Year 4

Welcome to Year 4!

The Year 4 staff team is made up of the class teachers: Miss Hughes, Miss Cowles and Mr Bradshaw and the teaching assistants: Mrs Roberts and Mrs Walton. 

Year 4 is an exciting year with lots of great learning challenges and opportunities.  You can find out more about what Year 4 are learning further down this page as well as lots of photos and information showing the children in action! At the bottom of this page you will find links to websites that may be useful to support your child's learning. If you have any questions about Year 4 please contact the Year 4 class teachers who will be happy to offer support and help.

Year 4 Curriculum

To find out more about the Year 4 curriculum, please click on the link below which will take you to the Curriculum Newsletters.  These provide a detailed description of the learning that takes place in each subject every half term.  If you have any questions about the Year 4 curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact the class teachers, who will be happy to discuss any queries with you.

Current Spelling Rule - Year 4

This page will be updated with the spelling rule which Year 4 are working with on a regular basis. You will also find previous spelling rules which the children have been working on below.

Find out what Year 4 have been getting up to...

Here you can find out more about different events, trips and general learning Year 4 have been doing.  We hope you enjoy reading about Year 4's learning and looking at the photographs!

We're going on a mini-beast hunt, we're going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day, we're not scared.

4CB and 4H 10.6.15

The children spent a lovely afternoon in the school garden investigating the insects and plant-life in a range if different habitats. They looked under rocks and logs, in the grass and in the compost heap. They reluctantly used the pooters to suck some of the insects into the pot and used a paint brush to carefully coax other insects into a petri dish. We found slugs, spiders, snails, ants, woodlice, centipedes and even a froglet! In topic, the children will have the opportunity to create a poster to describe all the things they found in the different habitats.

4CB and 4H Rodley Nature Reserve Trip 2june 2015

Thank goodness the rain held off... what a fantastic day! The children really enjoyed creating their sticky boards in the morning filling them with feathers, flowers, leaves and even empty snail shells! The afternoon was full of fun activities including pond dipping, where the children spent time with the nets collecting all sorts of interesting water creatures. Apparently we found one of the biggest blood worms they had ever seen! The children were very excited to use some brand new top range binoculars for bird watching. There was a bird house in which some baby barn owls had recently hatched, but despite our patience we didn't catch a glimpse of them. Our final activity was to listen to Peter's talk all about honey bees, which was very interesting. The children thought it was very unfair that the girl bees had to do all the hard work!

Year 4 at St Bernard's Mill

This morning Year 4 had a hands on experience of recycling in action. We went to St Bernard's Mill and had a talk to find out where recycled materials end up and the process of how the materials are recycled. The children found out recycled waste is separated into sections and turned into new products we can use for example tin cans into aeroplanes.

We had a look at how the waste comes into the plant and is weighed and looked at bales of waste preparing to be burned to make electricity. The children also made recycling posters to persuade children at school to get involved.

Portraiture in Year 4 - 13.5.12

 This week we've been learning about observational drawing and how to construct a portrait by looking for relationships between our features. The children started by drawing their learning partners and Mr O'Dwyer, then then went on to draw a practice picture of themselves. Next week the children are going to construct their final piece on recycled cardboard.

Can it go on forever? 13/5/15

This week the children's topic work focussed on the impact of big business and power stations on the environment. They considered how large scale industries could help the environment and made non chronological reports about renewable power.

8 times table practice

This week in numeracy we are learning our 8 times table. We have been playing this great game to help us practice. Click the link below to play at home.

http://www.mad4maths.com/8_x_multiplication_table_math_game/

Practical Measuring

This week the children have been using metre sticks and tape measures in maths, to measure the perimeter of some big rectilinear shapes in the hall. They had to estimate first then work in pairs to measure the lengths of the sides to the nearest centimetre (or even to the nearest millimetre!)

Year 4 teaching each other

This afternoon the children spent some time using their learning logs to teach one another times tables. Some children made games, others found rules and patterns and there were even a few times table songs.

We're going on a book hunt!

Today the children found out about their new book for the half term 'Stig of the Dump' in a very unusual way... The books were hidden somewhere in school and the children only had the title for a clue!

After plenty of searching, we finally found them in the recycling bin with a rope to pull them out. After tearing open the package, the children were excited about the new book and we had some shared reading, ending on a cliff-hanger of course!

The children then made predictions about how they thought the story would develop... Now we just have to read on to find out more...

Place Value pays off! 31.3.15

As part of their arithmetic day, the children have been really using their place value to puzzle out multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. They have also been using it in their work about rounding decimals.

