Summer Term
Summer Term Week 5
We've had a great week here in year four, we've been learning to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes and looking at statistics in maths. In English we had a great morning exploring flotsam that had washed ashore at Tynemouth Bay. We looked through the items and decided that they must have belonged to a pirate, a dancer, an explorer, a child, a scientist and teacher! We then chose one of these to create a detailed and exciting back story! How did they lose their belongings, we had some fantastic ideas.
In PE we looked at tackling in Hockey and the class were very good indeed, they followed all safety rules and showed off great skill! In science we were using classification keys to classify animals, we learnt lots of new vocabulary! The big buzz of the week was about football - I have been told it's coming home! I certainly hope so!
Exploring Flotsam
It's coming home
Fun Day with Mr Vyle
We had the best day with Mr Vyle, we played camouflage and built bridges in the Dene. We also raced ping pong balls in the river. We all got very wet and very muddy, a perfect Monday morning. We headed back to school for lunch and to dry off! We enjoyed an afternoon of fun on the school field, we did some orienteering following a map designed by Mr Vyle, we walked the tightrope and made some fortune tellers. Here are the photos, you'll notice the huge smiles!
Summer Term - Week 2
Another fantastic week here in year 4! The children have amazed me with their poetry skills. We read The River by Valerie Bloom again, then looked at some images of rivers. We worked as a class to generate some ambitious vocabulary and metaphors to describe the images. I had some resources ready to inspire the children but I didn't need them, they just went for it and blew me away with their creativity.
We began our money topic in Maths, the children loved handling the plastic coins and making different amounts. I think we may have some future accountants among us!
In Science this week we went exploring our school grounds for living things. We discovered bees, ladybirds, woodlouse and worms. The children were very careful and gentle, respecting the habitats that they were investigating. In PE they continued with their invasions games tuition with Mrs Ginns, they are doing so well.
The main focus of the week was times tables and they all rose to the challenge of the Table Check test that the Government expect us to carry out in year four. Some children still need to do theirs next week, but they are all doing so well and I couldn't be prouder. We celebrated our hard work on Friday afternoon with some EUROS 2020 inspired golden time, designing a new football strip.
River Poetry
Summer B - Week 1
We've enjoyed a lovely start to Summer B. The beautiful weather has certainly put a smile on our faces. On Tuesday we enjoyed the first of 6 Invasion Games PE lessons with Mrs Ginnes from the Newcastle PE Trust. We had great fun using footballs, basketballs and hockey sticks to practice our dribbling.
We began our new Science topic all about animals and habitats, we considered the 7 life processes. then used this to decide whether a range of things (such as animals, plants and objects) we actually living. In Maths, we continued our decimals work focusing on rounding decimals to the nearest whole number.
In English we have been reading a poem entitled The River by Valerie Bloom. We split into groups and learnt a stanza each and performed it in front of our class mates. I have included a couple of videos of some of the children performing their stanza. Next week we will be writing our own poems, I can't wait to read them.
Summer Term, Week 3
What a wonderful week we have enjoyed. We are carrying on with our WW2 Topic. In English we are reading about David and Tucky, two little boys who were evacuated to the country side to avoid the Blitz. We've written diary entries as David this week, I am so impressed. In math we continue with our decimals topic, the class are amazing at decimals, I am blown away. In RE we've carried on learning about Hinduism, and in PSHE we looked at self care for our minds and bodies. As part of our science lessons we investigated conductors and insulators and had great time testing out different materials. We're continuing to keep fit with daily skipping sessions and in PE we had a great time using bean bags and hula hoops, developing our throwing, catching and defending skills. We were so lucky to be loaned a special treat from the discovery museum, we have a suitcase belonging to a small child who was evacuated from the North East, the little girl packed her sandals, a little dress, rag doll and tiddly winks amongst other things. We had a few tears going through the items, the children find it so emotional knowing that small children had to leave their families, it was a really moving experience.
Summer Term, Week 1
What a fantastic week! The children have settled back into school life so well, I am so proud. We read a beautiful story called 'The Invisible' by Tom Percival. It covers lots of sensitive issues like poverty and discrimination and the children engaged in really mature conversations. They are an absolute delight to teach! We retold the story in our own words, as well as making gratitude jars for all the things we are grateful for! In PE we worked on our throwing skills, some of the shot put throws were very impressive! We also got our skipping challenge off to a flying start, with daily practice becoming part of our routine, as a result we are getting fitter, stronger and more confident in ourselves!
To help us fully understand our fractions topic, we have been doing lots of practical activities. Cubes and drawing with whiteboard pens on our desks proved to a big hit! Lots of fun and learning took place.
As an introduction to our WW2 topic, we enjoyed a scones with jam and cream, listened to some old war time music and listened to Neville Chamberlain announce that 'Britain was at war with Germany'. The class are so interested in this topic already, we can't wait for the next lesson (which is all about the Blitz).
I am so pleased to have us all back to school, together, learning and having fun!
