Year 4 Curriculum outline Spring 2020
Year 4 Curriculum Outline Spring 2020 Thinking Detectives ~ Smoke Signals to Smartphones
Humanities - Social Understanding In our Thinking Detectives topic we are going to explore our thinking toolkit. This will include developing computational thinking skills through completing some coding challenges. We will use our enquiry skills to explore local museums and artifacts. Thinking about thinking will also feature through looking at famous Greek philosophers and exploring the legacy they gave us. In this topic it will be important to apply our critical thinking skills to analyse evidence and ask historically valid questions. In Smoke Signals to Smartphones we will be using evidence to explore the evolution of communication. We will be studying Native Americans, Ancient Egyptians, World War strategies and modern day technology to build up a picture about communication and how it
has developed over time. We will also return to Ancient Greece and explore the Polybius Square. In R S pupils will be studying Christianity this term, looking at the New Testament and the life of Jesus. We will discover what it means to be a Christian and investigate who Jesus was and what the Gospels can tell us about him. Pupils will also look at why Pentecost and Ascension day are important for Christians. Finally, in preparation for Easter, we look at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and the Easter account.
Language and Communication In the first half of term for English, we will be studying explanation texts through exploring cracking contraptions, both real and fictional. Pupils will become familiar with the key features of this text and will invent their own contraption on which to base their own explanation text. Appreciating and exploring the art of Haiku will be another focus, with pupils becoming immersed in this beautiful art form and really refining their use of powerful and ambitious vocabulary to produce their poems. In the second half of term, pupils will be getting to grips with recounts through looking at the world of newspapers. We will be looking at the 5 W’s of reporting a news story, reading the news and thinking about producing a report with a balanced point of view. Look out for reports about fairy tale happenings which may have been mixed up for a modern day audience! Finally pupils will be learning to create suspense through writing a mystery story, using devices such as using similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia to help the reader to build up a vivid picture in their imagination. Through all of these topics we will be continuing to focus on introducing and reinforcing different aspects of grammar and punctuation. Assessment PTE (Progress Test in English) In Modern Languages developing good oral communicative skills remains core to our lessons, with increasing use of written cues to help with pronunciation, comprehension and vocabulary consolidation. Linking to the thematic learning topics, pupils will be language detectives, discovering patterns in words and structures, such as noticing where colour adjectives go in a sentence, or what sounds letter combinations make as well as spotting the sound in new words. In French they will extend their knowledge and use of numbers, to talk about money, including euros and will enjoy acting out scenarios involving payments in cafe, market and shop situations. In the second half of the term, we will look at a variety of sports and link this to discussing opinions and preferences. In Spanish the children will be learning vocabulary for shapes and using adjectives and prepositions to describe pictures. There will be songs, games and stories to learn vocabulary for parts of the body and face in the second part of the term.
Mathematical Understanding We will start by consolidating the 11 and 12 times tables, discussing how to find factors of a two-digit number and develop efficient multiplication strategies, including multiplying and dividing two or three digit numbers by one digit. Next our focus will be on measure, specifically area. We will look at counting squares, making shapes and comparing areas of different shapes. Then we begin work on fractions - equivalency, counting in fractions, fractions of amounts and adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator, including subtracting from 1 whole. Finally, we move onto decimals. We will cover recognising tenths and hundredths, converting tenths and hundredths to their decimal equivalents, dividing by 10 and 100 and identifying the value of digits in a number,. Throughout the term we will include solving problems as part of the curriculum. Assessment PTM (Progress Test in Maths)
Physical Education and Well-being At Dame Bradbury’s swimming continues until February half term before indoor athletics becomes the focus of PE lessons. A t Rosedale girls will be taking part in gymnastics, working on counter tension/balances, group routines and working with different apparatus. The boys will be doing indoor athletics, focusing on speed running, jumping at height and relays. For Games sessions it will be hockey for the boys and netball for the girls where the focus will be on the development of key skills and refinement of technique as integral to all lessons. For hockey the boys will need shin pads, a moulded gumshield and hockey sticks. More information about fixtures can be found at www.stephenpersesport.com or www.damebradburyssport.com Do encourage your child to get involved with any of these sports outside of school by joining local clubs, and discuss the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. In PSHEE t his term, pupils will consider what makes up a person’s identity and learn about differing views, lifestyles and beliefs. They will look at stereotypes and the importance of
challenging these. Support in the community will be another area discussed and the children will suggest ways in which they can demonstrate their social responsibility in caring for the environment, animals and plants. The pupils will also learn about how individuals and families manage money in different ways according to culture, values and circumstances as well as discussing poverty and the role of charities.