Practice at home with this game:

http://kids.britannica.com/lm/games/GM_5_5/GM_5_5.htm

Bradford Cathedral Choir Visitors 23.3.15

This afternoon, Mr Woodrow and Mr Eyre, the Directors of Music at Bradford Cathedral came to visit us in class. They told us about their beautiful church and talked to us about the opportunities to become a member of their choir. We even had a little go at singing a hymn!

Roman Problems 3.3.15

This week, year 4 have been applying their ever growing times table knowledge to some problems. The problems required them to work systematically and there was more than one answer for many of the questions. This was a great chance for the children to work on their resilience as most of them were really in the pit to begin with! After lots of learning though, they were feeling much more confident. Look at them solving problems below.

Where does the poo come from? 2.3.15

This half term the children in Year 4 are tackling the human digestive system. They started their topic by learning about some of the major digestive organs and their functions. In this activity they drew the organs on their group leader's aprons. A really fun learning activity.

If you want to find out more about the human digestive system, try these links:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/DSmovie.html

http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/science/bodyandmedicine/digestivesystem/

Fireworks in Year 4! 23.2.15

Today went off with a bang in Year 4 as the children enjoyed watching some (safe indoor) fireworks in the classroom. The lesson began with a parcel which had been delivered to the classroom with an ambiguous letter attached, from 'Philip'. The children were very excited when it was time to light the fireworks, and, as you can imagine, there was an abundance of joy and amazement to capture in the jar! Needless to say, the children were very happy with their gift of a new book called 'The Firework Maker's Daughter' by Philip Pullman. Over, the next half-term, we shall be reading the book together in class, and doing some lovely guided reading activities related with it.

Watercolours in art 3.2.15

To finish our India topic, the children are going to be creating a watercolour painting of a lotus flower - the flower of India which represents God. Today, the children started this project by looking carefully at some watercolour lotus flowers created by other artists and commenting on techniques and effects. Then the children used different brush sizes to practice some of these techniques for themselves. Some of these included graded wash, dry brush, drop colour on wet paint and blooms.

Saviour Pirotta 2.2.15

Today, we were lucky enough to be visited by a published children's author. Originally from Malta, Saviour moved to the UK in his early twenties to become a professional writer. Today, he is mostly known for his retellings of myths and legends. The children were transfixed as he told us stories about ghosts and pirates, some of which Saviour ensured us weren't true but some of which he insists were! For the children, it seemed the more gruesome the story, the better! Saviour was really impressed with the children and has even promised to send us the latest chapter of his current unpublished children's book so we can read it and give him our feedback... as long as we don't share it with anyone!

Arithmetic Day

This half term we have introduced arithmetic day into the weekly maths timetable. This is a chance for the children to revisit, rehearse, consolidate and apply number concepts that they have been learning. This week we learnt about division with a great game and solved inksplat puzzles.

Reading Role Plays 29/1/15

To help the children to make sense of their reading, recount events and empathise with characters, this week they have been doing role plays linked to their reading texts

Learning log walk 23/1/15

Every fortnight the children in Year 4 create some great learning logs. They have an objective that they have 2 meet and can meet it in many different ways, film, PowerPoint, art, writing cutting and sticking to name a few. For each learning log, the children are given some time to enjoy each other's work and share what they have done. Look at them in action.

Dance in Year 4

To deepen their understanding in science, the children have created a dance to explore how the particles of solids, liquids and gases move. The task was to create a sequence of dance moves to represent the three states and to transition smoothly from one state to another. Take a look at some of the final performances!

Year 4 hit the Yorkshire Evening Post!

If anyone missed the article in the Yorkshire Evening Post about our Year 4 children creating their Christmas song, you can read the article below- reproduced courtesy of the Yorkshire Evening Post.​

Christmas Party Day

What a fantastic day we have all had in Year 4. The children have made a party hat, played games in the hall and enjoyed a fantastic buffet of party food. Thank you so much for all of your food contributions and to those parents who gave up their time to come and help with the serving of the food. Merry Christmas!

Year 4 get creative

Today Year 4 began their Christmas lights project. They used their designs and began to use recycled materials to create a structure. After lunch the children wired up their bulbs and started to get their lamps ready for the switch on. We can't wait to see them in action.

Conductors and Insulators

This week Year 4 have continued their topic all about electricity by learning about conductors and insulators. They investigated which materials were electrical conductors and found a rule that things that are metal are conductors. They then learnt about why insulators and conductors may be used in the 'real world' by taking apart a plug and looking at its components. The real challenge was putting it all back together!

