Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery
Year 4LK
I am Mr Kerby, and I am delighted to be teaching this class this year. We are also supported by our brilliant HLTA, Miss Baker, who covers the class on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings.
Alongside us, we have our wonderful LSAs, Miss Clarke and Miss Cooper, who provide fantastic support throughout the school day.
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.
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
Summer 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.
Summer 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 Tuesdays (at school) and Thursdays (Swimming). Please ensure the correct full kits are in for these days.
P.E lessons
Mr Bolton will lead P.E. lessons on Tuesdays, teaching Rugby in the first half of the Autumn term and Gymnastics in the second half. 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.
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
Each child will have a homework folder. Every Friday, they will receive 3 pieces of homework to complete for the following Friday.
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English or Maths – These will alternate each week and will be based on learning from that week.
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Times Tables – Practise for at least 4 days or achieve 80%+ on mixed tables.
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Spellings – Practise for at least 3 days.
Complete and return all 3 homework pieces on time to be entered into the class raffle
The raffle is drawn at the end of each half-term, with different prizes available.
Spellings and times tables are tested every Friday.
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:
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A reading comprehension activity
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Reading at home (recorded in reading record by an adult)
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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.
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, children will take the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), a statutory assessment set by the government.
During the check, children will have 6 seconds to answer each multiplication question before entering their answer.
We will spend plenty of time practising in school, but regular practice at home can make a big difference too. Using TTRS regularly will help children build their times table fluency, confidence and speed as they prepare for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check.
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).
