Year4 curriculumstatement20142015term1
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The curriculum statement summarizes the plans for Year 4 students in Term 1. It outlines that students will study the topics of Active Planet and Explorers and Adventurers. As part of Active Planet, students will learn about earthquakes, volcanoes and storms globally and in Vietnam. For Explorers and Adventurers, students will study historical and geographical sources to learn about explorers and their journeys. Additional subject areas covered include art, literacy, mathematics, science, physical education, music, ICT and PSHE. The curriculum aims to develop students' skills and knowledge through engaging topics and activities.
Year4 curriculumstatement20142015term1
- 1. Curriculum Statement Year 4 Term One September 2014
- 2. We will be studying two topics this term covering work in the curriculum areas of Topic, Art and Design Technology. The main titles of these topics are: Active PlanetActive PlanetActive PlanetActive PlanetActive PlanetActive PlanetActive PlanetActive Planet and Explorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and AdventurersExplorers and Adventurers In the topic of ‘Active Planet’ the children will be studying earthquakes, volcanoes and storms globally and in Vietnam. We will look at where earthquakes and volcanoes occur around the world and why, together with examples of dormant and active volcanoes. The children will make their own volcanoes and understand the different features of a volcano. We will then use enquiry skills to research specific volcanoes. Children will also consider the effects of earthquakes and storms on people and places. This includes specific events that happened in the past. For the topic ‘Explorers and Adventurers’ we will be using historical and geographical enquiry using different sources of information to support the things children learn in class. We will be thinking about chronological timelines and how and where we would place explorers along it. We will look at the geographical journeys different explorers made and the places they explored, for example, Halong Bay and Mount Everest. The children will study different explorers; such aspects as what they needed to do to prepare, where they went and why. They will gain an understanding that the past can be considered in terms of different time periods, and understand that past explorations and adventures have been recorded in a variety of ways. In Art, the children will practise basic skills, including painting, drawing, colouring, cutting and sticking. They will be able to use their art work to express themselves in the style of different artists. They will also use different materials and techniques to create volcanic pictures. Key vocabulary: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tectonic, Crust, Mantle, Eruption, Magma, Lava, Crater, Explorers, Adventurers, Chronological Timeline, Geographical/ historical, Preparation Relevant books/authors: Avoid Exploring with Marco Polo Adventurers Who’s Who in Exploration True Lives: Captain Cook Usborne Young Reading: Christopher Columbus Related Websites/resources: library.thinkquest.org/4034/ www.bbc.co.uk/schools/famouspeople/standard/columbus/index.shtml www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/Columbus-day/ www.purplemash.com/moon_landing2/ http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/familyadvice/3356119/The-20-most-useful-websites-for-children -and-families.html
- 3. LITERACY – English In literacy this term, Year 4 will study non-fiction texts of recounts and newspapers in English as they find out about volcanos and earthquakes around the world. The children will also be studying information texts, how these should be laid out and what features they include. We will focus on an information text describing ways to prepare for an exploration and the things you would need. This links with our ‘Explorers and Adventurers’ topic. In the fiction genre, the children will learn about different stages of a story - beginning, middle and end, together with how to describe characters and settings. They will use their knowledge to create their own stories as they look at ‘stories from other cultures’. We will focus on the book ‘The Butterfly Lion,’ which is a story based in Africa and the UK. They will look at the settings and characters in this story, including how the character experiences the differences between Africa and the UK. How you can support at home: • Practise English by reading books written in English and asking questions to develop comprehension. • Sit with your child to help him/her practise their spellings every day. • Write a short daily diary to practise written English. • Share books for learning English: Collins ‘Practice in the Basic Skills English’ • Ensure your child completes their homework to support their classwork. Related websites/resources: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/english/writing/story_plan/play/ www.purplemash.com/settings/ www.collinseducation.com www.thebookpeople.co.uk http://www.turtlediary.com/ ‘Curriculum Bank’ books - KS1/2 Literacy Resource Books The Butterfly Lion (Michael Morpurgo) MATHEMATICS Pupils will read, write and order numbers up to 4-digits. They will add multiples of 10 to 2 and 3-digit numbers, mentally add 2 or 3-digit numbers to a multiple of 10, 100 or 1000, choose and use appropriate number operations to solve problems, and check with the equivalent calculation. They will also mentally subtract 1, 2 and 3-digit number from another, using the ‘counting on’ strategy. Pupils will learn multiplication facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 times tables. They will multiply using informal methods and estimate the result of multiplication using known facts. Pupils will revise 2D shape names and properties, recognise lines of symmetry and sketch the reflection of a shape in a mirror line. They will come to understand the meaning of perimeter. They will understand and read a timetable and solve problems involving time. How you can support at home: Sit with your child while he/she completes the homework and discuss it together. Get your child to practise multiplication facts for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 times tables. Help him/her to learn the tables in order and mixed up. Related websites/resources: http://www.wmnet.org.uk/resources/gordon/Hit%20the%20button%20v9.swf http://www.ictgames.com/Y1shape.html http://www.softschools.com/math/games/fishing_multi.jsp http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/numberbond.html