Gymnastics in Year 4

This half term Year 4 are lucky enough to have a team of gymnastics coaches working with them. These sessions take place on a Tuesday and the children will need a white t-shirt and black shorts for these sessions. The first session focussed on travelling and included work on rolls, floor work and beam work. Look at the children in action below. 

Year 4 Exhibition

Today Year 4 had an exhibition to showcase their topic 'Is Leeds The Best City Ever?'. The children made great games to teach their parents all that they had learnt. They also made a beautiful tapestry of some of the things that Leeds reminded them of, drew famous Leeds Landmarks had giant timelines and shared their topic work. Another highlight of the afternoon was the video that showcased some of the children's writing. Look at all of their hard work below.

Very Modern Maths

Today Year 4 had a whole morning of marvellous maths. First we refined our multiplying with some bulk buying and then turned our hand to word problems. The final activity of the morning involved more word problems, but this time in the hall... using QR codes! The children scanned a code with an iPad and this brought a word problem up on their screen for them to solve in small teams. As I'm sure that you can imagine, it was a real hit that we hope to repeat soon.

Exhibition Preparation

This week Year 4 have been preparing some things to show off at the exhibition. They have been creating some giant artwork, thinking about how Leeds has changed and started their sewing. Look at them being busy below. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Practical Place Value

This week, Year 4 have been learning about multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. The children use their column names and moved the digits up for multiplying or down for division. They made the column names and digits and then physically moved the digits.

Look at them in action below.

For more practice, try this game:

https://www.mangahigh.com/en-gb/maths_games/number/decimals/multiply_and_divide_decimals_by_10_100_1000

Pedestrian Training Day 2

The trainers returned to Year 4 today to see how much the children could remember about their pedestrian training a couple of weeks ago. Both Jane and Charlotte were very impressed with the children. They were able to remember all the main rules and top tips for road crossing and could also quote some of the important statistics they had learnt. The children enjoyed playing 'Game over' in class, where they had to spot a range of different dangers in a busy road scene. The children were also shown a video about a boy who unfortunately did not follow the Green Cross Code and the repercussions for this. It's safe to say, the children are now feeling very confident about making the right choices when they are out and about on their own.

The Industrial Revolution

As a follow up to their trip to Sunny Bank Mills last week, the children learnt all about the Industrial Revolution and how it impacted on travel, working conditions, education and health. Here they are sorting some of the key changes into the relevant time periods.

Sunnybank Mills

Today Year 4 had a super trip out to Sunnybank Mills. The children split into 2 groups to explore the historic mill with its owners John and William Gaunt and their super archive team. One group went on a tour looking at some of the buildings and finding out about the processes that happened there. The rest of the children enjoyed activities such as a history trail and weaving.

Pedestrian training

The children have had a great day learning all about road safety in Year 4 today. They have recapped the rules of the Green Cross Code and have put these into practice with some road-crossing near the school. They have also learnt about how parked cars or driveways can affect how we cross the road and how to deal with this. We also started our big art project today which involved learning different sewing techniques. The children will eventually be creating a class tapestry to represent Leeds!

Sporty Year 4

Last week Year 4 had their first tennis lesson. They learnt to move from side to side and also how to hold the racquet. The children also practiced keeping the ball under control. They all really enjoyed it.

The children also had their first swimming lesson. It was a real success with a focus on water confidence. There have been some questions about the swimming - the children are allowed goggles if they would like them.

Science of Sound

Today in year 4 the children have been learning about changing sounds. We learnt about changes in volume and pitch and found out about how this affects the frequency and amplitude of the waves. The children made sound waves out of string and drew different types of waves in their books.

Try this changing sounds link at home:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical_processes/sound/play/

Learning in Leeds

Today Year 4 had a great day out in the City Centre. The day started with a morning at the museum where the children learnt how their city had changed since prehistoric times. They especially enjoyed the Leeds since 1900 room and found out some scary facts about Victorian food. We were so lucky with the weather that we managed to enjoy a picnic in millennium square too!

The children made great owl detectives as they learnt about the buildings of Leeds, we are  now looking forward to hearing about the other owls that they see when out and about. The Leeds tapestry was just as exciting and the children seem to have been inspire to create their own art work.

Find out more about the Owl Trail, including maps so you can have a go too at:

http://www.leedsowltrail.com

First Day of The Year

In Year 4 today we had a really lovely start to the year. We acted out the story of the Leeds coat of arms and now know why the owl is on the emblem. There was also lots of great hands on science for the children to experience the world of sound. Look at the children in action below.

Links - please click to open

Below you will find lots of links to websites that can help you with your learning.  Find our more about the topics you are learning about.  Why not spend some time practising your maths skills using Mathletics or practise your typing skills on Dance Map typing?