Creative and Performing Arts In Music t his term we will start by exploring storytelling in the form of programme music. Immersing ourselves in Prokovief’s wonderful piece ‘Peter and the Wolf’ we will consider how the elements of music are used to musically represent different characters and storylines. In the second half of the term, pupils will study Indonesian Gamelan music; learning about the cultural customs associated with Gamelan performances and trying to engage with these customs whilst rehearsing and performing pieces as a class ensemble. Pupils will have the wonderful opportunity to play on authentic Indonesian Gamelan instruments, and throughout the topic will have the opportunity to improvise, develop their vocal technique and continue to add to their increasingly broad bank of music terminology. Each week the pupils will continue to expand their recorder repertoire, or use their instruments in an orchestral ensemble context to develop their instrumental technique. Being a member of either ensemble enables the students to develop their ensemble performance skills, helps to build their confidence and fluency with reading staff notation, and allows them to experience playing their instrument in a new context with increasing competence. In C reate Design Engineering, the pupils will continue developing their bag designs, practising their use of stitching and using their prototypes to create their bag from fabric. They will consider the most suitable materials to use and will evaluate their designs, exploring the best methods of enhancing their project with additional features. They will further enhance the work with e-textiles for example LED lighting. For their Drama w ork this term pupils will use real life stories to develop an understanding of the character’s feelings and actions. Using facial expressions, combined with specific gesture to convey emotions and attitude in character, pupils learn to show an understanding of when different movement skills are appropriate. They will develop characters in more detail, focusing on showing a character’s feelings through mime. Pupils will evaluate their miming skills through peer-assessment.
Scientific Understanding This term’s Science has a focus on Physics. The first topic, on Friction, helps the pupils to develop a deeper understanding of forces and how to measure them more precisely, and we will look in detail at important examples of friction - air and water resistance - including carrying out an independent scientific investigation. We then move on to a topic on Sound, learning about how sounds are made by vibrations, the various ways in which they can be changed in terms of pitch, frequency and volume, and
we will end with a fun lesson in which pupils can demonstrate their abilities to alter sounds tunefully, using their favourite musical instruments! We will conclude this term with a topic on Circuits & Conductors, in which pupils will learn about how to identify materials as conductors or insulators, how to build electrical circuits, how to use component symbols to draw circuit diagrams and how to keep safe when using electricity. How you can help: Visit local museums, such as the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Saffron Walden Museum and Cambridge Science Centre Visit online resources like BBC Bitesize Science and look out for science programmes on TV
Digital
The Inner Wheel With the Google apps at the heart of digital curation our pupils use Google Classroom to complete work digitally and hand in work that is produced in a variety of ways. We have identified 7 main apps, our EverGreen apps, that help to showcase our pupils’ learning. An animation, movie or annotated piece of work provides richer feedback for the teacher and ultimately helps to make greater progress. Explain Everything www.explaineverything.com Green Screen www.doink.com Stop Motion www.cateater.com Strip Design www.vividapps.com/Strip_Designer/ Notability www.gingerlabs.com Book Creator www.bookcreator.com Puppet Pals www.polishedplay.com The Outer Wheel
We have a number of apps that we use consistently throughout our curriculum that lend themselves to our creative approach. We avoid apps that are specific to a particular outcome, preferring content free apps that can help to enhance our pupils work and understanding. Some examples are: Minecraft, iMovie, KeyNote, Pages and Padlet.
Coding Another aspect of our digital curriculum is the coding/programming skills that are embedded in all subjects or taught discretely in Years 5 and 6. We have identified a progression of apps that help to develop our pupils ability to code. The apps provide variety and challenge and help to develop the computation skills that are crucial learning in our digital work. We combine the coding experiences with physical output. Using Spheros, BBC Micro:Bits and Ozobots provides visual outcomes that bring our code to life. As our pupils develop further they transition on to written code.
Thinking Toolkit
Alongside and underpinning our curriculum we ensure that our pupils are developing as active learners and active thinkers. Throughout each subject area pupils are encouraged to use their range of thinking tools and reflect on when and how they are using them. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on how their thinking tools underpin all aspects of their learning and not just in the more obvious ways. How are they creative in maths? How do they enquire in English? How are they critical in Music? How do they think computationally in PE?
Inclusion This curriculum map outlines the core curriculum for each year group each term but at the heart of our wheel is the individual learner. Each subject area has a progression of skills which enables staff to stretch or support individuals as and when they need a little help, a bit of a push or a just a different way in. Within our classrooms through planning, teacher knowledge and interactions work is differentiated to suit the needs of each individual.