Year 4 are taught by Miss Anthony and are supported by Mrs Loughlin and Mrs Redpath.
If you want to know what we are doing, please read our curriculum overview for the current term.
Spring Term
Super Spring Readers
Through the spring term, Year 4 have been working hard again on their home reading. They have been trying to read aloud at least three times each week to an adult, and if they complete this challenge, they receive a house point and a raffle ticket. At the end of term, we drew six winners out of the raffle ticket box, who enjoyed a thoroughly deserved extra break. You can see the fun they had in the photos below!
Segedunum
On Thursday (11th April), Year 4 had a fantastic day visiting Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend. They began the day by training as Roman soldiers, swearing an oath of allegiance and obedience to the Roman Legate. They were able to look at the uniform worn by the soldiers and handle replica artefacts. After that, they explored the remains of the fort and looked around the museum to find out about life on the fort. You can see from the photos that everyone had a fun day and found out lots about Roman times. A great way to end the term!
Easter Praise!
Years 3 and 4 put on an outstanding performance this morning (10th April), in which they retold the story of the last week of Jesus’ life. The story was told by the children through music, singing and drama. The performance was powerful and moving, and reminded us of the true meaning of Easter. Well done and thank you for starting our Easter season in such a special way.
Eggcellent Eggs!
On Tuesday (9th April), the pupils in Year 4 embraced the Easter spirit with some traditional egg decorating. They came to school loaded with boiled eggs and lots of art and craft materials. They created some ‘eggstraordinary’ designs which you can check out in the photos below.
Musical Maestros!
In Science, Year 4 pupils have been learning about sound. They were given the challenge to produce their own musical instruments at home, thinking carefully about how they could make different sounds and pitches. The range of instruments included traditional items such as guitars, drums, pan-pipes and maracas. Other creations included a ‘harpourine’, a ‘rattle-roller’ and a ‘tuppertar’. How strange! As you can imagine, it has been a very noisy week in Year 4. Well done to all pupils. I can see that a lot of time and effort was put in to create such interesting instruments.
Mammal Web Study
On Wednesday 3rd April, Year 4 had a visit from Sammy Mason, a PhD student from Durham University, who spoke to the pupils about the ‘MammalWeb’ study she is a part of. The pupils had to identify different mammals and talked about the different habitats and diets that they have. They then were able to look at the ‘Mammal Cam’ that has been in school for the past two weeks to see what mammals they could identify in our school. It was a really interesting, informative session and the pupils had lots of fun learning about the mammals. If you would like to find out more about the ‘MammalWeb’ project, you can visit www.MammalWeb.org
Multi-skills
On Tuesday 2nd April, Year 4 had a trip to New College Durham to participate in a variety of sports. The morning began with a Benchball tournament, followed by athletics outside on the muddy field. The children enjoyed the morning and certainly had lots of exercise, especially when they took part in the ‘Eliminator’ competition! You can see plenty of red, smiling faces in the photos below.
Super Sounds!
In Science lessons, Year 4 have been learning about how sounds are made and how they travel. In the photos below, you can see the pupils working with musical instruments and tuning forks to see the vibrations creating the sounds in action. It was a little bit noisy in the class!
Destination Judo
Judo Dan was in school again on Wednesday 13th March to give each class in Key Stage 2 a taster of Judo. He came equipped with mats, judo jackets and of course his famous jokes! The children had a half hour session in the hall, with the chance to try out some moves used in Judo. The children thoroughly enjoyed the morning and have a leaflet with more information if they are interested in joining the club. A special well done to Bobby in Year 4, who was presented with his red belt during the session. A great achievement!
Roman Dance
In PE this term, the children in Year 4 are studying different types of dance. Over the next two weeks, they are linking the dance moves that they learn to their ‘Romans in Britain’ topic. In the photos below, you can see the children marching like Roman soldiers and working in groups to form a ‘Testudo’ formation. Their dance sequences had to be organised and they had to follow the rhythm of the music. At the end, the children had to march past Emperor Claudius (also known as Ashton!) and give him a salute.
