Weekly News 13.9.24
Year 4 have had an amazing week; you wouldn’t believe it is the second week of term! They have been completing some incredible learning and have really impressed us! Here is what we have been up to this week…
Maths
In maths this week we have continued to learn about numbers and place value. We have learnt to find 1, 10, 100 or 1000 more or less than any 4-digit number. We did this practically with place counters first. Here we are doing this…
Then we did this without using the place value counters. The trickiest questions were where we had to cross a hundreds or thousands boundary e.g. what is 100 more than 4972? We learnt that if we add another 100 to the hundreds column we will have ten 100s, and we can’t have ten in one column, so these need to be exchanged (or regrouped) for a 1000, so the answer will be 5072. Another trickier example would be 10 less than 4802. We don’t have any tens to take out of the tens column, so we need to regroup one of the hundreds into ten 10s, and then we can take one away, so we are left with 4792.
We finished off the week by ordering and comparing numbers up to and beyond 1000. We used the comparison signs <, > and = to compare numbers, and we also learnt how to put numbers in ascending and descending order.
Next week we will be learning to add using the written column method.
English
In English this week we have finished off our unit, in which we learnt how to write setting descriptions, by learning how to use prepositions and similes to make our setting writing more interesting and varied. Prepositions are words that show where things are in a setting e.g. beyond, beneath, next to, opposite, in, above, on. Similes are used to compare something to something else using as….as….. or like….. e.g. the sun was as hot as an oven, the grass danced beneath Gregory’s feet like a ballerina.
We then began our next writing unit in which the children will learn how to write a recount. Recounts retell events that have already happened and could be letters, diary entries or newspapers. We began by ensuring that we could use and maintain past tense accurately throughout a postcard. We learnt that regular past tense verbs end in -ed such as strolled, played, laughed and that some irregular past tense verbs change completely e.g. caught, built, slept, ran, ate.
Next week, we will continue to learn about recounts and practice the skills of: time conjunctions, emotive language, choosing language to show opposing viewpoints, and how to include compound and complex sentences in a recount.
Thematic
The children have enjoyed a brilliant start to our first thematic unit this year called ‘Make some Noise!’. We began with our science learning and found out that sound travels through different media such as water, air, wood and string by investigating sound travelling (see the photos below). We loved using the tuning forks to see the vibrations in the water.
We also learnt that sounds are made when an object vibrates, and that sounds travel through the air and into our ear, where the sound vibrations make our ear drum vibrate.
Next week we will be conducting some further investigations about sound and how it travels.
Spellings
This week’s spellings are words that begin with the prefix un-. There will also be a few red words to learn each week. These are the spellings to learn for a test on Wednesday:
unwrap, unable, untidy, unpick, uncertain, unlucky, unhealthy, unusual, untrained, unpopular, build, busy, business
Challenge words (optional to learn): uncomfortable, unofficial
Love to Learn
This week’s task is a science task. We would like you to find out how our ears work! You could find some books in the library or look online to find this out, or maybe a grown up could tell you. Here is a link to a good video if you’d like some ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMXoHKwWmU8
You can show us what you find out in any way that you would like. You might like to draw a picture of the parts of the ear and label it and write sentences to explain how the ear hears sound. You might like to make a video presentation explaining how the ear works and email it to your teacher. You could make a model of the ear and write some labels for it. Or you can come up with your own ideas, it is up to you! We look forward to seeing your home learning! Please could this challenge be handed in by Wednesday 18th September.
Other news
Resource request – SLINKY SPRINGS NEEDED
For science next week, we need some slinkys. Please could you bring them in on Monday if you have any. Many thanks.
Accelerated Reader and TTRS
The children have been given a new AR and TTRS login and password for this year. They will have completed their AR reading assessment this week and will be coming home with a letter that contains their new ZPD number (reading level) and their login details for both AR and TTRS next week.
Harvest information
Later this term, we will be celebrating Harvest. As part of this, we would like to invite families in to watch our Harvest Assembly. These will take place in the school hall on the following dates:
Tuesday 1st October: 9am Year R and 1 and 2.45pm Year 2 and 3
Wednesday 2nd October: 9am Year 4 and 5 and 2.45pm Year 6
Please enter the school via the main school office.
As part of the celebrations, we will also be collecting food that we will be donating to Thanet Food Bank. We will be taking donations between Wednesday 25th September and Monday 30th September. If you are able to donate, the food bank accepts any tinned, jarred or packet foods that are in date. As a celebration of the donations all children will be entered into a draw to win last years' celebration teddy bears, Kenneth and Susan.
Dates to remember
Wednesday 18th September – EHCP talk for parents at 9am in school hall
Wednesday 2nd October – 9am Year 4 and 5 Harvest assembly for parents
Wednesday 2nd October – 2.45pm Year 6 Harvest assembly for parents
Saturday 5th October – Cross Country
Tuesday 8th October – Flu vaccines
Friday 11th October – Fancy dress Disco Year 1, 2 and 3 from 3.15-4.15pm and Year 4, 5 and 6 4.30pm-5.30pm
Thursday 24th October – Parents invited into look at children’s books at 3.15pm
Friday 25th October – Inset day – School closed to children