they use more or less spans than you.

Now write down the answers and think as hard as can be,

Why is it better to use a tape measure like me?

 

 

Remember that Sumdog, Times Table Rockstars and My Maths have also been updated with activities.

 

Computing

 

Visit the ‘hour of code’ website below and have a go at the following activities…

 

• To follow on from last week’s ICT task on algorithms, take a look at this Alice in Wonderland memory game and work through as many levels as you can. Could you design your own memory puzzle, on paper, using counters and character cards?

https://www.scriptacademy.net/alice-in-wonderland

 

• Now try the Multiplication Escape game – can you use code to answer the times table questions correctly and dodge the giant boulders? When complete, could you try this game with a friend, remotely?

https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/multiplication-escape

 

Religious Education – Miss Honeywell

 

As we approach the end of the school year and consider our journey in faith towards God, now is a great time to reflect upon each of the Sacraments that form a special part of this journey. Please choose ONE of the seven Sacraments below: Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Reconciliation, or Anointing of the Sick.

 

 

With your chosen Sacrament, have a go at ONE of the following tasks…

 

• Write a prayer or poem about your favourite Sacrament. How could you ask for God’s blessing and guidance throughout your Christian journey? Describe how you would feel during the Sacrament.

 

• Create a stained glass window to represent the key symbol(s) of your chosen Sacrament. What do these symbols mean and why do you think that they are they important?

 

• Can you find any photographs at home from when you or a family member took part in any of the Sacraments? Discuss what the experience was like and what you can both still remember.

 

• Make a set of game cards to help you remember each of the sacraments (e.g. Snap, Pairs, Dobble) and how they are similar or different to one another.

 

• Are there any special garments or items of clothing that you would wear when taking part in your chosen Sacrament? Design an appropriate outfit – which colours or details would be suitable?

 

• Research how your chosen Sacrament is celebrated across different churches and countries. How do the celebrations compare to each other? Is there anything that surprised you?

 

PSHE

 

Take a look at the following video from the Thinking Shed: https://www.literacyshed.com/the-bridge.html

Can you create a poster to teach others about the moral lessons that this video has taught you? For example:

 

– To work as a team

– To not be unkind to others

– To share what you have

– To be a good listener

 

Extension: Can you role-play your own moral story with your friends or family members? Which lessons do you feel are the most important to teach to other people, during the lock down?

 

Music – Mrs Sumba

 

Think back over the past school year which started in September 2019. What can you remember doing? Make a list of these things.

 

Now think of a tune you know well.

Using this tune and the list you have written, can you compose a song about this school year? Perhaps you could record yourself singing it.

 

Family Science Activity – Miss Stapley

 

Spaghetti Towers

https://www.rigb.org/families/experimental/spaghetti-towers – to watch the video

 

The activity:

• Make a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows.
• ExpeRiment with the construction of your tower to find out which shapes are best for building with.
• Learn why some shapes are more stable than others when you build a tower.

https://www.rigb.org/docs/spaghettitowers_infosheet_0_1.pdf – for the full information on the activity and questions to ask your child(ren)

 

You will need:

Packet of spaghetti (uncooked) • Packet of marshmallows

 

What to do:

Challenge a child or children to use marshmallows (whole ones or pieces) to join lengths of spaghetti together to make the tallest tower possible. You could start by building a simple cube and seeing what you need to do to make a taller structure that remains standing.

 

Going Further challenge:

• Instead of building a tall tower, you could try to build the strongest bridge from spaghetti and marshmallows.
• You could limit the amount of spaghetti and number of marshmallows to make the task more difficult.
• You could give children a budget with which to ‘buy’ spaghetti and marshmallows and make the ‘cost’ of the tower another element they have to consider.
• Try out this interactive ‘shapes’ lab to see how forces affect different shapes: http://bit.ly/ShapesLab

 

Have fun!