Luckily, we escaped the snow on our trip on Tuesday and have had a wet but good week here in Year 4! Here is what we have been up to this week.

English

In English this week, we have been writing poems using some of the features from our text called ‘Pebble in my Pocket: A History of our Earth’. We have written poems with similes and with personification. Personification is where you give an object, animal or idea human-like qualities e.g. the candle nodded in the breeze. Next week, we will be starting a new book and learning about writing dialogue.

Maths

In maths this week, we have been learning to solve problems involving money using addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The children have used previously learnt written methods; the column method for addition and subtraction – including decimals, the bus stop method for division and short multiplication method (column method). We have learnt to use subtraction to calculate the amount of change needed and used mental methods to rapidly calculate change when buying two items with £1. Next week we will be learning about mental methods for the 4 operations, such as doubling and halving and multiplying 3 numbers.

Topic

This week, in our thematic curriculum unit called ‘Mi Casa es tu Casa’, we have be covering our last Geography lesson and moved onto science learning. We began our science by visiting Monkton Nature Reserve and searching for and learning the names of trees, plants and animals. We then returned to school and learnt about classifying animals into vertebrates and invertebrates. We learnt that crustaceans, arachnids and insects are all invertebrates. Next, we learnt about deciduous and evergreen greens and that there are two types of plants – flowering and non-flowering plants. In Geography, the children learnt how to use 4 figure grid reference to locate places on a map. Next week, we will be learning about how environments can change and how this can pose dangers to living things. 

Spelling

Words to learn:

saddest, hottest, slimmest, biggest, wetter, madder, fitter, gladder

Challenge words: special, occasion, definitely

Love to Learn

This week, you have maths and PAG homework.

Maths – Solve these money problems using the methods we have learnt this week.

1. Poppy has bought a book for £1.75 and a fiddle popper for £2.10. She pays with a £5 note. How much change does she need?

2. You share £85 between 5 people. How much will each person get?

3. You have saved £14.85 in pocket money and your sister has saved £17.75. You want to put your money together to buy a game that costs £30. Do you have enough money to get the game? Prove it.

4. A box of 100 footballs costs £467. You buy 4 boxes. How much do you pay in total?

English – Write a personification sentence for these 3 objects: the wind, a car, the moon.

Messages

• Please see email from Mrs Law regarding the Strike days next week (15^th and 16^th March).

• A reminder that next Friday 17^th March is Red Nose Day.

• Easter will soon be here and we will be holding our traditional Easter egg hunts and bonnet parade in school. For children in Years 3 – 6, they are invited to enter the Key Stage Two bonnet / hat competition. This will be judged in year groups with prizes awarded. 

• A reminder that PE is now on Mondays and Sports Project day (wear trainers) is on a Wednesday.

Many thanks

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 3 Team