Poetry Competition
Over the past two weeks, Year 4 have been studying the poems of Walter de la Mare. They were given the challenge to learn the spooky poem ‘Someone’ for a poetry recital competition. The children read the poem to the rest of the class, adding in actions and expression to add to the creepy atmosphere of the poem. All of the children who took part put on impressive performances, but there could only be one winner. After a class vote, it was decided that Stephanie was to go through to represent our class in the whole school poetry recital. Well done, Stephanie!
World Book Day
On Thursday 7th March, World Book Day was celebrated in school. In Year 4, the children came to school dressed as their favourite book character. We had lots of interesting costumes from David Walliams books, Roald Dahl books and even cartoons. Well done for putting in so much effort! Can you guess the characters in the photos?
Poetry
Homework for this half term is to learn by heart and recite the following poem. Then, if you wish, during poetry fortnight (see newsletter 08.02.19) you can perform the poem to your class. We will then choose two pupils to represent our class in the whole school competition on World Book Day, where there will be a winner from each key stage.
You can be as creative as possible with your performances. You could include expression, actions, drama, singing or even art into your performance. Good luck!
Someone came knocking
At my wee, small door;
Someone came knocking,
I’m sure – sure – sure;
I listened, I opened,
I looked to left and right,
But naught there was a-stirring
In the still dark night;
Only the busy beetle
Tap-tapping in the wall,
Only from the forest
The screech-owl’s call,
Only the cricket whistling
While the dewdrops fall,
So I know not who came knocking,
At all, at all, at all.
By Walter de la Mare
Super Readers
As another term ended, it was time for Year 4 to pick some winners from the reading raffle box! Well done to Annalise, Natalia, Ethan, Robyn, Charlie and Rosie whose names were drawn out of the box. It looks like you had fun on outside in the sun! Well done to everyone who had a raffle ticket in the box . . . you might be lucky next term. Keep up the good reading!
Water Worlds
In Year 4, the pupils have set up an experiment to see evaporation and condensation in action. They used the Science Garden to collect soil and plant cress seeds in a plastic tub. After they had planted their seeds, they watered them and covered the pot with cling film. They are hoping that the water will evaporate and then condense once it touches the cling film, watering the cress again. Fingers crossed our experiment works! We will post our results once we have them!
Wonderful Water
In Year4, we have been learning how water changes between a solid, liquid and a gas. We boiled a kettle and held a mirror above the spout so we could see evaporation and condensation in action. It was just a shame we didn’t have any tea bags handy to make a cuppa!
Rolling around
Year 4 pupils have been learning about the different rolls in gymnastics, and on Wednesday (6th February) they attempted one of the trickiest – the forward roll! Luckily, Miss Kemp was on hand to guide them through all of the steps to perform a perfect roll.
In the first photo, you can see Niamh positioning her legs, arms, neck and head so that she can roll safely. In the second and third photos, you can see Niamh and Ryan performing their rolls. Very impressive. Well done!
Captain Chemistry
Year 4 were delighted to welcome Captain Chemistry (also known as Richard!) into their classroom on Monday afternoon (21st Jan). He helped them to understand more about their Science topic ‘States of Matter’ through fun demonstrations and experiments.
One experiment involved the pupils crushing red cabbage before adding it to acidic and alkaline solutions to demonstrate reversible changes. Another experiment involved Vitamin C tablets, old film holders and lots of explosions to demonstrate irreversible changes.
You can see from the photos below that a fun and informative afternoon was had by all. Thank you, Captain Chemistry!
Gymnastics Festival
On Thursday 24th January, Year 4 took a trip to Durham City Gymnastics Club. Alongside three other schools, they took part in a carousel of gymnastic activities. The children were given the chance to perform different jumps on the trampolines, jump safely over large pieces of apparatus and take part in a range of obstacle courses. It was a fun, action packed morning of physical activity; there were a few sleepy heads on the coach back to school!
Gymnastics
In PE lessons this week, the pupils in Year 4 learnt about the different types of jumps used in gymnastics. They used the gym equipment to practise a variety of these jumps and to learn about landing safely.
Check out their techniques in the photos below.
Autumn Term
Super Readers!
Throughout this half term, Year 4 have been working hard to improve their reading. Lots of children have been reading aloud at home at least three times each week in order to receive a raffle ticket in school. Lots of children achieved raffle tickets, which were entered into a prize draw for an extra break time and a treat. Well done to all of the children who received raffle tickets this term, but a special well done to the children whose tickets were drawn out of the box this morning. You certainly deserved your extra break and treat!