- 4. LITERACY – Vietnamese In Vietnamese, Year 4 will begin looking at stories with a historical background. The children will learn about different stages of a story, beginning, middle and end, together with how to describe characters and settings. They will use their knowledge to create their own stories. The children will also complete a non-fiction unit on explanation texts. The children will be studying ‘Stories from other cultures’ and we will focus on the story ‘Hai chị em - Two sisters’ which is a story of an ethnic minority group in the north of Viet Nam. They will look at the settings and characters in this story, including how the characters experience the differences between the north and south of Vietnam. In the latter part of the term, the children will be looking at different examples and making their own newspaper articles about a storm and floods in Vietnam in the recounts topic. How you can support at home: • Encourage your child to read books and answer the comprehension questions that are set for homework • Encourage children to complete the home work at home by her/himself • Research by reading together more book to get information about the topic Related websites/resources: http://socnhi.com/Hang-truyen.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwz3PWme2NE (Links: “Quà tặng cuộc sống”) Truyện các nhân vật lịch sử Việt Nam SCIENCE The children in Year 4 will practise writing up investigations, for example, formulating a prediction, taking careful measurements, writing the method and drawing a conclusion. This term, we will study ‘States of Matter’ first followed by ‘Living Things and their Habitats’ . Children will have the opportunity to observe a wide range of changes of states, for example, water evaporating and butter melting. They will learn the scientific names for these different processes and learn about the water cycle. Children will also learn to group living things and use classification keys to group and identify living things in their local environment. How you can support at home: Encourage your child to look at different changes of state that take place everyday such as water boiling, washing drying and ice cubes melting. Look for different living things in your garden and local area and discuss their habitats with your child. Related websites/resources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/materials/changing_states/read/1/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/living_things/plant_animal_habitats/read/1/ http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/science/changingmaterials.htm#2 http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/science/living/habitats.html
- 5. We do hope that the above information will be useful for you when supporting your child’s homework and discussing his/her learning. Should you have any further questions please contact your child’s class teacher. PHYSICAL EDUCATION - In Term 1 children in Year 4 will focus on enhancing their core strength and body control in gymnastics and dance; they will have the opportunity to create and perform sequences of movement patterns, and differentiate between different levels and directions. The swimming focus will be on being able to swim unaided for a sustained period of time over 25metres. Children will focus on applying the correct arm and leg action on their front and back. They will enhance and embed their multi skills of coordination; balance; reaction time and speed. Introduction to specific racket activities will also be covered in this term. MUSIC - At the start of Term 1 children will be learning to identify repeated rhythmic patterns. Some of their work will be linked to the topic of Active Planet and children will compose simple pieces of music to create an intended effect. A unit of aural identification of orchestral instruments will take place. In the second half of the term the children will be learning to create appropriate accompaniments for an arrangement. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY - In the first term, children will be using a variety of coding and programming tools to create their own game. Children will also be creating, modifying and presenting documents for a particular purpose. These skills will be used to add effects to images and text when producing their own comic. They will then write algorithms for an interactive story based on the comics. P.S.H.E. – As always, children will focus on the BIS Aide Memoire and the Golden Rules as a guide to their behaviour and attitude within school and towards others. The other themes for Term 1 include ’New beginnings’ where children will explore their motivation, self- awareness and empathy towards others. ‘Getting on and Falling Out’ is another area where children will explore situations they may find themselves in with friends, and the best ways to handle these. This will include an ‘Anti-bullying Week’ when children and teachers will tackle the issue of bullying and ways to ensure it does not happen in our school. There will be one specific PSHE lesson per week plus other opportunities within assemblies, other lessons and curricular areas to explore these important themes.