Hello and welcome to class 4LK!

This is our class page where you can find information about what we are learning about in class and also any other information which may be useful.

I am Mr Kerby and I am delighted to teach this class this year. We also have the brilliant Mrs Ranson, our classroom HLTA who covers the class Monday & Wednesday afternoon. Alongside us, we are supported by our wonderful LSAs: Mrs Moll & Mrs Heath.

This Term

Our topic for Autumn Term is...

It's all Greek to me!

Geography

This term in Geography, our class will be learning about the European region. We’ll explore the location of Europe and its countries, discover why tourists visit the Mediterranean, look at reasons for migration to Greece, study Greece’s varied landscapes and the main features of Athens, and compare daily life in Athens with our own.

History

In History this term, we’ll be exploring Ancient Greece. The unit looks at the Ancient Greeks and their achievements from around 3000 BCE through to the reign of Alexander the Great around 330 BCE.

Literacy

Autumn Term 1

In the first half of the Autumn term, children will be learning about Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar (PVPG) and applying these concepts in their writing. In our non-fiction unit, we will produce a non-chronological report. In the fiction unit, pupils will explore myths and legends by watching Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief and then create their own myths and legends stories.

Autumn Term 2

In the second half of the Autumn term, the class will be reading The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo. They will explore stories from other cultures and then write their own in the fiction unit. In the non-fiction unit, pupils will also learn about persuasive texts.

Maths

In Maths this term, our units will include Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Area, & Multiplication and Division. We’ll also be working on improving mental maths skills and times-table fluency.

Science

The first half of the Autumn term we will be learning about living things & their habitats. The second half of the Autumn term we will be learning about sound.

P.E

Our P.E. days are Wednesday and Friday until half-term. Please ensure P.E. kits are in school for these days. When swimming starts, the Friday session will move to Thursday.

Students will need a full P.E. kit suitable for both indoor and outdoor lessons. This should include black shorts, a white T-shirt, trainers, plus black jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt or hoodie for outdoor sessions. Please send the full kit at the start of the half-term; we’ll send it home for washing after P.E. at the end of the half-term.

P.E lessons

Mr Bolton will teach football during the first half of the autumn term and rugby during the second half, both on Wednesdays in P.E. lessons. Mr Kerby will teach dance on Fridays in the first half of the term, then swimming will take place on Thursdays in the second half.

Swimming lessons

Swimming lessons at our local pool will be every Thursdays. We will be walking to the swimming pool and back in all weathers. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the walk that day. Children will need: A towel, goggles, swimming hat (for children with long-hair), trunks for boys and a one-piece costume for girls (underneath school uniforms). We do have some goggles and swimming hats to lend out if children do not have them, however it would be useful if they have their own. All piercings need to be removed. To make the task of putting swimming hats on the children more simpler, we ask that children with long hair come into school on Thursdays with their hair already slicked back from their face in either a ponytail/bun/plaits. Children will need a quick snack for after swimming.

Homework

Homework is set on a Friday and is due back on the following Friday. Homework will consist of the following:

Times Table slip

Each child will be given a times table slip with a specific times table to practice. We use weekly and termly assessments to help us identify the time tables that children are working at. When they demonstrate fluency with their assigned times table we will move them to the next one in order of progression. Those children who are fluent in all time tables will be on a mixed times table slip. I ask that all children complete at least 4 days of times table practice each week.

Plenty of practice on TT rockstars at home will help too!

1 page of either literacy or maths booklet

The homework we set is something we would have learnt in class. We alternate between the two booklets every week. The page number and due date is written on the inside of the front cover when we set it. 

Spellings practice sheet

We have divided the class into 3 different spelling groups, each having their own set of 10 spellings to learn. These are lead by Mr Kerby, Mrs Ranson and Mrs Smith. Every Friday, we will introduce to our groups 10 spellings that generally follow a specific spelling pattern. They will have 1 week to practice in school and at home. I ask that all children complete at least 3 days of spellings practice each week on their spellings practice sheet. Children must look > say > cover > write > check for each of their spellings.

Half-term Homework

The class will be set a different style of homework before every school holiday (except for the summer holidays). This homework will consist of:

• A reading comprehension activity
• Reading at home (recorded in reading record by an adult)
• Times table practice on TT Rock Stars (10 minutes on either garage or studio)

If your child can't access TT Rockstars at home, then alternatively they can write down times tables on a piece of paper and bring that in for us to look at. Those children should select the times tables they feel they need to practice the most.

*

Children will have a spelling test and times table test every Friday, so it is important that children practice them at home before then. 

Every week, students who hand in all three pieces of homework on time and to the expected standard will be entered into our class raffle. The raffle is drawn at the end of each half-term, with different prizes each term. The more weeks students complete all their homework, the more chances they have to win!

Reading

Reading is very important so please encourage your child to do as much as possible at home. It will make a huge difference to their learning.

Reading books and reading records need to come back to school everyday.

Please record any reading your child does at home in their reading records. 

Once a child has 10 reads recorded in their reading record, they can choose a prize from Mr Kerby's prize box.

MTC

At the end of Year 4, the class will take a times table test.

This is a statutory test set by the government where the children will have 6 seconds to answer a question and type it in.

We will do plenty of practice in school, but extra practice at home will make a big difference as well.

Contact

Don't forget to check ClassDojo for any notices. Also, if you need to contact me, please do so through ClassDojo during the hours of 8:30am-5:30pm (Mon-Fri).