Party time!
On Wednesday 19th December, Years 3 and 4 had their Christmas Party in school. It was a fantastic day, packed with dancing, games and lots of yummy food to eat. This was in addition to the Christmas Dinner the children ate at lunch time! Check out the photos below which capture only some of the fun had throughout the day!
The Great Year 4 Bake Off!
On Tuesday 18th December, Year 4 had a very busy day making biscuits. They began the day by making dough in groups before heading across to church for an Advent Mass. When they returned to class, the hard work started! They rolled out the dough, cut it into shapes and baked them in the oven. They left the biscuits to cool over lunchtime and then decorated them in the afternoon with lots of icing and sweet treats. All of the children worked well and produced some delicious looking biscuits for their families. They even had enough time at the end of the day to tidy up the mess! Well done everyone. We hope you enjoyed eating your biscuits!
Coding
In Year 4 this week (w/c 03.12.18), the pupils took up the ‘Hour of Code’ challenge, part of a worldwide event to help people understand Coding. Their challenge was to design their own ‘Flappy Birds’ game, following only the instructions on the computer. They worked in pairs to solve problems and improve their coding instructions. Thankfully, all children passed the test and received their ‘Hour of Code’ certificate. They even taught Miss Anthony a thing or two about Coding! Well done Year 4!
Anti-Bullying
This year, the theme for Anti-Bullying Week was ‘Choose Respect’. In Year 4, we discussed how we can show respect for others and worked as a class to write a set of ‘Golden Rules of Respect’. Check out the rules in the photo below.
R – respect the rights of others
E – everyone has a voice, listen to them
S – stand up for people
P – play with everyone
E – everyone is equal
C – care for people’s belongings
T – treat others as you would like to be treated
Science – States of Matter
Earlier this week (w/e 16/11), Year 4 pupils started their new Science topic called ‘States of Matter’. They looked at the differences between particles in solids, liquids and gases, and worked in groups to act like the particles in these three states of matter. Look at the photos below and see if you can identify which state of matter each photo represents.
Addition and Subtraction Strategies
The pupils have also been practising their addition and subtraction strategies and have been using estimation to check their answers. They applied their understanding to help them solve a calculation problem. It took a lot of working out, but eventually they all managed to find the solution. Well done!
Visit from Fr. Chris
On Wednesday morning (17th Oct), Year 4 received a visit from Fr. Chris. He spoke to them about the importance of the Mass and he even brought along some special objects, such as a chalice and paten, for the pupils to look at. The children thoroughly enjoyed the talk Fr Chris gave them and they were fascinated by the story of Margaret Clitheroe. Thank you to Fr Chris for giving up his time; it was a very special start to the journey towards Holy Communion next year.
Reading Raffle!
Over the past seven weeks, Year 4 have been working hard to improve their reading skills. They were asked to read aloud at home three times each week to an adult, who would then sign their reading record and write a little comment about how they managed with their reading. Lots of the children successfully completed the task each week, and for this they received a raffle ticket. On Wednesday, six raffle tickets were drawn from the pot, and the lucky winners were given an extra morning break time to spend in any area of the playground they wished. Check out the photos below to see how much fun they had. The challenge continues next half term…good luck Year 4!
Tennis Champions
Over the past six weeks, Year 4 have been receiving tennis coaching from Darren Curry, one of our School Sports Partnership coaches. At the beginning of the term, many children found it difficult to bounce a ball up and down on their tennis rackets. However, after weeks of training, they are now able to hold rallies and win points in tennis matches. The progress has been fantastic! Check out their skills in the photos below.
Parent Information Evening Presentation
Watch out Wimbledon!
The pupils in Year 4 have been very busy over the past few weeks in PE lessons. Coach Darren Curry has been working in school each Wednesday afternoon, teaching them the skills used in tennis. Check out the photos below to see the exciting games and activities that they have been taking part in during lessons.
Our Class Archive
You can also view archived work and images from our time in Year 3, Year 2, Year 1 and Reception on our website.
Adobe Reader
You may need a product like Adobe Reader (free download) to view our PDF documents on our website.
