Welcome to Falcons 

Class Teacher - Mrs Ononeme

LSP - Mrs Wright

email:     class.falcons@burnttree.sandwell.sch.uk

Our learning

Summer term

Maths

In our Maths lessons, we will be covering the following areas: decimals, time, money, statistics and shapes. The children will be provided with work which aims to increase confidence while developing their mathematical skills at an appropriate level. We will continue to use manipulatives to offer an engaging way of driving children to arrive at solutions to maths problems while understanding the strategy behind the process.

We will also be working on learning the times-tables securely. The children are encouraged to practise their timetables- the game ‘Sound Check’ on Times Table Rockstars can be used to help with this.

English

This half-term in English, we will be reading ‘A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope’. We will use the text to inspire two pieces of writing: a diary entry and newspaper article.

Next half-term, we will be reading 'The Twits' to inspire some descriptive writing, as well as discussion writing.   

In addition to our English work, where we focus on the text structure of writing, we will also spend time developing our punctuation and grammar skills. This will be through a combination of separate grammar and punctuation lessons and activities integrated into our main English sessions.

Over the term, we will be learning key spelling rules linked to Spelling Shed.  We will study a rule every week and then learn words that follow that rule. The games on Spelling Shed really help us to do this!

Reading

Our guided reading text this term is 'Stig of the Dump ' by Clive King. Our reading focus this term will be on predicting what might happen from details stated and implied, as well as discussing the impact of language choices on the reader. Throughout the term, we will be reading a range of non-fiction texts, focusing on the features and structure.

Our class novel this half-term is 'The Boy in the Dress' written by David Walliams.  

Science

This term, our topic will be States of Matter. The children will compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases. They will observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled. The children will also identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle.

Topic

This term our topic will be ‘The Romans’. Throughout this topic, the children will gain an understanding of how and when the Roman Empire took control of many countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. We will study how they affected our language, our culture, our architecture and even the way we think. To support their learning, year 4 will have the opportunity to take part in a Roman workshop with experts.

In DT, the children will research, design and make their own Roman amphitheatre. We will also create a design and build a strong pavilion, selecting appropriate material to reinforce the corners to strengthen the structure.

In art, we will take inspiration from the work of Antoni Guadi. We will be making Roman shields using tessellation and overlapping to create the desired effect. The children will also make Roman purses using felt. They will use running stitch to attach two pieces of material together, and then use cross-stitch to create their design on the front.

PE

Our PE lessons are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Our focus this term is Games. The children will learn to play rounders where they will develop their batting, throwing, ground fielding, bowling, catching and running skill.  

Computing

During this term, the children will learn to recognise essential parts of a computer. They will have a basic understanding of each part’s function and share this learning with others.

Also, children will learn what is meant by artificial intelligence and consider ways in which it can help us in our lives. Through discussion, they will consider the future of AI.   

We will continue to develop understanding and encourage good online safety. 

French

This term, the children will be developing their language skills by learning to correctly pronounce and write some popular food and drinks typically offered in French restaurants. The aim is for the children to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a short role-play in a French tearoom using a wider range of vocabulary alongside very useful transactional language.

Next half-term, the children will be introduced to new vocabulary connected to the weather. They will learn how to recognise and recall nine different phrases for describing the weather.

RE

This half-term we will be learning about Hinduism. We will describe how Hindus show their faith within their families and faith communities in Britain today.  In addition, we will raise questions and suggest answers about what is good about being a Hindu in Britain today, and whether taking part in family and community rituals is a good thing for individuals and society, giving good reasons for their ideas. 

Next half-term, we will be learning about Sikhism. We will identify and describe key Sikh beliefs and values and consider questions about the belief that all humans are equal to God. We will also make links between their own ideas and values and those held dear in Sikh communities.

Look what we have been doing...

 Our Topic this term is Greece. To give us an understanding of where Greece is, we used atlases, globes and Google Earth to identify the location of Greece. We also identified the continent on which Greece is located, the countries that border Greece and the sea that surrounds Greece. Finally, we looked at Greece in relation to the UK.