Year 4

forest school

One of the absolute highlights of this half term has been our time at Forest School! The children have thoroughly embraced the great outdoors, getting stuck into a variety of nature-based activities regardless of the weather. From mastering the art of safe shelter building and learning how to tie essential knots, to creating beautiful natural art and identifying local wildlife, they have thrown themselves into every challenge. Beyond the practical skills of using tools safely and understanding forest conservation, these sessions have been invaluable for the children's personal growth.

We have seen a fantastic boost in their teamwork, problem-solving abilities, and resilience as they navigated challenges together. Most importantly, it has been wonderful to see their confidence bloom and their appreciation for the natural world grow over the weeks.

A trip to the theatre!

Year 4 enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Alhambra Theatre to watch The Boy at the Back of the Class. After reading and loving the story in class, the children were so excited to see the live performance — and it certainly did not disappoint! The production was full of humour, emotion and excitement, and everyone agreed it brought the book brilliantly to life.

Design and Technology: Engineering a Dome

Our Design and Technology unit this term turned the children into budding structural engineers. We began by exploring the science behind strong structures, discovering why triangles are so commonly used in architecture and construction due to their incredible stability and ability to distribute weight. To finish the unit, the children put this theory into practice through a massive collaborative project. Working together in teams, they measured and joined wooden dowels to form rigid triangles, which they then combined to construct a giant dome structure. The teamwork on display was spectacular, and the children were absolutely thrilled to find that their final, sturdy dome was big enough for them to actually sit inside!

Art: 3D Sculptures

In Art this half term, we stepped away from the page and into the third dimension! The children have been exploring 3D art, learning how to manipulate different mediums to bring their ideas to life. To put their new skills to the test, they designed and created their very own freestanding models using a combination of wire and foil. It required a great deal of patience, precision, and fine motor skill to shape the wire armatures and wrap them in foil to create form. The results are absolutely fantastic, and the children showed wonderful creativity in their unique designs.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

This half term has seen us finish off our wonderful work on The Boy at the Back of the Class. The children have used the book as inspiration to write their own formal newspaper articles, and the quality of the work produced has been absolutely excellent. We have been blown away by the empathy, maturity, and sharp inference skills they have shown throughout this unit. To top it all off, we are so excited that this brilliant book is being adapted for the stage! We are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to round off the term with a class trip to the theatre to see it in action. What fantastic way to bring our learning to life.

Following on from this, we have now moved onto our new class book, The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman. The children have already been captivated by Lila’s quest to become a master firework-maker. We have been using this vibrant story to explore rich descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, and setting descriptions, and the classroom is already buzzing with creative ideas for our upcoming writing pieces.

Maths - Delving into decimals

In Maths, our focus this half term has been all about fractions and decimals. The children have been working hard to understand the relationship between fractions and decimals, learning how to recognize tenths and hundredths as parts of a whole. We have been busy placing decimals on number lines, comparing and ordering numbers with up to two decimal places, and dividing one and two-digit numbers by 10 and 100. The children have done a fantastic job grasping how digits shift in value when crossing the decimal point, and we’ve been using lots of visual grids and place value counters to really bring this abstract concept to life!

In Science, the children have loved learning about the digestive system and exploring the different organs involved in the process. They have been fascinated by how our bodies break down food and absorb nutrients. After the holidays, we are looking forward to completing a gruesome digestion practical activity — even if it is a little disgusting!

TIMES TABLES

As we continue to build towards the DfE Multiplication Tables Check in Summer, we are encouraging all children to practise regularly on Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS). Just a few minutes each day can make a big difference in developing speed, accuracy and confidence with their times tables. Thank you for your continued support at home — your encouragement and help with regular practice really does have a positive impact on your child’s progress. Working together, we can ensure the children feel prepared and confident for the check.

Thank you for all your support over the last few weeks; let’s cross our fingers for some lovely weather, and I hope you all enjoy a fantastic, sunny break!

Mrs Griffin, Miss Hodges and the Year 4 Team

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