Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

2018-2019

I am really lucky to be working in Year 4 again this year. This will be my 25th year in teaching and I still feel excited and extremely fortunate to be working with your fantastic children. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have concerns about anything, we are always happy to help.

We are also very lucky in Year 4 to have Miss Taylor who is an experienced teaching assistant who wanted to follow this class into Year 4.

Warburtons

We had a visit from a lady at Warburtons, we talked about healthy eating and the different parts of our diet. As a class we discussed how much of each food type we should be eating, how much sleep our bodies need and the dangers of energy drinks. We went on to make healthy sandwiches, many of us tried something new. 

Catch your Breath 

We have been lucky enough to take part in Arts Award and have visited The Catch your Breath exhibition at Palace Green in Durham.

When Palace Green visited us in class.

We made music with our breath and produced music as  group which we recorded as music and performed in front of the rest of the class.

History 

Do you know what coprolite is?

 Mrs Freeman told us that she had a text message from Helen at Binchester Fort and she needed our help!

Helen set us the challenge to find out which site the archaeologists needed to dig to find more Roman remains. We needed to dissect coprolite that had been found at sites A, B and C. Then we needed to identify the organic remains and read clues to find out what the Romans ate. We found out that the coprolite came from 3 different periods in time Roman, Tudor and Viking.  We wrote a letter to Helen explaining our findings and that the archaeologists needed to dig in site A.

Science - Sound 

To begin the year we have been looking at the topic of sound, we have looked at how sound travels and  how we hear sounds. 

String telephones

How does sound travel?

SCIENCE : ELECTRICITY

In science we have been learning how electricity is made, what life was like before electricity and where we use it. We have made circuits which light bulbs up, we have also made conductive play dough and insulating play dough, we have used these to make models that light up. We investigated which materials were conductors and which were insulators, this helped us to decide which materials would be best suited to making a working switch.

Land of the Prince Bishops

Our local history topic included learning about the Prince Bishops, who they were, what they did and how they were important to the local area. We were lucky enough to have visitors in school from The Auckland Trust and they told us many interesting facts and also the story of The Boar. They also brought in artefacts which we were allowed to handle and costumes which we used to act out scenes from history.

Roald Dahl 'The BFG'

Our class novel this term has been The BFG by Roald Dahl, we have researched his amazing life, looked closely at the language he used and have really enjoyed making our own dream jars and writing about our dreams.  

Halloween in Year 4

This year we carved pumpkins, made pumpkin soup, dressed up and looked into the history of Halloween and The Day of the Dead looking at similarities and differences.

Class 4 had an invaluable trip to Binchester Roman Fort, we explored the roman baths where we discovered they had cold, warm and hot baths. We also found out that there were over 1500 soldiers at Binchester each having 2 horses. The fort would of been much larger than what we see today and was used by soldiers going to and coming from Hadrian's Wall. 

We wrote some thank you letters to Helen, the lady who showed us around Binchester, take a look.

We have an exciting trip to Binchester Roman Fort coming up on the 1st of October, keep checking back for photographs.  

WELCOME TO YEAR 4

I am really lucky to be working in Year 4 again this year, I have been teaching for over 20 years and feel privileged to be teaching in this year group again. Mrs Freeman.

We are also very lucky to have Miss Gales working with us full time in Year 4, Miss Gales is an experienced teaching assistant who has spent time in both Year 5 and Year 6 in previous years.

We have designed our own dragon eye, we then made them out of clay.

Design Technology.

We have been looking at pneumatic systems and how they make things move. We explored different uses of pneumatic devices, we then designed our very own moving monsters. Come and have a look at our creations. 

We have been looking closely at our teeth and how to keep them healthy. We came up with the question - What drinks are best for our teeth?

We devised an experiment to answer this question. Look at our photographs.

Some of class 4 looked closely at how to brush teeth properly. They used disclosing tablets that showed where needed extra attention next time they brushed. we talked about brushing teeth for 2 minutes and how it was beneficial not to rinse your mouth with water after brushing.

