Year 4Parent Information Evening

-Thursday 24th September

A warm welcome from Mrs Mears!

What topics will our child/ren be learning in Year 4?

Our Curriculum Topics:

Term 1: Early Civilisations (Aztecs).

Term 2: Countries of Europe & the Tropics.

Term 3: Britain’s Settlements (Anglo-Saxons).

Term 4: Physical & Human Geography.

Term 5: Local History Study

Term 6: Local area study & Fieldwork.

What science topics will our child/ren be learning in Year

4?Our Science Topics:

Term 1: Teeth & the Digestive System.

Term 2: Electricity.

Term 3: Materials (states of matter).

Term 4: Sound & Hearing.

Term 5: Living Things

Term 6: Habitats.

Year 4 Autumn 1

Computing:

UsingTechnology.

Creating and Publishing.

Literacy:

Narrative: Stories by the same author (Roald Dahl)Non-Narrative: Explanation Texts (Wallace & Gromit Cracking Contraptions) Poetry: Creating Images (Various Poems)

Science:Teeth & The Digestive System.

•To describe simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system.•To identify different types of teeth in humans.•To work scientifically to gather, record and present data in a variety of ways.•construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.

P.E:Invasion Games: (Netball)

-Play confidently in small sided invasion games.-Learn techniques to pass and travel with the ball.-Understand how to dodge, mark and intercept.

Numeracy:

•Mental addition and subtraction.•Number and place value.•Mental multiplication and division.•Measurement.•Decimals, percentages and equivalent fractions.•Written addition and subtraction.

History:

Aztecs!

•Describe the social, ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of past society.•Describe the main changes in a period of history.•Use dates and terms accurately in describing events.

RE:•Creation and the story of Abraham to Joseph.

•Sharing in the life of Christ.

Art & Design:Sculpture & Painting •(Aztec Gods and Calendars)•Create and combine shapes to create recognisable forms.•Use clay and other mouldable materials.•Use a number of brush techniques using thick and thin brushes to produce shapes, patterns, textures and lines.

RE• All classes follow a scheme called; “Learning and Growing as the people of

God”Throughout this the children all learn about

religion; knowledge and understanding of and learn from religion; reflecting on meaning

• Units include:- Unit A: Creation & The story of Abraham to

Joseph.- Unit B: Jesus teaches us how to pray.- Unit C: Advent

- Unit D: Christmas - Unit E: Jesus: Light of the world and beloved Son.- Unit F: Old Testament, Moses – King David.-Unit G: Lent: Living as followers of Jesus today.-Unit H: Holy Week -Unit I: Easter-Unit J: Pentecost -Unit K: Sharing in the Life of Christ-Unit L: Special Roles and Responsibilities

Timetable for the week

Homework • Homework is set every week on a Monday and a

Thursday. • (Numeracy set on Monday to be handed in on

Thursday and Literacy set on Thursday to be handed in on Monday)

• MUST DO HOMEWORK:-Spelling Practise.-Times Tables, children are tested on their times tables every week.

-Numeracy and Literacy homework is based on the learning objectives covered that week. -Reading, children should read a minimum of 5 times a week and get their records signed.

How can I help at home?• Support with homework:

- Learning spellings- Enjoying books/reading to your child/listening to

your child read or discuss his/her book- Times tables - Visit your local library - Read books around the main topic - Access to the internet for research & educational

sites- Finding a good space & time to encourage good habits

READING AT HOME• Please sign reading record book, K.S.2 Homework

Diaries if you hear your child read • (we expect children to read at least 5 times each week, either

their school reading book, or their own book. It need only be for 5 to 10 minutes or 5 pages each day. An adult must sign for each occasion, even if your child has read independently).

• Reading linked to our topic• Visiting your local library • Independent readers: discuss book, ask them

questions about what they are reading• Complete Reading Journal Tasks.

PPA (Planning, Preparation & Assessment)

• Allows teachers time to plan and assess children’s work

• This year the children will take part in ICT, Music, Art and Spanish during this time.

• This year PPA will always be on a Monday afternoon.

Behaviour – Rewards• Award Assembly: Star of the week!• House Point Scheme/Class dojos - - Excellent work/behaviour

- 5 signatures in Reading Record Books (parents)

• Full marks in spelling tests• Passing the next times table club (22-club)• Homework being handed in on time.

- Politeness/helpfulness

Sanctions• Clear expectations and classroom rules given.

• Positive reinforcement is always used first.

• Classes individual discipline procedures, (e.g. verbal reminder, missing 5 minutes

playtime, loss of Class Dojo points, change seat)

•New day, new start!

Class Management• Bags • 1 drawstring PE bag to stay on peg in school (everything

labelled please!!)• 1 school bag to include reading book & record and spelling

book, reading journal, homework books on appropriate days.

• Coats• Please ensure your child has a tag on the back of their coat

so that it will stay on their peg & that it is labelled with their name

• Clothes:• Please label with child’s name, especially jumpers!!

Water bottles:• Pupils may bring sports top, drink bottles into school but

water only for the classroom, this should be taken home daily and returned with fresh water to drink in class. (NB. This is in addition to the drink provided for lunchtime).

