Gorilla by Anthony Browne

In Year 4, we will be exploring the picture book Gorilla by Anthony Browne. This beautifully illustrated story follows Hannah, a young girl who loves gorillas and longs to spend more time with her busy father. Through reading and discussion, children will consider themes of family, loneliness, imagination, and friendship. This unit connects closely with our Humanities topic on orangutans. While reading Gorilla, children will explore similarities and differences between gorillas and orangutans, learn about their habitats, and consider the challenges both species face in the wild. This will help children make links between literature, conservation, and global issues, encouraging them to think about the importance of protecting endangered animals and their environments.

Key Vocabulary

obsession, dejected, tingle, symbolism. bluff, charge, impression, glance, theme, lounge, kin, primate, ape, chestnut, awesome, parcel

This block will begin by developing fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills in place value, addition, and subtraction.

Key Vocabulary

represent numbers, partition, number line, hundreds, thousands, halving and doubling, rounding, comparing, ordering, Roman numerals, negative numbers adding and subtracting

Save the Orangutan

In this block, learners will explore the theme Save the Orangutans through a cross-curricular approach that connects humanities with English. The unit is designed to immerse pupils in an engaging and relatable context, encouraging them to develop empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking. Interactive sessions and meaningful activities will guide pupils as they learn about the layers of the rainforest, why palm oil is a threat to orangutans, and how rehabilitation are helping to protect them. Pupils will also consider different perspectives on the palm oil industry, encouraging discussion, debate, and reasoned opinions. By situating learning within this real-world context, pupils will build both knowledge and skills while developing a deeper understanding of how human actions impact the environment and wildlife.

Key Vocabulary

Rainforest, Canopy, Habitat, Deforestation, Conservation, Endangered, Biodiversity, Sustainable, Rehabilitation, Ecosystem, Adaptation

Grouping and Classifying living things

In science this term, we will be learning about Grouping and classifying living Things. Children will recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways; they will investigate and use classification keys to group, identify, and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment. They will also recognise that environments can change, which can sometimes endanger living things.

Key Vocabulary

fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, invertebrates, vertebrate, snails, slugs, worms,spiders, insects, habitat, ecologically planned parks

Being me in my world

In this unit, children learn about themselves as individuals and as part of a class and school community. They will explore feelings, rights, responsibilities, and the importance of working together. Through discussions, stories, and role-play, children will develop their sense of identity and belonging, as well as understanding how their behaviour affects others.

Key Vocabulary

belonging, safe, rules, responsibility, choice, consequence, fair, kind, listen, share, goal, proud, achievement

In Year 4, children expand their vocabulary through stories, discussions, and a wide range of cross-curricular subjects. Vocabulary development is central to strengthening reading comprehension, enhancing writing, and improving speaking and listening skills. Our curriculum places emphasis on both everyday vocabulary and subject specific language linked to areas such as English, Maths, Science, and Humanities.

Year 4 Block 1 Spelling Rules

The suffixes -ment/-ness/-ful and -less

The suffixes -ment/-ness/-ful and -less (to root words ending in -y)

The suffix -ly (added straight onto most root words and root word ending in -y with a consonant letter before it)

The suffix -ly (root word ending with -le, root word ending in -ic and other exceptions

The /n/ sound spelt kn and (less often) gn at the beginning of words

Common exception words - word list year 3 and 4

Home learning in Year 4 reinforces classroom learning, builds confidence, and helps children develop independence. Each week, your child is encouraged to complete a writing task in their writing journal provided by the school. This may involve a short story, poem, book review, letter, or another creative writing activity.

Maths: A weekly activity will be assigned on MyMaths every Tuesday, linked to the topics taught in class, and should be completed before the following week. In addition, children will have a Maths Journal containing a few questions related to the topic covered in class which will need to be returned to school on Mondays.This provides an opportunity for children to further practise and consolidate their learning at home. The Maths Journal is optional but is a great way for children to build confidence and deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts. 

Reading: Reading remains a key priority in Year 4, and children are encouraged to read at home every day and record their reading in their reading logs. Regular reading helps children develop their vocabulary, comprehension, fluency and enjoyment of books.

In Computing, our topic for this block is We are Software Developers. In this unit, children take on the role of software designers by planning, creating, developing, and testing their own educational game for a target audience. They begin by analysing existing games to identify what makes them effective, considering aspects such as functionality, user interface, and overall user experience (UX). Children then create a working prototype of their game, develop its functionality, and improve the interface to make it engaging and accessible. As their games progress, they add features to increase challenge and replay value. Finally, they test their games, gather feedback, and debug any issues to improve their final product.

Key vocabulary

 Algorithm, Bug, Debug, Input, output, Program, Repeat loop

This block introduces pupils to relief printing through creative exploration. They design and carve their own printing blocks, experimenting with repeated patterns and bold imagery. Alongside developing technical skills in planning, carving, and printing with accuracy, pupils learn to evaluate and refine their work. The block also encourages creativity and personal expression while linking to cultural and historical traditions of printmaking. It concludes with a display of prints celebrating individual ideas and shared learning.

Key Vocabulary: relief, printing, block, carve, design, pattern, repetition, imagery, accuracy, evaluate, refine, creativity, culture, history, expression

This block introduces children to pop music through ABBA’s Mamma Mia. Pupils explore style, structure, and instrumentation while developing listening and appraisal skills. Singing activities focus on pitch, rhythm, and expressive performance, supported by playing tuned and untuned percussion. Improvisation and simple composition tasks encourage creativity and teamwork. The block also highlights ABBA’s cultural influence and context. It culminates in a class performance, celebrating musical confidence, ensemble skills, and enjoyment of pop music.

Key Vocabulary: pop, ABBA, style, structure, instrumentation, listening, appraisal, singing, pitch, rhythm, percussion, improvisation, composition, culture, ensemble, performance

In this block, students explore deforestation and conservation through drama. Using role play, interviews, and persuasive speaking, they investigate the causes and effects of environmental damage while embodying different perspectives, including communities, loggers, and activists. Pupils develop empathy, communication, and performance skills as they dramatise real-world issues. The block culminates in an awareness podcast or campaign video, enabling students to combine creativity with advocacy and share powerful messages about protecting the environment.

Key Vocabulary: deforestation, conservation, environment, role play, interview, persuasion, activist, community, empathy, communication, performance, impact, advocacy, podcast, campaign

This block explores the theme of Friendship through creative dance. Children develop movement vocabulary by working in pairs and groups, using mirroring, contact work, and contrasting actions to symbolise the qualities of friendship such as trust, cooperation, and support. Improvisation tasks encourage them to explore balance, leading and following, and responding to each other’s movements. They experiment with pathways, levels, and dynamics to create duets and group sequences that reflect the ups and downs of friendships. The block concludes with a short performance where children showcase their collaborative dances, highlighting teamwork, empathy, and expressive movement skills.

Key Vocabulary: friendship, trust, cooperation, support, mirroring, contact, improvisation, balance, leading, following, pathways, levels, dynamics, duet, performance

Striking & Fielding (Teeball/Cricket): Pupils develop their ability to strike a ball, catch, and throw accurately. They begin to learn fielding positions and the concept of batting and bowling.

Keywords - striking, throwing, catching, fielding, positions, batting, bowling 

Pupils will follow the BSC Swim stage. These 8 stages are based on best practice from the England Swimming Association. Swimming and water safety instruction is a statutory requirement under the English National Curriculum for Physical Education with the aim of all pupils being able to swim 25m continuously, using a range of different strokes as well as being able to perform a self-rescue by the end of Year 6.