Class 4 have just been looking at the human digestive system. We have a great afternoon going through an experiment to show the different stages of our digestive system. Ask the children about the process and the scientific names.

Year 4 were lucky enough to have a taster session of karate, they loved it. If anyone would like further information of the clubs in Bishop Auckland feel free to come into school and ask.

Class 4 had the opportunity to visit Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. We learnt about Josephine and John Bowes and more about their original home Streatlam Castle. 

You can find out more information by visiting the website.

Year 4  had a fantastic day at the Life Centre in Newcastle, we had a very busy day exploring the different science zones and took part in a work shop related to our topic of sound.

Year 4 have already had a visit to Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle to visit The Clockwork Garden, which is an interactive exhibition. We also looked at the Tulip art work around the museum and had the opportunity to go into the art room and produce our own works of art with tulips.

Our Science topic this term is sound, we have been producing presentations for the class explaining how we hear and then made string telephones and explaining how they work through vibrations.

Welcome to Year 4!

It is a privilege to be working in year 4 again and with the same fantastic class I had in year 1. I have been teaching for over 20 years and  have been lucky enough to teach throughout the primary age range from nursery to year 6.  

Please scroll down for information about our learning and events in Year 4.

Spring Term

Welcome back after the Christmas break, we hope you have had a fantastic break. Since coming back in the New Year we have been busy with many different things, take a look at some of the exciting things year 4 have been working on.

ROMANS

Class 4 had a fantastic day when a Roman came to visit us. We were able to look at and handle weapons and armour, play Roman games, make mosaics and try our hand at Roman writing. We really enjoyed learning about some of the armies tactics and drills in Latin.

The Digestive System

Class 4 have been learning about the digestive system and have carried out an experiment to show how food is carried through our bodies.

They have learnt what the different parts of the digestive system are called and the jobs they do. 

Class 4 have been learning about the water cycle, they all made a water cycle in bag, to show evaporation and condensation.

Bowes Museum

We have been very lucky to have the opportunity to visit Bowes to take part in an art project. This project is in conjunction with artist Mark Clarke and author/illustrator Jessica Shepherd. The children were able to look around the exhibition and meet Jessica, the children had the opportunity to sketch and make prints of their sketches. Our final piece of work will be displayed in the gallery as part of the exhibition. More photographs of our visit to Bowes Museum to follow. 

Reading

Our new reading challenge has started this half term and new prizes are up for grabs. Who is going to read the most words this half term? 

Children are expected to read every night and have opportunities in school to read and are given time to take reading quizzes. 

How many words have you read this half term? Can you beat 200,000? 

SCIENCE

This half term we have been looking at sound, the children have been looking at how sound is produced and how it travels. They have worked on a variety of investigations to show the vibrations involved in sound. 

Useful websites

These websites, games and puzzles are fun to visit and support the learning of Year 4 pupils. 

Important information for Year 4:

Reading books must be brought to school daily so we can keep a record of the children’s progress. Many children in Year 4 can read and record their reading independently but we ask that you listen to them as often as possible too as it is helpful for their progression. We are using Reciprical Reading in class and details of this are in the front of your child's Reading Journal.

Times tables will be practised and tested regularly throughout the school day. It is important the children also practise these at home to encourage success in maths. We do a times tables test every other week and it is expected at the end of Year 4 that children know all times tables to 12x12 and the related division  facts.

Spellings will be sent out weekly on a Friday and tested the following  Friday. Short and often revision of these is best.

Full PE kits are needed on Tuesday, Mrs Jones (P.E Teacher) asks for every child to bring their kit in on Mondays to ensure they are prepared for their lesson.

Celebration assemblies are held on Fridays at 2:35. If your child is a ‘Pupil’ or ‘Achiever’ of the week they will bring home a letter on Thursday.

Year 4 pupils can have tuck for 50p per week. They will receive  biscuits or fruit at break time.