Communications

• Weekly Newsletter (available on school website)

• Website• Reading Records

School Visits/VisitorsTo enhance the children's learning in

the outdoor environment.

Term 1/2: Cadbury World

Term 3/4: Conkers

Term 5/6: Local area walk

Transition Days/Move up morning

Assessment

• we will refer to your child’s current level of attainment using phrases such as:

• working at age related expectations

• working towards age related expectations

• working beyond age related expectations

Avoiding “fixed mind-set” about t abilit we want to foster in all our children a “growth mind-set”, meaning that we believe that we can all improve our abilities with practice, effort and persistence. We would also like to further enrich our pupils’ learning by developing a greater breadth of skills and knowledge, so that they are confident to apply their skills to different areas of the curriculum, rather than focus on moving to the ‘next level’.Pupils will still be familiar with their ‘next steps’ learning targets as a way of ensuring maximum opportunity for progress but there will be no emphasis on what numerical level they are working at.

The New Curriculum needs a new form of assessment

The research for the review of the NationalCurriculum showed that it should focus on‘fewer things in greater depth’, in securelearning which persists, rather thanrelentless, “over-rapid progression”

Depth and sustainability is whatassessment should focus on • (Living in a Levels-Free World, by Tim Oates published by DfE)

The New Curriculum

The expectation is that the majority of

pupils will move through the programmes

of study at broadly the same pace.(National Curriculum for Mathematics page 3)

A significant change

In line with the curricula of many high performing jurisdictions, the National Curriculum emphasises the importance of all pupils mastering the content taught each year and discourages the acceleration of pupils into content from subsequent years

Who is mastery for?

The essential idea behind ‘mastery’ is that all children need a deep understanding and fluency of the mathematics they are learning so that:•future mathematical learning is built on solid foundations which do not need to be re-taught;•there is no need for separate catch-up programmes due to some children falling behind;•children who, under other teaching approaches, can often fall a long way behind, are better able to keep up with their peers, so that gaps in attainment are narrowed whilst the attainment of all is raised.•There is no such thing as “S.E.N. maths”•There is no such thing as “more able maths”

• 

Higher attaining

Does a mastery curriculum really meet their needs?•However research indicates that these pupils benefit more from enrichment and deepening of content rather than acceleration into new content. Acceleration is likely to promote superficial understanding, rather than the true depth and rigour of knowledge that is a foundation for higher mathematics.•This argument was advanced by the Advisory Committee for Mathematics Education on page 1 of its report: Raising the bar: developing able young mathematicians, December 2012

Different aspects of mastery

• Teaching for mastery– has distinct characteristics both in organisation and features of teaching

• Developing mastery – the need to develop sufficient fluency and depth of understanding so learning is sustainable over time – can be built upon and connections made

• Assessing mastery- Have pupils developed sufficient mastery for learning to be built upon and sustained over time?

The New Curriculum

Factual & Procedural Fluency

Conceptual Understanding

INTEGRATION

Procedural and conceptual

An exclusive focus on basics leaves students without the understandings that enable them to use mathematics effectively. A focus on process without the attention to skills deprives students of the tools they need for fluid, competent performance” (Schonefeld 2004 p. 281)

Assessing progress in the 3 aims

• Fluency

• Reasoning

• Problem Solving

Tracking recall of multiplication facts

Developing and assessing reasoning

• Fewer things• Greater depth

• Class working together• Longer time on topics

• Together these reflect the features of• A mastery curriculum for mathematics

Depth and going deeper

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Making Connections supports depth and sustainable learning and paves the way for later learning

Depth and going deeper

• What’s the same and

• What’s Different?

• Captain Conjecture says…..do you agree?

• Explain your reasoning

• What do you notice?

Deeper with fractions

Y4

Y2

Solving problems

• Together Jack and Sam have £12.00.

• Jack has £2.00 more than Sam.

• How much money does Sam have?

Solving problems

Together Rosie and Jim have £12.00.Rosie has twice as much as Jim.How much does Jim have?

Safe Internet Search Engines• Here are some Safe Internet Search engines the children can use at

home:

http://www.swiggle.org.uk/ http://quinturakids.com/ http://www.askkids.com/ http://www.squirrelnet.com/search/Google_SafeSearch.asp http://primaryschoolict.com/ http://www.primaryt.co.uk/google2.html http://www.kidrex.org/

These are Safe Image Searches: http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/gallery-swgfl.html http://primaryschoolict.com/

Curriculum Days/Weeks

• Book Day Friday -16th October• Interfaith Week - Mon 16th – 20th November• Number Day N.S.P.C.C.- Friday5th December• World Book Day - Thursday 3rd March• Science Week -Monday14th March – Friday 18th

March• Sports Week July 18th – 22nd July 2016• Art focus - Mon 13th – 17th June

Dates & Events for your diaries:• Whole School Assembly - • Inspire Mornings-• Class collective worships-• Weekly School/Class Masses • NB Year 4’s Sunday Mass will be Sunday 15th May 2016. Children

and parents are expected to support their class and attend this service.

Parents’ Evenings:Autumn-Mon 16th and Tues 17th November 4-6pmSpring Term – 14th and 15th March 4-6pmSummer Term Open Evening