This term we will be looking to consolidate our learning in Year 4. We will be focusing a lot on handwriting, spelling and reading. Alongside this, we will continue to look at the importance of paragraphs, punctuation, and grammar as we move into the final weeks in Year 4. We will also be looking at creating our very own persuasive speeches that we will be using in our concept 'Famous Inventions and how they have changed the world' to create a 'Dragon's Den' style pitch in front of some of our Governors and Mrs Littlewood. Miss Matthews and Miss Craven are very excited to see how these turn out!

We have chosen some lovely books for our whole class reading which link to our concept of Inventions. We will be reading and exploring the themes in the books daily and we are looking forward to lively discussions about the topics raised in the book.

Children should continue to read daily at home, both independently and with an adult. Teachers will keep their own records of children's reading. Children are continuing to access Accelerated Reading books and quizzes in school and should be bringing their Accelerated Reader books to school every day.

This term we will be looking at consolidating our four operations skills. The children will be pleased to know that our Friday Kahoots and Jamboards will continue as we recap over previous learning that we have covered in Year 4. We will also be delving into a little bit of Year 5 Place Value to allow the children to familiarise themselves with the Year 5 standard of work. During this term, we will also be looking at budgeting and the importance of using money accurately. This is in line with our concept 'Famous Inventions and how they have changed the world'.

Children should continue to practise times tables at home to ensure they can recall these rapidly (up to 12 x tables).

We are very excited for our new concept this term! We will be looking at how the world has been changed by different inventions. From our phones, to toasters to cars we use inventions every day. As a class, we will investigate who invented the most important inventions in history and why they were created.

We will be getting our families involved and seeing what is the oldest inventions they can remember being made and what was life like before they were made. Knowing about life before certain inventions were made shows us how things have changed and how vital innovation is. Think about how different our lives would be if we did not have Henry Ford's moving assembly line!

We will be looking at how the economy is affected by the inventions made - how much do they cost to make and who gets the money once they are made? Learning about local, national and global economies will help us gain more understanding of the impact of how certain inventions are key to lots of people's livelihoods.

Children will use their knowledge of inventions and innovation to design a product for our Dragon's Den challenge. The children will work in a group to plan, budget for and promote their design. We even want them to create a jingle for their product that we can play on our Radio Station! Year 4 will showcase and pitch their inventions to a panel in true Dragon's Den style. Who knows, we might find some future contestants for the show in Blwyddyn 4!

Within our Year 4 classrooms, we encourage the children to be independent and responsible individuals. We will continue to provide a supportive environment in which the children can become confident and enthusiastic about their learning.

This term, we will provide opportunities for the children to develop confidence in speaking out loud in front of others, working collaboratively and being able to understand and accept other opinions and ideas.

We will be spending time in the Learning Lodge and using our outdoor environment as much as we can, especially if the weather is on our side!

Each morning the children will complete their wellbeing check-in on their Chromebooks. This will identify pupils who need a 1:1 conversation with their teacher if needed. At the end of each day, the pupils will share something they have done that has made them feel proud of themselves. This is a fantastic initiative to support the pupil's development of self-confidence and belief in their abilities.

PE will take place on a Wednesday and children should wear their PE kit to school on this day.

Children should bring a water bottle with them each day.

Children should bring their Accelerated Reading books to school every day.

Don't forget to download our School App via the Play or App stores - The School App will provide you with up to date information about activities and events at Oldcastle Primary School. Please look out for our weekly newsletter issued via The School App and available on our website on a Friday afternoon. The newsletter contains all forthcoming diary dates for the school.