Buckle up and put your sunglasses on – this half term we are going on a road trip across the USA!

 

 

Engage

We will start by locating the states where Native American tribes lived. Also we will be flying into New York and discovering the exciting tourist attractions the Big Apple holds.

Develop and Innovate

Using maps, we’ll locate the USA and find the names of many of the states. Looking at aerial views of natural landmarks, we will locate them and think about how they have been formed. Together we will create a class travel brochure highlighting different landmarks and the many places of popular interest.

We’ll use travel brochures and the internet to research New York and write postcards to family members. We’ll look at the amazing lights of Times Square, make circuits to illuminate iconic American structures. We will create a program to follow a tourist trip around New York. We will place a range of US iconic people on a timeline and find out more about ones which interest us using a range of resources.

The story, The Indian in the Cupboard, will inspire us to       write diaries and character studies. We will read some Native American myths and create group totem poles to show human, animal and supernatural forms. After learning about their cultural significance, we’ll weave beautiful dreamcatchers and discover the legend of the Navaho spider woman.

 

Express

We will end this fantastic topic with a celebration of all the work we have done-everyone is invited and we hope to see you then!

Imaginative Learning Project focus:  Geography

English: Diaries, character profiles, retelling a myth
Maths: Inspire Maths : Place value-Whole numbers to 100 000, Rounding ,Estimation, Factors and Multiples
Science: Electrical circuits and amenities, conductors and insulators
Computing: Programming and research
D&T: Product evaluation, using research to inform design, selecting materials to create Dream Catchers and Totem Poles.

RE: Understanding Christianity and Judaism

French:  Intercultural Understanding, Language Learning Strategies, Knowledge about Language with Madame Day.

PSHE / Jigsaw : Being me in My World

PE: Football with Mr Mason and Dance.      Please ensure your child has appropriate indoor and outdoor PE kit in school at all times

Homework

Homework will focus on learning multiplication and division facts up to and including 12 X 12. Also, spellings will be sent home to learn, these will be taken from the Year 3 and 4 the National Curriculum and words linked to our Topic. Spelling lists will be sent home each Monday and these words then tested the following Monday.

Multiplication questions will be sent home every Thursday and these will be collected and the children tested on them the following Tuesday. Scores will be sent home.

Ways in which you can help your child

Reading is so crucial across the whole of the curriculum, the more reading with, enjoyment and encouragement you offer your child the better! Please ask them what they are reading, chat about the stories and information they are interested in. Please follow this link for recommended reading texts for Year 4

https://www.booksfortopics.com/year-4

Encouraging your child to use a dictionary both to check spellings and definitions is of great benefit to them. Also visits to the local library to stimulate their interests will really help. Quick mental maths games, especially those helping your child to learn all their multiplication tables and number facts. Also telling the time as part of their daily activities would be beneficial, many children struggle with this and regular reference to actual time is very helpful.

Remember to look in on us on Class DOJO     

Please do come and ask if you have any queries at all.

Mrs Smith, Miss Knott ,Mrs White and Mrs Heron